Welcome to Gaia! ::

One of the most basic rules of magic is that there is always a counter and a cost to any form of magic. Some things are so easily done that they have little to no cost, yet would have many ways to counter because of the low cost or would be ineffective for most situations.

An example of what I mean would be like knowing how to produce a small flame from your thumb. This would be considered easily done for an experience mage. It is easy to do, has little to no cost and can be done with a 'flick' of a thumb, litterly.
However, it is also balance, despite its ease of use and low energy consumption. It is not a large flame, so it would not be able to inflict much if any harm. A gust of wind might threaten to blow the flame out. It also isn't considered an effective ability in combat.

Now, there are also powerful spells. The more powerful spell that you cast, the more you need to be aware of balance. A powerful spell like a fire ball that covers a large area would have to have something to balance it. If it is considered a high attack spell, with massive area damage as well, it should have several factors working against all this power as well.
One big balance it the amount of power and time it takes to use this magic. This spell is coming to take some power to generate. No way around that. Your going to also have to take time to gather this power, weaving it into the shape of the spell (for a more graphic description of the spell's construction). Your going to be left a little tired after casting such a spell, and your opponents will have some warning as to the spell coming in, as it will take you time to cast this spell. It might be powerful, but the costs balance it out.


One last look at balancing spells and costs, an Instant OK spell is NEVER balanced. It doesn't matter if it takes all your energy to cast (unless it permanently kills you as well as your target ninja ), it will never be balanced. Any attacks that will automatically hit your foe is also NEVER balanced. Any spells that has no way to counter it is NEVER balanced. I'm sure I could continue to produce a good long list on this, but I am sure you all get the hint by this point.

One of the most basic foundations of elemental magic is who is in control of what at what time. As I started to go into above, anything that is on a person or within their person is theirs to control. There is no arguing that point. Unless they give you control of their item or their person, then there is nothing to can do to affect their items or self.

Another common argument over control is when someone is controlling something, and when they have relinquished control for anyone to take over.
Lets just say two earth mages are fighting it out, each is a master of equal strength within their elements, and have roughly the same skills. In this example, they will be facing off each other. I'll call them Mage 1 and Mage 2.

Mage 1: I stand my ground, planting my feet into a solid position. Then, with as much force of will and mind as of body, I lift a section of the earth in front of me and send a tidal wave of earth at my foe standing before me, the dreaded Mage 2!

Mage 2 has several options open to them. However, these are the things that Mage 2 can not do:
- He can not take control of the earth wave, as it is under Mage 1's control at this time.
- He can not control the 'earth' within Mage 1, as that is also and always will be under mage 1's control.
- Mage 2 could PM mage 1 asking for control over the earth wave or any part of Mage 1's body (as the human body is composed of all elements). This can also be done in ((OoC)) as well. However, seen as Mage 1 is fighting you, it is HIGHLY unlikely he will give your permission.
Now, on to Mage 2's post...

Mage 2: Seeing the wave of stone, soil and dirt, Mage 2 raises a stone block in front of him, leaning against it providing direct energy from his feet into the side of the wall.

Mage 1: (Still being in control of the earth wave...) The earth wave pound upon the stone wall, but stops at the base of it, the wave splitting in two and going past the sides of the wall and away from Mage 2. "Your stronger than I though Mage 2. I'm glade that this will actually be a good work out for me." Mage one boasts.

Mage 2: "We shall see about that, as I wont lose to you, my old master!" And with that, Mage 2 kicks up a large stone and propels it above the two of them, aimed to land on the ground where mage 1 stands.

Now for another side note. Mage 2 has thrown the boulder. Most of the time, when you throw an item, it is considered outside your control, but not always. This is where the players of Mage 1 and mage 2 should be talking to each other, either through PMs or OoC to figured some ground rules out. As I said, usually when you throw an item, you lose possession of that item and it falls outside your will of control. However, there are some role plays where this item is still within your possession and ownership, which means that, although your foe can control it as it is beyond your will, it can not be destroyed or manipulated in too great of an extent.
In this case, the boulder is no longer being controlled by Mage 2, as once it went into the air it left his control of the earth. It is now plummeting on its own will. It also is not under his ownership, as he did not own that boulder before hand.
On with the fight then...

Mage 1: Mage 1 sees the boulder go up, and predicts that it will land in the same spot that he is standing on. He can't control it at the moment as it is not touching the ground, for no line of power is present. Sensing something else within this plan, Mage one lifts the ground under his feet and moves it a few feet back, not breaking his line of power through his feet to the one piece of ground he was standing on.
Mage 1 and the stone land with a thump on the ground after it lost its momentum.

Mage 2: The boulder, which mage 2 had turned into a mini-bomb by liqufying the center into lava, crashed into the ground, spraying hot lava in a short radius. Had Mage 1 stayed there, he would have been burned by lava, and if he had stayed to catch it, the lava would have exploded forth within his hands. (These details would have either been placed in OoC comments in the last post, or PMed to Mage 1. In a fight scene, you need to communicate with your opponent to create a smooth flow of events.)

Elemental Magic: Sub-elements

Some very common sub-elements are:
Lightning, metal, ice, lava, sound, nature.

Lightning can often fall under wind or air element, as it tends to come from the sky. It can also be related easily to fire, seen as fire is control over sources of energy, and lightning is electricity.

Metal is a sub-element of earth, but can also sometimes be considered an element of its own. Sometimes it is even considered to not be an element, and is viewed as unusable for any kind of magic. Maybe it absorbs magic power? Wouldn't know there.

Ice is almost always a sub-element of water, though it can be related to earth, fire, air and even considered an element of its own. With water it is only frozen water. With fire it can be seen as energy control, and just removing the heat energy from within water to create the ice. With earth Ice is considered a mineral. With air, it can come from the sky as hail or sleet. Very rarely, but sometimes, it can be considered its own element because Ice holds properties that are unique unto itself.

Lava can be considered to be sub-element of earth, fire or even water. For earth it comes from the earth and was once rock. For Fire it is just adding heat energy into rock. With water, it flows and acts like a liquid. Almost always referred to as earth only though, even if fire can create it.

Sound is often considered air, as it travels through the air in waves. Sometimes it is considered too delicate to be used with magic, so it sometimes isn't even used in an elemental role play.

Nature is sometimes considered a part of earth, and can sometimes be an element on its own. This deals with the living matter, like leaves, plants and animals.


As a note, always check with the moderator of a role play to see how they are using the sub-elements. Don't presume you know where it falls for that role play, for it sometimes can be different.

Air Magic:
Air magic usually has dominion over air, sound, lightning and weather. Though not always.

Air magic usually is split into several aspects. These aspects are known as Current and Weather.

Current is the actual air flow. You can control and direct the air around you into sharp winds, gusts and a gentle breeze. You can create sounds and intensify or diminish a specific sound. Some weather control does fall into this aspect, but it is almost entirely air currents only.

Weather aspect is the control over the weather itself. You can create storms, control lightning and cause hail to fall upon your foes. Though this magic usually affects large areas and is harder to control, it can be very potent.

As a warning, even a master of air can not create a void of air, or an air bubble. The air will always fill in any voids, so don't even think about trying to suffocate a foe with a void of air around their heads. It wont work. You can however usually produce a low or high pressure spot. A place where there is more or less air, so they can be left winded easier or feel like they have ran miles by the ocean (high air pressure there, hence you tend to tire easier and sleep better by the ocean).

Water Magic:
The art of water is usually associated with liquids, healing, ice, and reasoning.
The aspects of Water are most commonly Water, healing, and ice.

Water can control most liquids, though not all. Anything that has water within it can be controlled and used, such as mists, some vines soaked in water, and water itself. You can not control mercury as it is part of earth, and does not have any water within.

The healing aspect deals with small shifts of water within a body. It is one of the most dangerous and hardest aspects of water to learn, as any mistake made while healing can kill a patent. It is also one of the few aspects to control someone else's water, as it affects the water within someone else. Then again, you usually are causing no harm and the other person is a willing subject.

Ice is the most unusual aspect of water, as it is a solid form. Water users that use ice have a hard time using normal water, as ice is more rigid and stiff, compared to the flowing nature of water. Ice has the ability to be as hard as steel in the right hands and temperature, can quell fire like water can, and can be used as actual weapons as well. It can be used as leverage as it can seep into a small crack and expand it, lifting items.

A guide on other types of magic provided by Krallna del Espadon.