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--Bona al la encycla lorica.
Casting Methods[]
There are nigh infinite ways to activate spells. Of course, each of these categories is very broad, and may include spells with implementations vastly more complicated than other spells of the same category. However, overall-speaking, this list is in order of increasing complexity. Generally they can be grouped into the following categories:
Alchemic Magic[]
With alchemy based magic, or alcemagia (the c is pronounced as a k), the spell does not automatically activate, it must be applied manually, and generally by someone who knows how it works. Generally they have a heavy reliance on physical constructs, and the technology of the available tools dictates how the spell behaves. Examples include a potion that can be 'pierced' to react mana with light-generating moieta; or a throwing potion that explodes into flame upon impact; or a hand-gun that can be used to fire freezing pellets. It is the most primitive casting method, both the earliest method invented and the one most likely used by new sects. Alchemic magic can hardly be considered spells as they are just too crude; hence, many commoners don’t think that it is related to magic at all.
Ritual Magic[]
With ritual based magic, or rituamagia, the spell is activated manually upon on a physical action being taken. Examples include a spell that fires a dart when a trigger button is pressed; or sprays different chemicals or moieties based on what command is chosen from a command panel (which buttons are pressed and in what order); or a spell that launches the contents of the cartridges placed onto the command panel upon mixing them together. This casting method may involve spells being significantly more complicated than the alchemy-based magic, especially if the command panel is a veritable keyboard of different options. Depending on what the spells are meant to do, the devices used by ritual magic may range from the lightweight and simplistic, such as a dart gun, to a large array of keyboards each responsible for its own thing, such as a calculator's. These spells are generally based on pressure- or touch-sensitive moieties underlying the buttons; those based on other kinds of physical actions are likely classified as alchemic magic.
Chemical Magic[]
With chemical based magic, or cemiamagia (the c is pronounced as a k), the spell is activated automatically based on a change in chemical property it can track. Examples include spells that glow or change color when any of a range of poisons is in contact with the moieta; or a spell that automatically releases bases when it recognizes an environment has turned acidic, or a spell that freezes any water it contacts until it turns into ice and then no more; or a spell that generates heat when the clothing it's in has turned too cold. Chemical magic relies on being able to identify the chemical property, or state of matter, etc, and different types of moieta are required for tracking or identifying each, ie one type of moieta may detect a certain temperature range while another may detect acidity. Because chemical magic relies on identifying a chemical property, at least one end of the spell would be physically located within or adjacent to the substance it's tracking.
Kinetic Magic[]
With kinetic based magic, or kinetamagia, the spell is activated automatically based on a physical action the spell can track. Examples include spells that activate with a wave of the hand, shield spells that activate when an incoming projectile is detected, spells that strengthen and facilitate movement when it senses the bearer’s muscles contracting, spells firing projectiles in the direction one is pointing with his finger, etc. Kinetic magic requires the spell be able to sense movement, and usually requires the spell be able to sense relative position and direction without having to be manually orientated or positioned by the user. The ability to respond automatically to events gives the wielder of kinetic magic a tremendous advantage over the wielder of ritual magic. Spells can be designed to recognize specific kinds of stimuli, such as movement at particular distances or velocities, movement of particular body parts, etc; as well as recognize where everything is, so that it can act accordingly. For example a spell to render one invisible has to be able to recognize how light is moving and where the person to be cloaked is located, as well as the positioning of the body parts. One's bodily movements are converted into spells by an interpretation enchantment (charmase) for words, called a actionase.
Dictation Magic[]
With dictation based magic, or dictamagia, the spell is activated automatically based on sounds the spell can track. Almost always this would be spoken words, though occasionally it can be based on other sounds. Hence dictation magic has to be able to comprehend and differentiate between sounds and match them up with words, as well as identify who said it. Examples include an incantation for lightning, a spell to amplify one's voice, a spell to counterbalance (muffle) other sounds, a password to open a vault, etc. Since speaking incantations can be done rapidly and in but a moment one can say one of a great many possible phrases, dictation magic can be versatile and useful on-the-fly. Another advantage is that dictation magic doesn't require the user to move, especially useful in covert ops or when captured. Generally the words used are High Lorican, based on the Luminarian mage-priests' tradition. The spoken words are converted into spells by an interpretation enchantment (charmase) for words, called a dictationase. As the words have meaning, they are generally also strung up to form “sentences”, more complicated verbal commands, for more complicated effects, though this requires a more complicated dictationase to handle the requirement.
Thought Magic[]
With thought based magic, or pensamagia, the spell is activated automatically based on thoughts or emotions the spell can track. Examples include a thought to unlock a door, a thought spell to take control of another’s mind, a spell that summons a whirlwind when the user gets angry, a spell that haunts a person’s mind and gives them hallucinations, etc. Emotions and simplier thoughts are easier to track for this purpose. The thoughts or emotions are converted into spells by an interpretation enchantment (charmase) for words, called a pensase. Mental commands may be untrustworthy since the thought can strip ahead of one's intentions, potentially causing harm to one’s allies for example. However thought magic works faster than dictation magic, and does not require that a person be physically capable of moving or speaking, which can be useful for getting out of a tricky situation. Thought magic is the pinnacle of casting methods and is also the most complex.