Wands, Staves, and similar objects
Unlike the peoples of Valyria, most those of Kathrir are unable to cast spells on their own. This can make surviving in the hostile world just a little bit more difficult when half of the common monster species can create fireballs or freeze things on a whim.
Luckily, a few inventors banded together an unknown amount of time ago, put the scientific method to the test, and managed to make something that would let you (yes, you!) also do those things!
Utilizing the ambient magic in the air, wands and staves can channel mana and cast spells- usually done by tracing a sigil either onto an object or into the air. These usually manifest as big glowing marks before they are activated, so you can easily see which sigil you’re drawing. It can get in the way depending on how precise you’re trying to be, but it’s probably for the best. You wouldn’t want to draw the fireball symbol when you’re trying to freeze something, would you?
Anyways, onto the things themselves.
A wand in it’s most basic form is simply a magic-charged crystal (very common in high-magic areas) with a few metal wires woven around it. The crystal acts as a battery and a focus point, while the wires help channel the magic of the crystal into the desired form.
Though just those two parts work surprisingly well on their own, it has the very slight problem of severely burning the hand of whoever tries to use it. To avoid that, most wands are encased in a handle of heat-treated wood or some other heat-resistant material. These are usually resistant to magic as well, as some of the more powerful wands don’t just heat up- they charge everything around them with magic. Magical burns are a lot more dangerous than the heat-caused variety, so avoiding injury is a must.
Staves are very similar to wands- crystal, wires, handle… all of it is basically the same except a lot longer. They are a bit harder to make as they either require a ton of little crystals or one huge one.
However, they are widely regarded as being stronger than wands. Usually, the more crystal=stronger magic. Due to this, staves are usually saved for more experienced spellcasters.
Despite wands and staves being the more traditional (and often more powerful) options, there are a few subtypes that still follow this formula- with magical swords with the wires woven into the blade, canes with crystals on their tips, and even pens with tiny shards of crystal incorporated into their designs. These subtypes usually don't have as much crystal as wands or staves, hence them being weaker.
This is the most prominent form of magic in Kathrir- it’s usually referred to as sigil magic though is sometimes known by other names such as wand casting.
It can be tricky- a lot of dexterity is needed to draw the necessary symbols for the sigil. A few minor slip-ups could change the effect of a sigil entirely, so precision is a must.
Some more powerful wands can pull magic from the Manaspace- a mirror dimension that is apparently made of flowing mana. Almost everything has a counterpart in the manaspace- people, places, even the gods. It’s so similar in fact that it’s thought to be less of a mirror and more of a layer of the world.
Not much is known about it- but somehow wands are able to reach into it’s layers and cast spells without the limit of how much ambient magic is in the area.
As for the more dangerous ones… We aren't legally allowed to show you those here.
You can also learn from classes or mentors, but people willing to teach the more risky spells are hard to come by.
Luckily, a few inventors banded together an unknown amount of time ago, put the scientific method to the test, and managed to make something that would let you (yes, you!) also do those things!
Utilizing the ambient magic in the air, wands and staves can channel mana and cast spells- usually done by tracing a sigil either onto an object or into the air. These usually manifest as big glowing marks before they are activated, so you can easily see which sigil you’re drawing. It can get in the way depending on how precise you’re trying to be, but it’s probably for the best. You wouldn’t want to draw the fireball symbol when you’re trying to freeze something, would you?
Anyways, onto the things themselves.
ANATOMY OF A WAND AND IT’S VARIATIONS
by Autumn/ Inkfisp
Though just those two parts work surprisingly well on their own, it has the very slight problem of severely burning the hand of whoever tries to use it. To avoid that, most wands are encased in a handle of heat-treated wood or some other heat-resistant material. These are usually resistant to magic as well, as some of the more powerful wands don’t just heat up- they charge everything around them with magic. Magical burns are a lot more dangerous than the heat-caused variety, so avoiding injury is a must.
Staves are very similar to wands- crystal, wires, handle… all of it is basically the same except a lot longer. They are a bit harder to make as they either require a ton of little crystals or one huge one.
However, they are widely regarded as being stronger than wands. Usually, the more crystal=stronger magic. Due to this, staves are usually saved for more experienced spellcasters.
Despite wands and staves being the more traditional (and often more powerful) options, there are a few subtypes that still follow this formula- with magical swords with the wires woven into the blade, canes with crystals on their tips, and even pens with tiny shards of crystal incorporated into their designs. These subtypes usually don't have as much crystal as wands or staves, hence them being weaker.
HOW THEY WORK
Whatever form they take, these devices all work the same- The wires channel the ambient magic from the air into the crystal, which then activates and lets the weilder draw sigils and cast spells. The strength of the spell corresponds to the ambient magic- a high magic area will have stronger spells than one with less magic.This is the most prominent form of magic in Kathrir- it’s usually referred to as sigil magic though is sometimes known by other names such as wand casting.
It can be tricky- a lot of dexterity is needed to draw the necessary symbols for the sigil. A few minor slip-ups could change the effect of a sigil entirely, so precision is a must.
Some more powerful wands can pull magic from the Manaspace- a mirror dimension that is apparently made of flowing mana. Almost everything has a counterpart in the manaspace- people, places, even the gods. It’s so similar in fact that it’s thought to be less of a mirror and more of a layer of the world.
Not much is known about it- but somehow wands are able to reach into it’s layers and cast spells without the limit of how much ambient magic is in the area.
LEARNING THE CRAFT
As long as you know what you’re doing, casting spells with a wand or staff isn’t very difficult. It’s recommended that you learn only a few spells at a time, maybe even one by one to make sure you don’t mess anything up. A chart of some of the simpler (as well as less dangerous) spells is below. by Autumn/inkfisp
You can also learn from classes or mentors, but people willing to teach the more risky spells are hard to come by.
Materials
- Charged crystals (commonly found by distilled mana or where large spells have been cast before)
- Some kind of conductive metal (Copper, silver, gold, etc)
- Non-reactive handle material (Treated wood, some types of stone)
Access & Availability
Relatively common, especially among adventurers.
Complexity
Moderate. Wiring is diffiuclt to do correctly.
Discovery
Half accident and half moderated test.
Trivia
- Distilled mana can imbue spells with new effects when applied to the wand's crystal. This isn't adivised as distilled mana is incredibly dangerous, but it's interesting nonetheless.
- Technically, you can make a wand with some random rock instead of a charged crystal. It will just be a lot weaker than it would be otherwise.
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Very interesting article love that there's dangerous to using these wands and just heating up or magical damage did an amazing description of why and how they work.