Secret Project: Spells in-depth
I’ve been using this "skills and spells" term for quite some time as though the two things were distinct but related concepts, but I’ve refused to admit that they’re exactly the same thing with different names. Today we explore why that is.
You’ll recall from yesterday’s skills in-depth that skills don’t deplete any type of magic meter. This they have in common with spells. Also, the broad skills and spells post mentioned that they’re both used in the same way — target with the pointer, then pick them from a radial menu. This is just about the whole list of things skills and spells have in common. So with that out of the way, let’s talk about how they differ.
Whereas skills are specific to each character and gained at level up, spells are not. Instead, when raising levels, characters will gain spell slots into which spells may be placed. The spells themselves have to be acquired — they come in book form, and can be purchased, found in dungeons, given as quest rewards, or dropped from mobs. In town, you can set up your spell slots with any combination of spells you want (you can take the same spell multiple times). Every time you return to town, your spell slots are automatically restocked the way you had them when you left (to reduce "bookkeeping" bullshit).
Spells have no resource meter and no cooldowns. Instead, you can cast each spell one time and then it’s gone until you return to town. So you can expect the spells to have rather varied and powerful effects — in addition to the obvious damage-dealing, they can be used to heal, to restore cooldowns, to apply various buffs to you or debuffs to mobs, and for various other crazy things. There is no way to add or restore spells while in the dungeon, so what you enter with is what you get.
Spells are designed to have a pretty substantial impact on the game when they’re played, so don’t expect to have very many slots at any given time, though the number does vary by character — the more magical characters get more spells. There will be some rare spells that are in hard-to-find places or dropped at a low rate from mobs and whatnot, but these will emphatically not be the real "staple" spells that you’ll have a bitch of a time getting through the game without. You basic heals, cooldown resets, and whatnot will all be easily available. Once again, we’re aiming to reduce the grind while still leaving a wide range of neat things to find.
