Lecture 3: College of Body Control
The mage Alaconius had been on sabbatical for the last few weeks, but now he was back. His absence had been unexpected, but it all turned out all right in the end (not counting the bruises, sore muscles, and a couple of new scars). But that was a story for another time.
He was back, and he had students to teach. He strode into Hall 4, the auditorium filled nearly full with students eager to hear what he had to say. Or, at least, that is what he told himself. His own days as a student put the lie to that; he knew that students rarely were eager to learn...they were more interested in their friends, parties, and their potential romances. But no matter. It was time to teach the class.
“Greetings students," he said, taking up the teaching wand, its enchantment amplifying his voice.
“It has been a while since I have been upon this podium, and I thank the many of you who have been patient. Today's lecture focuses upon the use and abuse that one can find in spells in the College of Body Control."
Itch
“Since I have no idea what you all have learned, I will begin with the easiest spell on the list, namely Itch. At first, many students learn the spell because it is required by the more advanced spells as part of their prerequisites. It is a shame, because I find that spell to be one of the most socially devastating spells that a person could be victimized by. I once saw a man driven literally to distraction at a diplomatic function as one of my students, to liven things up, place the Itch spell upon the man's private parts. I didn't know it at the time (or I would have alleviate the poor man's distress), but the man kept fumbling at his attempts to perform courtly and graceful maneuvers as he danced with the Queen's daughter. More often than not, he missed his dance cues, and either moved in the wrong direction, or he would bump into his hapless dance partner. Finally, the young woman could stomach the man no longer, and formed a dislike to the point that her mother banished him from the realm. All this, because the man could not be seen to be scratching his private parts in public! There are other applications, but in general, Itch is something that is best applied in social situations where the victim cannot, or must not apply himself to idle itching."Spasm
“The second spell of the series, Spasm, is a truly potent spell, that very few have had to witness. Again, due to the mischievousness of my students, I saw the application of Spasm to be quite effective. Suppose you were in the process of trying to cast a spell, and you were about to pronounce a specific word, in a quite precise manner, lest the spell fail. Now further suppose, someone casts the spell Spasm upon your jaw such that at the critical moment, you could not say a word, let alone pronounce it correctly? That same spell could cause one to suspect that they were undergoing a heart attack if it were applied correctly. Note, it would not make you suffer a heart attack outright, although, it might trigger one if the person was already of bad health. All the mage would have to do, is concentrate on the heart as being the muscle he wished to target while casting this spell. Just recently, one of my more promising ex-student ignored my injunction against practical jokes of the nature he used, and cast the spell spasm upon an instructor's bladder. While not life threatening, the spell does cause the victim to suffer a momentary loss of self respect at the shame of soiling one's self. “Another dastardly use of the spell, was done by a young lad at lover's hideout, a place where young lovers gather to well, you know. In any event, the joker kept casting the spell upon an ardent lover who was about to kiss his lover. Imagine what it must be like to lean forward for that ever so magical moment where you will kiss your loved one, and suddenly, your face spasms, and you can't even kiss your loved one correctly. Or your neck spasms, and you head butt your paramour. Further imagine what happens when you continue to have these "spasm" attacks. I can tell you, a lot of lovers never continued down lover's lane after couples discovered that their lovers were physically afflicted."Pain
“On the subject of Pain, this is one of my least favorite spells, for I feel that the abuse involved is something that should be best left unspoken of, but to be complete, I will speak of it. It is known, that pain, inflicted in the cruelest of manners, can be made to break a man's will. There are some, who are more sensitive to pain's hold, and will do just about anything to avoid it - including the total and abject obedience to one who wields the pain. The immediate benefit of Pain is not so readily apparent, but to a sadistic mage, it is a very useful spell indeed."Stun
“The spell Stun, is one that I have not found to be very useful, but it should not be overlooked entirely. In combat against men who wear shells of metal (plate), it is often difficult to get past their armor and harm them. Sometimes, it is best to use this spell to stun them, and then allow the fighter to attempt concentrate his fullest attention on attacking, instead of being prepared to defend himself. It can provide a means to make it a bit easier to get past the armor."Clumsiness
“Clumsiness as a spell doesn't seem to have too many applications, but at the right time, it can be helpful towards defeating another's intentions with regards to accuracy. It can make a graceful person seem less so, but in all, I do not find it to be a spell that I could favor. In general, it seems to be too specific a spell to be able to use effectively for day to day affairs. I suppose that a merchant desiring to purchase an animal at lower prices might attempt to make the animal seem less worthy of purchase due to it's clumsiness, but that is about all I could come up with as far as being usable for non-specific means."Dexterity
“I won't go into detail about the virtues of Dexterity, for I rarely approve of the attribute boosting spells. Were I of the mind to increase an archer's ability to hit a target further away than is normal, I would endow the archer with Hawk Vision, rather than boost his dexterity up. I feel the cost to cast that spell is wasteful. However, to boost another man's reputation as a skilled fighter, or as a graceful person, that is not to be underestimated. Also, as an enchantment spell, it can be quite nice to have. I think that the beneficial aspects of this spell are readily apparent."Might, Vigor
“Might, as well as Vigor, are self-evident spells, so I will forego speaking about them at this time."Climbing
“Climbing is one spell that I have come to dislike, in that there aren't too many secondary applications that it can be used for. Its only purpose is to make you a better climber. While this is nice to have when you need it, it hardly seems worth the effort of spending a semester teaching, let alone, learning! My only comment on this spell is how often will you need it for day to day applications?"Strike Blind, Strike Deaf, Strike Dumb
“Strike Blind, Strike Deaf, and Strike Dumb are really nice spells when applied to the common folk. But for people who are educated in the magical arts, they are rarely concerned about any long lasting effects, since there are no spells that permanently create the same effect as the strike version of the spells. The obvious advantages to be gained by depriving a person of their senses doesn't even bear mentioning."Curse Missile
“Curse Missile is a spell that should be used by its practitioners in a showy fashion. In addition to increasing the range that one can affect victims with various curse-like effects, it also has a visible color that cannot be mistaken for anything but a curse missile. I find it ironic that the one spell it cannot convey as a curse, is the actual spell Curse! In any case, a mage who uses this spell should, if he has the time, try to intimidate his chosen victim with a bit of verbal patter. The idea is to use this spell as a psychological weapon instead of just as a spell effect in and of itself. Imagine the fun a sadistic mage could have by asking "do you know what kind of unpleasant nastiness I have waiting for you in this sickly green globe, peasant? You don't want me to have to use it on you do you? Ok, this time I will not use it on you, but I do have to keep in practice, so maybe I will use it on you next time".Paralyze Limb
“Paralyze Limb is one of the spells that a mage often fails to look at as a means for taking an enemy fighter out of the fight. If you are able to surprise your target, the ability to cripple his weapon arm can often prove to be decisive. Even the world's best sword's man can be taken out of the fight, if you can get to his weapon arm. I have heard it said, that there are a few martial artists in worlds where the use of this spell along with their martial prowess can often make the difference between life and defeat, with defeat sometimes meaning death, or dishonor."Total Paralysis
“I find, that aside the fact that it is a prerequisite for other spells, Total Paralysis is a waste of time and energy. True, it can be useful for causing a person or creature to be unable to move, but there are so many other spells that can do the same for less energy. The only real use that I could see this spell being, is to scare a person into believing that the mage could make the condition permanent, but like the strike curses that I spoke of earlier, the educated person generally knows that it isn't permanent."Permanent Wither Limb
“Permanent Wither Limb, on the other hand, fits my criteria for being an effective spell. It could very easily coerce a person to do as the caster likes, because it can remove a man's ability to fend for himself in combat, it can remove the man's ability to earn a wage, and can even be used on a man's two arms to remove the dignity of being able to feed himself! Now one thing that many mages tend to forget, is that a spell does not have to last forever if the mage does not require that it do so. Wither limb can be made to last permanently until dispelled, or it can be made to end prematurely (i.e., not permanently) if the mage wants it to at the time of the casting. For example: if you decide you want to teach a wayward peasant to do as you say or suffer the consequences, you could easily intend for the spell to wear off after a 24 hour period. You could then tell the peasant that if he crosses you again, the spell will last forever."Deathtouch
“Deathtouch is a favored spell. In some cases, I can see why. Most of the variable damage spells require that you spend time casting the spell in direct proportion to the amount of energy placed in the spell. Deathtouch does not seem to require this. In addition, it is not protected against by armor. It would seem that the slightest touch by a mage holding Deathtouch is enough to do full damage to the entire body, not just the portion of the limb, and thus crippling the limb, that it touches. Personally, I don't like the spell, but that is just my personal preferences. The disadvantage to this spell is that you must be in contact with the target of the spell before it is effective. I prefer to stay well and truly away from combat if possible. It takes a mere 100 hours to train a man to hold a sword, or any weapon for that matter. It takes many more hours than that to teach a man to cast spells, and many, many more hours to teach a mage useful spells. It seems such a waste to place a mage so close to harms way, when he can be more effective at a distance."Sickness
“I will address the effectiveness of Sickness when I discuss the college Mind Control."Fatigue
“Fatigue, now, is an interesting spell. Its best advantage is used in a social setting. Imagine what it would be like, if an enemy attempted to do his work, and discovered himself to be fatigued, and constantly in a state of fatigue. This spell not only removes the energy from its victim, temporarily unfortunately, but it also lowers the person's strength. In combat, it acts like a dexterity reduction spell when used on people who barely have the effective strength to use a weapon. In addition to lowering the man's damage done with the weapon, but for every level of strength below the minimum that must be had with a weapon, the person is less likely to hit by an amount equal to that which his strength is lower than the minimum. Also, after the combat, the man loses extra fatigue above and beyond what he normally would have at the conclusion of the fight."Hinder
“Hinder is one of those spells that I dislike so. It is a specialty spell that really only has one purpose, and that is to slow the target of the spell down by anywhere from 2 to 8 miles per hour. While it has applications for slowing down someone or something in a race, of which the obvious benefit would be for racing fans, it has no real applications that I could be happy with."Rooted Feet
“Rooted Feet is also a spell that I do not like, for another spell is even more effective than rooted feet. The reason I don't like it is that Glue is a bit more effective than Rooted Feet, despite the fact that it is less energy intensive. The advantage of Glue over Rooted Feet is that Glue doesn't require that you throw it on a victim, it can be thrown on an area in preparation for the victim. In addition, for twice the energy, the spell covers 7 times the area, and lasts ten times longer. Both spells affect the victim in exactly the same manner, but Glue requires that the person avoid stepping into another trapped area once the victim is free. For all intents and purposes, unless energy is a major factor, Glue is the better spell."Tanglefoot
“Tanglefoot as a spell does not have too many applications other than to trip the victim up. While this spell has applications in a social setting, or as a practical joke, its applications are very limited indeed. I suppose it can be used to cause a running person to fall exactly where you want them to, but to be able to cast that spell effectively the victim must be reasonably close—say within 9 feet or so. Of course, mages who study extensively with this spell will be able to affect a victim at longer ranges."Roundabout
“Roundabout, as a spell can be very useful during combat. If a combatant is facing your friend, and is about to strike at your friend, a judicious use of this spell will not only make it impossible to attack your friend, assuming of course that your spell takes effect before he attacks, but also makes it harder for him to defend himself from your friend's gleeful attack at the unprotected flankside. In addition, the victim's sense of balance is affected, that decreases his skill in combat by a fair amount. All in all, this is an effective manner to help a friend in combat. As for more practical matters, it can be used to force a person to turn into the direction of your choice. As a defensive measure, it could be used to make a friend aware of an impending attack as in making him face the unseen attacker from behind, it can make a man move incorrectly while at a ballroom dance, it can make a student suddenly aware that your attention is upon him--yes it can be used for many situations, not just combat!"Resist Pain
“Resist Pain, is a spell that speaks for itself. I cannot add more to the discussion about it other than the fact that a mage with this spell is a great boon to a surgeon - for who needs anesthesia when you have this mage around? However, there is a danger...we feel pain for a reason. It acts as a warning, and one under the influence of a Resist Pain spell will not feel their fingers burning on a hot stove, or their mouth being scalded by hot soup."Alter Visage
“Alter Visage is more of a social spell, and one that should net the mage a lot of money from various elements within society. Normally, a mage earns roughly $25 dollars per fatigue level that he must expend upon the spell. To permanently alter a person's face, the mage would normally be paid only $1000. Can you imagine what would be the result of a man who's face is upon wanted posters with a $100,000 reward posted— dead or alive, preferably dead? How much would he pay to get his face changed? Or what of the woman who's daughter is born ugly, and has a noble for a husband who would be willing to foot the bill to alter the child's ugliness? Imagine the revenge a woman could have upon her lover who scorns her for a more beautiful woman—by having another wear her competitor's face—thus implying that the competitor "bought" her face? In all, the social consequences of this spell are far more reaching that one can assume by just looking at the spell."Alter Body
“Alter Body is similar to Alter Visage, but it can correct body deformities, and make the body look either more pleasing, or more hideous, depending upon the whims of the mage or his benefactor. This spell is also useful for a spy who must infiltrate other races than his own. Of course, there are always ways of compromising a spy's disguise when he wears this kind of disguise, but I will leave that for another day." “Ok, next week, or maybe the week after—depending upon how busy I am with the Mage war examinations—I will discuss the spells of the college Communication and Empathy. I will discuss my general impressions of the spells, some of their weaknesses, as well as some of their strengths. If possible, I will also discuss a few unorthodox uses for these spells. In addition, if I can, I will also discuss how such spells would interact in a society, and what their ramifications are. The spell Sense life, for instance, has the chance to be labeled as one of worst abused spells within my realm of existence. It is a spell that enables mankind to exploit the surrounding area for resources of the living kind. With this spell, a trapper can determine if the area contains worthwhile pelts to be trapped. A herbalist can determine if a particular kind of plant is nearby, and a man who needs a specific wood can abuse this spell as well. What worries me about the use of this spell, is that unicorns can be effectively hunted with this spell for the horns they possess. As I mention, Sense life is really a more versatile spell than most realize." “Class is dismissed.”
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