Spirit Spells (Chinese: 灵术) are techniques used by spirit animals to sense and manipulate various elements, including themselves, through the use of spirit power.
Principles
Spirit power conversion: By casting a spell, the user transforms their spirit power into other energy forms – such as light energy, heat energy, mechanical energy, and electromagnetic force – to achieve different effects.
Manual spell casting: Simple spells can be cast directly by the caster’s will, while complex spells require specific gestures or drawing spell marks.
Casting spells through spirit items: Spell marks can be embedded in various objects, allowing users to cast spells by just injecting spirit power. These marked objects are known as spirit items and are particularly useful for those who struggle with spells or when spirit animals take human form (as their ability to sense and control spirit power is significantly reduced). The most common type of these items is the spirit bands.
Spellbooks
See: Essential Spells for Spirit Animals
Shape-shifting Spells
Shape-shifting spells are commonly used by spirit animals to alter the form of themselves or objects. These spells allow spirit animals to shift between animal, anthro, human, and other forms, as well as transform objects and locations.
Shape-shifting spells are complex and highly customizable. The greater the difference between the target and original forms, the more difficult and power-consuming they become. Their effectiveness depends on the caster’s imagination and spirit power talent.
When spirit animals transform into anything other than their original animal form, they must continuously cast the spell to maintain the transformation. The human form is the most complex transformation, consuming significant spirit power and hindering their ability to cast other spells simultaneously. Therefore, spirit animals generally cannot use other spells in human form unless aided by spirit bands.
Although shape-shifting spells can be embedded into spirit items, one cannot use another’s item for shape-shifting.
Thermal Spells
Thermal spells are used to control the internal energy of substances, allowing objects to be heated or cooled. They are easy to cast and require minimum spirit power. The history of thermal spells dates back to the Age of Desolation, when spirit animals used them for fire and food preservation. Modern spirit animals have extensively studied these spells and can conveniently cast them using spirit bands.
Illumination Spells
Illumination spells transform spirit power into light energy, utilizing the natural decay of spirit power into photons. They are among the simplest and most efficient spells, likely the first ones mastered by spirit animals. In ancient times, when lighting technology was primitive, these spells were far superior to fire in terms of efficiency and safety. Many ancient spirit items were designed specifically for prolonged lighting.
With advancements in human lighting technology, modern spirit animals rarely use illumination spells and now depend on electric lights.
Telepathy Spells
Telepathy spells can perform remote communication through spirit power waves, with a typical range of about 10 meters (33 feet). Greater distances lead to increased information loss and higher spirit power consumption. Modern spirit animals have extensively studied these spells, which can now be easily cast using spirit bands. They are often used for secret communications.
Smart spirit bands in recent years can read users’ thoughts via telepathy spells and connect with other spirit animals’ bands through human mobile networks. This design enables direct thought transmission without speaking or typing, eliminates distance limitations, enhances conversation privacy, and reduces spirit power usage. Since its launch, this function has been widely praised and has almost completely replaced traditional telepathy spells.
Sensory Spells
Sensory spells are used to sense specific energy or enhance the five senses of the caster, spirit animals use these spells to sense humans, other spirit animals, and potential threats. For instance:
- Eagle-sight: improved vision
- Wind-listener: heightened hearing
- Qi Sensing: detect nearby creatures
Acrobatic Spells
Acrobatic spells enhance a spirit animal‘s mobility without shape-shifting, for instance:
- Antelope Jump: jumps 1.5 to 2 times higher than usual
- Gecko Cling: sticks to walls and ceilings briefly
- Horse Dash: increase running speed
- Carp Slide: reduce friction
- Panda Bounce: provide extra cushion
Although acrobatic spells require minimal spirit power, their effectiveness depends heavily on the caster’s talent, only a few can master them. These spells can also strain the caster’s body, so spirit animals typically avoid using them in human form through spirit bands.
Leave a Reply