Spellcasting

This page is the practical reference for casting a spell on our shard. It covers what you must carry, how to invoke and target a spell, why casts fail, and the handful of utility spells most new players learn first. It focuses on Magery, the core arcane school; the other schools cast in a very similar way and are summarized under Magic schools. For the full per-spell tables (mana, skill, reagents, words of power) see the Magery spellbook overview.

What you need to cast a spell

To cast any Magery spell you need four things at once:

1. A spellbook in your pack (or equipped) that contains the spell. A spellbook holds the spells you have scribed into it from spell scrolls; an empty book casts nothing.
2. Enough Magery skill for that spell’s circle. Each of the 8 circles has a minimum skill below which the cast always fails, and a higher value at which it never fizzles. The exact per-circle table is on the spellbook overview — link there rather than memorizing it.
3. Enough mana. Each circle costs a fixed amount of mana, rising from the 1st circle to the 8th. If you lack the mana the cast aborts with “Insufficient mana for this spell.” See Meditation & mana for how mana works.
4. The spell’s reagents in your backpack. Reagents are consumed on every successful cast, so you must keep a stock. The reagent recipe is listed per spell on the spellbook overview and on each spell page.

If any one of these is missing the spell will not go off — you will be told which (for example “More reagents are needed for this spell”).

How to cast: step by step

To cast a Magery spell:

1. Make sure your hands are free of weapons (a spellbook or runebook is fine to hold). Holding a non-channeling weapon blocks casting.
2. Open your spellbook (double-click it) and click the spell’s icon, or use a bound macro / hotkey for that spell, or speak its words of power.
3. Your character begins casting: the words of power are spoken aloud and a brief casting animation/sound plays. Higher circles take longer to cast.
4. When the cast completes you are prompted to target. Click the recipient:
   • Self or an ally/pet for beneficial spells (Heal, Cure, Bless, Magic Reflection).
   • An enemy for offensive spells (Magic Arrow, Fireball, Energy Bolt).
   • The ground / a tile for area or field spells (Fire Field, Wall of Stone).
   • A spell that affects only you (Night Sight, Reactive Armor) may take effect without a target prompt.
5. On success the effect fires, mana and reagents are deducted, and a short recovery delay passes before you can cast again.

Fizzling and disruption

A cast can be wasted in two main ways:

• Fizzle (skill failure): if your Magery is below the circle’s “never-fizzle” value there is a random chance the spell fizzles (“The spell fizzles.”). The lower your skill relative to the circle, the higher the fizzle chance; below the circle’s minimum it fails every time. On our shard, mana and reagents are checked and consumed as part of the cast sequence, so repeatedly fizzling high-circle spells wastes resources. (Source: Spell.cs CheckSequence / MagerySpell.cs GetCastSkills.)
• Disruption (taking damage): being hit while casting can interrupt the spell (“Your concentration is disturbed, thus ruining thy spell.”). This is the disrupt / hurt fizzle mechanic — a melee or ranged hit during your cast bar can ruin the spell. Being frozen, paralyzed, or peacemade (calmed) also prevents the cast from completing. (Source: Spell.cs Disturb / DisturbType.)

To reduce disruption: cast from out of an enemy’s reach, use the Protection spell (reduces interruption at a cost), or finish casts before the enemy closes in.

Line of sight and range

Most targeted spells require line of sight to the target — you cannot cast through a solid wall — and the target must be within casting range. Step around corners or obstacles to regain line of sight. Field and area spells are placed on a visible tile. (Exact ranges are spell-specific and unverified here; treat “must be able to see and be reasonably near the target” as the rule.)

Casting from scrolls

A spell scroll lets you cast a spell with less skill than casting it from your book. On our shard, casting from a scroll counts the spell as two circles lower for the skill check, so a scroll is easier to cast successfully than the same spell from a book (MagerySpell.cs: circle -= 2 when a scroll is used). The scroll is consumed on a successful cast. Scrolls are handy for spells whose circle is above your current Magery, and for emergency casts when you are low on skill. You still need the mana (reagents are not required when casting from a scroll, since the scroll itself supplies the magic).

Casting in war mode

You can cast while in war mode (the combat stance). Switching to war mode does not by itself block spellcasting; you still need free hands. Many caster builds alternate between swinging and casting. Note that being attacked while casting still risks disruption (see above), and your own offensive spells will engage you with the target.

Utility spells every caster learns early

These are the low-cost, high-value spells new mages train and keep ready:

• Heal (1st circle) — restore a target’s health. The bread-and- butter heal; cheap and castable at very low skill.
• Cure (2nd) — remove poison from yourself or an ally.
• Reactive Armor (1st) — reflect part of melee damage back at attackers; a cheap self-buff.
• Magic Reflection (5th) — reflect or reduce incoming spell damage.
• Recall (4th) — teleport yourself to a location stored on a rune. The standard fast-travel spell.
• Mark (6th) — record your current location onto a rune so you can Recall or Gate back to it later.
• Gate Travel (7th) — open a two-way moongate to a marked rune, letting your whole party step through.

For how Recall, Mark, and Gate fit into getting around the map, see Movement & travel.

Raising your spell damage

Offensive spell damage scales with the Evaluating Intelligence skill — a mage typically trains Eval Int alongside Magery so spells like Energy Bolt and Flame Strike hit harder. Higher Intelligence also raises your maximum mana, letting you cast more before resting.

Other schools cast similarly

Necromancy, Mysticism, Chivalry, Spellweaving, and the warrior arts (Bushido, Ninjitsu) each have their own “spellbook” or invocation and their own fuel (reagents, tithed gold, arcane focus, forms). The invoke-then-target flow is the same. See Magic schools for what each one needs and how it is cast.