By
affecting the mind, this spell can cause a person to lose attention for a
brief moment, making him or her wonder what he/she
was up to. At higher levels, this spell can do the same to a group of people,
and at the highest levels, the mage can exclude certain people from the affected
group.
Spell Effect. The
attention of a person can be seen as a certain ordering of ounia within a
person's cár'áll, particularly the
water ones. By scattering them not
unlike the Break spell does with
earth, this spell will cause a person
to lose focus for a short time, not knowing what he was up to, why he was here
and whether these were the doch nuts
he was looking for.
As the mind quickly rearranges itself, seeking to always have some focus, the
effect of this spell wears off "instantly". Thus, if a person came for
doch nuts, he or she will recall it
after a few seconds, and proceed to fetch them, despite the spell effect. If,
however, a sentry barks "Hold!" at you, and you are not a friend of the
authorities (whichever ones), this spell will give you the time to vanish into
the crowd and get out of sight. At higher levels, this spell can also be cast on
an area, affecting all sentients in that area.
It should be noted that the target must be in line of awareness at time of
casting (awareness meaning sight, hearing or otherwise).
Furthermore, it should be noted that since this is a Sphere II spell, it may
often fizzle at the initial level due to the
fact that Sphere II is usually not taught until level 4.
Casting Procedure.
The mage concentrates on the target, says the formula and shakes a small bottle
of water containing hav'lam chips,
representing the mind of the targeted person.
Magical Formula.
Not defined yet.
Target. The mind of a
sentient being. At the higher levels (level 6 and up) the target can be an area,
and the spell will affect all sentients in that area. At the highest levels,
(level 9 and up) the caster can exclude specific minds in the area, making this
spell useable even when your friends are in the crowd.
Reagents. A small
bottle of water with small chips or
grains of hav'lam in it, a transparent kind of cheap mineral which originates
mainly from condensed water.
Water itself of course is a generic
water reagent, and in a small bottle it
represents the mind of the target. One shakes the bottle with the added hav'lam,
the grains are dispersed and 'scattered' just as the focus of the target is, and
as the silt begins to settle again almost instantly, so the confusion
dissipates.
Magical School.
Elemental Magic, Water School.
Spell Class.
Thought, spiritual representation of Sphere II.
Range. Distract is
possible already at level 2, even though the spell might
fizzle if not trained properly. The
following chart describes in detail how far the mage can reach his target at the
various levels:
|
|
|
|
Level |
Range |
|
Level 5 |
25
peds |
|
Level
6 |
100
peds |
|
Level 7+ |
At this level only the line of awareness is
limiting. |
|
Casting Time.
Just a few blinks.
Duration. Instant
effect, no duration. The mind of the target will rearrange itself as quickly as
it can, but the spell produces a one-time instant effect. Usually, the state of
confusion caused by this spell lasts a few
blinks. During this time the
mage (or the people with him) should try to achieve their intended goals as the
effect of the spell itself is very limited.
Counter Measures/Enhancing Measures.
This spell can not be effectively countered by anything except
magical resistance, shielding spells and the like,
due to its short casting time and instant effect.
This spell can be enhanced by general water
reagents, making your magic stronger. This brings
less chance of failing the spell, also on more focused minds, as well as more
resistant ones. In addition, this spell can be coupled with a spell to change
the attention of a target or to affect the mind of a target in similar ways, as
a mind not focused is easier to manipulate.
Also, a physical distraction works well to enhance this spell - be it clapping
your hands or whistling. This serves the same purpose as the above - changing
the attention of the target. This distraction is often added just as the casting
completes, to enact the effect in the instant the target's attention is "neither
here nor there".
