Uri, if I may be so bold as to attempt one after my absense. Comments in red.

Shielding Winds, Wind School, Level VII

Shielding Winds is an advanced defensive Wind spell, similar to but more powerful and versatile than the simpler Insubstantial Shield spell.  Its main purpose is likewise to deflect ranged attacks, mundane or magical.  However, instead of defending against attacks from all directions as Insubstantial Shield does, its effects are typically focused in a small region, creating a much stronger defense from projectiles coming from that direction, but leaving the mage open to any potential attacks from elsewhere.  Magi who are more powerful would be able to cover a larger area with the spell without weakening its effect, literally erecting a wall of wind between themselves and their attackers.  With enough skill, it is even possible to extend the affected region such that it completely surrounds oneself, negating the main disadvantage of this spell compared to Insubstantial Shield. 

Spell Effect
An object's car'all is not separate from its surroundings, and thus is influenced by the elements in its surroundings.  A projectile in flight is completely surrounded by air, which consists of mainly of Wind ounia, thus allowing a Wind mage some measure of control over it. I love this point, it should be in a quote collection on magic.

The spell draws Wind ounia into the target region From whence?, creating a region of air where the influence of Wind is much greater than usual.  This is further enhanced by the caster, who will also emphasise the influence of Wind's property of movement, as well as define a direction of movement.  A projectile entering the target region will come under unusually strong Wind influence, especially with regard to its movement.  This causes it to be deflected off its original course and into one which, assuming the caster is relatively competent, should miss the caster. 

Simply put, the spell generates a region of strong wind that knocks aside projectiles entering it.

I would like to hear a bit about the strength of this wind. What projectiles can we expect to turn away at what levels?

Casting Procedure
In an actual combat situation, one would most likely have very little time to react to a ranged attack of the nature the spell is meant to defend against.  Thus, the usual procedure is to first set the air in the target region into motion, by increasing the influence of Wind and the property of movement in particular.  This is not very different from casting Conjure Wind, though in this case most magi prefer have the wind take a circular path, like with Insubstantial Shield.   The time required to do so should be almost negligible, and while the winds conjured at this stage is not as strong as they will be when the casting is done, they do provide some defense.  Then, while sustaining the effect, the mage draws Wind ounia from the surroundings into the target region as quickly as possible, boosting its strength. 

It would be nice to have some speculation as to the effects of drawing WInd ounia from the surroundings, and the eventual side-effects of that. Specifically, I wonder if that creates a "hole" (think pressure) that causes air to rush into it, thus creating wind as a side-effect. This side-effect could, with some skill, be used as a boost, to quickly create a strong gale of wind. What do you think?

The more risky way, which some favour, is basically the reverse of what is outlined above.  Wind ounia is first drawn into the target region, which, due to the increased Wind influence, could also result in wind being generated.  The mage then strengthens the wind, or conjure it in the unlikely event of there being no wind present, and takes control of it. I wonder, of course, depending on the above, whether drawing passive ounia in (ounia that do not express movement) will make wind all by itself. You would need to "activate" them, no?

Magical Formula
Not yet defined

Target
The target is a region of air between the mage and the projectile or projectiles the mage is to be defended against.  Initially, a mage would normally learn to affect a more or less circular region about two peds across.  As one grows stronger, one would be able to affect a larger region, and with enough skill, regions of different shapes, which might be more useful in some situations.  Completely surrounding oneself with the spell effect, as previously mentioned, is one such possibility. 

Reagents
<insert reagent here> is the reagent most commonly used for this spell.  However, one usually learns quite quickly to cast it without the aid of a reagent, so as to minimise the casting time. I would suggest the obvious, feathers of some kind.

Magical School
Wind School, Level VII

Spell Class
Physical Representation of Sphere III

Range
It is not inconceivable for a mage to be able to create the effect a great distance away, assuming he or she is sufficiently powerful.  Usually though, it is cast no more than an arm's length away from the mage. Some estimates on maximum range? 

Casting Time:
The effect should manifest almost instantly once the mage commences the casting of the spell.  It will take a few blinks to reach full strength however. 

Duration
Despite being a Sphere III spell, Shielding Winds is largely based on Sphere I principles, and has the similar limitation of having to be constantly sustained by the caster.  The duration is thus however long the caster can sustain it, which for a mage at Level VII should be a minute or two, or much longer if one does not mind complete exhaustion.  It is however not necessary to sustain the spell for more than a few blinks in most cases.

Countermeasures/Enhancing Measures
It is generally advisable to not be in a situation where one has to use this spell in the first place.  If one nonetheless ends up in such a situation, there are a few things one can do to improve one's chances of survival. 

First, if one expects to have to have to use this spell, one could have the reagent in hand and ready for use whenever it might be needed.  The use of a reagent of course helps one to cast better.  It can be quite troublesome to hold the reagent for too long however.  Learning to react very quickly is helpful too, and not only for this spell.  With regard to the use of this spell though, a quick reaction means being a lot more likely to have the spell up before the projectile reaches the target.  The alternative would be to cast the spell first, then wait for the attack, which requires rather more energy.  And, of course, the further away one is from the attacker, the more time there will be to react, so one should endeavour to be as far away from the attacker as possible, if not, as mentioned earlier, in an unassailable position. 

To get around such a defense without the use of magic, attacking from several directions simultaneously has a relatively good chance of working.  For magi who cast the spell in anticipation of an attack, withholding the attack is a good tactic if one is in no hurry.  Trying to catch the mage off-guard could also work. 

For magi, the above also apply, but there are many other possibilities as well, depending on one's element.  Spells could be used to distract the mage and prevent him or her from getting the spell up in time, or to break the caster's concentration and end the spell, hopefully at the right time to let an attack through.  There are also spells that can directly injure the target instead of producing a projectile to do so.

Nice last section, we often have next to nothing in here.  

Oh, finally, a note on spelling: You confuse "Its" and "It's" in a couple of places.

Marv, Mina: Well, I did say "being aware", not "seeing". You can work something without seeing, but you still need some sort of awareness, one way or another. In the case of aura sight, it gives you an indirect awareness. Think microscopes, and further, think http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_chamber. We can't see car'all, but we can "know there's something there". Of course, this is all IMHO. And, lastly, just because you can be aware of something somehow, it doesn't really prove much, so I don't see how e.g. aura sight proves anything.

"Oh, you can see this car'all you speak of? Show me, please."
"Oh, well, you have to do this and this and then you see these colors - now that is car'all."
"Oh, really?"

Ample ground for sceptics on any and all counts. Yes, you see something, but how do you know it's car'all and not side effects (Cloud chamber example), and how do you know it's not just your awareness colored by an effect? And further, you need to actualle be a mage to see this car'all...

Well - it's a bit like the physics where we no longer can see stuff, you know. The mage is aware of something, certainly - manipulating something you are not and cannot be aware of, somehow, is not possible. This something that the mage is aware of he or she calls car'all. Whether or not that something is made up as the mages imagine and is something different from the physical object, is another matter, of course. How does that sound?

However, I would think that mages can detect car'all, and be aware of it. (See Sense Aura and the like) The difference here is kinda like detecting individual pieces of something, and the actual something.

Hmm, as it is written, I could imagine the same thing as Drasil... however, this being sphere 3 would imply a "permanent" effect with much more potential - for instance, I wonder if the mage could then set up an area of wind, then proceed to cast something else while the wind is still there and blowing. Also, much stronger effects on the same level... so, I would think this is definitively a new spell, but of course related to Conjure Wind.

Twen, I am once again around - and in fact I do read mail and hang on IM networks even when vanished from Santharia. You could have called, you know So go ahead with the masterwork - I shall read up on magic in short time and actually be useful.

Instead of a reply, Silfer is greeted by a figure running up from the side. "Oh! Hello, Drasil. Timely entrance? O-kay..." Something is definitely not right here somewhere, thinks Silfer, as Miraran enters.

"What do you mean, last two months? To my knowledge, I just finished casting a teleport spell I was tinkering with. I admit, it was flaky and went *poof* at the last moment, albeit with very interesting effects. My study faded, and I found myself here. Are you telling me that two months have passed?!" That would be interesting, were it not so disconcerning, Silfer thought. Sitting down on the floor, he probed for the ward in his study. It would have registered if he had been gone for two months, or if this was an amusement of the apprentices.

OOC: I couldn't resist to play on my absense. Quite literally, I have not noticed it - time has been flying. I lost interest a bit, and then got busy, and well... I will gradually return, I think.

A shimmer of violet smoke suddenly appears a bit above the floor in the magic hall. As it subsides, a purple cat drops to the floor and looks around, disoriented.

"Hmm, that spell certainly didn't go well at all. Veery strange side-effects... " Looking around, Silfer notices that something is... odd. The furniture is different, the wall decorations are as well, and there are people he doesn't reckognise in the room, looking at him with a puzzled expression. It seems like the magic board, but...

"If you don't know, find out," thinks the cat, and strolls to the nearest one. "Excuse me, do you happen to know where we are at the moment? And if you could also tell me the current date, I would be most grateful."

Comments in red.

Overview
Ice Barrage is a special spell because the caster seems to draw water out of thin air and alter its qualities to fire a horde of ‘icedrops’ towards an intended target. The spell is especially useful for offensive attacks, as the balls of ice are fired at a very high speed and feel like piercing needles to anyone on the receiving end. Recently developed, Ice Barrage was rather an attempt by water magi to create a more offensive spell. It is quite a surprise to those who may believe that water magi are useless when not near water, although such people would be the less educated in magic anyhow.

Spell Effect
The effect of this spell is either to damage an enemy with pelleting lumps of ice. Quite a site to see, a ball of water is formed (either large or small, depending upon the caster’s strength) in front of the caster’s palm. Some information about what is "large" and "small", and when, would be good. (Nothing specific, but rough estimates) The caster must know how much ounia they are capable of gathering, for if they attempt to gather more than they are able to, incapacity fizzling is highly possible. The result could be an erupting blast of water. The same blast will occur if the caster does not remained focus during the casting. Next the caster forms the ball of water into hovering raindrops, which are then altered into ice. If successful, the lumps of ice will begin to fire to the target at an extremely high speed. The ice is sometimes powerful enough to take down opponents, although it is better used to slow the advancement of enemies, or even just to cause damage.

I wonder if the de*****ion on top is slightly incorrect. You would form pellets of water around you, and freeze and fire them, no? Instead of one big glob. Also, some technical information would be nice, as I think Coren has mentioned. For instance, when you freeze them, you call upon the coldness property of Water.

The ice, because of the sheer speed, can be very damaging to exposed skin. Often leaving terrible red marks and sometimes bruising, it is a spell that is quite aggravating to say the least. The spell is so effective because the ice is small but many, and is as hard as stone. They can dent weaker metals, and nearly bust through wood.

If the water source is large enough, then the caster can make the blasts of ice last for an extended period of time. In fact, the caster can continue the spell for as long as they may wish, as long as the source of ounia is plenty enough. If used near a large body of water, then the spell can be used nearly indefinitely.

How good is this spell in normal air, with no water nearby?

Casting Procedure
The caster must be able to focus significantly, as existing ounia is gathered from hiding places such as moisture in the air and other damp materials. The spell truly makes use of the ability of water to hide in nearly any area or thing. The caster will focus the gathered ounia into a ball of water that is formed in front of the palm. The ball will only gather to a certain amount, depending upon the caster’s magical strength. Within this procedure, however, is another that the magi must use to keep the water hovering. This is a simple use of manipulation. While the water is being formed, the caster must manipulate the ounia making up the ball of water constantly, causing the water to wave, shift, spin, and turn. As some ounia are shifting to the bottom of the ball of water, they support the others which shift to the top, and vice versa.

To obtain the pellet-like effect, magi must manipulate the ounia by focusing on an idea of the droplets. The mage can ‘gather’ the ounia to form separate droplets of water, causing the ball of water to look like a ball of raindrops. With good focus, the ounia are tightly drawn together into the droplets, but even as the caster does this, the droplets must continually shift through the air by manipulation. Next is the alteration of water to the form of ice. Starkly, the mage creates an idea of the ice with the concept of a solid, and by using the power of their will can alter the Cár'áll of the droplets, supercooling the ounia until the properties of solid have overcome the properties of liquid, altering the droplets into lumps or balls of ice. The ounia must still be manipulated to create the hovering effect as well.

The larger the initial ball of water, the more powerful the effect of the spell will be when the ounia are released, creating the blasting result of the spell when successfully cast. If the caster wishes, he/she can continuously gather ounia while releasing and converting ounia at the same time - thus creating an effect of continuity.

Very good de*****ion!

Magical Formula
Currently Undefined

Target
This spell has no specific target, and can work in both offensive and defensive ways. The target of this spell can be anything that the caster wills to be affected. Good targets are oncoming attackers that need to be slowed, and even flames that may need cooling. If used with great power, more than one opponent can be the target, as the icedrops have no partiality. The chosen target can generally be determined, however, by anyone or anything that is in range of the shooting ice.

Reagents
Not all typical water reagents prove effective in aiding successful casting of this spell. Wet stones, fish scales, and ice tend to prove useful for successful casting. Aquamarine gems, however, not only help the succession, but also amplify the power and effects of the spell. Aquamarine gems were once extracted from the earth, and so fit the idea of drawing hidden water for the use of this spell. Small aquamarine gems also make good focal points, as the mage can imagine the droplets of water and ice formed by this spell as a similarity to small gems. Water also helps.

Spell Class
Elemental Magic, Water School, Sphere III (The Sphere of Evolution), Class 5: Growth (Physical Representation of Evolution)

Range
The spell has quite a far range, averaging around five peds. However, for more efficiency, the spell is better used at a range of foure peds or less, for the further the ice must travel the less powerful the blow will be. Powerful magi (Level 10+) can increase the range of the spell to nearly double.

Casting time
The casting time of this spell depends much upon the focus and concentration of the magi. As ounia must be gathered and taken away from the surrounding area and then altered, the casting time can be slow. The general time is around five blinks or so. Being near a body of water increases the casting time dramatically, as the water can be gained almost instantly and cast within a couple of blinks.

Duration
The spell will last until the caster has run out of the source of ounia, or until focus is lost. How long does the latter take to pass for mages of different levels?

Counter Measures
A shield of metal is enough to counter against the effects of this spell, as the ice is never powerful enough to pelt through tough solids, although dents are possible. Powerful wind spells can also divert the blasting ice, thus rendering the spell ineffective. Fire spells as well, I suppose.

Enhancing Measures
Casting time is greatly affected by reagents, as they can reduce the time needed to around three or so blinks instead (If the caster is not near a large body of water, in which case the spell can be cast within two blinks). Aquamarine gems also tend to increase the range about a ped or so, but not always.

I did not have many comments - especially not after Coren has been here. Once again - very good!

Oh, I would also recommend a spell check. You have some typos floating around.

Edited by: Silfer Darkflare at: 7/10/06 22:38

I'll try to get to this tomorrow, I shall. And it does look good - especially when Coren praises it, as he does not praise lightly.

Orril: Water conjured out of thin air is no different from ordinary water - that is a principle we have long upheld, and I would prefer to keep it.

As for levitation, and all that: Fireballs are thrown by the mages will, as has been the wobbly explanation so far. Even so, I don't see where it is stated that fire is exempt from the Grounding Force. Fireballs fall down eventually, as far as I know. Of course, if you toss it and it hits the target, it won't fall down as a fireball, but that's different.

Oh, and do mark changes you make, so we can see what has been changed since last time. (For example with a different color) No need to mark fixed typos and such, but extra sentences/majorly rewriteen sentences should be marked.

IMHO a bit strange way of doing it, with Sphere 3 - why not use Sphere 1? (Of course, this is possible with sphere 3)

No, not at all... *rolls eyes* It's nice, isn't it, to be unofficial? Remind me to stop teaching you such tricks.  

And what prevents you from doing it yourself, Coren dear?

Uri-check, comments in red.

Name: Fear

School: Fire Magic

Spell Level: 3

Overview: The spell affects the mind of the target, causing him to lose his morale, making the target fear anything the caster desires. A great spell for someone who wants easy information on captured spies by threatening them with dire punishment after casting this spell on the victim. In battle, it will make a warrior grip his weapons, run away and whimper in fear. The phrase "fear anything the caster desires" indicates that the caster alters the mind in such a way as to instill fear towards something specific. other places, you write as if this spell makes the target fear all things in general - if I cast this spell, then say "Boo" to the target, it will be very afraid. Clarification as to which of the two you want is in order.

Spell Effect: The effect of the spell is to increase the influence of fire ounia in the person's mind, therefore tightening the grip of fire's influence of fear, making his mind weak and open to suggestion. With the mind weakened, the mage will then manipulate the person's mind, giving him increased fear of practically anything the mage chooses. Again, here is the place to put meat on the bones of this spell. For instance, the mentioned point about fear having different effects on different people - will the warrior flee or stand his ground and fight? If you want "certainity to flee", is a different feeling your target, perhaps? And so on. Use your imagination.

Casting Procedure: A low level mage without experience in the casting of the spell has to touch at the person's head, focusing his concentration in the addition of the fire ounia. A higher level mage, however, only has to look at the target. No addition of Fire ounia in Sphere 1. Assuming a spell formula, and a reagent, please tell us where you put those.

Magical Formula: To be added.

Target: A person. A sentient, perhaps? Or would this not work on animals - if so, why?

Reagents: none Arti will eat you alive. Find a reagent, and donæt forget to tell us where it is put during casting (in the casting procedure).

Magical School: School of Fire Magic

Spell Class: Spiritual Representation of Sphere I

Range: For younger magi, touching the target is required. For more experienced casters, as long as the he can see the target, he can cast the spell.
Levels 3-5: Touching the target on the head is required.
Levels 6-12: Keeping the target within the line of sight of the caster is enough.[/font]

Casting Time: Casting time varies with the experience of the magi, and the more potent fire magi can cast it faster. Good, but tell us some approximations. Like, what is normal casting time at initial level, and about when does it become near-instant?

Duration: The spell will end as soon as the mage stops concentrating on the target. How long can you maintain this, at the lower levels, when can you maintain it "forever"? Also, if you have to keep the spell up, consider usability - mage is occupied with continuos concentration - how does he say "Boo!"?

Counter Measures/Enhancing Measures:
Counter: Moving will make the casting harder because the mage must keep the target within sight. Intended targets could also make the spell fail by distracting the caster, the common practice will be hitting the mage. Antipod of this spell "Increase morale"/whatever can also be used, I suppose. Be imaginative.

Enhancing: Stealthy casting can be effective for higher magi, while keeping the target in position by binding or paralyzing him can be helpful for the lower level magi, as well as for the higher ones. I don't really understand what you are telling us here.

I'll try to get this Uri-checked also, but for now, one remark to the overview: Fear would not cause a warrior to drop weapons because the warrior sees no point in continuing, IMHO - that is lehtargy/apathy. Fear would make him afraid, drop weapons and run like heck away.

Also, I would see fear as directed somewhere... after all, you are usually afraid of something, not afraid without any target to the fear. Some talk around this would greatly benefit this spell proposal.