Alert!

We need more discussion on this! So far Dabe and I have decided on a 4-5 element system, revolving around Fire, Water, Earth, Water, and a possible fifth element. If everybody is ok with this then we can just barrel on ahead. So if you don't like the system, now would be the time to speak up. Oh, and please do use the Discussion page. :)
---- Pauan 12:52, 4 March 2007 (CET)

This article is currently only a proposal

The features or design guidelines described in this article are only a proposal made by one or some persons. It has not been evaluated or accepted by the core development team yet. Feel free to add your personal opinion about them or make counter proposals.

Dabe and myself decided that there are 5 elements in the mana world.

• Earth
• Water
• Fire
• Air
• Null/Void

Each element has:

• A playable race associated with it
• Various strengths/weakness/personalities attached to the element
• Weapons that inflict damage with the property of the element
• A magic discipline associated to it
• Creatures that have the property of the element

Effects of the Elements

This article is currently only a proposal

The features or design guidelines described in this article are only a proposal made by one or some persons. It has not been evaluated or accepted by the core development team yet. Feel free to add your personal opinion about them or make counter proposals.

If we use Dabe's new idea for the races, then it will require each elemental alignment to change the person's character.

Earth, due to it's heaviness, would cause it's host to be unmovable, unwilling to change, and always sure of their actions, thus confident. Those aligned with earth tend also to be stubborn, physically strong and well balanced, due to their unmoving nature.

Water, due to it's free-flowing nature, will also imbue this nature into it's aligned host. Plants and such like are included in this category for they are quick to change and grow. Water is associated heavily with a contentment with change and a willingness to "go with the flow." It also includes a great deal of growth, but not much stability. Thus, one aligned with water will be flexible and adaptable but very easily swayed by emotion.

Fire, due to it's destructive nature, will cause all those aligned to it a fierce temper. It also imbues a great deal of energy and motivation to it's host. Passionate, outgoing people are often characterized as being aligned with fire.

Air, because of it's great freedom, allows the user to be even more free-flowing than water, also allowing tremendous intellect. Along with this great openness of nature is a feeling of elusiveness and compassion. Though those aligned with air may gain many benefits, they are unable to turn the course of the world. They are blown about by the smallest breeze without a care in the world. Thus, despite their amazing gifts, they are often unable to use them due to their evasiveness in changing the world.

Null, seeing as how it is the absence and combination of all the other elements, is not choose-able as an element. Instead, it is a goal to work towards. Naturally the name implies a lack of emotion or thought. Acting without worrying for the consequences. Following your instincts rather than your logic. All these are characteristics of Null. Likewise, because of this emptiness of mind and heart, one aligned with this element cannot be easily swayed, yet is flexible, yet is powerful. This is the end-all element, the final goal for both warrior and mage alike. One who can attain an alignment with this element will gain much both physically, mentally, and magically; though the price to be paid is a great deal of time and energy. Likewise, in order to obtain this element, the player must first obtain all four elements, then forsake them.

Elemental Effect

This proposal has been accepted

The development team has discussed the contents of this article and has decided that it should be implemented as described. But the implementation is not finished yet. You can help to bring the features described here into the game.

Elemental-based skills / items / weapons effect (damage, cure, etc) targets based on elemental alignment. Depending on the target's elemental alignment, the effect can be increased or reduced.

Each element has an opposing element. It deals 200% damage to the opposing element and 50% damage to itself:

• Earth and Water
• Fire and Air

The exception to this is null, which is a combination of all the other four elements together.

According to the backstory, 4 of these elements were used to create "the Guardian of Death" Fire, Earth, Darkness, Time) and the other 4 elements (Water, Air, Light, Space) were used to create "the Guardian of Life". That separates the elements into two groups of life aligned elements and death aligned elemets.

Elements deal 150% damage to elements of the other alignment other than the opposing element and 75% damage to the elements of the same alignment other than itself.

Comments

I sort of don't understand why we're listing "Ice" and "Lightning" here, unless it's simply to remind us where they will apply. I just don't want the Tritan to become associated with ice, nor the Sparron with lightning. For air I wanted to use an Air/Aero/Wind-scheme, which seems underused in most adventure/rpgs. With the water spells.. try to think of the difference between Marle and Frog in 'Chrono Trigger' .. I would prefer if we _mostly_ stuck to Frog's type of water-magic. I want a Geyser spell! - Dabe 18:16, 18 September 2006 (CEST)

That part about Life and Death being constructed of opposite elements was sort of a device for the human/demon struggle. The idea was that humans believed themselves to be retainers to the fictional element of 'Life', whereas the demons believe themselves to be retainers to 'Death'. I had not imagined much in the means of it effecting gameplay. We should talk about this at some point, because it raises the question "Why bother?" .. It seems much more effective and interesting to leave the conflict at a question of, "Who is the retainer to the element of 'Mana' ..?" This would be more fun, because both races would be arguing over which was the true retainer to an element that only exists in their imaginations. Perhaps we should reserve ourselves to getting the cycle of Life and Death agreed upon, both story and gameplay-wise. - Dabe 18:16, 18 September 2006 (CEST)

Time and Space break the convention as "elements" and are exceedingly difficult to implement magic-wise. In "Secret of the Mana", the 8 elements included Luna (Metal) and Wood instead. I thus submit a counter-proposal as follows: File:ElementWheel.png

• 8 Elements: Metal, Fire, Light, Air, Wood, Water, Dark, and Earth (in that order)
• Each element thus has 2 neighboring elements, prehaps with moderate resistance and/or easier to learn spells
• Each element thus has a opposing element which it contradicts (and thus weak against)

--ArcRiley 16:41, 7 December 2006 (CET)

In Secret of Mana Luna did not represent metal but moonlight and Dryad represented life and nature and not wood. So that SoM argument doesn't count. --Crush00:43, 8 December 2006 (CET)

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elemental_spirits_%28Seiken_Densetsu%29 , also metal and wood are found in traditional (real life) elemental wheels from various cultures, are easily seen as opposites of each other, fit well on the wheel, and make for good races & magic --ArcRiley 10:07, 11 December 2006 (CET)

A lot of you already know this, but I'm seriously opposed to the idea of using time and space as elements. It just makes no sense whatsoever. Yes, there WILL be people who want haste/slow/stop/quicken spells, but those can easily be used with the current elements. Fast as the wind, anyone? Use water/earth to slow your opponent. That sort of thing. It wouldn't be hard to implement at all. I also agree with Dabe: water and ice, although quite similar, and composed of the same elements, are altogether different. Water is, water. Ice is a darker, harder, and grittier form of water. -- Pauan 06:17, 3 January 2007 (CET)