• DigitalFlux
• July 12, 2010    4:38 PM

Even with technology prevalent in a world like ours, many of us believe in magic. It gives us something mysterious to play with- something that can never be completely controlled or understood. And as with the real world, magic adds much to the depth of Epic Frontiers.

As with the rest of our Action System, all magic schools are created equal, so to speak. The reason for this is the lore which serves as the basis of the magic system. Magic, in the Epic Frontiers universe, is a single source of power with differing aspects. One aspect of magic involves the element of Fire, allowing one to manipulate it in various ways. Another aspect of magic is Death, which allow for even darker deeds to be done…

Magic is much more a mental talent than a physical one, and so when you use the magical abilities that you’ve learned, you’ll drain your Focus. Focus can be thought of as “mental endurance” in the same way as you have physical endurance. As you use melee skills in a fight, you slowly become exhausted. The same is true with magic. And just like physical skills, there is some overlap in the drain that it causes: Some magic requires draining some of your physical endurance, and some rare magic may require you to give up some health (and you want to use those spells sparingly- or else you’ll magic yourself right out of a fight).

We’re trying to keep things interesting, so we’ve also brought in several concepts familiar to those who have read anything about the realm of magic:

• Rituals: Some magic is just too big for a single person, and through Skill Linking, players can create magic that is otherwise too powerful for a single person to wield. These kinds of things take time to cast, are usually easily stopped (you don’t want to do this in the middle of a melee), and drain large amounts of energy.
• Amulets: What’s magic without amulets? Protective objects usually worn, though sometimes embedded in armor or weapons, amulets serve to ward off certain types of magic. Some amulets go beyond the realm of magic itself and protect against certain types of harm that the world itself may deliver, though these are rare and expensive.
• Enchantments/Blessings/Curses: These terms all encompass the same basic act of casting a spell to modify the ability of a person or object to avoid or achieve certain states. Enchant an object to ward off magic or increase its magical damage or protection. Bless or Curse individuals or groups to protect or inflict suffering on them, or to remove a blessing or curse.
• Artifacts: Artifacts are objects of heightened magical power, which can be tapped by the individual who possesses it. Mind you, not all artifacts are created equal- the most powerful ones can have very negative consequences for use! So don’t go waving around that blood-red crystal skull you just found until you find out more about what it does.
• Libraries: I’ve cited this in previous blogs and I have to cite it again. That blood-red skull you found may need to have you utter something to it using the conversation system in order for it to work, and sometimes, libraries hold very valuable information. Knowledge is power- sometimes literally.
• Schools: All of the above is nice, but where do you learn it? Well, in the various schools and cabals, of course. Some of these groups are altruistic and teach anyone, while other require allegiances and/or money to learn what they have to teach. Over the years, these groups have come to focus on a single “aspect” of magic, specializing and expanding their knowledge and expertise in that field. As a player, you can also specialize in a particular aspect if you like, or you can learn magic from several schools and build out a very special character.

I hope that whets your appetite. This isn’t the longest blog I’ve done here, but check out the Codex over the next week or two for an expanding look at magic from the perspective of the game world, including some of the magical “Aspects” that will be available in the game!

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