Enchantment Magic

This page addresses information about enchantment magic, otherwise known as charms, and its in-character uses as they applies to World 42 roleplaying. Any valuable contributors are welcome to add, especially as new content or ideas come out in-game.

The Basic Concept of Enchantment
To use enchantments in roleplay is to have a character make use of charms and spells to attach mystical properties to otherwise common objects or people. At its most intuitive level, a magician using enchantment magic has the ability to bestow useful magical traits onto target items so long as he has the runes and physical energy to continue. As with most magics, there is a direct correlation between the experience/skill of a magician, the strength of enchantment he can produce, and the intricacy or detail with which he can craft it. So, a mid-level enchanter could either create a strong but straightforward charm or could create a weak but delicate, nuanced, and detailed charm.

Offensive Methods
Enchanting is passive form of magic that can help a character to prepare for offensive combat but is very rarely practical when used in the thick of battle. That said, the possibilities for using charms offensively are limited only by a player's creativity and his character's skill. Three common types of enchantments that can be used to help a player offensively are [type one], [type two], and [type three].

[Explanation of the first type of offensive enchantment.]

[Explanation of the second type of offensive enchantment.]

[Explanation of the third type of offensive enchantment.]

Defensive Methods
Defending with a charm is just like attacking with one - the possibilities are limited only by creativity, though enchantment magic is usually applied more to pre-combat preparations than active spellweaving during battle. Three possible ways to defend against an assailant with charms include [method one], [method two], and [method three].

[Explanation of the first type of defensive enchantment.]

[Explanation of the second type of defensive enchantment.]

[Explanation of the third type of defensive enchantment.]

Defending Against It
The key to staying safe from the effects of a dangerous enchantment is to either disable the enchanted object, dodge/remove the enchanted object, or dispel the charm from the enchanted object. Disabling the enchanted object is fairly straightforward - if an assailant is attacking a character with an enchanted totem, physically destroying the totem is usually a sure way to rid the scenario of the magical threat. Naturally, how to go about disabling the object that is charmed depends a good deal on what exactly the object is, but the general idea is to either destroy it or somehow make the assailant unable to use it. Dodging or removing the enchanted object from the battle is a method that follows the logic that, "if it's not in the way, it's not hurting me." An enchanted weapon often has to strike its enemy in order to take effect magically, and therefore the enchantment doesn't matter if the weapon never lands a blow. Similarly, if the enchanted object is completely removed from a scene, odds are that it can have little to no effect on that scene. Some mages may even be able to dispel magical enchantments; these charms must be attached or cast onto physical things, so they have a magical presence that can be removed the same as they can be placed. If a mage present is able to dispel the enchantment on an object, that enchantment is no longer an issue.

Miscellaneous Uses
Enchantment magic is really primarily a branch of the mystical arts that serves practical purposes instead of combative. It has a wide range of utilitarian uses outside of combat. The following is a list of only a few of potential ways to use enchantment magic in everyday or commercial life.


 * Enchantments are broadly useful in tandem with high-end working tools: charms can be used to create anything from a hatchet that never dulls to a watering can that never runs dry.
 * Enchanters have advantages when crafting magical instruments like staffs, wands, or mage robes because they are privy to enchantment spells which can strengthen or amplify an item's magical properties.
 * Many magical items are helpful for transportation; jewelry can be charmed to teleport non-mages to certain destinations in response to stimuli, i.e. rubbing.

Common Mistakes
This category addresses traits that players, often new ones, give their water mage characters but that aren't actually legitimate or acceptable traits in users of water magic.


 * Just because you can use enchantments doesn't mean that you can use all of them effectively in every way. A 23 year old human would be competent if he had committed a lot of study to the one branch of magic, but the realm of expert is not yet within his grasp. Remember, if everyone is a prodigy, no one is a prodigy.
 * Typically, roleplayers accept generating one level of spell per turn. That means a small, common, text-book charm onto an easy target would be easy to perform correctly in only one turn. In contrast, to build up to a complex, powerful, custom enchantment, your magician would have to take a few turns of building up magical energy in order to successfully create the enchantment, and even then is likely to fail one or several times before the enchantment turns out properly.
 * Not all charms are created equal. Odds are, a blacksmith who dabbles in a little bit of enchanting just as a hobby will be able to put a simple teleportation spell into a sapphire, but will not be able to bind a powerful or dangerous charm to a vicious metal scimitar.
 * Irregularly shaped objects do not hold magic as well as geometrically regular ones; a bushel of curry leaves would be very difficult to enchant, whereas a square bolt of cloth would be fairly easy. Very irregular objects may even be prone to leaking magic, meaning that the enchantments on them have expiration dates.
 * Enchantment spells that are targeted at distant objects not immediately in the magician's hands must still be aimed and cast.

Other

 * As with most magics, metal conducts and expells enchantment magic. Enchantment magic that comes into contact with an enemy in metal armor would most likely accelerate through the armor and continue on its trajectory towards whatever is underneath the metal (such as a cloth shirt).
 * Also like most magics, leather weakens enchantment magic. A charm that comes into contact with an enemy in leather armor (especially dragonhide) loses a lot of its power and will very probably fail to attach to its target.