This article, Glyphscape/Magic Rules, was created by Abcxyzzzz.
Types of spells[]
There are 4 types of spells:
- Sorcery - These spells often resolve instantly and are permanent only in the sense that, unless changed, their effects are there; they don't continually do something.
- Enchantment - These spells have an effect (buff, curse) on a target of some sort. They continually do something.
- Aura - These spells are only activated when something else is done, at which point they evaporate. Until then, however, they reside ('stay in play') much like an enchantment but remain passive.
- Summon - These spells summon creatures named after the spell. Creatures remain until they are either destroyed (zero or negative hp) or deceased (duration left less than 0).
Introduction to Glyphs[]
Glyphscape is named for the prevalence of glyphs. These are wondrous magical designs that can be held in your inventory as if they were items, but can then be activated in various ways. When a glyph is activated, it creates a beautiful, glowing magic circle, either at a particular location (such as when you summon an underling), or on the ground around your feet (such as when you cast an aura) as you move around, or in front of you (such as when you cast a spell), among others. Glyphs perform a variety of different magical functions that make the world of Glyphscape go 'round. They appear in a great spectrum of rarities, from the very common and cheap commodity to the unique and untradeable treasure.
Lesser Glyphs[]
Spells are usually cast only using lesser glyphs.
| --------Glyph-------- | Value | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty glyph | 
|
1 | Obtained via glyphwriting and readily mass-producible. It is an undifferentiated glyph that can be turned into another type of lesser glyph. Can be used directly in their empty state by spells that require empty glyphs, but cannot be used as a written glyph. is represented on formula tables here as  , and multiple empty glyphs as  ,  ,  , etc.
|
| Glyph of air | 
|
3 | Basic elemental glyph. The primary glyph used in air magic, responsible for push and pull forces, wind, and sound. |
| Glyph of water | 
|
3 | Basic elemental glyph. The primary glyph used in water magic, responsible for water, cold/snow, ice, and steam. |
| Glyph of energy | 
|
3 | Basic elemental glyph. The primary glyph used in energy magic, responsible for arcane, lightning, and void. |
| Glyph of fire | 
|
3 | Basic elemental glyph. The primary glyph used in fire magic, responsible for heat, fire, and grease. |
| Glyph of earth | 
|
6 | Advanced elemental glyph. Transmutation, obstacle/wall, and matter manipulation spells of all four magic skills require this glyph. |
| Glyph of nature | 
|
3 | Advanced elemental glyph. Transfiguration, druidic, animal, and plant spells of all four magic skills require this glyph. |
| Glyph of death | 
|
3 | Advanced elemental glyph. Necromantic, death, and poison spells of all four magic skills require this glyph. |
| Glyph of law | 
|
3 | Advanced elemental glyph. Rule-bending, wards, shields, defense, balancing and retribution spells of all four skills require this glyph. |
| Glyph of chaos | 
|
3 | Advanced elemental glyph. Special, teleportation, summoning, and manipulation spells of all four magic skills require this glyph. |
Parasitic and cursing spells (debuffs) of all four magic skills require this glyph.
Beneficial spells (buffs) of all four magic skills require this glyph.
Staves[]
A magic staff allows one elemental rune per spell to be treated as essence rune (ie. allows it to count toward a spell's essence rune requirement, but not a different element's requirements). A magic battlestaff grants the same powers as the magic staff but poses no limits on this conversion.
An elemental staff (in this example an air staff) allows one essence rune per spell to be treated as both essence rune and air rune, ie. allows an essence rune to count one point toward a spell's air rune requirement; the same goes for the other three elements.
An elemental battlestaff combines the properties of a magic battlestaff with that of its respective elemental staff (but with limits on this second conversion).
A broken X staff is an inferior X staff. These staves have a set limit of charges (anywhere between 0 and 50). One charge is used each time you use the staff's ability. They can be recharged at any mysterious ruins. If they are elemental staves, they can only be recharged at the mysterious ruins of that element. Broken staves can't be repaired (they are considered separate items entirely).
There are also silver-trimmed (t) and rune-trimmed (g) varieties of elemental battlestaves, obtained from certain treasure trails (all high-level). None of these are 'broken'. They have no added effects.
For example, let's consider casting Buffet, whose rune cost is 
. Normally, you can pay for this spell with an air elemental rune (whose symbol is ) for the first requirement and an essence rune (). This will require having two pouches - one of air runes and one of essence runes - and depletes the two runes you used in the casting. You cannot, however, pay for the spell with , , or any other combination. With a magic staff, you can pay for the essence rune requirement with any other rune, so and 
, among others, become valid options as well as your original option. With an air elemental staff, (combined into ) also becomes a valid option. (In most situations the air elemental staff makes casting more flexible than this makes it appear, so as long as you stick with a particular discipline, using an elemental staff is superior.)