Your favourite kind of magic?

[Weresquirrel]

Friendsh-*gunshot*

Ahem

I suppose I have a fondness for lightning. I suppose it boils down to pyrotechnic impressiveness. Fire's a bit dull, in a lot of games it's usually one of the early styles of magic, and I am by nature a warm-blooded creature and can't abide cold weather, so I have little interest in wielding it myself.

 

[sageoftruth]

Divination for me. If any important questions come up, like "Where did I leave my keys?", "What will happen if I take this job?", "Which company should I invest in?", "Is the guy who cut me off a jerk or just having a bad day?", etc. I'd just divine the answer.

 

[the December King]

In D@D, my most powerful character, that is to say, my character of highest level, is an illusionist in practice, but technically a generalist. It could complete whole campaigns by illusory trickery, and so I had to concede that these abilities, combined with an inhuman, god-like intellect, meant that It could no longer be a truly effective PC in a generic campaign, as in, a character that could be developed through interactions with a group of other characters with comparable faults and equivalent goals. I haven't retired It exactly, but It acts as an NPC for now.

I'd like to have It's powers. Illusions so powerful that they make empirical evidence meaningless.

Spoiler

 

[GabeZhul]

I personally prefer "scientific" magic, aka. magic that doesn't just work because "a wizard did it" but through actually explained, detailed metaphysics that tweak the actual physical world instead of creating matter out of thin air. The type of magic that doesn't necessarily operate on a large scale, but what it does is explained by messing with the laws of physics just a little bit (like say, a mage incapacitating someone by temporarily raising the density of their blood, which slows their blood-flow and causes them to pass out).

These kinds of things are much closer to reality than throwing fireballs and lightning (both of which kind of break down when you stop to think about them, since a fireball would actually need a constant fuel-source while lightning is literally a stream of electrons that go from a negatively charged point to a positively charge one, therefore if you throw lightning at someone it means you forcefully gave the target positive charge, and when you have the ability to affect them directly, why don't just kill them that way...?). Because of that they are much more relatable and, in a way, scarier.

 

[Tactical Pause]

I've always been a big fan of necromancy. The darkest of the dark arts, revolving around raising the dead and manipulating the very force of death itself. For some reason, I can't think of a single game that has had a proper, playable necromancer class that I actually like. They all seem to botch it somehow.

 

[Angelowl]

Magitech. "Properly analysed and understood magic is indistinguishable from technology" (hope I got that right), magic is often the term for things we can not understand at the time and therefore assume that it operates beyond the usual laws of reality. But what happens if a culture in a fantasy setting gets industrialised? The mana/ether/essence could be harnessed as a energy source to power technology. Creating a fascinating blend of fantasy and science fiction.

Final Fantasy VI was probably what got me hooked on the idea. The steampunk fantasy setting was beautiful, and the magitek armours were badass to say the least. I am biased towards Exalted (pen and paper RPG), having a power armour and a concussive essence cannon really changes the playing field. And with the game being post-apocalyptic First Age Tech is one of the major plot points.

Magic is usually the subject for academics and scholars in most fantasy settings, meaning that with enough time and resources...

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

White magic. Everyone loves a little White magic. Whether it's a simple Cure, Protect and Shell, Esuna or Raise, everyone that isn't a healer will be glad to have you around. Even if it's just a "slash hug". Hugs are the best White magic of all.

But don't think for a minute we lack on offense, either. Against undead, we roxxors. For all other enemies, there's Holy.

Spoiler: Though, I will admit

Summon magic is pretty fun, too!

 

[Sonicron]

Give me spatial magic any day. Oh, the convenience of being anywhere, anytime. Without waiting in bloody traffic.

Transformation magic would also be very nice. All kinds of fun to be had as a shapeshifter, I imagine.

 

[trollnystan]

Wind magic. I've always liked wind magic the best but it's rarely used in WRPGs, if at all, and I don't really play JRPGs anymore. I don't really know why I love it so much. Onimusha contributed to it though I think; the Wind attacks were awesome. *traipses down Memory Lane*

 

[TheCrapMaster]

Numbero uno i choose Earth, but not in the sence of "nature lore" but more in the "throw huge boulders and create huge chasm and golems" and just the comfy thing in being able to transform your surrounding. Imagine having to wait for someone and there is no place to sit, why not create from the ground a comfy stonechair/dirt pile, going camping and need a nice shelter?

Tho i dont think earth is a top contendor of the most powerfull magic. I always thought that to be more badass than the standard fire mage who lobs some flaming balls at you, not to undermine those who like firemages, just what i think.

Second i always liked necromancy, not that i would want to be a necromancer but more because it always creates good lore and atmosphere in games and etc. So its more of a "thank god we have necromancy or else we would have missed alot of stories/lore".

 

[samaugsch]

Warhammer magic. Of course, part of the reason could be that i'm obsessed with it.

 

[JupiterBase]

Evocation. you're using the wrong terms only a novice is a master of but one element.

 

[Storm Dragon]

If I had to pick just one, I'd go with the school of Transmutation. Shapeshifting and the like has the most versatility.

 

[lacktheknack]

I've always been a fan of Holy/White magic and Illusion, myself.

Passive mind-screwery for the win!

 

[wickedmonkey]

Gravity.
Tanks? Crushed. Hordes of victims? Crushed. Rival mage? Launched skyward... then crushed. Also so I can do this...

Spoiler: Gravity lol

(I probably fail at embedding so https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF1KKAs-RmY About 4:16 in...)

Failing that, Necromancy for when it's too good to be bad or Divine magic (DnD cleric style) to kick arse for the Lord!

 

[Roofstone]

White magic and Illusion

Soo.. You force people to fight each other, but in a benign way? I see, very clever! :3

You must love Jin Kisaragi.

I didn't even know what or who that was, but I love him now! He is rad.

 

[SKBPinkie]

Fire.

There's something so awesome about being able to control something that's so random and lively. Here's an awesome example -

 

[Xathos]

Magic wise I always thought using Shadows or Shields would be really freaking cool. For Shadows it would depend on how it is really used of course, but shields and protections you don't really see too often outside of white magic, and I always thought of that as just a generalization. My mind goes crazy thinking about all the different ways you can apply shields in a situation. Love it so much!

Runner ups would have to include Lightning and Summoning. Lightning because...well come on, its freaking Lightning! You're pretty much given a whole Emperor Palpatine evil cackle just on principle alone when using it. Summoning because I always considered it a very interesting prospect to use some creature/familiar/demon/whatever that is foreign to you as a sort of aid. Even more so if they are intelligent and can speak, then its like "dude, be best friends please?". Always made me a bit sad when fiction doesn't really explore that aspect in great detail. We really need a video game that does that.

Probably a few more I'm forgetting, but those are the ones I constantly think about.

EDIT: Oh! Shape shifting! Yeah, that would probably be top tier with Shields and Shadows in my eyes. Its like...how could you ever get bored of that? Not to mention it being practical in areas outside of just fighting.

 

[Avalanche91]

The kind of magic that allows me to read people's thoughts. Nothing destructive is nesecary. I can become everyone's friend and/or blackmail them into oblivion without anyone suspecting magics are at play. Assassins need but a few words to be persuaded nót to put a dagger through my chest and no nations will conspire to take down someone who seems so harmless. Work your way up in the world, start wars at a mere suggestion at the right time to the right person. That is power.

Failing that, I wouldn't mind healing magic. Suck it medical science.

 

[VonEros]

Dream magic and Summoning/Channeling. Getting into other people's heads or getting out of your own.