Writer's Block: Speak and spell

[seawasp]

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One TYPE, or one SPELL?

One type... probably transportation spells. They're just so damn USEFUL. I'd be able to fly, teleport, transport large and small objects, etc., and clever usage also permits me to use them for offense and defense if needed.

One SPELL... well, can I go to ANY source for the spell? Because the sources I use would have a big effect on what spell I'd pick!

Comments

[von-krag.livejournal.com]

I think I'd do mental improvement types. Spells that help IQ, stability & things like that. I mean we can already get to one place or another OK but helping brains & minds is still a bit beyond our grasp.

[gary-jordan.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about source. I'm nowhere near as familiar with anime and such as you are, and there must be hundreds from there alone.

One possible choice is Vatch Handling (assuming it comes with the ability to detect and communicate with them) from The Witches of Karres. If you can control the vatch, the vatch can do everything else.

You better Vatch out....

[hvideo.livejournal.com]

Somewhat risky, that plan. As it said in the book, there are some Vatches that simply CANNOT be handled - and then they kill the person who tried.

Even if you're willing to do the All-Or-Nothing risk on the first Vatch and then plan to ONLY use that one, they never said what happens if the handled Vatch is spotted by a Vatch that CAN'T be handled. Is it horrified at the sight of a handled Vatch? Or would it just be LMAO at the sight?

[seawasp]

That's like Genie Capturing or Demon Summoning. You may be able to make it do stuff, but if you're forcing something THAT powerful to do your bidding, it's gonna come back to bite you on the ass eventually.

[gary-jordan.livejournal.com]

Making the right choices when manipulating Powers Beyond All Human Understanding is supposed to be hazardous and full of consequences, even if you Do The Right Thing. But come on! It's Powers Beyond All Human Understanding!

Do you or hvideo read the webcomic OOTS? If so, did you read the story arc where Vaarsuvius the elf had three souls bound? We haven't seen all the consequences of that arc, yet.

[hvideo.livejournal.com]

I think it also depends on the world where such a thing is possible.

If one is living in a D&D revision 3.5 world (containing creatures with all sorts of Supernatural abilities that you can acquire) then the single spell SHAPECHANGE would let you pick up all those various transportation abilities and a whole lot more. But if we're just in our normal world (with the single addition of this one magical ability) it's not nearly so overwhelmingly useful. (Still fun, still somewhat useful, but no longer overwhelmingly so.)

[muirecan.livejournal.com]

Well again it depends is it one spell or one category of spells? The Category of spells transformative magic would be pretty nice too since it would include shapeshifting.

And yes if the source of the magic is important then there are critical questions to ask there as well. Some sources are more powerful and versital than others.

[seawasp]

I don't see that Shapechange necessarily prevents you from Shapechanging into things that don't currently exist.

[rdmasters.livejournal.com]

I *know* some of your sources, and I'm now scared.

"Dragon Slave" comes to mind at once...

[seawasp]

Only if I wanted to be Strategic Nuclear Weapons Man.

There's limited utility in One Big Boom spells, although one COULD use something like Dragon Slave or Halloween to do "Project Plowshare" type things without worry about radiation and such.

"Offensive Spells" would be a useful category but I think either transportation or healing spells are a more useful one all around. And if you're clever you can very severely weaponize the other categories anyway.

[muirecan.livejournal.com]

I still prefer transformative spells. Because that category can include healing magics as well as the ability to take shapes than can do transportation. I mean really turn yourself into a Pernese dragon to teleport. ;)

Mind you transportation magic does allow all kinds of offensive/defensive actions. Open a portal to the sun facing away from you for a microsecond. FLASH no more problem. ;)

[rdmasters.livejournal.com]

Heh.

"I opened a door. As far and hard away as I could, I opened a door."
(Door, Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman)

[seawasp]

One of The Wanderer's spells (from my regular writing universe as well as from the campaign described in "An American Gamer in Gondor") was "Sunfall", which did just that; opened a 10x10 portal to the photosphere of the Sun right above the target.

It was one of the obvious ways in which any actually inventive and intelligent person dragged into Donaldson's Mordant universe would have been able to kick the asses of all the baddies. "Oooo, that one shows a world-girdling ocean. Lemme just shift the focal point DOWN about thirty thousand feet... Oh, and gimme that one -- Lemme see... there, that's great, the Federation's reserve armory. They'll never miss a few phaser rifles..."

[rdmasters.livejournal.com]

One of the things that always struck me about the Dragon Slave was the relatively low number of collateral fatalities, while maintaining a ludicrous level of collateral damage.

Sort of like a reverse neutron bomb.

But I do get your point. In my defence, it was just the first thing that sprang to mind when I thought 'Slayers'.

[seawasp]

No, it's just Rule of Funny. It's not nearly so funny if you see a charnel house of thousands of barbequed bodies than it is if you see a bunch of outraged, scorched-but-unharmed villagers.

[chuk-g.livejournal.com]

I'd pick healing spells. Assuming it was real life but healing spells suddenly worked for you, you could fix your own or family member's medical conditions, then charge tons of money to help sick rich people (taking care of your material needs), *and* you could do lots of public service.