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5.4 Magic
Tibia, as you know, is a land of magic. There are many powerful spells to learn and master. You will soon find out that magic is one of those things you just can't do without, even if you are a knight. On a basic level, spells can provide you with food, ammunition or light, while later on you will learn how to fry your enemies with deadly bolts of magical energy. In addition to spells, those who are skilled in the arts of magic are able to wield powerful wands and rods in combat. Finally, experienced spell casters learn the arcane art of binding spells of great power into runes.For a comprehensive list of all known spells please see the magic section in the library.
5.4.1 How to Learn Spells
When starting out on your travels on the island of Dawnport, you will get your very first spells depending on the vocation you have selected. Those spells are rather weak but still helpful for a very young adventurer.
Once you have made it to the main continent, your character will be able to learn many more spells that are useful in various situations. Spells are taught by several NPCs - against a hefty fee, of course! Unfortunately, it is not possible to give an extensive list of all NPCs who can teach spells to characters, because there are too many of them. Magic shops are good places to start looking for such inhabitants, but you will not always find the spell you are looking for there, especially if you are a knight or a paladin. If you do not know where to find the local magic spell dealer for your vocation, you should ask some experienced players - preferably those who are of your own vocation.
To buy spells greet the NPC, then ask him for spells. The spell dealer will present you with a choice of the spells. Spells require a minimum experience level to be used. Enter the name of the spell you would like to buy and confirm the deal. Provided you have the required cash you will now be able to cast the spell.
A word of advice: You should scrape your hard earned gold pieces together and buy a spellbook. Spellbooks can be bought in any of the quaint magic shops within the major cities of Tibia, or you may be able to buy them from your fellow travellers. Spellbooks are helpful, especially when you are just setting out. They will record all your spells, and although later on you will become so good at casting spells that you will not need to look them up every time, starting off with a spellbook is a good idea. Additionally, druids and sorcerers can use spellbooks like a shield to protect them from attacks.
5.4.2 Casting Spells
Once you have bought some spells you are ready to start using magic! Spells are cast simply by saying the magic words and hitting the Return key. For example, if you would like to cast the light spell, you must enter the formula "utevo lux". Once you have hit the Return key, three things will happen: firstly, you will feel a funny feeling running from your toes up, and little blue stars will appear around your body. Secondly, you will be able to see a lot better. The area around you will be as bright as if it were day or as if you were carrying a torch. Finally, your mana will go down. Mana is the energy you need for casting spells. If your mana is exhausted, you will have to wait until you have enough mana to cast another spell. You can check the level of your mana by looking at the blue status bar or by looking at your character's skills menu. If you do not have enough mana, then all that will happen is that you will see a puff of smoke at your character and get a message "You do not have enough mana". Of course if you try to cast a spell which you have not yet learnt or your experience level has fallen below the minimum experience level, a puff of smoke will also appear along with the message "You must learn this spell first" or "Your level is too low".
Also, note that the speed with which spells can be cast is limited. Spells have a certain cooldown which are displayed in the cooldown bar. All spells belong to one of the 3 main spell groups: healing, attack or support. Some spells additionally belong to a secondary spell group. After a spell has been cast this spell and the spell groups it belongs to have a certain cooldown during which you cannot cast this spell or a spell of a certain spell group again. If you are trying to cast a spell while the cooldown lasts, you will receive the message "You are exhausted". Simply wait until the cooldown is over before casting the same spell or a spell from the same spell group to prevent this from happening. Note that a possible cooldown for a spell or spell group does not decrease while your character is logged off.
Later, when your spell book is bursting at the seams with spells, you might like to make it easier and quicker to cast the spells you use regularly. A good way to do this is to assign hotkeys to spells. Whenever you press a hotkey to which a spell is assigned the spell will automatically appear in the entry line of your console, and you can cast it without losing any time.
5.4.3 Magic Level
Like all other skills in Tibia, the magic level must be trained in order to improve, i.e. you must cast spells, use wands or rods or train the skill while your character is offline. Whenever you have spent enough mana this way you will receive a message, and your magic level will increase. Thus, if you want your spells to become more powerful you need to practise, practise, practise! Of course, some vocations are simply more adept at casting magic than others, and while a druid or a sorcerer will advance quickly, a paladin takes longer to advance, and the knights, whose strength is in their sword arm rather than in their affinity with magic advance at a painfully slow pace. However, all vocations need to train their magic level quickly, because it is important in 2 ways:
- Magic levels are important because they directly influence the power of spells. You will find the damage your character does with, say, a heavy magic missile increases with its magic level, so a spellcaster at level 25 will cause more damage with magic level 34 than with magic level 30, as he has more experience and can control runes more effectively.
- Furthermore, characters do not only need a minimum experience level, but also a minimum magic level in order to use runes, so this skill level is also important for paladins and knights. For example, characters can only use the powerful "Ultimate Healing" runes once they have reached magic level 4 provided they have the required experience level 24.
Druids and Sorcerers, the 2 true spell-casting vocations in Tibia, have the unique ability to wield enchanted sticks in combat. These strange devices, which are called wands by sorcerers and rods by druids, are powerful tools of magic.
In a way, they are the spell casters' equivalent to the knights' melee weapons. They are activated by attacking targets via the battle list or in the game window, they must be equipped in a hand slot to be used, and they can even be used with shields! However, unlike regular weapons, wands and rods can be used to attack at a limited distance. Also, they consume mana when being used. A small amount of magical energy is deducted from the character's mana with every shot. The mana that is used this way counts towards the magic level advancement just as if it was being used to cast a spell. If a character runs out of mana, the wand or rod will not fire until enough mana has been regenerated for a new shot.
Wands and rods come in different versions that vary in weight, mana cost, attack damage and damage type. Also, they require certain minimum experience levels to be used. Wands of Vortex and Snakebite Rods, the most basic versions, require no more than level 7, so they are excellent choices for any aspiring beginner of the arcane arts. These beginners' wands and rods are not wonderfully effective, but due to their low mana cost they can be used at a fairly constant rate. Of course, there are more powerful wands and rods, but note that their mana cost is increased accordingly.
Experienced spell casters will find that eventually rune and instant spells will outdo wands in performance, but due to their cheap mana cost and their reliability wands and rods are a favourite of most young sorcerers and druids. What's more, even the most powerful of spellcasters never leave their home without their trusted wands or rods, since you can always use them to deal handsome extra damage in addition to any damage caused by rune or instant spells.
Wands and rods are sold in every major city. All sorcerers and druids get their first wand or rod on Dawnport. Young magicians who have not received a wand or rod yet, should check their local magic shop and ask for a wand or a rod as soon as they have arrived on the main continent. Don't worry about the price. The Magic High Council has issued the order that every new magic initiate is to be awarded one magical beginner's wand or rod for free!
5.4.5 Runes
As you get more adept at using magic, you will need to learn how to deal with runes. Runes are little stones which absorb magic much like a sponge absorbs water. While the majority of spells work instantly, there is a whole class of spells which only work with these stones. The magic of the spell is stored in the runes to be released at a later date when it is needed. Blank as well as already charged runes can be purchased from specialist magic shops in the cities. Blank runes may not be cheap, but for a business-minded druid or sorcerer they provide a very good opportunity to make lots of money. Charged runes are even more expensive but you do not depend on mana or soul points to obtain them.
To cast a spell upon a blank rune, the rune needs to be in your inventory or held in your hand as you speak the magic words. You can only cast a spell at one blank rune at once, but some spells are strong enough to split the blank rune in several charged runes, creating 2,3 or even up to 10 runes from one blank rune. Once the spell is cast successfully the rune will change colour and shape. You can now use the rune like any normal, usable item by right-clicking on it, then selecting "Use with ...". Your mouse pointer will turn into crosshairs. Move it on the target in the game window and confirm by clicking on the left mouse button. Note that if you are aiming a rune at a creature, you do not have to click on the creature itself. Simply find the name of your unfortunate, soon-to-be-toasted enemy in the battle list and click on it - you will find this will make targeting runes a lot easier.
Runes can only be used once, but you can stack them up to piles of 100. If you have more than one rune in a stack, a little number in the lower right corner beside your rune displays the amount of the remaining runes provided you have it in some container such as your backpack or your depot. Note that the use of runes requires a certain magic level as well as a certain experience level. You can find out the magic level required to use a rune by looking at it, the needed experience level can be looked up in the spells section. The experience level there, however, does not only show the level needed to use a rune, but also the level needed to create a rune.
5.4.6 Using Magic in Combat
Since pure magic users such as druids or sorcerers are weak melee fighters they need to make up for this by using powerful magic against their enemies. For this reason they have a large arsenal of offensive spells and wands or rods at their disposal. However, these will not save you if you do not know how to use them effectively. The following hints should help you to make the most of your magic-using character:
- Aiming Runes
Aiming runes is easy. Simply select your target in the battle list, shoot and your rune will find its target. Please keep in mind that it is not possible to shoot an attack rune on another character in the first 10 seconds after login unless you have been assaulted and need to defend yourself. However, this rule does not apply for field runes. - Area Attacks
From simple missile or strike spells that affect individual fields to the "Great Fireball" or the mighty "Hell's Core" which can cover most of the game window, attack spells can vary greatly in the area they affect. Needless to say, massive area attacks are easy to aim, but then their area of effect is not always easy to predict. If you are unlucky, you may accidentally attack innocent bystanders - which can lead to some very nasty consequences! So, if you want to keep out of trouble, you should think twice about casting area spells when other characters are near. Also, if you are hunting with friends, you should definitely team up in a party to avoid getting a skull mark if you hit one of your companions by accident. - Immunities and Sensitivities
Spells do not affect all creatures to the same degree. While a "Fireball" spell will work just fine with tortoises, a dragon who is hit by a ball of magic flames will be rather unimpressed. Most creatures are sensitive to all damage types to a larger or smaller degree. Only a few creatures are completely immune against one or more damage types such as a water elemental which is not affected at all by fire, earth or ice damage. You should check out the creatures and spells section in order to find out which spell, wand or rod works best against which enemy. A clever choice has saved many an adventurer's life! - Spend your Mana Wisely
Wise Tibians ensure that they have enough mana or runes to heal themselves should the worst come to the worst - a bit of caution could buy you that extra minute which makes the difference between life and death. If you are in trouble, remember that spells such as "Invisibility" or "Magic Shield" are real life savers! Also, if you are going on a longer hunting expedition, you are well advised to invest in mana potions, deliciously refreshing pink potions that can be bought from your local magic shop. This will allow your character to regain mana points quickly in an emergency. Finally, always remember that spellcasters should never leave their home without their trusted wands or rods.
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