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Green Magic Puff
ca1c58
>>536788
I know I missed a day, but don’t update the quest for me. Art can be used to draw the scene from the last update and add things into the scene, not reply directly to suggesters. Thanks for the work, but this is unfortunately being mostly ignored, especially because it contradicts what’s already been said. I’ll repurpose some of it and add in an explanation. The purpose is to help me tell the story, not tell it for me.
“So,” Pektil asked, a plan slowly forming in his brains, “What’s the limits on Vancian magic, and could you like, trick a powerful creature into learning a spell so that their power would be like, less powerful? Like a big magic guy?”
Nine Gears hummed, it was a rattling, mechanical choral sound. One finger tapped against his faceplate. “The actual text of true Vancian spells is almost alive, and seeks out a living brain to imprint itself on. The magic wants to be read and used. Continual study and practice expands a person’s potential to memorize more or more powerful spells. As you read a Vancian spell, if your mind cannot contain it, you will be in pain, discomfort. You can certainly force a spell slightly too large into your mind, although it will cause unpleasant mental effects. A spell entirely too large will cause your brain to violently explode. It happens with the brains I use for storage, from time to time. Spells just slightly too large will help expand your potential, however.”
He tapped his faceplate again. “But you do still have to read the words to memorize the spell. Of course, a sufficiently powerful magical creature would probably absorb the information instantly, at a glance. The real trick would be to find a spell they would not want to instantly cast…” he seemed to be mostly thinking to himself, tapping on his face and exhaling green mist. “You know, there is a quite powerful spell that temporarily negates all magic within a one hundred yard sphere surrounding the caster. ‘Phandall’s Spiteful Equilizer,’ if I remember correctly. Yes. Yes. This has potential.” More little clatters.
“So,” Pektil continued, thinking about how dangerous Vancian magic seemed, “Is there any way to store Vancian spells in inanimate objects?”
Nine Gears snapped out of his contemplations and laughed. “Why would I need to remove brains and store them inside of my body if I could cast Vancian spells in another way?”
Pektil stuck his finger in his nose, “huh?”
Nine Gears sighed. “No, there isn’t. Some Vancian spells are used to produce enduring magical items, but the spells themselves must be placed into a living brain to be cast. The words themselves are also extremely dangerous to attempt to transcribe, and special materials must be used. Therefore, the rituals themselves are somewhat expensive, and usually not in easy to transport form. They cannot be stored digitally, for instance. However, there are plenty of other systems that feature single-use scrolls, wands and assorted magical devices. Crystals, in particular, are useful for storing enduring effects from other casting systems. Wands are also useful. Some are tools that are required for casting systems, and some are repositories for magical energy. Most scrolls and wands must be used by someone capable of using magic in some capacity, whereas a crystal will simply produce an effect and need only be worn, or incorporated into a device.”
Pektil was thinking about his plan to store the scrying crystal inside of Po. The way he saw it, he would need some kind of acid protection, some kind of healing, and some kind of teleportation.
His second priority was to basically be able to do that stuff, so he needed some beginner spells.
And a good place to buy this stuff that wasn’t somewhere he’d gone before. He did remember the first magic shop. They had had lots of scrolls, but he wasn’t sure. Maybe asking would be a good idea.
He also realized that if he was going through with the eating thing, all of the effects he would need would have to be spells: Po probably would not eat all his clothes and items with him.
“So, I want to know a good place to get some beginner stuff, like maybe scrying or spying stuff, and also maybe some healing or acid resistance stuff.”
“If you would like to learn some Vancian magic, I would gladly give you these,” The raccoon girl dug under his robes and pulled out a black leather-backed scroll wrapped closed with ribbon. “The Charm of Untiring Nourishment. This simple spell will obviate the need for rest, sleep, air, food or water, and make you immune to adverse temperature conditions, for several hours. It is quite useless to me, but could be useful to you. You may not be able to use it immediately, which is why I will also give you Lugwiler’s Dismal Itch, one of the simplest and most primitive of spells. It causes someone to itch as if they had fleas for several minutes.” The raccoon also produces a little red book, like a day planner. She walked over and deposited them into Pektil’s hands, her own flesh slightly clammy to the touch, her hide mangy and balding in places.
“As for acquiring those other spells, a non-Vancian source may be best. Vancian magic is generall ‘all or nothing,’ and tends to be quite powerful and obvious in effect. I know there is a shop called Tally’s Uncomfortably Cramped Arcana which has a selection, although there are a few others in this general area which are known to be rather useful.” Nine Gears indicated a floor and area, and Pektil checked his Information Data Thingy. There was a big list of shops!
“I will caution you that teleportation magic tends to be very difficult, and most places are warded against it.” Pektil remembered Blaze talking about teleportation >>459164
Go ahead and make up whatever shops you want. Give either just a name, or a name and a short description, or whatever. Remember to put numbers in the NAME field! You can also suggest to go to one of the shops somebody else makes up, or go to the shop that Nine Gears recommends.
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