Magic and Spell Words

How a spell is made

There are no classes in Wizardly Way. What you can do comes from the words you know. Every spell is exactly five words, one from each category, spoken in order:

1. Element: what the spell is made of, and the condition it inflicts
2. Form: how it moves and hits
3. Magnitude: how powerful it is
4. Range: how far it reaches, or whether it centers on you
5. Duration: how long it lasts

Each word has an Irish-Gaelic form that wizards speak, and a plain meaning. Put the five Irish words together and you have the spell's incantation. For example:

Tineas Saighead Beagán Gairid Láithreach
Fire · Bolt · Minor · Near · Instant = Fire Bolt I

A spell's everyday name is just its Element and Form, plus a numeral for its Magnitude: a Greater fire bolt is Fire Bolt II. Its Range and Duration appear on a second line, such as "Far · Lingering". With 8 elements, 8 forms and 4 choices each for magnitude, range and duration, there are 4,096 possible spells.

Element words

The element sets the damage type, color and condition. Five elements are planned for launch, with three more to follow.

Element	Spoken word	Root	Condition
Fire	Tineas	tine, fire	Burn: damage over time
Water	Uiscear	uisce, water	Slow; at the highest power it Freezes
Lightning	Tintreach	lightning	Stun, briefly
Wind	Gaothan	gaoth, wind	Knockback
Earth	Cré	clay, earth	Root: the target can't move
ArcaneLater	Draíocht	magic	Silence: the target can't cast
ShadowLater	Scáthmar	scáth, shadow	Fear: the target flees
LightLater	Solasán	solas, light	Heals you on hit; extra damage to undead

Strengths and weaknesses

The five physical elements form a loop, each one beating the next: Water beats Fire, Fire beats Wind, Wind beats Earth, Earth beats Lightning, and Lightning beats Water. Light, Shadow and Arcane form their own triangle: Light beats Shadow, Shadow beats Arcane, and Arcane beats Light.

Hitting a monster's weakness deals 50% more damage. Casting an element it resists deals less, and casting a monster's own element at it barely tickles. Every monster and every rift has an element, so a smart wizard changes spells to match the fight.

Form words

Form	Spoken word	Root	What it does
Bolt	Saighead	arrow	A straight projectile
Chain	Slabhra	chain	Jumps from target to target
Shield	Sciath	shield	A barrier or protective wall
Storm	Stoirm	storm	A lasting zone of damage
Wave	Tonn	wave	A sweeping cone
Sphere	Cruinne	globe, orb	An orb that orbits you or flies out
Burst	Pléasc	explosion	An instant blast in an area
Strike	Buille	a blow	A close-range hit

Forms combine with Range in fun ways. A Self Bolt turns you into the bolt, dashing in a straight line. A Far Shield raises a wall that forces monsters to walk around it, while a Wide Shield curves around you to trap enemies inside. Your weapon changes how some forms look, too: a Wave from a sword flies off as a crescent, while from an axe it's a ground-shaking slam.

Magnitude, Range and Duration

Learning words: the Capture spell

Spell words are rare. Ordinary monsters drop gold, gear and materials, but never words. Words come from only three places:

• Bosses. Every boss casts one spell of its own. Mark it with Capture, then defeat it, and you learn one of that spell's five words.
• Champions at special locations. Hand-placed monsters guard real-world spots, each with spells of its own to capture.
• Traveling vendors. A few merchants sell common to rare words for gold, and their stock rotates.

Capture is a spell every wizard knows from the start. Its incantation is Draíocht Gabháil, "magic of seizing." Cast it on a boss to focus, and understand the words the boss is using. Defeat the boss before your focus fades, and its knowledge is yours.

Once you learn a word, you know it forever. Crafting a spell never uses words up, so one word can appear in as many spells as you like. Every new wizard starts with Capture and a Bolt of the element they choose.

Rarity and mastery

Every word you capture has a rarity, from Common through Uncommon, Rare, Epic and Mythic up to Celestial. A rarer word is a stronger word: a Rare Tineas burns hotter than a Common one. Capture a word you already know at a higher rarity and you keep both copies, choosing which one each spell uses.

A spell's own rarity is the average of its five words, and it shows in the spell's glow. Spells also grow with use: cast a spell enough and it gains mastery levels, rewarding you for sticking with a favorite.