Learning Roadmap

Use the outline below to jump directly to the topic you need:

  1. Core Attributes & Casting Flow
  2. Elemental Disciplines
  3. Entropy Alignments
  4. Spell Construction Framework
  5. Damage & Mana Formulae
  6. Status Interactions
  7. Interactive Spell Compendium

1. Core Attributes & Casting Flow

Every caster begins with three governing attributes. Strength still matters for melee weapons, but magical throughput is driven by:

  • Intelligence — Converts training into raw spell output. Each point raises the base damage floor.
  • Psyche — Expands the mana pool and increases recovery discipline.
  • Dexterity — Controls stamina available for movement, channeling, and defensive techniques.

Resource Pools

Mana = 100 + (Psyche × 2)

Stamina = 100 + (Dexterity × 2)

The base pools guarantee baseline survivability. Investing in attributes changes the efficiency of every rotation, but never removes core functionality.

Casting Flow

  1. Select spell template (element + entropy + range).
  2. Apply situational augments (AoE, status catalysts, channel time).
  3. System calculates raw damage, then applies resistances and shielding.
  4. Mana is consumed; stamina is tapped if the caster is moving while channeling.
  5. Cooldown window opens; longer channels raise vulnerability to interrupts.

2. Elemental Disciplines

Each mage pledges to a single discipline at any given time. Disciplines change both the spell list and the way raw damage interacts with defenses.

Fire — Thermic Aggression

Fire spells emphasize burst damage and attrition via Singed stacks.

  • Damage Bias: Highest base multipliers at short range to reward aggressive positioning.
  • Status Effect: Singed applies Damage over Time = 0.15 × BaseDamage for 5 s.
  • Terrain Impact: Ignites oil, dries wetlands, and lights siege engines.

Earth — Geomantic Control

Earth spells focus on mitigation, crowd control, and battlefield engineering.

  • Damage Bias: Converts part of damage into Structure Pressure for siege applications.
  • Status Effect: Roughened reduces target movement speed by 25% for 4 s.
  • Terrain Impact: Raises barriers, creates cover, reinforces fortifications.

Wind — Kinetic Manipulation

Wind spells trade raw damage for disruption and positioning control.

  • Damage Bias: Moderate baseline with high knockback scaling on overcharge.
  • Status Effect: Winded drains 10% of current stamina and halves regeneration for 6 s.
  • Terrain Impact: Redirects projectiles, disperses gases, and clears siege engines.

Water — Adaptive Conduction

Water spells excel at condition control and combined-arms synergy.

  • Damage Bias: Balanced base damage with excellent scaling when exploiting enemy armor gaps.
  • Status Effect: Wet slows targets by 15%, increases lightning damage taken by 25%, and risks freezing when combined with cold weather.
  • Terrain Impact: Floods chokepoints, extinguishes fire hazards, conducts electricity.

3. Entropy Alignments

After selecting an element, casters refine their approach through entropy. This choice shapes the discipline of their magic.

Radiance — Expansion

  • Area Scaling: AoE Multiplier × 1.15 on all spells.
  • Chain Effect: 30% chance for projectiles to arc to a secondary target within 6 m for 50% damage.
  • Defensive Rite: Radiant Barrier converts 50% of incoming projectile damage into ambient light, blinding attackers for 1 s.

Void — Compression

  • Efficiency: Mana Cost × 0.85 with precision targeting.
  • Pierce Bonus: Spells ignore 20% of magical resistance when striking a single foe.
  • Defensive Rite: Void Shield absorbs Intelligence × 1.5 damage and refunds 30% of absorbed mana.

Changing disciplines or entropy requires a full respec. The database preserves historical builds so players can experiment safely on the simulator before locking choices in the MMO.

4. Spell Construction Framework

Every spell is composed of modular components. Understanding these levers helps theorycrafters evaluate new scrolls and the long-term value of rare materials.

Range Bands

Range modifies both damage and mana cost. These values are referenced by the simulator when calculating combat outcomes:

Band Typical Geometry Damage Multiplier Mana Multiplier
Touch (0–2 m) Contact cone, weapon coating 1.5 × base 1.0 × base
Short (8–10 m) Line cone, close burst 1.0 × base 1.2 × base
Long (20–40 m) Projectile bolt 0.7 × base 1.5 × base
Ultra-Long (60–100 m) Arcing siege shell 0.5 × base 2.0 × base

Area Patterns

Area of effect modifies crowd control reliability and determines how stacking interacts with allied buffs.

  • Single Target: Most efficient damage-to-mana ratio; ideal for elite hunts.
  • Small Field (≈3 m): Adds ×1.15 mana multiplier; best for doorway control.
  • Medium Field (≈6 m): Adds ×1.30 mana multiplier; frequently used in open-world skirmishes.
  • Large Field (≈10 m): Adds ×1.50 mana multiplier; siege mages rely on disciplined channeling to support this scope.

Channel Time

Channeling increases damage but raises the risk of interruption.

  • Instant (≤0.5 s) — No bonus, minimal vulnerability.
  • Short Channel (0.5–1.5 s) — Damage × (1 + ChannelTime × 0.25).
  • Grand Channel (≥1.5 s) — Damage × (1 + ChannelTime × 0.40) but attacker gains Interrupt Vulnerable status (incoming damage ×1.2) until release.

5. Damage & Mana Formulae

Damage Resolution

The simulator mirrors the C++ backend by flooring final values after applying all multipliers. Each cast proceeds through the following computation:

  1. Calculate base output: BaseDamage = floor(Intelligence / 2).
  2. Apply range multiplier based on the selected band.
  3. Apply channel modifier, entropy bonus, and situational buffs (e.g., Wet amplifying lightning).
  4. Subtract target resistances and shielding effects.
  5. Floor the result to produce the combat log value.

Mana Economy

Mana expenditure is tracked at the moment of release:

Mana Cost = 20 × RangeMultiplier × DamageTier × AoEMultiplier × EntropyModifier

  • Damage Tier: Low 0.8, Medium 1.0, High 1.3, Extreme 1.6.
  • Entropy Modifier: Radiance 1.10 (accounting for overflow), Void 0.85.
  • Overchannel Penalty: Add +5 mana per extra second beyond the base cast time.

Mana and stamina regeneration both follow diminishing returns: the first 50 Psyche or Dexterity grants full value, while each point between 51–80 counts as 0.5, 81–90 as 0.33, and 91–100 as 0.25.

6. Status Interactions & Counterplay

Common Status Effects

  • Singed: Applies stacking DoT; cleansing water removes stacks instantly.
  • Roughened: Reduces traction; combining with knockback increases the chance to topple targets.
  • Winded: Dampens stamina regen; melee allies can capitalize while enemies struggle to swing heavy weapons.
  • Wet: Enables freezing when ambient temperature < 0 °C; synergizes with lightning alchemy.

Counters & Mitigation

  • Wards: Crafted warding charms absorb Psyche × 1.0 damage before breaking.
  • Armor Insulation: Fire-resistant padding multiplies Singed damage by 0.7.
  • Antimagic Zones: Void-aligned rituals suppress channel bonuses within 6 m.
  • Interrupts: Any melee hit during channel time applies Concentration Break, canceling the spell and refunding 50% of mana.

7. Interactive Spell Compendium

Adjust Intelligence to see how base stats propagate through the spell lists. Mana costs pull directly from the shared database so the simulator and the web guide always agree.