The Elements

The concept to most of the elements of GUA is pretty simple when looked over. But for a few people, there are grey areas that need to be covered for each element. The following paints a picture of the concept of each element, how it works, and also a few spells to go along with each one, starter elements to be precise, anybody has access to them. Remember that the concepts are not your whole guideline, you may be able to discover new ways to use your element. And also, there are more methods that can be taught; the masters are always there to help you with anything in your element so go to them if you need any help.

The Four Core Elements

Earth

A Brief Description

The Earth element can be a nature element for some, controlling vines and plants and the natural wildlife that has developed around them. This however is not its proper use, and to come to that a character has to be delicately created using the proper sub element. Earth’s element relies on the movement of actual ‘earth’. This revolves around making rock out of things, causing rock to move under the earth itself, and quite a few uses that I wont describe and will leave for your own imagination to discover.

What Characters fit it best?

Dwarves are probably the race that uses this element the most. Spellcasters among dwarves can also be used, as miners so are particularly valuable among the community there. Druids tend to favor this element the most as well, being to control mother earth being one of their great powers.

How spells work

1 – The first method is the movement of rock. This can be used to create spells that cause stone spikes to come shooting out of the ground, or to bring up a stone wall right from the bottom of the earth.
2 – Changing the texture is another concept. One of many favorites is turning a large rock that an opponent is standing on instantly into mud, trapping them in it.

Sample Spells

Stone Spiker
Level Requirement: Lv.1
Description: This spell creates a large stone spike to suddenly shoot from the ground at the target. Damage is proportional to the MA put into the spell.
Damage: 10 x MA

Stone Shield
Level Requirement: Lv.1
Description: By putting the casters hand to the ground, the caster can summon a large stone shield around his/her arm, about the size of a tower shield. The shield can absorb up to 20 x your level in damage.

Fire

A Brief Description

Fire deals with not only manipulation of actual fire, but dealing with also temperature above room temperature. Fire is a very offensive element and is very hard to use for defensive purposes unless you want to use offensive spells to defend something with.

What Characters fit it best?

Pyros would be the first to come to mind, people that are absolutely fascinated with fire. Fire is unpredictable and goes with elementalists who have chaotic alignments.

How Spells Work

1 – Summoning fire would be the first, this involves summoning walls of fire or weapons made straight out of fire. Summoning fire usually takes a lot more mana. You can avoid spending this amount of mana by finding a source for the fire, like a lit torch, then you have to only spend a small amount of mana.
2 – This method deals with heating up materials, for example grabbing a sword and melting the metal right away.

Sample Spells

Flare Arrow
Level Requirement: Lv.1
Description: This creates a variable number of arrows made of fire, shooting out of the casters hand. The caster can create up to one arrow of fire per 5 levels of fire elemental levels the caster has.
Damage (per arrow): 50

Fire Shield
Level Requirement: Lv.1
Description: This spell creates a small wall of fire that surrounds the caster in a ring pattern. The fire shield follows the caster as he moves. The fire stops all water and ice based attacks of equivalent or lower level than the caster’s level, and anything that attacks the caster in melee takes fire damage each time he/she hits the character.
Damage: 10 * Level

Water

This was written according to the rules used previously, excluding ice. If ice is dropped from the elemental list then I will re-write this.

A Brief Description

An element that is very close to ice, water can be a very versatile element on its own. Like most other elements, it deals with manipulation and summoning. However, it does not always deal with water, some elementalists extend the range of spells they can use by being able to manipulate acid, such in the forms of acid rain spells. You can try and to manipulate a few other liquids as well, but try and be rational. A summon liquid gold spell does not really go down well as a water spell. Water is also one of the few elements that has the ability to heal, so is very valuable in groups.

What Characters fit it best?

Water goes well for gentle characters, but people that aren’t afraid to put up a good fight, representing the unpredictable seas. Characters that have lived on the sea for a while might choose this element.

How spells work

1 – Summoning water is common, but remember as described in the fire element it is easier to manipulate water when there is a source for it. For water this is very easy, as most water elementalists can form bodies of water from just the humidity in the air.
2 – Water elementalists can harness the power of water to heal people, the theory behind this that most organisms are made of mostly water, so all the caster is doing is restoring some of that essence with a spell.

Sample Spells

Healing Dew
Level Requirement: Lv.1
Description: By spraying a little water onto a wound and the water instantly soaking in, the water instantly takes action and heals the wound to the best of the spellcasters ability. The more mana put into the spell, the more hit points are healed.

Acid Ball
Level Requirement: Lv.1
Description: By drawing on the humidity in the air, the caster condenses it into a point creating a ball of acid about the size of a grapefruit. This can be launched at a target and deals damage to it over the period of three rounds unless the acid is diluted or neutralized by some means.
Damage: 25 x Level over a period of three rounds

Wind

A Brief Description

Wind is a fairly balanced element in offensive and defensive capabilities. Wind basically deals with compression, expansion, and movement of air. There are a few more complicated concepts, but that is the basics. This is one of the most favored elements because it is one of the only elements that can give the caster the ability to fly.

What Characters fit it best?

Wind can tend to be chaotic, but not as chaotic as fire. It is very similar in mood to water, so it also fits calm gentle characters as well. Winged characters can also tend to favor this element, and also some characters that sail boats, using their powers over wind to their advantage on the unpredictable seas.

How spells work

1 – Compression of air and expansion of air is common. Compression can lead to forming objects straight out of the air, and if you can get it right, trap your opponent in a large amount of pressure.
2 – Movement of air is another, this is also how casters manage to fly, and can also use thrusts of air to push your opponent over.

Sample Spells

Wind Knives
Level Requirement: Lv.1
Description: The caster concentrates on a few spots in the air and then launches several small (length of a dagger) blades of wind at the target(s). The higher level, the more blades of wind can be generated. One blade of wind per 5 levels (minimum of one).
Damage (per blade): 50

Windy Hand
Level Requirement: Lv.1
Description: The caster condenses air around the target and pushes/pulls it around. This only works against inanimate objects. More than one object can be selected at a time if the caster desires. The caster can lift up to 10 lbs + 5 per level of the caster.

The Advanced elements

Light, Dark, Ice and Void are not included because I don’t have the fugiest idea what is going on with those elements. If they are kept I will write them in later on.

Bio

I need someone to do the description for bio. I am not specifically sure how it works.

Lightning

A Brief Description

Lightning is an element that has similar concepts to fire, but is not as chaotic. Lightning at first view has the power to ‘zap’ things, but it also has power over electronics as well when it comes down to it. Basically it is power of electrons and their movement. This allows the elementalist to control and create lightning.

What Characters fit it best?

For me this is one of the hardest elements to assign to a specific character. I would say mostly it is dangerous and relentless characters that are unpredictable. This sounds to be mainly for evil alignments but it is for good as well. This is one of the popular elements for paladins as well, convinced that lightning is the weapon of the gods.

How spells work:

1 – Mainly it is the movement of electrons coming on and off matter. Doing this, the caster can create a specific path for lightning to act, down to manipulating it and juggling balls of lightning in his/her hands.
2 – Frying electronics is another. Anything that runs off electricity can be overloaded, even if it is burning the fuse. This poses a good advantage to lightning elementalists in futuristic environments.

Sample Spells:

Charge Weapon
Level Requirement: Lv.1
Description: The caster charges an object with electricity. At high levels, the object literally cracks with electricity. Once the object hits a target, it releases all its electrical energy on it immediately. If this is used on a ranged weapon, the charge is placed on the ammo.
Damage: 5 x MA used.

Electric Aura
Level Requirement: Lv. 1
Description: The caster charges the air just around his/her body with electricity. The electric aura not only damages people that attack the caster in melee but it also soaks 10% of the damage that the caster would receive normally.
Damage: 10 x level

Spirit

I ‘think’ I know what spirit is but I am not completely sure. If anybody could write it down for me that would be great, if not I will write my view.

Psi

Yet again something that I cant write. Psi might be available to the members in the time that I have been away so I am still putting it here. If it is being made available, someone fetch Ayrean so we can get a description. If not, we can keep it under wraps like Alpha and Omega (and Theta?).

Spellcasting

A Few Errors

Below are mostly my personal opinions on certain types of spells and how they have been misused. Please do not try and make the same errors as this is looked down upon.

Teleportation

I have seen many players come up with poor excuses for teleportation when using their element. True teleportation involves moving a body from one location to another. This can be done in a two ways according to two elements. The first way is not true teleportation, but is something close to it, light. This makes the caster turn his body into light energy and then move. An example of this would be Goku’s method of teleportation or ‘Instant Transmition’. Lightning is the second and uses a method very similar to this.

Healing

Most elementalists use the excuse of using their own element to heal themselves. This again is a poor excuse; there are only a few elements that can manage true healing. The first of these would be light, managing a divine kind of healing, using holy power to heal others. The second would be water, using its water powers to restore normal organisms made out of water. The third would be Alpha, its method being kept under wraps for now. If you are not any of these elements then I would suggest just buying a few potions of healing instead.

Acquiring New Spells/Abilities

The first place you should go to for finding new spells is the masters of the four dojos. These are The Unicorn Dojo, The Mystical Dojo, The Dragon Dojo and The Phoenix Dojo (The FAQ stickied in Battle Arena has links to each of these dojos). That should give you up to four masters to learn from, maybe even eight if you have a secondary element. They will teach you their spells and techniques under methods how they wish. Most masters already have individual training threads for themselves, go to there to ask for training. A link to each of those threads should be provided in each dojo beside the name of the master in the first post. If there is no training thread, just simply ask in the dojo thread and the masters there should help you out.

The second way to find new spells is to go to a library. Mc_Young originally had one of these, I may create a replication of it some time. To get a spell from a library, look up the spell and then post asking if you can have the spell. Staff will post after you and say if you can have the spell or not. Make sure you give credit to the library that you got the spell from.

The third way to get new spells would be to create them yourself. Just use the spell template provided at the end of this guide and make a legitimate spell. Make sure that it fits for your element. If you are not too sure about a set of spells that you or another has PM a Battle Arena mod about it.

Sub Elements

Getting another element is an opportunity that many people have, but people that keep their sole element are not put to disadvantage to those that have a second element. Below describes how sub elements work.

The first thing you will want to do is choose an element from the list that is stickied in Battle Arena. Remember this element has to be available to your primary element. Once you have it chosen, all we have to do is one more thing. In your stats, you need to list the following:

Elements:
Primary Element - %
Secondary Element - %

Replace the primary and secondary elements with the elements that you have chosen for each. Beside the % you put the percentage balance that you have based of how much power you have devoted to that element. For example, an elementalist that has water/ice, can have 60% in water, and 40% in ice. Now this defines how powerful spells casted from that element are. So a level 50 character with those specs would only count as a level 20 spellcaster when casting ice spells (40% of 50 is 20). This also is applied to variables based off other stats, for example mana.

Combos

Combination spells are spells put together by the caster that uses a combination of abilities. Most of the time this involves mixing spells from the primary element and secondary element that someone knows. Combination spells are a lot harder to pull off because the caster is trying to put together more than one element/component at a time. This is usually represented by longer casting time, large consumption of mana or even consumption of health for the real powerful combos.

Combos are not always mixings of purely spells, but can also involve putting together some mundane materials with a single spell. For example, a wind elementalist can take a wind spell that generates a moderate breeze and a source of water. Putting these together can create a combination spell for forming a fog.

Racial Abilities

Some races have certain abilities that can help in battle or in quests, make sure that you write them down in your stats as they could be of some use at some point in the future. A small example of this would be just enhanced senses, for example the hearing and sight of an elf. There are also spell like abilities which can be outside of your element, just as long as your race allows it. An example of this would be a half-demon which could cast a sphere of darkness at will. Even though this is a dark type spell, it is a racial ability, so it is different.

The Mundane stuff: Techniques

People that would rather their characters to not be spellcasters would probably be interested in this category. Under this we would put things like sword training, or specialized fighting techniques. These would are not necessarily spells, but never the less they should be written down in stat pages because they do help in the field. Learning these things can just come through practicing with one self, actually getting experience in fighting, or the techniques can be taught from a master. If you go for statistical battles in BA then sword training that adds 20% to your damage can win you the fight in the end.

Though fighting techniques aren’t the only thing that you can have. Some people learn stuff that involves simple lock picking, pick pocketing, or trap disarming. These wont win you a fight, but in a quest they can help you get to the bigger share of the treasure at the bottom of the dungeon.

Templates

The following is a template for a character that you can choose to use if you wish. This is just for spells and abilities; you can add the description template in the RPing guide to it as well if you want.

Main Template

Elements:
Primary Element: (Name) / %
Secondary Element: (Name) / %

Elemental Spells:
- Primary Element
(Descriptions)

- Secondary Element
(Descriptions)

- Combos
(Descriptions)

Racial Abilities:
(Descriptions)

Training and Techniques:
(Descriptions)

Spell Template

(Spell Name)
Level Requirement:
Description:
Damage: (if any)

Combo Template

(Combo Name)
Requirements:
Description:
Damage: (if any)

Racial Abilities Template

(Ability Name)
Description:

Training Template

(Training Name)
Level Requirement:
Effect: