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Ice Magic in Fantasy: Unraveling its Frigid Power
Sunfire
CONTENTS
Overview
Brr! There’s nothing like being pelted with an ice shard in the middle of winter. Ice, one of nine branches of elemental magic, is equally as dangerous as fire due to its propensity to freeze objects. Ice magic is especially cold to the touch.
Like its fire sibling, ice is considered an attacking magic with the wide majority of its spells used to pummel targets into oblivion. Ice magic is also capable of wreaking havoc on the battlefield, transforming it into winter.
As a member of elemental magic, ice can hold its own against certain ones but it’s weak to others. Ice is great against grass and wind. Sadly, it’s vulnerable to both fire and earth.
This is the fourth in a series of articles examining the various branches of elemental magic. If you want to read more, check out the others on our blog. Like the ones before, this will cover attacking and defending spells, as well as the character of the typical ice practitioner.
As always, we begin with what spells are used for attacking. Grab something that’ll warm you up as we brave the frigidness that is ice magic!
Attacking Spells
While not as destructive as fire, ice can cause mayhem on the battlefield. With its power, a wizard can summon a blizzard, turning what was a pristine, grassy land into a snow-drenched winter wonderland. The pleasant warm air of the grassland disappears, being replaced by cold air that chills the lungs.
While blizzards are one of the strongest forms of ice magic, it doesn’t actually cause much physical damage to the enemy. That honor goes to the ice shard or pretty much any spell that uses a sharp block of ice. Ice shards can easily pierce the skin which, coupled with the coldness of the battleground, can cause the exposed skin to suffer hypothermia. Whenever an enemy is suffering from hypothermia, all the wizard has to do is simply bide his time and before long, the foe will fall to the ground.
Another vicious spell is the avalanche. It has the potential to leave a lasting impression on the ground as it can tear up trees and loose rocks. The stronger it intensifies, the more destruction it leaves in its wake.
Ice wizards are notoriously fond of summoning hail to help them in battle. While it doesn’t offer much in attack power, its constant presence hampers the foe, for he has to continually take his eyes off the wizard to survey the area to ensure he doesn’t get pelted or find a place to ride it out.
Last but not the least is the ice storm. Arguably the most powerful of all ice spells, the storm combines several features of the spells mentioned above like the blizzard and hail into one big chaotic mess that leaves nothing unscathed. One unique feature it has is its ability to instantly drop temperatures below the freezing point.
One trait all ice offensive spells have in common is their ability to bring cold air onto the battlefield. As chilly air descends upon the the area, everything within turns cold to the touch. The colder it gets, the more painful it is to touch.
Defensive Spells
While it’s generally considered as an offensive powerhouse, ice magic has its own caliber of defensive spells that just might tip the scale towards its user’s favor. Ice witches use the cold temperatures in combination of a variety of defensive measures to their advantage.
One such advantage is ice blocks. The witch summons it with her staff and moves it in-between herself and her opponent. Made solely of ice, the block seriously impairs his vision, meaning he has to either melt it quickly or go around it. The witch can then quickly position herself to strike when he least expects it.
While ice shards are mostly used to inflict damage, they can also be used to guard against attacks as well as slow down enemies. The witch can put them on the ground and use snow to cover them up. Her enemy steps foot on one and it explodes, knocking him off his feet. Additionally, she could bewitch some shards to fly around midair, flying towards their target only when he gets a tad too close for comfort. Both tactics are designated to help her plot her next move.
Another spell would be to summon a large snowman and animate it. The snowman could then attack on the sorceress’s behalf. He could lob snowballs against her opponent or just pester him until he couldn’t take it anymore.
The Typical Ice Practitioner
If you could describe someone who wants to learn ice magic in one word, that word would be cool (see what I did there?). To want to voluntarily stand outside in what essentially’s below freezing temperatures takes great strength and courage. Moreover, he would have a fondness for the beauty of ice.
Ice users are quiet people, preferring to keep to themselves. They spend hours working on bettering themselves much like making an ice sculpture from scratch. Making one is time-consuming and it takes a lot of patience as you have to continually cut the ice block angle after angle until you’re satisfied with the final product. Even then, you have to keep working on it. Ice practitioners also not grandiose or show-offs.
To want to stand outside in the cold when everyone else would rather be inside, snuggling up next to a roaring fire means that person is quirky or he has fire in his heart that no cold can quench. Another way to look at it is that he’s tough and he won’t let a little nip in the air slow him down.
Ice wizards are determined people. If there’s something they want, they work to get it, never stopping until they’ve obtained their heart’s desire. One thing they’ve learned from being out in the frigid cold is that with the right mindset, the only thing holding you back is yourself and you’ve got to give it your all.
Tying it all Together
Ice magic is a juggernaut on the offense due to its unique ability to spread extremely cold air all over the area with nothing escaping its touch. These subzero temperatures bring their beauty with them, as you see nothing but a winter wonderland all around you.
Bringing this branch of elemental magic will add a gravitas to the world you’re crafting from scratch for it offers things no other branch has. Create spells that bring the full power of ice onto the battlefield and use them to attack and to guard against attacks. And create equally exciting characters who thrive on the majesty that ice has.
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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,
Sunfire
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