Where is ao on the magic system scale

Game Discussion
21

WE are ALL hard

22

I’m going to restrain from making vaguely phallic jokes to just answer the question.

Arcane Odyssey has a soft-leaning magic system. While there technically are separate “magics,” most of them serve the same purpose, and are stated to not even technically be the element they appear as if they’re not a curse. The difference in practice between, say, Lightning Magic and Earth Magic is nonexistent—both are used predominantly as weapons, and neither has a function that the other cannot perform due to both the existence of Aura and the fact that spells function regardless of the magic used. Even, sometimes, when it makes limited sense for them to do so.

Additionally, Aura acts as a do-all in-universe. It negates the effects of magical attacks, can be used to soften falls, amplify force, or otherwise cause effects which do not depend on the user’s magic or selections. Hard magic systems are defined by the limits of their magic, and Arcane Odyssey doesn’t really have limits for its magics. They’re all just different flavors of destruction.

The only exception I can think of in-game consists of Damon at Sailor’s Lodge, who uses his Ice Magic to cool the drinks. While other magics can be assumed to behave similarly, we’re kinda in a weird place due to the fact that magics fade, and thus the energy they impart should fade in theory too, so I don’t know if you could power anything with lightning magic, for example.

23

You know, the funniest thing is, you’re probably right. Vetex does seem to wish this was a hard magic system, but he was kinda determined to let it do everything, and added so many magics with nothing distinguishing them that it ended up as a softer system than AA.

24

I have to be honest i made that reply with absolutely no double entendre in mind that was a 100% organic natural quotable. It is also my legitimate take on the subject of the magic system

25

given the earlier mention of ice magic to cool drinks, lightning could probably be used for this purpose[1]

  1. but either the battery would die in mere minutes, or it would simply require a constant application of lightning magic to continue powering or else whatever is being powered would be shut off the moment the mage runs out of energy ↩︎

26

first time in a while damon from sailors lodge has been talked about in forums

27

@Dudeman

28

it is happening again
this is the fourth guy (its definitely all the same person)

29

the spells do infact fade, but their effects do not

this is why he’s able to cool down drinks with ice magic, because while the ice will eventually fade (may be superior since it wont water down your drink), the temperature drop that the ice provided will stay there until thermal equilibrium brings it back up to normal temp

lightning magic is a bit harder to say because its not making electricity, it is the electricity, so once the spell fades the electricity would too, so id say youre right on that part

maybe if you had like carpet magic you could generate static electricity :sob: