The Sword of Weathers. (OOC)

[Lucius Cypher]

Alright, back on a computer, so I'll go about altering spells and commenting on your comments. For starters, I was hoping that we wouldn't be using a "Hard Science" level magic, but I guess that's inevitable given the themes. I'm quite aware of conservation of mass and was hoping that magic would help alleviate most of the glaring problems, but if that's not the case than I'll simply replace Transmutation all together. It's not worth the effort of learning with such debilitating draw backs. Because Transmutation is suppose to make Yama better in melee, but due to where the energy is coming from, she's essentially damaging herself for the purpose of a gimmick (Growing bigger, changing forms, etc), which is just impractical. I'm hoping we could leave out some of the more, I suppose you could say "Realistic" flaws of Transmutation Magic, but if you're set on it than I'll use a different school.

One of @Lucius Cypher 's, spell is a touch spell that would cause a person to burn. I can only imagine her casting a curse on her fingers where when anything touches her fingers will be burned. But for living creatures, the burns will only apply when her fingers are in contact with the living creature. Whatever fire that remains on the living creature is not in her control as it is on the living creature. This may seem illogical, but if it remains on the living creature, this simple spell would be overpowered.

Alright, changed the spell to be touch-targeting only, allowing Yama to at least be able to turn her sword on fire (Unless they have true names she needs to know as well). In removing it's ability to be used directly on others I also added a few new traits to this spell: The fire itself is of magical origins and thus not subjected to the weaknesses normally pertaining to fire, like putting it out in water. Which means yes, Yama can light herself on fire and dive into a lake and still burn fish. Fire spread from this enchantment however do not share that quality and can be dealt with normally. This enchantment also gives the target fire resistance proportional to the amount of strength the flames are, to work around the whole "Would probably burn yourself" issue.

Still, pay attention to the amount of energy the spells will cost. :)

But of course. The Sundered Echo doubles the power for double the price. Or in the case of using a different spell, and additional price, depending if the price is greater than or less than the other spell you're using... Either way, it simply allows one to use two spells at once, no more, no less.

Your own will is needed in guiding spells. Unless you give life and soul to the limbs so that it has a mind of its own, then this won't happen. But if you do give it life, your own life would end. Unless you have stored massive spiritual energy stored in a gem.

I altered this spell to simply give Yama the ability to create extra appendages or what-have-you. While she can give them orders which they can follow, she still largely has to control them herself. The commands simply help her cut down on micromanaging.

For as long as this spell remain active, her spiritual energy will slowly deplete. But it can only be casted on herself, not other living matter that she does not have the true name of.

I edited to include the energy upkeep and made it into a personal spell (Which hence forth shall be replacing any instances of "She can only target herself" as it's wordy).

Yiksahd Ykemedo Yht Tinypemedo would drain her spiritual energy so long as it remains active.

Lryhka Eh Cewa would cost massive energy as it creates matter out of nothing. It can only effect non living matter and herself.

Knaydan Bumosunbr - would be be very painful.

Nacdunydeuh would only repair the shape but not the enchantment.

Damagehadel Syhebimydeuh is basically a movement spell, but it cannot effect a living matter or claimed items.

As I've said, if Transmutation itself is so costly, I will simply replace this with something else. Maybe I'll have Yama be a more traditional blaster mage, but I personally feel that's too stereotypical, but with the way magic works my other favored alternatives schools of magic seems impossible (Illusion and Summoning).

We will be using this for how the races generally sees other races. Thank you Majem for showing me the web page.

@Lucius Cypher , since your character is an orc, which race of orc is he... she... he... hshe? :P

I like her bio and I like the image you use to picture her. I can imagine the tusks growing out of her lips inside that mask. She is one beautiful transvestite orc.

I would like to point out that Yama is indeed a full blooded orc, and she cares very little about race relations. Okay so maybe it's a bit more complex than that: She personally doesn't care, but is aware of how her race affects her ability to socialize with others. She's fairly cynical when it comes to race, knowing fully well that no one will like her by virtue of being an orc, and frankly she doesn't have much reason to like them back. Still she wants their respect, so she'll at least keep a fair distance as long as others don't mind the simple fact that she exists.

Yama is also a Ogre/Gorgon mix (Mother was the Gorgon).

The spell that transformed her was a Polymorphing type. It was suppose to turn him into a fairly attractive human, but something went wrong and it rewrote his true gender as female... If I have to replace Transmutation, I suppose this incident would be the reason why Yama never took up Transmutation.

 

[Shade_XY]

I think illusion spells would work if she bend the lights and hues to create a different mirage of something would be okay. Since it simply bends an existing matter, not create a new one.

But I find summoning illogical because summoning is an act of teleporting matter from a different plane or a place far away to your current location. Teleporting would require someone to bend time and space of the universe, therefore it is impossible.

You can enchant your non living items, no problem. You can enchant someone else's items with the person's consent.

Lastly, thank you for understanding @Lucius Cypher :)

 

[Shade_XY]

Would you mind me starting to write a post in the IC thread or wait for all slots to be filled?

I guess you could go on ahead and write your post. :) The first post is going to be an introductory post anyways.

 

[Lucius Cypher]

I think illusion spells would work if she bend the lights and hues to create a different mirage of something would be okay. Since it simply bends an existing matter, not create a new one.

But I find summoning illogical because summoning is an act of teleporting matter from a different plane or a place far away to your current location. Teleporting would require someone to bend time and space of the universe, therefore it is impossible.

You can enchant your non living items, no problem. You can enchant someone else's items with the person's consent.

Lastly, thank you for understanding @Lucius Cypher :)

When think Illusions, I don't just mean simple parlor tricks or false images. It deals with the creation of images, sounds, figments, or shadows, generally to confuse or deceive the onlooker. The trick to illusions isn't that it's fake, it's that it makes you believe it's real. Some would say that's too powerful, which is why I always end up never using it.

You also make it sound like manipulating natural forces with verbal cues and a sense of understanding is a normal concept in comparison. If magic such as Transmutation gets bogged down with Conservation of Mass since it can't simply take the same energy use from other magics to bolster or alter a preexisting physical object, I have to consider how it's any different than say, creating a ball of fire. Because creating that spontaneously still violates conservation of mass by decreasing entropy even if we're to use the magic that surrounds us as the fuel source, not to mention that it kicks thermodynamics right in the nads regardless. Like I said, I don't like putting Hard Science into my magic, but when you do it with one type you have to do it with the other types. If you simply wanted to make it so that way magical users on your standard elemental manipulators , it's best to be up front about it than to give me hopes that I could run with my shapeshifter.

I understand the limitations, but the lack of suspension of disbelief makes it hard for me to create an arcane caster that is not either just a glorified scientist (Where most of his "magic" comes from his equipment ala Iron Man anyways) or someone with parlor tricks that aren't exactly suitable in a life-or-death situation.

Also, should I or shouldn't replace Transmutation? I'd prefer to keep his abilities as it is, but if the weaknesses you mention are still going to be an issue, than I'll have to find an alternative.

 

[Shade_XY]

I don't find illusion spells overpowered since it won't actually harm anyone. You won't actually create light, but just bending the almost unlimited supply of light of the world such as the sun, the moon, the stars, and fire or even street light.

As for fire, we already have fuel source for fire around us. Oxygen. You can manipulate oxygen, moving the gas to fuel fire. You only need to create a spark and move the oxygen in the air to fuel it. You can even take away oxygen from around your enemy, therefore he will not be able to breathe. But pay attention to the size of the area you are manipulating. The further the area from you, the larger the space, the more spiritual energy it may require. Focus will also needed. Therefore, people will be able to interrupt you and break your spell.

Transmutation: The school of magic that revolves around the transformation of objects and people, or in the changing of one of their attributes. Also known as Alteration, with Enhancement and Shapeshifting as subschools of Transmutation. Yama's favorite school of magic, as it allows her to bolster her own physical ability with magic, or take on a mighty form to suit the occasion.

• Yiksahd Ykemedo Yht Tinypemedo - This spell increases Yama's physical abilities to monstrous levels, namely her agility and durability. It lasts indefinitely and constantly drains her of energy, at least until Yama cancels the spell. A personal spell.
• Lryhka Eh Cewa - This spell allows Yama to change the size of something by intervals of 2 (x2). She can either make something larger or smaller. She can use this spell on herself or others, and the effects can stack. A touch spell.
• Knaydan Bumosunbr - This spell allows Yama to alter her form. She can change into another humanoid, creature, or object roughly her size. She can also chose to simply change a part of her body. A personal spell.
• Nacdunydeuh - This spell allows Yama to fully repair a non-magical non-living physical object instantly. A touch spell.
• Damagehadel Syhebimydeuh - A spell that allows Yama to control objects telepathically, as though she was physically trying to manipulate the object herself. A ranged spell.

The strength and speed buff is okay. I never said I have a problem with that

Changing her size as well as size of items is okay, so long as she has the required spiritual energy and could endure the pain of manipulating her flesh and bones. Or numb her body with a spell.

The third would cost her less spiritual energy compared to the second spell, but she still have to endure the pain, unless she uses a spell to numb her body. Numbing her body with a spell would not cost much spiritual energy I guess. I'm okay with that.

Fourth spell is okay, as long as she knows how the thing she is repairing originally looked like and how the device or machine works.

I have no problem with her moving things around with her spells, but the spell won't effect other people's stuff.

I am okay with the spells you created. I've never said that the spells you created is prohibited. I'm not saying that every spell she does will kill her instantly. I'm only saying that she would not be able to cast the spells continuously without draining her spiritual energy.


If she transfers a day of her spiritual energy into a gem, she should use that gem to animate life. Necromancy is allowed but it will require a lot of spiritual energy. With the gem, you can animate the dead for the amount of time you spend on the matter or the gem. If you have a gem that is worth 24 hours of your spiritual energy, you can give life to 24 corpses for 1 hour each. But as for dead people, you will only bring back their corpses back to life. You will not be able to bring back their memories and their consciences. Hey you can even create and animate the self moving tentacles you wanted with the use of gems.

Finally, all I want to say is <:3 meow. I hope that helps.

 

[Lucius Cypher]

I don't find illusion spells overpowered since it won't actually harm anyone. You won't actually create light, but just bending the almost unlimited supply of light of the world such as the sun, the moon, the stars, and fire or even street light.

Illusion isn't just a light trick. It's not just making something bright or something dark (Though doing both can really mess you up; how long have you been blind?) To create false images, ghost sounds, to evoke a physical reaction. How can you tell the difference between an illusion of Yama stabbing someone between her actually stabbing someone? Hint; you don't until you get hit. That's just one method of Illusions, using solely it's visual aspect. There's so much more a master illusionist can do, but I don't know how much an illusionist can do in this world. I don't want to get ahead of myself again only to get shot down.

I would also like to think that, if Yama is really as good with her magic as she claims she is, the pain of her spells likely won't mean much to her. Maybe it was painful for her at first, but she's not a newbie. And being an orc, she would likely already have a growing indifference to pain if we're just going by racial stereotypes. The reason I'm concerned about it causing pain is because from what you tell me, she needs focus to use these spells. Obviously being hurt will make it hard for her to concentrate, but if it's painful for her to do these spells, how has she ever managed to casted them? It's like punching; you aren't born with a natural callous or invulnerable knuckles. Your first punch is going to hurt because you've never punched something before. but after a while, with a lot of training and conditioning, it stops hurting because you simply got used to what you once felt was "pain". I figured something similar would apply to these spells. I don't expect her to be able to cast her spells perfectly; she can still be interrupted and screw up, but I had hoped that she would have gotten used to what normally foils young pups.

Now I would also mention that none of these spells are expected to last for a long time. Ten minutes, at most. Of course if she was under the constant effects of her magic she will suffer the physical debilities you'd normally find in giants and such. But I figured that, at worse, her regular usage of Transmutation spells would cause health problems much later into the future, like what you'd expect from someone who practices a martial arts a lot; time simply breaks down the body. Yama is a more active mage than most, and is no exception to the atrophy of time.

Also if a numbing spell is required, I'll add one, though it will be another Transmutation Spell that allows her to manipulate the levels of her basic senses (Vision, Smell, Taste, Hearing, Touch) to accommodate the situation. Such as numbing her body to ignore the physical strain of her body shifting, and other more practical applications, like increasing the sensitivity of her nose to give herself dog-like senses.

If she transfers a day of her spiritual energy into a gem, she should use that gem to animate life. Necromancy is allowed but it will require a lot of spiritual energy. With the gem, you can animate the dead for the amount of time you spend on the matter or the gem. If you have a gem that is worth 24 hours of your spiritual energy, you can give life to 24 corpses for 1 hour each. But as for dead people, you will only bring back their corpses back to life. You will not be able to bring back their memories and their consciences. Hey you can even create and animate the self moving tentacles you wanted with the use of gems.

I'm guessing Gems are going to be rather pricy? That's another thing I want to play up with Yama: she's broke! While she has fame for The Sundered Echo, she never released it commercially. She has the only model in existence, though she does know the patent. Most of her money went strait to paying for her Academy Tuition ever since she left that noble who initially funded her education. I wanted money to sort of be a thing that Yama has a complex about, though that's just one way her greed manifests itself. The desire for worldly possession not only for the sense of sanctification but also peace of mind. To have a home, food to eat, something to protect herself, she wants all of this and gather more, so that no one can ever take that away from her. Gems of course are things that she wants, but the simple fact is also that she doesn't have the money to simply purchase everything she wants. The Sword of Weather is suppose to help her gather wealth, though admittedly neither me nor likely Yama has any clue how they would go about actually accumulating wealth with it. They certainly aren't going to sell it.

Finally, all I want to say is <:3 meow. I hope that helps.

It does, and while I'll admit that having to do over my work gets frustrating, at least you're listening. Most GM's just boot me out of the door as soon as I question the logic behind their hard science magic or try to get a gauge of how magic can be manipulated in their world for other means.

 

[Shade_XY]

I just found out that my dear dog got ran over on the highway last night. He followed me from the house... I'll need a moment to recover.

 

[Einws]

I'm sorry to hear that! Dogs can sometimes be too loyal for their own good. :(

 

[Shade_XY]

Illusion isn't just a light trick. It's not just making something bright or something dark (Though doing both can really mess you up; how long have you been blind?) To create false images, ghost sounds, to evoke a physical reaction. How can you tell the difference between an illusion of Yama stabbing someone between her actually stabbing someone? Hint; you don't until you get hit. That's just one method of Illusions, using solely it's visual aspect. There's so much more a master illusionist can do, but I don't know how much an illusionist can do in this world. I don't want to get ahead of myself again only to get shot down.

The way you describe it, I still think that it's doable. It's not just making light darker or brighter. Light is made up of multiple colors. Just like the rainbow. With proper wordings of the ancient words or writing the runes of power on anything, you can bend the colors in the light to create a holographic image of what you want. You can bend bend the movement of the air, creating sounds which you desire. People will see and hear what images and sounds you created. Thus, you truly are an Arcane Artist if you can imagine and express the illusion you are going to create.

If it were me, of course I won't be able to tell if the thing was real or just a mirage by just simply using my eyes and ears. I could tell by whispering a spell to disrupt the mirage. If it does not get disrupted, that means that the mirage is the real thing and not an illusion. The reason being spells cannot directly effect a living matter. But I probably won't check every time if things were illusions or real. Therefore, there is a high chance that your illusions would work.


As for the pain stuff, I don't think that'll be a problem. But make sure that she doesn't change into something else instantly. Take count of the time it will require for her to change shape.



Gems. If she doesn't have any gems at the moment, then you should pay attention to how much spiritual energy she will use. Pay attention to what kind of spells she will use. If not, death will come easy for her. This will make the roleplay more thrilling for you. You are forced to choose when and where to use a spell rather than machine gunning spells out. You have to be wise. That is why I said that Arcane Artists needs to have knowledge.


I hope that settles things and I hope we can start soon.

@Cody , I hope you'll post your character sheet soon.

 

[Majem]

I would think orcs are naturally more durable and have more spiritual energy than a human anyway, the same way elves do. They're usually rather violent, so any spell that includes fire, destruction or a strengthening buff should also be more natural (read easy) to her too. Next, their praise for strength can be interpreted as magical strength, too, so I would think an orc that chose the path of magic, rather than physique, would stop at nothing to become the most powerful and often go to their limits just to prove themselves. Especially with her backstory, I would assume she had to often go to her limits, which would make her more used to recovery. I could see her having a much faster recovery rate than other arcane artists.

As for pain, I would argue that she wouldn't need a numbing spell if she's casted such a spell before. Orcs are ferocious, they won't let pain get in their way, even when they're about to faint, they'll strike once more for good measure before collapsing on the floor.

You've also mentioned dying a few times. I would think, since spells take so long to cast, they don't drain energy fast enough to do that. Rather, you'd faint in the midst of your spell, which would then disperse (along with all the energy you put into it) since you lost focus due to fainting.

Really, the more I read into your definition of magic, the more I believe this to be Fairy Tail, so I link Magical fatigue to physical fatigue since magic is a mage's life force.

 

[Shade_XY]

Fainting would be fine. But I don't see decrement of spiritual energy to cause you to tire like decrement of fatigue does. Perhaps you could sense the amount of spiritual energy in your body like a sixth sense. You won't get tired but you will know when your spiritual energy is almost done.

I don't why you see the magic system like Fairy Tail...

 

[Majem]

Because everyone has the magic inside them, but only mages unleash this power to their will. Also, because in the anime they often announce their attacks, hence the ancient language like in your RP.

 

[Shade_XY]

Because everyone has the magic inside them, but only mages unleash this power to their will. Also, because in the anime they often announce their attacks, hence the ancient language like in your RP.

Same for dungeons and dragons then. They usually mutter spell before casting them.

You don't have to scream the spell out. You can whisper it or write down the runes of power.

Anyway, fairy tail is a great anime.

 

[Shade_XY]

I am a bit disappointed that so much words of power are known. I wanted magic to be mysterious since the ancient language is lost in time. But I don't want to restrict players creativity too much. I also don't want overpowered characters. Sigh... Managing magic system is a tiring job.

 

[Majem]

Considering this is supposed to be what was it? 1800s-esque era, I wouldn't be too surprised a lot of magic has been unearthed again. Especially considering writing and documenting is probably more commonplace it's easier for mages to have a jumpstart into the ancient language as opposed to starting from nothing. Simple spells are probably not even that unknown anymore, but the good stuff has yet to be discovered.

Btw, you wouldn't mind me making up some stuff about airships, right?

Writing a post listing my characters' inventories, too. If Leo seems overly prepared, I'm willing to remove any items you feel are too much, I just assume he'd need to come prepared for just about any situation.

Also, also (this is like the third edit, wow) I made thingies to differentiate Leo and Belros. Anything that happens in the RP will be perceived by two seperate pairs of eyes.

 

[Kazama]

I've been out cause I've had a lot of stuff I need to catch up on. I'm gonna answer one question that Shade asked.
Sundered Echo doesn't seem very plausible to me when I think about it. In order to cast a spell, you need to dedicate all your focus on that one spell. It's common knowledge that the brain cannot consciously think of two things at once. It can rapidly switch between two tasks, but not focus on them at the same moment. Not only this, even a recording of a spell wouldn't work because it requires mental focus, not just noise creation. If you tried that, I'd say you'd end up casting half of each spell and end up with a flying cow or something.

To be honest, the Sundered Echo feels too gimmicky. Along with the fact that you can't physically focus on two separate tasks at the same time, it doesn't seem like it'll work. Try it, try to think of two completely different concepts at the same time. Not switching between the two, but consciously thinking of them at once. You can't.

Also, how does it work? The wat I've been seeing it is that it gets you free magic for less just to squeeze some more power out of it.

 

[Kazama]

Also, Cody's sheet is good.
Noticed a few grammatical errors, but you're a-okay.

I like that your mage has more utility rather than firepower.
You come off as a scholar instead of a war machine.
I like your mage. It's a good mage.

 

[Lucius Cypher]

I've been out cause I've had a lot of stuff I need to catch up on. I'm gonna answer one question that Shade asked.
Sundered Echo doesn't seem very plausible to me when I think about it. In order to cast a spell, you need to dedicate all your focus on that one spell. It's common knowledge that the brain cannot consciously think of two things at once. It can rapidly switch between two tasks, but not focus on them at the same moment. Not only this, even a recording of a spell wouldn't work because it requires mental focus, not just noise creation. If you tried that, I'd say you'd end up casting half of each spell and end up with a flying cow or something.

To be honest, the Sundered Echo feels too gimmicky. Along with the fact that you can't physically focus on two separate tasks at the same time, it doesn't seem like it'll work. Try it, try to think of two completely different concepts at the same time. Not switching between the two, but consciously thinking of them at once. You can't.

Also, how does it work? The wat I've been seeing it is that it gets you free magic for less just to squeeze some more power out of it.

Common knowledge? I'll admit it is difficult to think two things at once, but I also can't conjure up ethereal arms with a phrase. I generally don't limit my characters to only things I'm capable of, otherwise I can never join an RP with magic in their world.

The Sundered Echo, in what I hoped to be in-lore detail, is a magical mask enchanted with Transmutation based magic. For basic users it functions akin to a second mouth one could use to vocalize words, allowing them to say something really loud or two things at once. The magic occurs where one could use the Sundered Echo to give the verbal cues of two spells in the same time it takes to say one, obviously a very difficult task, not helped by the fact that Yama has never allowed anyone else to use this divice other than himself.

Also it's not like the Sundered Echo gives Yama free energy to used. She still needs to expand the energy for both spells, and they both can still fail if she gets interrupted. Even if she used two of the same spells, the price for doing so is like if she cast them both in quick succession. Only that instead of casting one spell after another, the Sundered Echo allows her to cast both spells at the same time, effectively increasing her action economy if she's willing to pay the extra price of energy. I imagine it like a handgun with two usable barrels; Yama can shoot from one or both, but the bullets still 0ame form the same ten-round magazine. Using the Sundered Echo may make things more powerful, but she drains herself much faster.

If I must add a flaw to the Sundered Echo, I don't mind. But if it's so bizarre or overpowered, than I'll just replace it. I can't promise what the next thing I'll make is any less simple, because if it was it wouldn't be worth the fame Yama needs for her backstory.

 

[Kazama]

I can't promise what the next thing I'll make is any less simple, because if it was it wouldn't be worth the fame Yama needs for her backstory.

That's kind of the problem. You keep pushing for this idea of fame and ultimate power in a character. If you look at the rest of our sheets, you'll notice our characters are humanly possible. We've got skills one might find in a person from their background. What you're doing is trying to stuff in as much power into your character as you can sneak in. At this rate, we're going to keep going in circles forever since neither side will agree. You have to recognize humility, young grasshopper. Especially you, because you're supposed to be an arcanist.

Your mage is essentially a war machine, not an arcanist. Mages should be closer to scholars and scientists than murderous warriors. Since magic is intensely difficult to learn and requires patience as well as discipline, only the well educated end up learning it (at least in most cases). Magic isn't a weapon, its a science. Not only that, but mages would also have to develop a scholar's discipline. They must recognize that they are acquiring knowledge, but a lot of this knowledge is here for the sake of simply knowing it; not using it. Not only that, but they recognize that a lot of spells aren't within reach of human ability (by human I mean all races except maybe LOTR elves cause they're douchebags). They realize that magic isn't something to be abused and used as a weapon, but to be preserved and studied. I'd say 80% of the spells that mages learn, they decide not to use. Either because it's out of human skill level, or because it's simply dangerous to both the user and those around them. Remember, magic was originally created to be used by GODS. What gods, we don't know, but whoever created the language was certainly no mortal. Yet, mere earthly beings are trying to use something that was never intended for them. They're playing with toys made for the bigger kids, and they could get hurt.

Plus, if any nutjob with too much free time could become a master sorcerer capable of molding the world to their desires, the world would have ended a long time ago. The reason the world survives the existence of magic is because of the various checks and balances and the fact that no matter how good you get, you're still a mortal. You're still a two year old playing a game meant for twelve year olds, and you get the basic idea; but the majority of it is hidden from you, cause it wasn't meant for you.

Mages that get too ambitious and believe themselves powerful end up dead. It's why no magic using tyrants have taken over everything, cause if you get power mad, the power kills you. The mages that survive are the ones that choose to stick to simpler spells, or none at all. They know the powerful magic, they could rip a volcano out of the earth. But they know it's dangerous, irresponsible, and they won't survive, so they choose not to do it. THAT'S the discipline required to become an arcanist. Anyone can memorize and translate a sentence. Anyone can choose to sit down and study for a couple of years. But the real master wizards are the ones that choose responsibility and self-control over ambition and power lust. The rest drive themselves mad or end up dead from lack of spiritual energy.

That's what an arcanist is. An expert. The expedition doesn't need another soldier, it needs an expert. Mages aren't here to fight battles, they're here because they have knowledge on magic, something that will be needed and these other random jack-offs don't know anything about. We don't need power, we need expertise. If there's a big spider, let the guys in armor beat it with sharp objects until it dies. We need the arcanist to decipher the ancient text on the walls of the cave, not gut the spider; that's the assaulter/defender's job. Let the guys with the weapons do their job so you can do your job.

Healers heal wounds. Arcanists figure shit out. Defenders make sure neither of them die and kill stuff. Assaulters also kill stuff, but they just have to do it more.
Oh and general worker sort of carries things around.
But that's the natural order, man. That's the circle of life. Or something like that.

 

[Lucius Cypher]

So, you need a skill monkey rather than a nuker, huh? Fine, so be it. I'll scrap the spells. But that just means that Yama develops differently. It's his character to be ambitious and power hungry. Yama would certainly be scholarly, but he wouldn't be restraint: To him the only limit is what you can grab, and if you can grab the power of the gods, than by all means go for it. It might not be possible, but that doesn't mean he won't try for it. If Yama was fine with just slowly learning about the past he'd be a historian, not an Archanist. He test limits, become more than what he is now. True, he's messing with powers that mere mortals were never meant to use. So he'll try to become more than mortal. Sure that might mean that Yama could end up dead, but death comes to us all. Yama's never feared death, but he hates the idea of just being "like everyone else". Because where he came from, everyone else were homeless bums who could barely find a place to sleep for the night. Even now, if he is able to stand amongst the likes of other scholars and magicians, he's unsatisfied. He wants more.

Yeah, I want to make him a bit special. But who doesn't want to feel unique and wanted in the world? Yama doesn't want to settle for being mediocre. He wants to do something great, be great, be respected for what he has accomplished, to be fear for what he can do. Even if he doesn't have any magic that won't change. You guy just needed an Archanist so that's what Yama does.