Magic¶

Phoenix Sagas has two distinct magical traditions. Most callings study named workings arranged in circles. A Savant instead composes a working from spoken forms and elemental words.

Circle magic¶

Warriors, Rogues, Monks, Rangers, Bards, Paladins, Wizards, Clerics, Empaths, and Sorcerers can train one or more circles. Their basic commands are:

SPELLS                    list your circles and known workings
PREPARE 2148              prepare a working briefly
CAST                      release it at the default target
CAST KOBOLD               release it at a named target
INCANT 2148 KOBOLD        prepare and release in one command
RELEASE                   let a prepared working go
STOP 6106                 stop a held spellsong

SPELLS is authoritative. It shows each working's catalogue code, name, required circle ranks, mana cost, reach, and short description.

Catalogue codes are addresses, not power levels¶

A four-digit spell code is only a lookup address. Its first two digits identify the catalogue block; the last two are deliberately shuffled within that block. They do not reveal rank requirement, level, or mana.

For example, 2148 Spiritshawl is an early Lesser Breath ward, while 3310 Needle Spark is the opening bolt in the Wizard's Wheel. The numbers let players type and bind spells without turning every code into a copied progression formula.

Rank requirement and mana price are separate values:

Circle ranks determine which workings you have learned and improve several effects.
Mana cost depends on a working's depth and job. Broad area magic, clouds, and resurrection cost more; quiet utility and personal wards cost less.
Character level still gates progression and contributes to magical force, but a code's suffix carries none of that information.

Old pre-launch numbers may remain accepted as compatibility input for saved items and macros. Only the codes printed by SPELLS and this wiki are public catalogue numbers.

The circles¶

Circle	Catalogue	Who may train it
Lesser Breath	2100	Cleric, Empath, Ranger, Paladin, Monk, Sorcerer, Warrior, Rogue
Greater Breath	2200	Cleric, Empath
Cleric's Wheel	2300	Cleric
Paladin's Wheel	2400	Paladin
Empath's Wheel	2500	Empath
Lesser Vein	3100	Wizard, Sorcerer, Bard, Warrior, Rogue
Greater Vein	3200	Wizard
Wizard's Wheel	3300	Wizard
Sorcerer's Wheel	3400	Sorcerer
Ranger's Wheel	4100	Ranger
Lesser Coal	5100	Monk
Bard's Wheel	6100	Bard
Deep Wheel	7100	found magic; no calling trains it normally

A calling's circle access is part of its identity, not a public “martial/hybrid/caster” ladder. Training costs and starting aptitudes are defined per calling.

How hostile workings land¶

Circle attacks use one of three questions:

Working	Contest	What resists it
Bolt	Targeting against evasion, shaped by the spell's armor matchup and Fortune	movement, Evasion, wards, armor, and the bolt chosen
Warding	Focus against Resolve, shaped by armor and Fortune	magical study, the relevant aptitudes, wards, and armor
Maneuver	spell force against physical readiness and Fortune	Grace, posture, physical disciplines, and familiarity with the art

The final outcome score determines whether the working lands and how strongly. Attack spells can also suffer a rare Fortune fumble: mana and committed recovery are spent, but the working fails before a contest.

Bolt accuracy grows from level plus the better of circle study or Spell Targeting. That study follows a diminishing ladder: training beyond your level remains useful, but does not turn equal-level opponents into automatic hits. Circle study and Spell Targeting are alternate routes for this purpose; buying both does not stack them.

On a successful direct-damage working, two things determine harm: the margin of the contest and the working's learned depth. Shallow workings stay mana-efficient, while deeper workings spend more mana to end a fight in fewer recoveries. This is a choice of tempo, not a hidden property of the catalogue code.

Armor is not a single universal magic defense. Some bolts find gaps in plate while others splash harmlessly across it; wardings and maneuvers test different protections. SPELLS identifies a working's family, and experimentation reveals which tool fits a target.

Area workings catch a limited number of hostiles. Your best Attunement increases how many threads you can hold, so that training matters beyond increasing a mana pool.

Wards, reach, and duration¶

Many shared-circle wards can be placed on a companion:

INCANT 2148              ward yourself
INCANT 2148 BRUISER      ward Bruiser

Self-cast wards benefit most from deep circle study and can sometimes accumulate duration. A ward placed on another person uses its dependable base strength and refreshes rather than stacking indefinitely. Group workings cover grouped companions who are present when the cast completes.

Positive spell bonuses to Attack, Guard, Focus, and Resolve converge when several are active: the strongest contributes fully, the second contributes half, and each later working contributes one quarter. Penalties and non-spell effects remain fully additive. Collecting wards therefore broadens protection without replacing equipment and training.

Bard songs are different: a Bard holds them and pays renewal mana. Their effects are renewed for the group while the song continues, and end when stopped, interrupted, or starved of mana.

Empath repair workings are self-directed. To heal somebody else, an Empath uses BEAR, removing the patient's injury and carrying its pain as burden before mending their own body. See Health, Wounds, and Care.

Mana and committed recovery¶

Casting commits the character for a short recovery period, increased by encumbrance. Mana is spent whether a hostile working lands or misses. Mana is built through actual investment: Channeling, Attunement, circle ranks or Wordcraft, and the calling's casting aptitude. A calling receives no large reservoir merely for its name, so a Rogue who pays to study magic gains real mana while a Wizard who neglects magic does not.

Mana returns on its own pulse. Recovery nodes, Greater nodes, Attunement, and certain workings improve that flow. STAT, MANA, and RECOVERY show the live state; SPELLS shows the actual price before you cast.

Room restrictions¶

In a no-magic room, circle spells, Savant wordcraft, and item-carried circle workings cannot be released. Move out of the room before trying to cast or activate them.

Savant wordcraft¶

A Savant does not learn numbered circle spells. Wordcraft combines a form with one or two elements:

INCANT BOLTAR IGNIS KOBOLD
INCANT VORTHA AERIS
INCANT SELOS PETRIS
INCANT BOLTAR IGNIS AERIS KOBOLD

The first unrecognized word begins the target name. AT and ON may be used as readable links. Omitting a form defaults to BOLTAR, and two elements must come from different domains.

Forms¶

Word	Shape	Use
`BOLTAR`	Bolt	one seeking strike at a target
`VORTHA`	Vortex	a room-wide hostile effect
`SELOS` (`SELF`)	Self	a ward or inward working

Elements¶

Domain	Lesser	Greater	Master
Fire	`IGNIS`	`IGNARA`	`IGNAGA`
Air	`AERIS`	`AERARA`	`AERAGA`
Earth	`PETRIS`	`PETRARA`	`PETRAGA`
Water	`AQUIS`	`AQUARA`	`AQUAGA`

Lore determines which tier can be spoken safely. A Savant may reach above that limit, but doing so makes the working unstable and risks backlash.

Single elements carry their own tendencies: fire burns, air shocks, earth staggers, and water freezes. Two different elements create a named interaction:

Pair	Interaction	Character
Fire + Air	firestorm	broad burning force
Fire + Earth	magma	heavy burning impact
Fire + Water	steam	obscuring scald
Air + Earth	sandstorm	abrasion and lost sight
Water + Air	ice	piercing cold and restraint
Water + Earth	mud	weight and stagger

Wordcraft mana is composed from the selected form, each element's tier, and a surcharge for joining two elements. Vortexes and master words are expensive; a lesser single-target word is cheap. The WORDS command lists what the Savant has discovered and the live parser reports the price.

Discovery¶

Word knowledge belongs to the character. New words can be learned through play, including controlled attempts above the Savant's safe tier. Successful discovery is recorded permanently; failed overreach can consume mana, cause recovery, or turn the working back on its speaker.

Items and found magic¶

Wands, scrolls, potions, and symbols can carry circle workings. Activating one tests the appropriate item discipline and the item's own authority rather than silently granting circle training. The Deep Wheel exists primarily through such discoveries.

Found magic is intentionally not a second profession tree. It is treasure: finite, tradeable, sometimes dangerous, and identified through play.