5 - We love casting spells
Picking up where the last blog left off, it's time to describe magic game mechanics, which I consider to be a topic important enough to warrant its own post. Spells need to be equipped to be used so we'll start at the spell selection screen.
On the left is a list of spells you can equip. All of them are available from the start of the game in the demo at least. Mousing over a list item prints information about the spell on the right side of the screen. Effect type is mostly a sorting category, but it does interact with a few other systems like equipment special effects or racial traits. Mana cost is what it sounds like. A spell can be cast withoug sufficient mana, but there's a limit to the maximum deficit. Having less than zero mana is tactically disadvantageous because it causes the character to be staggered on every combat turn. Casting with insufficient mana also decreases spell power/magic resistance offense by two percent for each percent of deficit. Each spell takes up a certain amount of spell slots to be equipped. A character's spell slots are based on magical aptitude, intelligence, class skills, and traits. Level requirement is the minimum class level needed to equip a spell. Spells that cannot be equipped because of this are displayed as gray in the list. All classes have equal access to equipping spells even if they don't have any kind of features relating to spellcasting. Spell accuracy is simpler than attack accuracy, as it's only based on the spell used and the caster's perception. In the case of "Heal", there is no hit roll, but in order to apply the damaging effect, the attacker must win a magic resistance check, more on that later. Concentration represents how difficult the spell is to cast. Normally it shouldn't be a problem, but high arousal, low stamina, or statuses can complicate this. Stamina is indeed something I forgot to mention in the last blog, but it's simple enough. You deplete stamina trough physical exertion, and restore it by sleeping. Range determines what field slots are valid targets for the spell. The game won't stop you from selecting invalid targets, so read before pressing proceed turn. Some spells can be used outside of combat, these mainly being spells that heal or add or remove statuses. "Succor" is a spell that can only be used outside of combat because its effect is to heal a downed character. Lastly, the effect is the description of what the spell does. Many spells' effect is based on "spell power", which is derived from the caster's effective intelligence and magical aptitude, augmented by mana deficit penalty, equipment magic penalty, and preparation phase damage penalty.
Speaking of equipment magic penalty, now is a good time to elaborate on the relationship between equipment and spellcasting. As mentioned in blog #3, a set of armor with any more iron in it than a belt buckle is going to decrease spell power. Same goes for weapons and shields. Spellcasters don't necessarily need to forswear bladed weapons because there are alternatives to iron, as long as one is not a brokie, that is. Being able to cast spells also requires channeling ability. Some races like satyrs or fairies have this ability intrinsically, but everyone else will need a channeling device. We'll look at "Antique Wood Staff" as an example. It's a weapon equipped to the right hand slot with zero associated weapon skills. Besides giving channeling ability, it also has a special effect of increasing spell accuracy by ten percent, but it's necessary to have an empty left hand slot in order to use it for channeling. Not all channeling devices fit into this kind of archetype, but the ones that break the mold will be mostly reserved for the full game.
If you open the "Cast" sub-menu in combat, aside from your equipped spells there is also the "Counterspell" action. Clicking on it and then clicking on an equipped spell will order the character prepare to counterspell. If any enemy attempts to cast the specified spell it will be negated at the cost of either half or quarter (if the character has the "Efficient Counterspell" class skill) mana cost. Each counterspell action can only negate one spell and it cannot friendly fire. Being able to counterspell also requires channeling ability.
One more thing regarding spellcasting in combat is magic resistance checks. Some spells, generally harmful ones that don't have accuracy, need to win a magic resistance check to apply the effect. Magic resistance offense is based on spell power, whereas magic resistance defense is based on effective willpower, effective intelligence, and arousal. The two values will be rolled against eachother to determine if the effect of the spell is applied.
More could be said about spellcasting, but I'll leave it at these game mechanics that I've actually programmed that I'm relatively certain won't change significantly before the release of the demo.
- Vilho Kukkonen