byCarmine

As promised, next on the agenda is the magic system.

So, thinking about the kha and how it is going to work a lot tonight. The idea of orbs and wands will be kept, just trying to think of a way to make it so it can be easily expanded to create hundreds of combinations of spells, but without having to (necessarily) enter them all manually. And also thinking of ways it can work and the different stages of it.

My first thought: Kha will no longer be linked directly with a specific god. This makes sense as kha was around before the gods was made. Instead it will be linked to more traditional elements: Fire (fyros), Aeros (Air), Dwaeos (water), Ethreos (Earth), and Bhelos (darkness or chaos). It also makes it much MUCH easier to code. 

Keep in mind that magic is rare. It will only be available to a few people with the talent to use it. Not everyone will have the ability to. It will come about either by a random chance of being set with the talent on creation or by applying. Keep in mind, whether an application is successful will largely be determined by how many active mages there are in game versus number of regular players. At this stage, I wouldn’t imagine us allowing more than 2-3.

 

So, anyways, here is my idea so far:

Kha Magic Stages:

1. Find Orb

This I see as being not unlike hunting for materials on Ryzom for those that have played it. A bit of prospecting, identifying a nearby source and following the guides to where it is. There will be skills involved, possibly even several. Skills could increase the range of prospecting, the chances of pulling an orb from the source, the quality of the orb, allow you to specify the type of orb you want, etc.

2. Identify Orb

This may determine what kha type the orb is, whether it a minor or major orb (minor with one affect, major with 2 etc), and identifying at a high level might even show what affect is on the orb thus reducing necessity for dangerous testing. Identify could be linked to kha type, so someone who can identify Fyros would not be able to identify Aeros.

3. Make Wand

Another skill. Takes a basic length of wood and gives it the ability of being able to accept orbs. Different types of woods may give additional bonuses to recharging, cool down times and casting.

4. Inscribe Wand

Mark the wand with certain runes. Like with the wood type, certain runes (made available through the skill tree for each kha type) will offer bonuses to recharging, cool down times and casting.

5. Merge Orb with Wand

The tricky part. Fail it and you might lose the orb. Or wand. Or even both. Improve your skill to ensure success. Can only merge an orb with a wand of the same type of element.

6. Charge wand

Recharge the wand depending on the kha available and skill level. 

7. Collect any required ingredients

Some spells may need additional components. These will likely be herbs that are gatherable in the sector types linked to the kha elements.

8. Select orb on wand to cast

Wands will hold a finite number of orbs. Some wands will hold more than others (depending on the skill of the mage creating the wand). The mage will be able to select which spell they are able to cast and select the target. Using the orb will reduce the kha charge and also the wand will go through a cool down period before it can be used again.

Additional Note: The wand could be either a traditional wand, or something more trivial, such as a ring or even a weapon. As long as it is a *focus* for the spell.