1st Body Art: Unbreakable Body

Novice Level Body Manipulation Spell

Created & Written by Khali A. Crawford

Unbreakable Body is one of the foundational techniques in the First Body Arts, offering both versatility and immense defensive potential. This spell allows the mage to temporarily transform their body's exterior—and even internal organs—into a substance that mimics the properties of any solid material. While simple in concept, the skill ceiling of Unbreakable Body is high, requiring deep understanding of the materials being mimicked for optimal results. At its most basic level, this spell allows a mage to resist fatal damage in critical moments. At its peak, it can render attacks that would otherwise be lethal inconsequential. The true strength of Unbreakable Body lies in its flexibility, as it can protect various parts of the body or the entire form depending on the mage's needs.

Effect

Upon casting Unbreakable Body, the mage's physical form takes on the appearance and properties of the material they intend to mimic. This transformation can be full-body or localized to specific areas (e.g., hardening only the arms or torso). The chosen material enhances the defensive capabilities of the mage for the duration of the spell, making them highly resistant to physical attacks, magical strikes, and environmental hazards. Unbreakable Body can be cast directly using magical energy, through inscriptions of magical symbols in Ink Azure applied to the skin, or invoked from a Grimoire.

• Material Mimicry: The effectiveness of this spell is directly linked to the mage's intimate knowledge of the material they are emulating. The more the mage understands the structure, properties, and resilience of the substance, the more accurately it can replicate its defensive traits. Two mages may cast the same spell mimicking the same material (e.g., iron), but the mage with a deeper knowledge of the material will have a superior defense, with fewer weaknesses.
• Knowledge Gaps: Due to the difficulty of perfectly replicating a material's structure, most castings of Unbreakable Body will have inherent "gaps" in the defense. These gaps represent the mage's lack of understanding or knowledge about the material and appear as weak points in the armor. More skilled mages have smaller gaps, but even the most seasoned practitioners rarely achieve perfect mimicry. Mages can channel additional magical energy to "fill" these gaps, compensating for their lack of knowledge, but this brute force method is inefficient and the first aspect to fail under sustained damage.
• Exploitable Flaws: An adept opponent, particularly those who can perceive magical flows or energy patterns, can identify these gaps. By precisely targeting them, they can dismantle the Unbreakable Body spell, breaking through the mage's defenses with minimal effort. In combat, this appears as if an impenetrable defense is shattered by a series of precise, well-timed strikes.

Side/Secondary Effects

• For the duration of the spell, the mage’s mobility is significantly reduced, or entirely frozen if the whole body is covered. This makes them an easy target for area-of-effect spells or attacks that bypass direct defenses. Movement becomes impossible unless the material being mimicked is flexible by nature (e.g., rubber), but even in those cases, the effectiveness of the defense is lower.
• While the spell does not initially require vast amounts of energy to cast, the longer it is maintained, the more it drains magical reserves. This drain increases non-linearly, meaning that the spell becomes exponentially more difficult to hold over time.

Manifestation

When Unbreakable Body is cast, the mage’s body visually transforms to reflect the chosen material. For example, mimicking iron would cause the skin to take on a metallic sheen, while copying diamond might cause the body to appear crystalline and transparent. The mage remains frozen in whatever position they were in when the spell was cast, locked into that stance until the spell is released or dispelled.

As Above So Below As Within So Without Logo by Khali A. Crawford

Grandmaster SixPathsSage

Khali Crawford

   

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Material Components

While the mage does not need to have a sample of the material on hand to cast Unbreakable Body, some mages prefer to carry physical pieces of the material they wish to mimic. These “focus” objects—often small tablets or shards—help the mage attune to the material’s energy and improve the accuracy of the mimicry. By holding or interacting with the material prior to casting, mages can better channel its essence and minimize the gaps in their defense.

Related Discipline

The 1st Body Art

Related School

Abjuration

Applied Restriction

The mage can mimic any solid material they are familiar with, including metals, minerals, or even otherworldly substances. However, achieving perfect mimicry requires in-depth knowledge of the material's composition. This limitation often leads mages to favor simpler, more familiar materials like iron or stone over rarer or more exotic substances. Advanced mages may attempt to combine multiple materials in a single casting, creating new alloys to enhance both strength and flexibility. While theoretically possible, this process requires a deep understanding of both materials and their interactions, making it a far more mentally and magically taxing endeavor.