The cool breeze in the air caresses your face as you feel the gentle sway of the wind. Ominously, the breeze turns into a mighty gale which causes you to lose your balance. You fall to the ground and discover you can’t get back up. The wind is just too strong which leaves you with a choice: find a safe place to hide out and crawl to it and hope you don’t get hit by debris on the way or find a way to quell the gale. Wind magic is nothing to scoff at and you would be wise not to underestimate it.
Many fantasy worlds use the word air instead of wind though they mean the same thing. Wind is one of four elements necessary for life, the other being fire, water, and earth.
As for elemental magic, wind is one of its nine branches. It’s an offensive juggernaut on the battlefield as far more spells are used to attack the opponent than to guard against attacks. It’s capable of causing great damage not just on the battlefield, but in the areas beyond. Due to the power it wields, several kinds of wizards gravitate towards it, wishing to tap into it.
As one of the nine branches of elemental magic, wind follows the others in terms of strengths and weaknesses. Against forest and earth, it’s strong due to its potential to topple trees and move rocks. Lightning and ice are its two major weaknesses, for wind cannot break lightning bolts and ice blocks. Fire and wind are a deadly combo, as a strong gust can drive a fire to explode in size.
This is the seventh in a series looking at the different kinds of elemental magic. If you would like to read the others, you can find them on our blog.
Let’s get started on learning about the awesome power of wind magic when using it to attack an adversary on the battlefield, shall we?
Wind is considered a great force to be reckoned with and many of its spells here reflect it. Many spells of wind magic are simple and to the point. They’re not flashy or show-offs —cough like fire cough — but they do what needs to be done. The spell used depends on its caster’s intention. While many wind wizards prefer not to have to kill unless it’s absolutely necessary, they won’t hesitate to use deadly ones if their lives depend on it.
The gale is a mainstay in wind magic. As mentioned in the very first paragraph, gales showcase the power of wind. They also reveal how ferocious it is as only extremely sturdy objects can withstand their force. Many wizards employ this spell to knock their opponent to the ground and keep them there.
The wind’s speed isn’t the only thing that can be manipulated. The temperature of the wind can also be controlled to help the warlock and hinder his opponent on the battlefield. Hot wind causes his foe to sweat and expend more energy than usual, thereby wearing him out whereas cold air make him shiver and struggle to remain warm. Temperature winds can drastically shape the contours of a battle in an instant.
Weather winds can also enhance a wizard’s chances of victory. The effect they cause depends on the kind being used. Rain winds can lower an opponent’s field of sight, for he has a difficult time seeing clearly in heavy rain. Foggy winds can lower the field of vision and his accuracy as he can’t see anything in fog. Dust winds do the same except they can also inflict damage, for small particles can fly into his eyes or his nose. Weather winds are a great way to maintain the upper advantage in battle.
No spell can top the tornado. Wind wizards prefer not to have to cast this one unless they have no other choice for the tornado can utterly annihilate the battlefield, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. While they have some control over it, they can’t reverse the damage tornadoes do to nature. Trees can’t be put back together, grass repaired, animals who died can’t be brought back, and so on. This increases the likelihood of the battle being over, considering their opponent will likely be sucked up into the vortex and not make it out alive.
Just because wind wizards have a lot of spells to attack a foe with doesn’t mean they don’t have any that can protect them during a difficult part of a skirmish. There’s quite a few and they just might make the difference between life and death.
One such spell is the gale. While it’s mostly used on the offensive, it has great defensive capabilities as well. Its goal is to knock someone off balance and keep him on the ground, unable to get up. This enables the witch to quickly gain the upper advantage, especially when facing a tough opponent, so she has more time to find a way to win. This spell is also useful to facilitate a quick escape when there’s no chance of victory. While the gale is pinning her foe down, the witch can flee safely taking any damage.
Since the wind speed and direction affect where clouds go and how quickly they move, cloud spells are a superb defensive tactic. A warlock can make a cloud materialize out of thin air and put it between himself and his opponent. He can then manipulate the air around it to thwart the other’s attempts to attack him as the cloud blocks his vision. Additionally, he could send the cloud over to his adversary, trapping him inside it. With his foe unable to see anything, the warlock could then attack and his opponent wouldn’t see it coming.
Another spell would be to make several mini-tornadoes appear. Smaller in size than a destructive tornado, they don’t cause much damage due to how weak they are. The mini-tornadoes move towards the target and dissipate after a few minutes on the ground. They serve two objectives. They’re intended to protect the wizard who cast them, shielding him from harm and to make it hard for his foe to send a spell through.
As a part of elemental magic, wind has its own set of users. They’re not flashy or show-offs but they aren’t down-to-earth either. They can be a bit egotistical, as they consider wind to be unbeatable in battle.
All wind wizards revere birds and all other creatures capable of flight, putting them up on a pedestal. They build statues honoring them and go to great pains to protect them. The insignia they design almost always depicts a creature with wings. Oftentimes, they wish they had the power of flight so they could take to the skies and see the world through their eyes.
Wind warlocks live in places that have a relationship with the skies. It could be a castle high up in the mountains or a fortress that seems to reach into the heavens. They commune with the deities of the sky and meditate. Their homes attract birds and the warlocks take care of them. Due to the great care they get from them, the birds always come back when they leave, and they call these places home.
Since they revere all creatures that can fly, wind wizards prefer not to have to fight. They would rather try to settle their differences diplomatically. To help increase the chances of a diplomatic solution, they work to find something in common. Should it fail or if their foe is chomping at the bit to fight, they’ll engage in battle, confident that they’ll emerge the victor.
In the right hands, wind magic can transform the battleground in an instant. What was a calm, sunny area becomes a violent, dark area with 100 miles-per-hour winds ripping trees apart. When facing a wind wizard in battle, prepare to face an onslaught of spells that will keep you on the defensive, for he has a long arsenal of great spells to use against you. You somehow manage to find a way to force him to adopt a defensive stance. Just because you have the initiative now doesn’t mean he isn’t out. He has a bag of tricks he can fling against you to turn the tide back in his favor.
Bringing wind magic into your world is a breeze. The spells you come up with can be clever twists of popular ones like the tornado but they must always be original. Sparkle a bit of your personality in them and the characters you create specifically to use this magic.
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