[Spellcasting] Looking for the Right Ingredients

[Sketchpad]

Hiya gang,
I'm working on a spell system that requires magical elements (-1/4). Basicall MEs are akin to WF & TF but are required to cast certain spells. For example, to cast a fireball, someone needs the proper skill and ME: Fire :) Now I'm looking for 15 elements (linked to 15 months) ... any ideas on what elements I should have?

[Uberhund]

Sounds easy. Basic four, of course; Fire, Earth, Water, Air. Add in Light and Darkness. Spirit. Plant (or Wood) and Metal (or Steel). Hmmm, only nine, this is not as easy as I had first believed. Electricity and Acid (or would those be components of Air and Water?). Dang, I wish I still had my Rolemaster Elemental Companion (actually, I do, but it's in storage and not available, so same difference). Since we have Plant, how about Body? Call it Animal, Corporeal, something like that. Oh, wait, the list from Ars Magica (only 10 but it's closer,neh? also has this nifty latin feel to it) {heh, heh, and yes, at one time I had this memorized, now I cheat and look it up} Animal (critters), Aquam (water), Aurum (air), Corporem (human body, or humanoids), Herbam plant), Ignem (fire), Imagonem (perception), Mentem (mind), Terram (earth), and Vim (magic itself). I never actually found anything I could not do with this list, with the addition of Spiritus (to deal with the dead, undead, and souls) or with a combination of Elements from this list. I guess I didn't get all 15, but hopefuly this is a decent starting point.

[Lord Liaden]

Well, you of course have the traditional four elements of Western alchemy, Fire, Water, Earth and Air. To those you could add the Oriental alchemical elements, Metal and Wood.

Blood is a common "element" of necromantic magic. You might make a distinction between Water and Ice (for cold-related spells). Since Fire is essentially energy rather than matter, you could consider energetic states or their absences to be elements, which could open up Light, Darkness or Sound.

That's off the top of my head. I'll see what else I can think of. (You just had to have a fifteen-month calendar, huh?) :rolleyes:

[UltraRob]

I made a duelling game CCG not long ago that had 13 elements...Still shy two, but it might help...Here's the basic progression chart....

[Killer Shrike]

<ol>
<li>Fiero (Fire/Heat/Sun)
<li>Minerio (Earth/Minerals/Inanimate Objects/Inorganic things)
<li>Fluio (Water/ Liquids)
<li>Aerio (Gasses/Air)
<li>Mutio (Alchemy/Chemistry (also covers Acid, and changing things))
<li>Vibrio (Sonic/Vibration/Seismic)
<li>Meterio (Weather/Environment (also covers Electricity))
<li>Luxio (Senses/Light (also covers Images and Invisibility to Sight))
<li>Apoluxio (Sensory Occlusion/Darkness (also covers Flashes))
<li>Psio (Mental)
<li>Anio (Soul/Body/Living organic things)
<li>Dimio (Dimensional/Dynamic energies)
<li>Stasio (Static energies (covers most entangles, force walls and anti-magic))
<li>Perdio (Destructive/Negative energies)
<li>Primio (Creative/Positive energies)
</ol>

[Killer Shrike]

And by the way, you might want to check out Ars Magica :D