Community Help: Spell Pedia Entries

Heya folks. I could use some help with Spell pedia entries. The pedia entry is just for flavor, don't worry about true functional (ranges, damage, requirements, etc) information. We want to give a little detail about the world in relation to the spell.

For example I just added this one for the Drown ability:

Baptisim is common to many religions but the Overlord Cultists hold the victim underwater past immersion, through the struggle, and until the floating body has become filled and heavy with the sacred waters. Then they let go and the corpse rises as the undead Drown.

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So if you see a few spells in the following list that strike your fancy please post your entries here and I will start checking them in if they are what we are looking for.

The list:

TXT_KEY_SPELL_BLOOM
TXT_KEY_SPELL_BREATH_FIRE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_BURNING_BLOOD
TXT_KEY_SPELL_BURNING_BLOOD (moroi version)
TXT_KEY_SPELL_COMMANDER_JOIN
TXT_KEY_SPELL_COMMANDER_SPLIT
TXT_KEY_SPELL_CONJURE_WATER_ELEMENTAL
TXT_KEY_SPELL_CONSUME_SOUL
TXT_KEY_SPELL_CONTAGION
TXT_KEY_SPELL_COURAGE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_CREW_BUCCANEERS
TXT_KEY_SPELL_CREW_LONGSHOREMEN
TXT_KEY_SPELL_CREW_NORMAL_CREW
TXT_KEY_SPELL_CREW_SKELETON_CREW
TXT_KEY_SPELL_CURE_DISEASE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_DECLARE_NATIONALITY
TXT_KEY_SPELL_DESTROY_UNDEAD
TXT_KEY_SPELL_DISPEL_MAGIC
TXT_KEY_SPELL_EARTHQUAKE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_ENCHANTED_BLADE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_ENERVATION
TXT_KEY_SPELL_ENTANGLE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_ESCAPE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_FEAST
TXT_KEY_SPELL_FIREBALL
TXT_KEY_SPELL_HASTE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_HEAL
TXT_KEY_SPELL_HIDEOUS_THOUGHTS
TXT_KEY_SPELL_PEACE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_REBUILD_BARNAXUS
TXT_KEY_SPELL_RECRUIT_MERCENARY
TXT_KEY_SPELL_REGENERATION
TXT_KEY_SPELL_RESSURECTION
TXT_KEY_SPELL_RESTORE_CITY
TXT_KEY_SPELL_REVERSAL_OF_FORTUNE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_RIGHTEOUS_CAUSE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_RUST
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SACRIFICE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SANCTIFY
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SAND_LION
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SCORCH
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SHIELD_OF_FAITH
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SPELLSTAFF
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SPIRIT_GUIDE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SPIRITUAL_HAMMER
TXT_KEY_SPELL_STONESKIN
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SUMMON_DJINN
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SUMMON_GRIFFON
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SUMMON_GUARDIAN_VINES
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SUMMON_IMP
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SUMMON_KIKIJUB
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SUMMON_LAW_BRINGER
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SUMMON_LIFESPARK
TXT_KEY_SPELL_SUMMON_TREANT
TXT_KEY_SPELL_TRAIN_DANCE_OF_BLADES
TXT_KEY_SPELL_TRAIN_ESCAPE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_TRAIN_HASTE
TXT_KEY_SPELL_TRAIN_MACEMAN
TXT_KEY_SPELL_TRAIN_RAISE_SKELETON
TXT_KEY_SPELL_TRANSMUTATION
TXT_KEY_SPELL_TREMOR
TXT_KEY_SPELL_TSUNAMI
TXT_KEY_SPELL_UNHOLY_TAINT
TXT_KEY_SPELL_VALOR

For example I just added this one for the Drown ability

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Is that an example of the size you are looking for, or is any mostly okay? Also, is narrative or informational style preferable? (narrative like a short story, informational like your example, more like an encyclopedia entry.)

Nikis-Knight said:

Is that an example of the size you are looking for, or is any mostly okay? Also, is narrative or informational style preferable? (narrative like a short story, informational like your example, more like an encyclopedia entry.)

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A paragraph is all that is needed. Of course Im not going to reject any for being to long. But before anyone writes to much make sure to have a few short ones approved and checked in here. Id hate to see work wasted because it doesnt fit with our theme (you are okay though Nikis-knight as you have already done a lot of writing for the mod and you know what we are looking for).

Nikis if you want to write something longer do you want to take a stab at Govannon, Losha or the War Machines pedia entry?

Hi Kael,

I will work on this list for you. Could you please post a few examples that are already done for reference.

Starship said:

Hi Kael,

I will work on this list for you. Could you please post a few examples that are already done for reference.

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Sadly the one for the Drown is the only one that is done.

But here is a few pedia entires that have been written for units:

Hawk:

To soar, weightless, above the world. It is the dream of man, and the reality of the Hawk. Trained Hawks act as the eyes of Hunters, Rangers and Beastmasters, increasing their already considerable recon ability.

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Monk:

[TAB]Day 6. Encountered the remnants of a company of Macemen. They've seen my foe. If I make haste, I am but a day away from ridding the world of his evil. I must prepare. - Extract from the diary of Brother Kideran, Demon Hunter.

[tab]Only the smartest, most evil of prey is worthy of the Monks attention. These men have given their lives over to the intense focus and meditation required to leave behind the frail constraints of their bodies and become something more than mortal. Free from the laws of physics, Monks are equipped with the mental tools needed to take up the fight with the Demons themselves - and win.

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Druid:

[TAB]Infused with the magic of Sucellus, the Reborn, the Druids are the mages of nature and bringers of life. Because the only way to gain true and lasting knowledge of how to manipulate the very fabric of life itself is to devote ones whole existence to intimate contact with nature, Druids are a reclusive and not terribly social folk. The Druids form a loose brotherhood of near-hermits who meet once a year to compete, share knowledge and bond, before they once again disperse to their various fields and forests. Their powerful organic magic means that many empires employ them not so much for their use in war, but for their use in peace, perfecting the land and making it more fertile. Few established empires are incapable of contacting a few Druids to help them repair the scars of war and industry or bring life and lushness to previously infertile regions.

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How's this:

TXT_KEY_SPELL_CHARM_PERSON:

The purposeful violation of a person's mind is often considered among the most serious atrocities imaginable. One's own mind is the ultimate sanctuary, a place that can't be directly reached by outsiders, a place where one is free to think whatever he desires.

Yet many disagree with these notions, or more, dismiss them outright. A man affected by a charm spell is not gently tricked or pleasantly deceived - nay, he knows fully well what's happening. He will feel the mage reaching to the depths of his mind, grasp all the feelings he has towards his loved ones, bend them until the treasured, prized emotions become horribly twisted. It is likely that it'll make the man hate the mage even more, a terrible, burning rage that struggles - but cannot defeat - the newlyborn love and admiration he feels towards the one who just raped his mind. With time, the mind will fight off the foreign influence - but in the meanwhile he'll love the mage so much he'd die for him. And often he does, unable to raise his hand in defense as the mage's comrades cut him down with laughter and merciless mockery.

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Mind if I suggest a few corrections while we're at it?

Drown said:

Baptism is common in many religions, but the Overlord Cultists' ceremony is different - the victim is held underwater past immersion, through the struggle, until his body has become filled and heavy with the sacred waters. Only then is he released, the corpse rising as the monstrous undead Drown.

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hawk said:

To soar, weightless, above the world - that is the dream of man, and the reality of the Hawk. Trained Hawks act as the eyes of Hunters, Rangers and Beastmasters, increasing their (already considerable) reconnaissance ability.

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monk (assuming we can do apostrophes now) said:

Day 6: Encountered the remnants of a company of Macemen. They've seen my foe. If I make haste, I am but a day away from ridding the world of his evil. I must prepare. - Extract from the diary of Brother Kideran, Demon Hunter.

Only the smartest, most evil of prey is worthy of the Monks' attention. These men have given their lives over to the intense focus and meditation required to leave behind the frail constraints of their bodies and become something more than mortal. Free from many physical laws, Monks are equipped with the mental tools needed to take up the fight with the Demons themselves - and win.

Click to expand...

druid said:

Infused with the magic of Sucellus the Reborn, Druids are the mages of nature and bringers of life. Since the only way to gain true and lasting knowledge of how to manipulate the very fabric of life itself is to devote one's whole existence to intimate contact with nature, Druids are a reclusive and not terribly social folk. The Druids form a loose brotherhood of near-hermits who meet once a year to compete, share knowledge and bond, before they once again disperse to their fields and forests. Their powerful organic magic means that many empires employ them not so much for their use in war but for their use in peace, improving the land and making it more fertile. Few established empires are incapable of contacting a handful of Druids to help them repair the scars of war and industry or bring life and lushness to previously infertile regions.

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In no particular order:
TXT_KEY_SPELL_CONVERT_CITY (the clan hero one, right?)

The wild ones rule not by reason and persuasion as we do, nor by deference to tradition, nor even submission to the will of the god-king. They follow their leaders for one reason. They know that they can trounce them in combat. This prevents them from all the benefits of the wisdom of age and robs their cities of any stability or continuity. But one's place in the world is always clear.
Excerpt from Lilar Jaswin's "Interactions among the lesser races"

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TXT_KEY_SPELL_RAISE_SKELETON

If a person's will is irrelevant, or even undesirable, and his strength can be replaced with mana energy... than what, really, is required of them? Perhaps fingers for manipulation, their bones, certainly, to resist force, and a bit of tendon here and there to hold it together. The rest... unnecessary.
From the Introduction to the Necronomicon

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TXT_KEY_SPELL_BANISH

If the gods desire one thing above all else what is it? Allegiance? Worship? Ethical codes? Easily forgotten. Their primary concern is their sovereignty, as our rulers' are theirs. They resent like no other those who are able to subvert the rules that they have written into the universe, and the most utterly impartial law of creation is death. Remember this whenever you encounter one who has found a loophole in this law, the undead.

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TXT_KEY_SPELL_CONJURE_EARTH_ELEMENTAL

The ground. It is constant, and so easily taken for granted. All the more terrifying when it turns against you

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TXT_KEY_SPELL_GRAFT_FLESH

Properties that avail a small benefit alone can often yield a fantastic increase when in concert with certain other properties. Nature, while inventive, lacks true imagination in this regard, but to an... Unencumbered mind, the possibilities are intriguing. A tigers teeth give a last ditch weapon, a hawk's eyes enhance an archer, and a bear's strength and fur could give any soldier an advantage over the northern savages.
Furthermore, with the proper supplication to our masters, the problem of unwilling subjects is easily overcome...
From High Priest Nyarlat's "Musings on Perfection"

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TXT_KEY_SPELL_SUMMON_BALOR

Three foot long horns sit atop an enormous body. Its shadows are cast at absurd, unnatural angles. A stench of Sulfur is expected but overpowering nonetheless. Unconsuming fire dancing along ebon skin, and features of pure hate never leave the gruesome face.
"Giggles! You've come back!" --Keelyn

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TXT_KEY_SPELL_BLESS

"May your enemies plot in vain, their schemes foiled;
May arms raised against you fall harmlessly aside;
May your courage never falter, your spirit unafraid;
And may judgment be true, for you follow the Code.
Junil bless thee, brother."
--ritual blessing of the Confessor

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TXT_KEY_SPELL_SUMMON_PIT_BEAST

They love naught but combat, these fell beasts. They exist to destroy and have no concern for what. The embodiment of chaos, Pit Beasts will remain in the mortal realm as long as they have something to fight. Oh, you might want to stand back, I'd hate to lose ANOTHER apprentice.

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TXT_KEY_SPELL_SPIRIT_GUIDE

If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you could imagine.

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Maybe not
TXT_KEY_SPELL_ROAR

"I covered me ears or I'da gone deaf for sure, an me friends did the same. All except Phillio. He stood there, transfixed, an' I'd swear there was a tear in his eye and a smile on his face. 'It is true,' he whispered, 'she lives!' And then if he didn't turn on us whiles we were stunned! Took most of the unit to subdue him, him and a few others. Why, after that, is it any wonder we fled the battlefield?"

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TXT_KEY_SPELL_SPRING

The young ones, the aspirants, think that power lies in raining fire down on one's enemies. And while there is an undeniable, if crude, effectiveness to the fireball, true power lies not in destruction, but in creation. Where there is naught but desolation, spring can bring the elixir of life--water.

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TXT_KEY_SPELL_WATER_WALKING

The magic helps, sure. But the real trick is to not look down.

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Xuenay said:

How's this:

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Perfect, I checked it in Xuenay.

Nikis-Knight said:

In no particular order:
TXT_KEY_SPELL_CONVERT_CITY (the clan hero one, right?)


TXT_KEY_SPELL_RAISE_SKELETON

TXT_KEY_SPELL_BANISH

TXT_KEY_SPELL_CONJURE_EARTH_ELEMENTAL

TXT_KEY_SPELL_GRAFT_FLESH

TXT_KEY_SPELL_SUMMON_BALOR

TXT_KEY_SPELL_BLESS

TXT_KEY_SPELL_SUMMON_PIT_BEAST

TXT_KEY_SPELL_SPIRIT_GUIDE
Maybe not
TXT_KEY_SPELL_ROAR

TXT_KEY_SPELL_SPRING

TXT_KEY_SPELL_WATER_WALKING

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Excellent work. They are all checked in except Spirit Guide . I though the text for Banish was better suited for Lichdom so I used it for that instead.

I updated the first post with the txt string that have already been submitted.

Spell: Haste

Haste is a spell that allows the cells in your body goes 7X faster then normal speed, causing your body to feel lightness for you to walk and run faster for a short while till the spell dissolves and the speed of your cells return to normal.

Spell: Spirit Guide

Spirit Guide is a spell that cause a optical Illusion to the caster eyes to see a creature that no one else sees, spirit Guides are helpful to find certain people and objects and also to help you if your lost in a cave or forest.

Spell: Earth Elemantal

Earth Elemantal is a old nature spell that people use to defend themselves from there opponects, the spell allows a person to use the nature of the earth to create a form of a creature from rock, dirt, or any other material around the caster to protect themselve from an enemy threat.

darkedone02 said:

Spell: Haste

Haste is a spell that allows the cells in your body goes 7X faster then normal speed, causing your body to feel lightness for you to walk and run faster for a short while till the spell dissolves and the speed of your cells return to normal.

Spell: Spirit Guide

Spirit Guide is a spell that cause a optical Illusion to your eyes to see a creature that no one else sees, spirit Guides are helpful to find certain people and objects and also to help you if your lost in a cave or forest.

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The first is to scientific (I wouldn't want references to cells in a fantasy mod) and the second doesnt match with what the spell does. But I appreciate the submissions.

TXT_KEY_SPELL_CONJURE_AIR_ELEMENTAL:

It was an cold night in the hills. The winds blew softly upon the walls of the Khazad. Raiding through the lands were the Hippus, their steeds, their people. Then, suddenly, they stopped, a mile away from the dwarven capital. And suddenly the wind came twisting down crushing the dwarven walls taking all down with it. The horsemen did not fight that day — only the mere air they exhaled.

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About 'exhaled', I just couldn't find the right word...

TXT_KEY_SPELL_TRAIN_MACEMAN

A time must come to rid of every rusted weapon, to put aside and replace the oblolete. To train one to become a maceman is not an easy task, but their mentors take on the challenge and do it well.

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TXT_KEY_SPELL_METEOR_SWARM

"I'm down on my knees. Painfull moans echo through our valley. Houses on fire, the air reeks of burnt flesh. I send a prayer to any god who might be listening, but as i look up: fire raining from the sky again. This is not over yet..."

TXT_KEY_SPELL_UNYIELDING_ORDER

"Order - Perfect, pristine, untouched and unquestioned. Every individual a part of the whole, performing like gears in a Heavenly machine. What could be more beautiful?" - Archmagess Sivayn ar Falas-Fana

TXT_KEY_SPELL_CONJURE_AIR_ELEMENTAL

Wing of a Hawk, Breath of the North wind, Drop of a Dragons blood, by these items do I open the gate. Come fourth mighty winds and serve me who call you forth.

TXT_KEY_SPELL_CONJURE_FIRE_ELEMENTAL

I stood there watching as it danced from soldier to soldier in the ranks burn each to a cryspTXT_KEY_SPELL_CONJURE_AIR_ELEMENTAL

Wing of a Hawk, Breath of the North wind, Drop of a Dragons blood, by these items do I open the gate. Come fourth mighty winds and serve me who call you forth.

TXT_KEY_SPELL_CONJURE_FIRE_ELEMENTAL

I stood there watching as it jumped and danced from soldier to soldier in the ranks burn each to a crisp, as memorizing as any hearth fire, but a thousand times more deadly.

TXT_KEY_SPELL_UNHOLY_TAINT

Open your self to my power, feel you blood slow, your muscles weaken your bones crack, but imagine the power I will offer for such a small price as your body and soul.

TXT_KEY_SPELL_SUMMON_CHAOS_MARAUDER

I stood there and watched in horror as my friends eyes popped from their sockets on fleshy antenna, he arms and legs broke and then healed now hinged backwards and a gaping maw ripped it self out of his stomach. But the worse thing was I was the next one to be subjected to this foul rite.

TXT_KEY_SPELL_SCORCH

Where the herds had grazed and been so plentiful before , nothing but sand and burnt earth remained. The mage's wrath had been unrelenting, and only the occasional plant had escaped the fury of his flames. Without magical help, the land would not recover for decades.

Their favorite grazing ground gone, the nomads were up for a hard year.

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And one more:

TXT_KEY_SPELL_INSPIRATION

Once the spell was cast, few could help the onslaught of ideas. Thoughts and ideas of all kinds assaulted the minds of the townsfolk, demanding and compelling in their intensity. The unleashed creativity could not be ignored, in one way or another it craved an outlet. Some people would forgo food and sleep to realize their newfound dreams, collapsing once their bodies could no longer keep up.

In the end, the magic seemed to have had little effect - only a couple of people died from the exhaustion, and most of the ideas never turned out to be very useful. Still, some major inventions were made, enough to convince the rulers to have the spell cast again.

Though the next time around, they decreed, it was to be done in a city where they themselves weren't.

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Kael said:

The first is to scientific (I wouldn't want references to cells in a fantasy mod) and the second doesnt match with what the spell does. But I appreciate the submissions.

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spells are quite science by the way, when using haste, how does it lights your body? if you use a posion bolt spell, where did the posion come from and how it was made in the first place? It's science that affects how spells was made and how to do the movements and regiments you need to do. How do you summon a bolar in fantasy, yet how can we not do that in real life?