Frost Magic

∴ Frost magic ∴

Difficulty --- Easy

Rarity --- Common

Associated colours --- Light blue and white

Years taken to master --- 15 to 65 years

Summary

Frost is the form of magic where mana energy is used to slow down particles, freeze liquids, and use said frozen structures to inflict damage upon enemies by crashing. Its counterpart is fire. This is one of the most common schools, and also one of the easiest to learn, but that's not to say that this school is a walk in the park. It takes approximately 15 years of studying to become a true master in offensive, 65 in defensive, and 30 in healing.

Frost magic requires a resilient caster who is prepared to face intense the cold and bear through hypothermia if the situation calls for it. As one of the most common schools out there it takes a considerable amount of skill and wit to rise above the others and to use frost magic like no one has before.

The usage of flux depends entirely on the way energy is used. Freezing targets is a far more flux-efficient manner of casting, but in turn it requires contact with the enemy to be this efficient. Using frozen structures to inflict physical damage is fairly safe and works over a longer distance but quickly exhausts flux and therefor mana.

Beginner

The mage learn how to use their mana to collect water and liquids with a lower mass density than water, and how to freeze said liquid. Small, ground bound structures can be formed but those are still weak in structure and easy to shatter. As the mage improves, these structures become denser and more steady. This skill level is finished when the mage learns to focus their mana underneath the objects, allowing them to float. Mages training in the defensive or healing type will largely learn the same as offensive magic users. The essence of both lies in freezing and moving liquids, so this skill level looks about the same for all three users of the frost magic school.

Intermediate

The offensive mage continues to improve their floatation skills. The collected liquids and structures can now be infused with the mage’s magic, giving it enough force to also make horizontal movement, and allowing the objects to eventually crash and cause damage. Liquids with a higher mass density than water can be frozen and handled too.

Defensive mages will have a different output for the floating ice: their own body. The frost is used as a shield. The mage also becomes more immune to the cold and can place frost wards that fend off fire magic.

Healers will focus their freezing skills on minor wounds. By freezing the wound, their mana can travel through the cold and into the wound, slowly building up the cell structures again, and eventually closing and healing the wound. The more cells there are healed, the colder the wound will get.

Expert

This skill level mostly relies on the mage’s learning process. Here, the offensive mage learns how to control the movement of objects better and to use their mana more efficiently. The mana pool grows exponentially in this skill level. A new thing they can do is filter the air of water and other volatile liquids, gaining a new source besides bodies of water or the ground.

For the defensive mage, an entirely new spell arises: they learn how to channel their mana through a very large structure. This will allow the mage to control this structure as if it were a minion. At the beginning of the expert skill level, they will only have enough mana to do this for a short while. Later on, they will learn how to do this with less thought and more efficiency. The frost shield and ward are improved to allow for better mobility for the mage while protecting themselves.

The majority of changes for the healing mage during the expert skill level is to increase both the surface their healing ice can cover and the speed at which the healing will occur. While it will still be a slow process, the mage learns how to not only heal small wounds, but also bigger and even more vital wounds. Additionally, the mage can channel their own mana through the target or themselves to keep them from dying for a brief moment.

Master

At the start of this skill level, the offensive mage can freely move frozen structures without putting too much thought in the process. To truly finish this skill level, the mage will have to become perfect at freezing, floating and crashing gigantic structures with only a thought. The mage can bring winter upon their foes and can easily control hailstorms and even work with snowfall and environmental effects.

The defensive mage can now perfectly move and function while shielded or warded as if their bodies weren’t covered in anything. The thin layer of ice is so thin and in sync with the mage’s body that it functions as a second skin, a body suit that allows for the mage to be completely protected and still have them retain their mobility. The fully trained defensive mage can channel their mana through objects to create multiple non-living minions, the total amount varying from three to five, depending on their level of concentration.

By this level, the healing frost mage is at the point where they can heal the fastest. Small wounds can be healed in mere minutes, bleeding can easily be stopped, even if from arteries, and over a long course, large wounds can be healed properly. The maximum surface of their healing ice now spans over two bodies. The ice can become much colder, making for a quicker healing process.