“Greetings Students,
“After a nice leisurely day, with thoughts warming up to the College of Fire, I have been working on this upcoming lecture to give you a spark of illumination regarding Fire magics.
“One thing I would like you to all keep in mind. The spells in the College of Fire have great utility. But they are also very dangerous. As you know, fire is a weapon of terror, and civilized people have a deep aversion against flame weapons and their users. People with obvious flame spells might not get a good reaction in towns and cities. But there is no debating their efficacy. So, on with the lecture.”
Ignite Fire
“As is usually the case, the first spell of any college generally winds up being a teaching spell that is the basis for spells that follow. What I find interesting is the fact that unlike most other colleges, where the first spell is generally limited in scope for everyday use, the spell Ignite Fire is rather useful. It's variable fatigue cost for varying heat levels make it one that low level mages can get by with quite easily. By low level, I do not mean to imply low intelligence, but mages who use one or two fire college spells to complete the understanding necessary for other college spells.
“The biggest drawback to this spell is the high energy to time cost, where the spell only lasts for one second. However, with a decent enough skill, a person can cast this spell with no fatigue at its weakest setting. Such a setting is equivalent to that of a match. In a low tech society with gunpowder, such a spell is much better for use than would be the proverbial slow match, and even better than a normal match. After all, it does not need to betray the firing person's position by the customary red glow of a burning ember.
“Another practical use of this spell at lower levels is that of starting a fire in pouring rain. Many were the times I heard woodsmen cursing because the dampness of the rain and wood would not allow the fire to start. I lack the specific knowledge to make this spell even more effective, but I suspect the ability to vary temperatures might be useful to alchemists and chemists.
“The other thing to note with this spell is the ability to start another enemy's clothes on fire in one second. It costs as much fatigue as an unencumbered person walking for 3 hours, but such energy expenditure might well be worth it. Consider: a man wearing clothes on fire either panics, and runs away in a rather futile manner to escape the flames, or he tends to keep his head, and attempt to put the fire out. In any case, he isn't overly interested in maintaining conflict with anyone at that point in time. And if the inflamed combatant is still interested in fighting, he still takes potential damage every second he is on fire, as well as is shaking from the problem of being lit up. The net effect of distraction is as if the target had suffered a successful casting of an Itch spell. The interesting thing about this spell use is that it only costs one fatigue unit more than a regular Itch spell. Please note that one fatigue unit equals the fatigue expended in walking for one hour in normal temperatures in relatively easy terrain….”
Create Fire
“Create Fire is one spell that any serious woods mage should not do without. The effectiveness of this spell depends upon how well the mage knows this spell, for one who has almost mastered it to expert level, is able to maintain the fire at no fatigue cost. This means, that a wilderness survival situation favors the mage who can allow a fire to last as long as he desires it to last, without resorting to the use of collected firewood. In colder climates, where wood might be rarer than a nymphomaniac virgin, this spell can be a real lifesaver.
“However, in a military situation, this mage can also help cut down the time required to forage and set up a camp, for part of the problem with setting up a military camp is gathering wood for campfires. As a military encampment spends more time in an area, more time must be spent foraging for wood for the fires, or time must be spent chopping down trees for fires. Of course, no discussion on created fire would be complete without mention of the military applications of created fire for pyromania's sake, or to enemy possessions.
“What I find interesting about the use of the Create Fire spell, as cast by one who is almost expert in it, is that if a line is formed by fighting men, a wall of fire sources in front of friendly forces can be a real defensive bonus. I have heard tell of three men at arms who worked well with a fire mage. They would line up forming a shield wall, and defend themselves to the best of their ability, while waiting for the mage to cast 3, 1 yard diameter fires in front of them. This forced the enemy forces to either gather in the fires to attack the defenders, or it caused the attackers to attempt to rush through the fires in an attempt to bowl over the defenders. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the defenders were usually in enclosed spaces like corridors, battlements, and suchlike….”
Shape Fire
“Shape Fire is one of those spells that work well as entertainment type spells in addition to moving fire from one source to another. Mages with a practical joke streak in them have been known to use this spell to beguile the gullible with tales of baby elementals and other such jokelike beings. Another practical use of this spell is to remove a feeding flame from a particularly important document that an enemy is trying to destroy. One nice thing about this spell is that it is cheaper to use in a city firefighting group than is Extinguish Fire. By casting this spell, and then moving the fire into an area where fire can not burn, you are able to affect a decent sized fire easier than could Extinguish Fire.”
Extinguish Fire
“Extinguish Fire is one of those "specialized" spells that I tend to pass over. The reason being, is that as mentioned previously, Shape Fire can do a better job of containing the fire than can Extinguish Fire. I should mention, however, that the use of this spell may be preferable to the Shape Fire in that there may arise moments where you cannot safely move the fire you are trying to contain to another location. In this kind of situation, Extinguish Fire is to be preferred—unless you like creating large amounts of water, smothering air, or some other means of extinguishing fires….”
Fireproof
“Fireproof generally works best as a preventative means. If you have a book, scroll, or any other precious combustibles, then Fireproof is handy to have. Its long duration is a major bonus under these circumstances.While I have not had the opportunity to test another student's thesis yet, it is possible that an area with the Fireproof spell in effect will not allow, or at least hinder another mage's attempt to cast a Fireball spell, or any fire based attack. I needs must leave that experiment to the Magus Dr. Kromm.”
Heat
“Heat is one of the most useful spells for civilized folk. In instances where precise heat levels are necessary for success, this spell can do it. It also allows a mage to work metals, or allow a smith to work metals without the added cost of charcoal. I have seen too many mages, fresh from school get their ears boxed by a metalsmith, when they watched a mage heat up the entire piece of metal being worked into a sword! Except for rare occasions, most metal smiths will only heat up sections of the metal that they desire to work, not the entire thing. In general, only one unit of fatigue is needed to heat up the portion of a blade, horseshoe, etc., that the metalsmith is working upon.
“This spell is also of utility to Glassblowers, chemists, Alchemists, as well as ore extractors. One of the biggest problems with extracting iron and steel from ore is that it often needs extremely high levels of heat—higher than what wood can offer when burnt. With Heat, this problem is very quickly bypassed. As a side benefit of this magic, civilizations can now create plowshares that are capable of digging deeper into the soil, making farming much more efficient. Farming in turn, makes it easier for civilizations to sustain larger populations, and thus, larger cities—where more articles of civilized manufacture become available to the rural folk…. Ah, I digress.”
Cold
“Cold. Now there is a luxurious spell if I ever saw one! Aside from practical destructive methods against metals and such, it can be so very, very nasty. I once saw a mage use this spell on a metal doorknob where the knob was enclosed in a fairly restrictive recess. A gloved hand would not fit, but a bare hand would barely fit into the recess an allow the hand to turn the knob. It was so cold, that the man who had to turn it, left quite a few layers of skin behind on it.
This spell is also useful for lowering the temperature of a drink, of food, and of just about anything else where coolness was a virtue. A friend of mine discovered the hard way through the use of Heat that heat will radiate from the item being heated. He reasoned that if Heat would do that, maybe Cold would do the same thing. He was correct in his assumption, and on a miserably hot day, he was able to cool down his castle room by chilling a huge stone in his room to low temperatures. Again, this spell is rendered highly effective if the mage casting this spell can maintain it without expending fatigue.”
Resist Cold
“Resist Cold is another one of those specialized spells that I tend to stay away from learning. Unlike Fireproof, this spell has an extremely short duration, that being one minute, and only affects those who exist in cold environments. It is worth noting, that mages with this spell have been known to cut down on clothing costs during temperature changes from summer to winter climates, but other than that, I fear I have very little use for this spell. Like many of the other spells mentioned thus far for the College of Fire, this spell's effectiveness is best rendered where the caster has almost expert knowledge in the casting of this spell.”
Resist Fire
“Resist Fire is the flip side of the coin with regards to Resist Cold. Mages who can maintain this spell indefinitely, are able to cut their fatigue costs down to normal as compared with mages without this spell—when operating in a high heat environment. This means, that if you were walking through a jungle, such that normally, you would expend 2 fatigue units in normal temperatures, in the heat, you would expend 3 units of fatigue. With Resist Fire, you would only spend the original 2 units of energy. As a secondary effect, mages would then cut down on the needed water to survive a hot climate of that nature.”
Fireball
“Fireball. There isn't really all that much that needs to be said about this plainly offensive spell. A word of caution is in need here however. As with all missile spells, a fireball may be held while the mage is preparing the spell, or just waiting to hit a target with the fireball. While creating the fireball, it should be noted that after 1 second's worth of concentration—the caster now has a fireball in his hand. If that mage gets hit with a weapon, i.e., injured, he must will himself to keep that fireball from exploding in his hand! Do not, repeat not, cast that spell when you are in danger of being attacked as you prepare that fireball. Too often, savvy fighters will keep a man in reserve with a sling, bow, or hurled weapon, just to hit the mage while he is semi-vulnerable.”
Explosive Fireball
“Explosive Fireball. What I said about Fireball goes double for Explosive Fireball. The fact of the matter is that Explosive Fireballs take twice as long to prepare, and this gives the enemy twice as long to hurt you in hopes of really crippling your hand. Otherwise, this spell is a nice offensive spell to carry.”
Flame Jet
“Flame Jet is one of those flashy spells that can be used under combat conditions or under peaceful conditions. As such, it meets my criteria of being versatile. Most mages tend to forget that this is one of the few combat spells that is maintainable, and as such, can be used in a two weapon fashion. I must confess, that aside from the combat purposes as well as entertainment purposes, this spell resists my best efforts to find secondary uses other than the one for which it seems intended—warfare. If there are any of you who feel that you have an effective use for jets of flame, other than to cut through ropes, make for flashy fire shows, and such, feel free to mention it in group discussion after this lecture is over.”
Breathe Fire
“Breathe Fire is another one of those flashy fire combat spells, similar to Flame Jet. All that was said concerning Flame Jet, except the maintainable part, apply to Breathe Fire.”
Phantom Flame
“Phantom Flame is another one of those illusionary spells that I tend to like, simply because it is illusionary. This in one spell that is useful for scaring off animals without fear that it will damage the local environment. Also, for those who are faint of heart, and do not wish to have to heal the effects of a torture session involving fire, can rest easy that this spell will provide all of the sensory stimulation that can be had with a real fire, and yet not do any damage. What makes this spell especially effective, is that when viewed by non mages, or not overly bright mages, it can be made to seem as if it were essential flame cast by the spell of the same name. After all, water will not put this fire out. However, its major drawback is that it does not ever seem to ‘grow’ and spread like a flame generated by any of the more businesslike fire spells. Thus, it is easily enough, known for what it is.”
Flaming Weapon
“Flaming Weapon is a damage enhancing spell. As a means for attacking the enemy, it does what it was designed to do. However, it can be used offensively in other manners. Cast that spell on a mage's staff, and you will have destroyed that staff after only a minute's worth of burning. Cast it upon a warrior's spear, with the added fatigue to end the spell prematurely, and you will turn his weapon to ash. Also, I see no reason why this spell cannot be used upon a shield as well—thus destroying shields in the process.”
Essential Flame
“Essential Flame is one really nasty fire. When used in an offensive manner, it is virtually unstoppable unless another mage has the ability to counter it with either Drain/Suspend Mana, Dispel Magic, or Essential Water. Or, I suppose you could wait it out. After a minute, the flames revert to normal fire, unless the spell is maintained. Once it's normal fire, it can be extinguished in all of the usual ways.”
Flaming Missiles
“Flaming Missiles is another one of those spells designed for mostly warfare applications. It can be used as a signaling method during peacetime, but its primary application is for setting afire anything the arrow hits that can be inflamed, or it is used to do extra damage upon impact with a living being.”
Seek Fire
“Seek Fire is an information spell that is best used to find civilized sentients. It can also be used to determine if anyone nearby is trying to hide, but still has a campfire burning. In addition, if you don't have Seek Life or any similar spell, you can attempt to determine if there are any fires burning nearby, that you are unaware of, this informing you of a potential enemy in the area. When casting this spell, I would suggest that you use the ceremonial version of it, and expend extra energy to insure that your skill is elevated to higher levels. This helps insure that you overcome the problems of seeking information at long distances.”
Slow Fire
“Slow Fire is a spell that almost seems to accomplish what Resist Heat does, but doesn't quite do so. With knowledge of this spell, those sentenced to dying by roasting in a fire, can cast this spell in the hopes that it will lower the damage done by the fire, if they don’t just use Extinguish Fire, which is a prerequisite. Unfortunately, this is one spell that is just as costly to maintain, as it is to cast, and is thus, very difficult to master to the point where you can cast this spell and maintain it indefinitely. It does act as a Slow spell to creatures made of fire, such as fire elementals.”
Fast Fire
“Fast Fire is a spell that enhances the fire's damage potential. Other than that, I do not see too many occasions for a normal person to benefit from its existence. Of course, it is possible for a mage to use it to hasten the speed of fire elementals and mages subject to Body Of Fire spells, but that seems to be a stretch of utility.”
Flameturning
“Flameturning as a defensive blocking spell is one that I approve of wholeheartedly. It's ability to turn all forms of fire attack from it's defended victim makes this spell well worth having, especially if you are hunting dragons known to have fire breath.”
Warmth
“Warmth is one of those spells that looks as though another spell does the same thing. The difference between Resist Cold and Warmth is that Warmth lasts longer for the energy cost. Again, this is one of those spells that can be very rewarding to have near expert level of skill.”
Smoke
“Smoke, when it creates the dense clouds, acts as a real lifesaver when you are being targeted by missile firing opponents. Its secondary benefit of acting as an irritant gas makes it well worth waiting for that ‘tactically’ perfect moment when you can use it against a foe to its fullest potential. It does also have the effect of being able to make a dwelling look as though it were on fire—if done in sufficient size.”
Burning Touch
“Burning Touch seems like a very weakened version of Fireball, but I do not doubt that there are those who like to see their opponent's faces as they apply the hot hands on their enemy. I personally consider this spell to be a waste of time—especially since it exposes mages to close combat—where it often becomes a gamble as to who will win the combat.”
Rain of Fire
“Rain Of Fire is purely a harassing fire spell. It needs large amounts of energy to be effective on a battlefield. On the other hand, it can be used to set a field of drying wheat on fire, it can be used to interdict enemy movement such that they won't want to move through it and fight and so on. In short, its primary use is also it likely only use—battle.”
Fire Cloud
“Fire Cloud, like Rain Of Fire, is basically a combat spell with applications that don't quite fit tactical use, nor really Strategic use. Aside from the ability to possibly blind someone with this spell, its uses are basically the same as Rain Of Fire.”
Flaming Armor
“Flaming Armor is one of those spells that I would have given the developing mage an A+ grade on. It is simplistic, yet offensive as well as defensive. It is extremely flashy, and might cause the person in Flaming Armor to suddenly find a lack of melee partners in battle, i.e., opponents willing to fight him, yet on the other hand, a cloud of descending arrows upon him from a bunch of archers on the battlefield who happened to notice he was the brightest thing on the field….
“And yet, this can work out to the Flaming Armor owner's advantage. The person who is gaudiest, can also have Reverse Missile, or even, Missile Shield cast upon him as well. This will serve to waste the enemy's arrows, or even hurt the enemy with his own arrows.”
Body of Flames
“Body Of Flames is one spell that I can almost consider to be worth getting. In addition to it's obvious qualities as a body form, it also has the ability to act as a healing spell for those who do not have healing spells handy. All the caster needs to do is cast this spell on a person who needs healing, and then throw the person into a large fire. For the energy cost to cast this spell, it does remain a rather inefficient means for healing….”
Burning Death
“Burning Death is one of those spells that I cannot help but cringe a bit when I see it. It is a horrifically efficient spell, but also it has horrific visual elements, that it cannot help but frighten common people into fearing mages. I suspect that after watching a man or woman die of this, a person so affected with the vision might forever have nightmares of its event.”
“All in all, the college of fire is mostly a combat college. Except where noted, the fire college utilizes the destructive potential of fire and is thus a college worth watching carefully such that mages do not abuse the good will of the people. If you note, I did not mention any of the elemental control/creation spells. I did this for a reason, except for the element being summoned/created, none of the spells are significantly different from each other. I have heard rumors that there are elementals that exist which can cast spells of their elemental college as if they were experts, regardless of their actual ability to reason. If this is true, then summoning elementals can no longer be assumed to be a ‘dull’ affair, as was once stated to be.”
“Class is dismissed.”
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