Tomes (aka, elemental spellbooks)

First topic message reminder :

Note on the poll. If each spell is upgraded individually, all would have to be available from the off-set - wouldn't they? Also, think of the price!

Tomes replace combat Magic, simple as!

Tomes are wielded in the off-hand, so you only have access to one at once. Two handed-staffs would have a specific tome built in - even if it's just the 16 basic elemental spells. Ahrim's and Zurial's would have access to the Ancient Tome, or tomes depending on if each Ancient Element receives each own tome. Each tome has a specific "element" rune - so there would be some new element runes to accommodate. Ancient Magick's could have Shroud Runes, Frost Runes, etc- preferably new names for Blood and Smoke, so they don't mix up. Spells will no longer require Wind Runes like a base-ingredient - so air-combo staffs won't be overpowered.

Available books;
Wind, Sea, Stone, Flame, Storm, Nature, Light, Dark, Smog, Frost, Shroud and Flesh?

Each book would have 13 spells - 5 basic, 5 medium, 2 high, and 1 master. Spellbooks require a level to first use, and all five basic spells are available at the level. However, you can purchase "lessons" in a specific tome to grade-up - such as a book of Flame [grade-1] to a book of Flame [grade-2]. Upgrading your tome unlocks new spells, as well as upgrading the existing ones. The actual Magic Tutor is our first Magic Tutor, and she can teach us the four basic elements up to grade-1 (only air is free, as it's obtained in the tutorial - but the prices for grade-1 aren't high). To continue upgrading you must find other tutors, and to purchase other books you must find a tutor who has mastered it!

For all but the Ancient Tomes, the five basic spells would be strike, bolt, blast, wave and (insert a good name for a defensive spell). Yes, this means Wind Wave is available at level 1, but it's not that great - book of Wind [grade-1] is weak in general! Book of Wind [grade-4] holds the equivalent Wind Wave power as the existing spell! The reason for this? Strike is an accurate spell, Bolt is a fast spell, Blast is a controlled spell and Wave is a powerful spell - like attack types for melee. Focus, Psych and Banish stats instead of Melee's Stab, Slash and Crush.

EDIT: Spells would require "Combat Runes". Which rune is relative to the grade. Grade-1 requires Mind, Grade-2 requires Chaos, Grade-3 requires Death, Grade-4 requires Blood and Grade-5 requires... something.

Like a Dagger has Stab (Stab, Accurate, Attack exp), Lunge (Stab, Aggressive, Strength exp) and so on... the book of Flame would have something like Fire Strike (Focus, Accurate, Magic exp), Fire Bolt (Psych, Aggressive, Mana exp). This is including the magic-attack and magic-strength idea, but it could all give Magic exp if needs be. A "battlestance" is the "accurate", or "aggressive" bit. Magic's battlestances are Accurate (magic exp), Aggressive (mana exp), Berserk (shared magic and mana exp), Controlled (shared exp), Defencive (defence exp), Rapid (magic and defence exp) and Longranged (mana and defence exp). Melee could have counterparts for Rapid and Longranged - gouge/gouging is something polearms do, this could be the equivalent of longranged. Yes - you can train defence-only with Magic! Most spells with "Defencive" as their battlestance will not inflict direct damage, and thus wouldn't have focus, psych or banish in brackets - however, this isn't a trend and some exceptions will probably arise.

It's possible that the spellbook panel could display the standard layout - Strikes [grade-1], Bolts [grade-2], Blasts [grade-3] and Waves [grade-4] regardless of tome you wield, for those who don't like change. Or even, just 'cause I'm nice, Strike at your highest available grade; Bolt at your highest available grade, etc. So if you can cast Wind Blast - you will get bolt and strike [grade-3]. However, this would only be in the spellbook panel. For players to access Wind Strike [grade-3] in the tome, as well as other spells available at [grade-3] - you must purchase the upgrade from [grade-1] to [grade-3]!

Book of Flame (I have not illustrated the specific spells, only where they would go);


Now we just need spells!
• Fire Strike (Focus, Accurate, Magic exp)
• Fire Bolt (Psych, Rapid, Magic and Defence exp)
• Fire Blast (Focus, Controlled, Shared exp)
• Fire Wave (Banish, Aggressive, Mana exp)
• Fire Shield? (Defensive, Defence exp)

Going from book of Flame [grade-1] to book of Flame [grade-2] is like going from a Bronze Dagger to an Iron Dagger. Only difference, tomes have less grades (so larger increases in power). There are also fewer weapons - Wind, Sea, Stone, etc will total with less weapons than melee. However, Magic has more "attack styles" within each weapon - melee has a maximum of 4 per weapon, magic has 13 each. Melee can poison weapons generically, Magic can only poison with specific attack styles... yadda, yadda, etc.

How the widget works;

The widgets rests to the right of the interface or left of the game-screen - depending on which is true. It is only visible when you are wielding a tome, and is closed unless being accessed - so has not to spam the screen. The orbs are coloured to match the element, as well as the symbol changing appropriately. When closed, the orb will display the spell you wish to auto-cast. To access the widget you simply need to right-click on it and it'll expand to reveal a "dock" with all the spells (unavailable spells will be greyed out). The dock zooms in on the closest spell to the cursor - I've tried to show an example of the zooming feature. Left-clicking on the widget will turn off auto-casting, and again to turn on - as wielding a tome will allow you to auto-cast magic without a staff (but you can turn this off, for players who don't want to auto cast and just want to hold the book)! The spell you select from the dock will be displayed in the orb shown when the dock is hidden. This will be the spell your character will try to cast when in combat - unless they are out of runes, or you select another spell from the spellbook panel (you will be able to access to tome from the spellbook panel whether the above idea for the spellbook panel is incorporated or not).

Spells have a charge time rather than a cast-speed - this is to prevent you from click-casting it repeatedly (which would be overpowered considering the potential some spells could have). You can see the recharge time of the default spell as there would be a visible display of the spell charging (such as it being greyed out and being un-greyed via a clock-hand style timer). Some spells have an instant charge, some have an almost unnoticable charge, whilst other you will find that you're auto-casting at a relatively slow speed. Casting another spell will not affect active timers. Switching tomes will trigger the timer on all but the five basic spells - the time when switching books is double the length, to limit book-hybriding.

This is completely spat out - it's unordered and messy, but I hope it's understandable!

I think unlocking new magic should come from people and places, not elements. Since doing both would be too much, I would rather have Spellbooks for the sake of discoving peoples. The ideas are similar, styles of combat to suit the people/element.

Wait, what's the difference between Ancient and Frost Tomes? Ancients has Ice Spells.

You forgot God Spells, Slayer Dart, Iban Blast and Support Spells (are they included).

I no longer like this idea (or the original form). I see no advantages to this change like i see in the other sugestions you've been adding to the interactive one. It just seems like more hassle. Why should we screw around with the system in place unless we can identify something we're improving?

Tomes serves the same purpose as the interactive/dynamic combat only for spells. The interactive suggestion has been fully updated with the current version of tomes... but I'm open to suggestions.

Whilst I agree, Handeath, that spells should be unlocked from races... all I'm doing really is changing how elemental spells function. Tomes would not effect other spells.

Also, Frost was because Dungeoneering awards a Tome of Frost. I thought it would be interesting for that to have ancient-ice related spells.

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I see no advantages to this change like i see in the other sugestions you've been adding to the interactive one.

For example?

Why should we screw around with the system in place unless we can identify something we're improving?

Not all suggestions have to be improvements, they can just be for the sake of being new. Just saying.

Yes, pardon me, there are two types of suggestions: Improvements, and New Shit. New Shit can just be New Shit, Improvements should improve something. This is not new shit because you are a replacing a previous system, therefore it's an improvement, therefore it should improve something.

Conjuring gives magic a new type of combat and counts as new shit. Smithing improvements seem likely to make smithing better. I see no benefit to this while it wreaks havoc on an already well established system

Because conjuring would render combat spells pretty much unused. If nothing else, they keep spells as attractive alternative to conjuring... rather than an old, unused feature hidden behind layers of new ones.

I'm sorry you don't like it.

I think my suggestion to adjust existing Spellbooks would suffice. *see Gnomish Magics*

Gnomish Magics are an additional spellbook? How does it adjust anything?

I suggested how the existing spellbooks could be modified to be more style based. You can read it here!

I think Gnomish Magics could easily be compatible with tomes, if you're only concern with my idea is that it would invalidate yours.

The Justification section is makes the spellbooks as useful as Conjured gear, which is why Tomes came it play.

Speaking of them, could you explain each Tome's style? They seem to be very similar.

Wind gets more powerful the longer the fight lasts.
Water is more close-quarter: affecting the area around you.
Earth hits through players, but has the least homing spells.
Fire is about low, fast damage.

To be honest, they weren't designed to be incredibly dissimilar. Tomes only really replaces elemental spells, I'm not trying to create a new spellbook as it were. I wanted each element to be of near-equal power and it to be down to player preference.

So you're specializing the Modern Spellbook...?

I guess?

Tomes has been added to the interactive suggestion, I don't know if that's been said/noticed/changed anything.

I noticed, but if we're going to make the Modern spellbook more style based, why aren't we doing so with the others? I just don't want Ancients and Modern to be the only combat books.

You say "others"... the only other is Ancients, and I think Ancients works how I've current portrayed it. Lunar is a support/wizardry spellbook.

Okay, I guess having a Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, and Ancient spellbook works. Make a Gnomish Tome now!

If you create the icons, I'll consider it.