Air Magic Brainstorming

[Vars]

As a continuation of the previous threads I'm starting the third in a series of 6 brainstorming sessions! As on the previous threads please do not debate the legality of a spell, I'm only looking for thematic uses that I haven't come up with myself.  Please attempt to not repeat the same thing over and over again, yes a hurricane is great and powerful but I don't want the same thing for every entry.

Air magic is one of the more subtle but one of the strongest elements. Whether the air is wearing down a mountain one grain at a time or whether its a tornado destroying some poor trailer park in Kansas air magic is always a force to be respected. This also happens to be one of the elements that I have the most trouble with. Thanks for all the help you guys have already given myself and other wizards in coming up with neat, interesting ways to describe the use of our magic.

1. What is a non-combat interesting way to use air magic?

2. What is a single target interesting way to use air magic?

3. What is an area of effect interesting way to use air magic?

4. What is an interesting way to block using air magic?

5. What would be an interesting way to impede someones movement with air magic?

6.Can you think of anything else that would fit the Dresdenverse and be really neat in a game for air magic?

 
 
 

[ways and means]

1. What is a non-combat interesting way to use spirit magic?
Silence effects as sound travels by air 

2. What is a single target interesting way to use spirit magic?
Vortex Cannon (like a stun gun), Vacume Air Blade, Tempest Shredder (grating wind)

3. What is an area of effect interesting way to use spirit magic?
Vacume field (suck the air out of an area)

4. What is an interesting way to block using spirit magic?
Tornado Block (spinning Currents)

5. What would be an interesting way to impede someones movement with sprit magic?

Increasing the air pressure in an area so people are having to push through twice their body weight in air

6.Can you think of anything else that would fit the Dresdenverse and be really neat in a game for spirit magic?

[Vars]

1. What is a non-combat interesting way to use air magic?

The one that most easily springs to mind is....flight! I also think that a neat trick would be long range communication, like whisper into a breeze and have it taken across a battlefield to your friends or allies. Creation of air could be neat for surviving underwater or in space, though I'm not really sure why you would be in space... Slow fall would be a neat non-combat effect for wind.

2. What is a single target interesting way to use air magic?

I have a couple of different ideas on single targeting with air. The first is to expand the air in a targets lungs until they burst, another would be a directed lightning bolt (though this could concievably go to other targets). Another single target use would be shoves with wind similar to what Harry did that one time in the elevator. Wind Funnels could be used to strip a target of usable oxygen, and pass him out as well. There are two more ideas I can think of for single target attacks, one is cutting them with wind, like a wind sword or knife. The other is molecular friction, you vibrate the air molecules around them so fast that they burn/catch on fire.

3. What is an area of effect interesting way to use air magic?

The one that immediatly springs to mind is a tornado, the downside to this is that after magic is called it behaves like normal stuff so how do you stop it once it starts. Another area attack would be a chained lightning strike. A vortex to suck everyone up into the air and let gravity take over could be fun as well.

4. What is an interesting way to block using air magic?

I have been thinking about ways to redirect attacks as opposed to straight out blocking. A air pressure wall would be a straight block, but what I was thinking about would be more like a wind tunnel with the air moving so fast that it would push the object conjured back at the attacker, this only works for things with a mass though.

5. What would be an interesting way to impede someones movement with air magic?

The obvious idea to me is a sustained gale, so much wind pushing on them that they couldn't move. Another would be to slow down the molecules around them so much that it would be like wading through water. 

6.Can you think of anything else that would fit the Dresdenverse and be really neat in a game for air magic?

I'm not sure if this would be only an air option, but I think it works best for air. Sonic booms, if you do these it could not only impair the target and injure them, it would also be like a car alarm alerting others.

[sandchigger]

I love these threads, but I have one nitpicky thing to say about the first post: I don't think a hurricane has ever, in recorded history, hit anything in Kansas.

[Chris_Fougere]

1. What is a non-combat interesting way to use spirit magic?

Using two cross breezes to steady yourself on a narrow ledge/balance beam/other precarious position.

2. What is a single target interesting way to use spirit magic?

Dust in the eyes at 50mph!!

3. What is an area of effect interesting way to use spirit magic?

Severe downdrafts keeping people pinned to the ground.

4. What is an interesting way to block using spirit magic?

Grab something nearby to telekinetically  intercept.

5. What would be an interesting way to impede someones movement with sprit magic?

Produce an updraft under them that keeps them juggled in one spot.



 
 
 

[/quote]

[Haru]

I love these threads, but I have one nitpicky thing to say about the first post: I don't think a hurricane has ever, in recorded history, hit anything in Kansas.

Well, we're not in Kansas anymore. (sorry, just always wanted to say that   )

1. What is a non-combat interesting way to use air magic?
- Bridging a gap either by supercharging an athletics roll to jump or creating an actual bridge out of hardened air.
- Aiding an investigation roll by having a sort of selective wind that sorts things out of a clutter.
- Cutting of or increasing oxygen flow to a fire.
- Gasmasks/Scubagear.

2. What is a single target interesting way to use air magic?
- A tornado grappling an opponent is a great way to take him out of combat.
- Zapping someone with lightning will also work.

3. What is an area of effect interesting way to use air magic?
I see air as generally more or an area element, due to it's nature, so I would probably use most spells on at least one zone, if they are not specifically designed to act against one target. So instead of a gust of wind on one target, it hits an entire zone, instead of one lightning: lighning storm, and so forth.

4. What is an interesting way to block using air magic?
- Anything other than "Strong headwinds" kind of spells? I got nothing

5. What would be an interesting way to impede someones movement with air magic?
- Same here

6.Can you think of anything else that would fit the Dresdenverse and be really neat in a game for air magic?
- How about some sort of cyclone in a bottle potion effect?

I have to admit, I find air to be the most boring of the 5 traditional elements to use, but that might be just me.

[Vryce]

I had a character that was a wind specialist.  He used a sword that and was very quick.
1) What is a non-combat interesting way to use spirit magic?
Jump is what I mostly used.  Need to get up 20 flights of steps quick air lifting spell helped me bound up those stairs.  I also used the old throw a rock to distract trick, but with air.

2) What is a single target interesting way to use spirit magic?                                          
Push, its simple put effective, can be used to one on one or group.  Most of the spells I used would be to speed my guy up to swing his sword a little faster.

3) What is an area of effect interesting way to use spirit magic?
lift,  The books go over falling sucks… bad.  A air lift everyone thing 20 feet and let it fall would hurt… a lot. Of course there is the who spiny little tornado filled with shrapnel.  Due to the force of air you could also mimic a lot of explosive.  Small gun explosive to throw a hand full of bird shot 100 feet, to something more like a grenade that throws shrapnel out in ever direction.

4) What is an interesting way to block using spirit magic?                                    
Air sense – character was able to feel the subtle vibration in the air to understand how things would be coming at him.  Was also used as a block(+dodge bonus)

5) What would be an interesting way to impede someones movement with sprit magic?      
Float, for  pure physical damage people this would put them out of combat for as long as the spell last.

6) Can you think of anything else that would fit the Dresdenverse and be really neat in a game for spirit magic?                                                                                                        
Most of what I have above is the Pure Air element.  You could take air magic to mean anything in the air.  Talk with birds, lighting, thunder, sonic booms, cold temps, hot temps, super heated air would suck, Far seeing, far hearing, etc…

[Vars]

lol! OMG I thought of that after I had posted it but was hoping noone would notice. I guess we can amend it to say " hurricane in Florida and tornado in Kansas"  Sorry, guess I'm no weatherman!... and before you find my other mistakes I corrected them lol! (except you guys copy and pasted them and I can't get to those *doh*)

Going off what a couple of you posted do you guys think that an old D & D spell "haste" would belong in the wind category? Speed someone up so that they could preform more actions in a given turn etc? Also, would just a straight speed upgrade go into this seciton as well?

Also I get that holds and blocks are kind of hard without just saying "I shoo it away with wind!" or "I pin him down with wind!" but that is the purpose of the threads. What about that poor wizard that only has air evocation? We're helping everyone out so just keep pluggin away with the ideas, so far they are great!

[sinker]

Since people are having issues with blocks I thought I'd concentrate on that.

For offensive blocks someone mentioned it before. Hardened air would be able to hold someone. There's a fairly common martial arts move where you clap your hands on someone's ears to disorient them. One could easily create a similar effect with bursts of air pressure. One could make large sonic blasts as a block to someone's hearing, or more easily one could simply prevent the sounds from reaching someone (rather than deafening them with sound). If one has a fine control of the lightning aspect one could disable neural impulses or just taze them for a similar effect. One could draw oxygen away from someone to make them light headed or black out. The book talks about using air for fine manipulation, like picking locks, one could foul machines (like guns) and temporarily or permanently damage them. Sandstorms to block sight and make action difficult.

Defensive blocks now. Hardened air works again, or simply a strong wind to parry attacks. One could have a really flashy shield by setting up a field in front of them that invokes lightning whenever something metallic breaks it, vaporizing the metal. Fog or smoke to block sight. Bursts of pressure (negative or positive) to cause attacks to veer off. Air is movement based, perhaps one could have a defensive block based on super speed (I know that's an actual power, but meh). Sound veils.

I can't think of much more. Hopefully that helps.

[ryanshowseason2]

One could have a really flashy shield by setting up a field in front of them that invokes lightning whenever something metallic breaks it, vaporizing the metal.

Wat?

The lightning shield makes sense to me but vaporize metal? That implies that the metal got so hot that it not only liquefied instantly but then turned into a vapor. The heat generated from such a reaction would be... AWESOME!

No seriously though I don't think metal vaporizes in any kind of survivable environment.

[ways and means]

Wat?

The lightning shield makes sense to me but vaporize metal? That implies that the metal got so hot that it not only liquefied instantly but then turned into a vapor. The heat generated from such a reaction would be... AWESOME!

No seriously though I don't think metal vaporizes in any kind of survivable environment.

Mercury does.

[ryanshowseason2]

Mercury does.

A sword made of mercury? I'm not sure if this is completely ridiculous/useless or awesome.

[Vryce]

YES

[DFJunkie]

A sword made of mercury? I'm not sure if this is completely ridiculous/useless or awesome.

"Come over here and let me take your temperature!"

[ryanshowseason2]

Back to the topic at hand though...

1. What is a non-combat interesting way to use air magic?
Race car drivers drive behind opponents regularly to take advantage of wind tunnels, I assume you could create one for yourself to go faster in situations.

2. What is a single target interesting way to use air magic?
Ya know we all have oxygen in our blood... This can be used to as gorey or as subtle as you wish. You can literally kill a person by taking a syringe full of air and applying it to the right artery. You could silently kill someone quite easily I suppose with air magic.

3. What is an area of effect interesting way to use air magic?
Tornadoes have been known to put straw through telephone poles. Bring a bale of hay and throw it in the air at 300MPH, Imagine the body afterwards riddled with....straw...

4. What is an interesting way to block using air magic?
Once again oxygen in blood, or an invisible shield of compressed air so it'd be like striking though molasses.

5. What would be an interesting way to impede someones movement with air magic?
A perfect vacuum wall? Vacuums have considerable sucking power as well. Also fog or blowing a cloud down to ground level.

6.Can you think of anything else that would fit the Dresdenverse and be really neat in a game for air magic?
A pinwheel enchanted item.