Jump to content

What happned to the magic words in spell casting?


ctn2003

Recommended Posts

Theirs a few things that seem straight up missing in this beta that shoudent. Including low intelligence dialog. ;(

 

It was said before that low INT dialogues (as in Fallout) would be too hard to implement as the dialogues are pretty complex on their own.

  • Like 2

It would be of small avail to talk of magic in the air...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Feels cliche.

Mm. My wizzards always run around speaking to themselves when preparing spells. As a mental excercise. But don't need to vocalize the spell when it's cast. "Silence" is quickly transformed into "magical dampening", and subvocal casting is upgraded to potentially instantaneous casting without interrupts, etc.

 

Always seemed dumb to me that mages wouldn't be able to cast without spelling out the words. Like they have to trace the letters with their finger when they read scrolls or something.. Even priests are actually able to pray without screaming. I'm sure they would dislike it, but if they are hefty enough as conduits from the gods to rain down fire from the sky on command, then they wouldn't need to say the words out loud.

 

So not sure how speaking magic ended up as a thing. But it sort of seems like it's been invented to fit the d&d ruleset, doesn't it...?

  • Like 1

The injustice must end! Sign the petition and Free the Krug!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Magic words are just words... often spoken in a different language (or a dead one) for dramatic effect.

 

Skyrim: Fus Ro Da = Force Balance Push in the fictional Dragon Tongue.

 

Excalibur (1981): Anáil nathrach orth bhais betha, do cheol déanta. = Gaelic (possibly Cymric), meaning, "Serpent's breath, charm of death and life, thy omen of making."

 

LotR: Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum ishi krimpatul. = Fictional Black Speech and if you don't know what it means then you've been living under a rock.

 

Potter: Expelliarmus = A modernized version of the Latin "expuli armi", meaning to expel arms.

 

 

Though my sister, an Evangelical, swears up and down that Harry Potter is real magic trying to lead children to demons. To which I reply.

 

Better to Remain Silent and Be Thought a Fool than to Speak and Remove All Doubt

 

That said, just relax... I'm sure they'll get around to it. :D

  • Like 1

Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt. - Julius Caesar

 

:facepalm: #define TRUE (!FALSE)

I ran across an article where the above statement was found in a release tarball. LOL! Who does something like this? Predictably, this oddity was found when the article's author tried to build said tarball and the compiler promptly went into cardiac arrest. If you're not a developer, imagine telling someone the literal meaning of up is "not down". Such nonsense makes computers, and developers... angry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Useless trivia: In Icewind Dale 1 and BG2, the incantation for Cure Light Wounds (and a few other spells) was not nonsensical forgotten realms-speak, or anything invented by the devs, but rather, real world Latin.

Actually all of the BG incantations were real Latin. I know this because I took several semesters of useless trivia classes (I.e. Latin) in college

Edited by mwinding
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If they use a real language for incantations they should use something like gaèlic or some old scandinavian language.

Im not that deep into the lore but from what I read and how monster names and class names are spelled it woudl fit more than latin.

Best option of course would be using their self made language.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did anyone play the old Realms of Arkania games? BG incantations were great, but my favorite are still the (also Latin, but more epic) incantations from Realms of Arkania. "FULMEN!" (throws lightning bolt) or "PLUMBUMBARUM!" (turns enemy's arms to lead). Incredibly menacing VO for an incredibly old game.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

..seems like an as good opportunity as any to post this amazing footage :p :

http://folk.uio.no/arnet/

 

Basic rundown of Atlakvida is that Atla the Hun (Attilla?) captures Gunnarr and his younger brother Hogne to get their gold treasure. Gunnarr walks right into the trap even though he expects treachery, because he's obviously not going to be intimidated by mere threat of grisly death or supreme military might. His younger brother kills only eight of Atla's guards before being captured. Atla suggests that Gunnarr can ransom his life for the treasure he has, but demands that the heart of his brother should lay in his hands before he speaks. They then try to trick him by giving him a different heart, but Gunnarr is not impressed. Hogne's heart is then presented to Gunnarr, which he recognises from how little it shivers (in his hand, and it shivered even less when it was in Hogne's chest, etc.). And now safe in the knowledge that no one but he knows the location of the treasure, Gunnarr mocks Atla for being such an impatient fool.

 

Second link ("Norrønt") is a variant of norse spoken around 11-1200, as close to the pronunciation as can be guessed by experts. The first one is "ancient norse", as it likely was spoken around the area at some point between year 200-600 or so.

 

(By the way, the guy is a professor in Nordic Linguistics at the University of Oslo. ..I don't think he does lectures that often in that outfit any more.)

  • Like 2

The injustice must end! Sign the petition and Free the Krug!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...