The Lands of Hyperborea - a Dungeon Siege Siegelet by Author/Composer Jim Farris

Spellcasting in Hyperborea is unlike that in any other land - your first real clue that you are in another world, similar to the Lands of Ehb, yet different.

There are still only two categories of skill at spellcraft - 'Nature' magic, and 'Combat' magic. Visitors to Hyperborea will find this unchanged, and (for the most part) any spells they carry with them will still function in Hyperborea (though a few may have different or unexpected effects). However, once the new arrival in Hyperborea begins exploring the magic shops and learning the art of spellcraft in these lands, they will immediately discover several important differences.

First, there are six general categories of spells: Necromancy, Battle Magic, Sorcery, Elementalism, Druidism, and Priestly Magic. Each is explained, below:

Category	Magic Skill	Cost	Level Minimums?	Explanation	Races Known to Master this Category:
Necromancy	Combat	Mana+Life	No	The study of spells relating to the dead, and the energy known as UnLife, which drives the undead similarly to how the energy of Life drives the living. The most powerful spells of the Necromancer can be attempted by even the most inexperienced hedge-wizard, should they somehow muster the willpower and mental reserves necessary to try - but UnLife energy is something one trifles with at the peril of one's life. An inexperienced caster who attempts one of the greater spells of necromancy may find the UnLife energies too great for them to control, and die. Moreover, even should they manage to survive casting a spell far beyond their training, the effect of the spell will be less than that obtained by a master.	Dark Elves, Hyperboreans
Battle-Magic	Combat	Mana+Life	No.	The study of spells relating directly to battle and war. The study of Battle-Magic winnows the learnings of all the other disciplines, gleaning only that knowledge which is useful in War and discarding the rest as mere chaff. The spells of the Battle-Mage are the most deadly of all in war - but, such immense power comes at a price. The most powerful spells of the Battle-Mage can be attempted by even the most inexperienced hedge-wizard, should they somehow muster the willpower and mental reserves necessary to try - but it is likely they will die in the attempt, as the strain on their body from attempting to control the magical energies often kills them. Moreover, even should they manage to survive casting a spell far beyond their training, the effect of the spell will be less than that obtained by a master.	Humans, Hyperboreans
Sorcery	Combat	Mana	Yes.	The study of Sorcery and Witchcraft. Though not physically draining as Necromancy and Battle-Magic are, they are still mentally draining, and spells of Sorcery cannot be attempted until the caster has attained a great enough degree of sophistication in their understanding of Combat Magic. Though primarily concerned with the summoning and control of various beasts to fight for the caster, this school of knowledge also includes some directly damaging spells and other useful enchantments.	Humans, Dwarves
Elementalism	Nature	Mana+Life	No.	The Study of Spells relating to the four Elements - Earth, Air (primarily in the form of Lightning), Fire and Water (primarily in the form of Ice). The spells of the Elementalist channel the raw energies which form the very basis of the universe through the caster's body - and are both mentally and physically draining. A skilled Elementalist can easily cast devastating blasts of lightning, fire or ice to slay their enemies, but an inexperienced novice is likely to die from the immense strain of channeling the powers of the universe through their body, should they attempt the same spells. Moreover, even should they manage to survive casting a spell far beyond their training, the effect of the spell will be less than that obtained by a master.	Light Elves, Humans
Druidism	Nature	Mana	Yes.	The study of spells relating to Nature and Life, and life-energy itself. The opposite of Necromancy, Druidism also encompasses spells of summoning natural beasts and totem-animal spirits, as well as healing. Casting spells of a Druidic nature has no physical strain, save for a few mental chants which are somewhat exhausting. Yet, to be able to master the deeper and deeper secrets of nature requires an ever-increasing understanding of Nature Magic. Though Druidism encompasses healing and summoning magic, the true strength of this school of magic is in the various augmentation spells it has created.	Light Elves, Humans
Priestly Magic	Nature	Mana+Life	No.	Priestly magic is not true spellcasting, but the invoking the power of the gods through prayer. Channelling the powers of the gods can be costly, however. Though a High Priest might successfully invoke the wrath of their god upon an enemy, a lowly acolyte who attempts the same prayer is quite likely to die from the immense strain of the divine energies channeling through their frail mortal coil. Moreover, even should they manage to survive casting a spell far beyond their training, the effect of the spell will be less than that obtained by a master.	Humans, Dwarves

The second important difference that the visitor to Hyperborea will notice is that unlike in Ehb or in other lands, spellcasting disciplines are not simple knowledge one picks up from any potion-vendor or gathers from the corpses of otherwise ignorant beasts one has slain in battle. Spells are rare, difficult to find, and greatly prized. Blasting one's enemy with magical energies which burns and rends their flesh rarely spares the delicate pages of their spellbook, and those who rely on looting magic lore from the corpses of the dead are sure to be disappointed. But, teachers and libraries of the various disciplines do exist. The Dark Elves have been known to sell their knowledge of necromancy on occasion, though a visitor to their lands may have to slit the throats of a few guards before they find a vendor who is more ameinable to trade. Druidic knowledge is sold in the lands of the Light Elves, though the teachers may require more than just simple coin in exchange for what they know. Other disciplines may be also learned from the other races who have mastered them, or the rare individual from another race who has studied the art.

The basic premise is of the Magic System in the Lands of Hyperborea is that a character with level 0 in a magic skill literally has NO skill in casting spells of that category, and the mana cost for them is ludicrously high to reflect their lack of training. Only a handful of "entry-level" spells are castable at level zero - so, a warrior who has spent twenty levels beating on his enemies with a club will have NO ability to cast most spells, simply because he has no training (conversely, a mage who has spent twenty levels zapping things with spells won't be able to use most melee weapons, and won't be able to hit mobs his level). The warrior has to at least learn the basics (I.E. hit level 1) by practicing with the "entry-level" spells. Once he has, he can then begin using more complicated spells... If he has the mana. He can also continue casting the "entry-level" spells, as there is no upper limit to their performance - the better he gets at spellcasting, the harder the spell hits. More sophisticated spells may be more mana efficient or hit harder, but he'll have to build his mana reserves before he can cast them.

Here we see the spell "Flame Aura", as viewed in the inventory of a character with level 0 in Nature Magic. Notice that the cost is ludicrously high - this character has no experience in casting magic of this kind at all, and simply could never manage it. Next level, the cost will be less, though still far too high for them to try it.

Here is the same spell, once the character reaches level eight in Nature Magic. Note that this is the "utility level" of the spell, the point where it becomes affordable for the typical spellcaster. Because this character was a "pure spellcaster" and was developing a large mana pool, they were actually able to cast this spell back at level three - but they could only cast it once, it cost all their mana (representing the character's mental endurance and willpower), and the tremendous physical strain of casting the spell drained half their health. A character less focused towards spellcasting would not develop as large a mana-pool, and would not be able to cast this spell until closer to level eight.

Now, the character is at level 37 in Nature Magic. Notice that the price is going back up again - but only because the base cost for this spell (like most spells in Hyperborea) is calculated from ten percent of the caster's total mana. At this level, however, the spell is easily castable several times, and the physical drain is minor.

Now, the character is at level 49 in Nature Magic. The cost is beginning to flatten out at ten percent of their mana - the spell is easily castable several times, and the physical drain is slight.

And here is what our hero sees once he hits level 150 in Nature Magic. The cost has long since flattened out to ten percent of the character's mana, and the physical drain of the spell is negligible. It should be noted here that a player who cheats and makes a +drdeath character to have a huge mana-pool will discover that this does not make the spell any more affordable - it will still cost them ten percent of their mana and five percent of their health to cast this spell, and it won't do any more damage for them that it does for a legit character.

In Hyperborea, all spells which do not have a minimum level have a Health Cost. Typically, Health Cost is half of mana cost, with mana cost starting out high, and decreasing as you approach and pass the "utility level" of the spell. In this case, the "utility level" of the spell is level 8, where a typical "pure" spellcaster could cast the spell several times.

As a general rule, most spells follow this format. There are a few exceptions, such as "entry-level" spells, which start off cheap and get more expensive as you go along, and certain "top-end" spells, which only become affordable to characters who are level 80 or higher in a particular magic skill.