discussion Losing ones Ability to cast Magic

[Jade Stormbrand]

Are there ways within the lore for a caster to permanently lose the ability to cast spells? I an idea but I'd love to know if this was possible before starting in on it.

[Kilieit]

It happens to a character in the MSQ (3.1 onwards)! He's subjected to a non-standard and dangerous method of teleportation, and it damages the way aether flows within him, leaving him incapable of casting spells.

 

I'd imagine there would be other (less MSQ-worthy) ways to damage the inner aetherflows in such a fashion...

[Arashin Kujqai]

In the RDM questline...

 

It becomes apparent to the girl you rescued that she was inflicted by Lilith's blood, a supposed queen of the void "Lilith" that was the reason her powers were boosted so high to cast such powerful spells. She casts a strong fireball early on without even trying as if she was a natural only to discover this. Later on they prevent her from using anymore of this magic to prevent the lust to steal aether from living beings and stop the hunger the curse causes. After the quest says they must defeat Lilith to cease her curse on the girl, they mention how her abilities won't be quite what they were when she started becoming a red mage. This leads her to have to start from the basics of thaumaturgy and conjury to balance out since she no longer has that easy mile ahead step of having cursed blood to make powerful attacks. I'm unclear if this meant she lost all her abilities she knew because her essential battery for this stuff was cut off... Or if it just meant she had to learn naturally now how to truly control her aether. Either way, it seems to imply she had good power with her bloodline, then she had to start over to get good at using red magic again.

 

 

 

Something similar to that effect could be used for a "temporary" infliction rather than it being a permanent aetherflow disruption or something. If you wanted a reason for a character to know how to cast spells easily and then have them be unable to for a time. Comes down to if you want it to be handled upon your character's sake of actual ability to control aether... Or if you want it to be a third party reason that forces them to give it up for be unable to temporarily or permanently.

[Nebbs]

It happens to a character in the MSQ (3.1 onwards)! He's subjected to a non-standard and dangerous method of teleportation, and it damages the way aether flows within him, leaving him incapable of casting spells.

 

I'd imagine there would be other (less MSQ-worthy) ways to damage the inner aetherflows in such a fashion...

 

Always gotta love a transporter malfunction! Maybe even switch for evil you?

 

Other things you could try are:

• Mental block so you just can't
  
• Aether parasite, that is sucking out your Aether
  
• Cursed item
  

[Kismet]

When I looked at this thread, the first thing that came to mind for me was corrupted aether, actually. 

 

Corrupted aether can manifest in a couple of different ways, in several forms. Extended exposure to it can actually warp one's aetherial balance.

 

The lorebook also states that crystals of any aspect are so concentrated, that ingesting one can alter the aetherial balance of one's body. This can result in injury or death, but the prospect of it throwing one's aether out of whack to the point they could no longer spellcast instead doesn't seem like much of a stretch to me.

 

Finally, having inadequate aether reserves in general doesn't necessarily prevent one from being able to cast at all, but using magic in such a state puts severe strain on the body. This particular idea is supported by the thaumaturge job quests. Along the lines of what Nebbs suggested, an "aether parasite" of some sort could put the character in a state where spellcasting would be an extremely bad idea due to how potentially fatal it would be.

 

You also may or may not be interested in reading up on where each type of magic caster draws their aether from, so you can efficiently understand how to cut it off.

 

I recommend checking out Sounsyy's posts on corrupted aether and aether sickness.

[Valence]

Aether personal power and presence varies a great deal all during the life for everyone. Aether declines with age, or at least with old age. Which means less reserves to use, aether harder and harder to manipulate, etc.

 

Basically, being old physically also dulls magic.

[Thorbought]

I have been doing some Garlean RP and have been using a bio-engineered aether block. I figured that if they can mess with their DNA to allow purebloods to use aether, than the reverse is also true or at least plausible.

[PhantasticPanda]

Aether personal power and presence varies a great deal all during the life for everyone. Aether declines with age, or at least with old age. Which means less reserves to use, aether harder and harder to manipulate, etc.

 

Basically, being old physically also dulls magic.

 

Where did you get this snippets of lore? I can see aether reserves not being as great as before, but I don't think it'd affect much with the ability to manipulate aether. We still see older characters manipulate aether to create power spells such as the BLM in the 30-50 story and Louiseaux using the power in his staff in his attempt to bind and defeat Bahamut.

 

From a more magitek standpoint. Garleans, while not being able to cast magic, are still experts in aether manipulation with magitek. I can see magitek experts developing some sort of shield or bind, or even implant that can suppress the ability to cast magic.

[Kilieit]

Where did you get this snippets of lore? I can see aether reserves not being as great as before' date=' but I don't think it'd affect much with the ability to manipulate aether. We still see older characters manipulate aether to create power spells such as the BLM in the 30-50 story and Louiseaux using the power in his staff in his attempt to bind and defeat Bahamut. [/quote']

 

I think they're extrapolating from this piece from the lore book:

 

It can be assumed that a young man of sound mind and body will possess a high concentration of aetherial energy in his humours, whereas an older man, or one inflicted with corruption, will not.

 

Which doesn't exactly say that an older person struggles to manipulate aether... just that they will have less aether in their personal reserve. If they have access to high quantities of aether through other means (black magic, white magic, Tupsimati, etc.), then their age should not be a hindrance.

 

In other words, being old doesn't cause you to be unable to cast spells at all any more (which is the topic at hand). It just reduces your personal aetheric reserve.

[Valence]

Aether personal power and presence varies a great deal all during the life for everyone. Aether declines with age, or at least with old age. Which means less reserves to use, aether harder and harder to manipulate, etc.

 

Basically, being old physically also dulls magic.

 

Where did you get this snippets of lore? I can see aether reserves not being as great as before, but I don't think it'd affect much with the ability to manipulate aether. We still see older characters manipulate aether to create power spells such as the BLM in the 30-50 story and Louiseaux using the power in his staff in his attempt to bind and defeat Bahamut.

 

From a more magitek standpoint. Garleans, while not being able to cast magic, are still experts in aether manipulation with magitek. I can see magitek experts developing some sort of shield or bind, or even implant that can suppress the ability to  cast magic.

 

For the snippet of lore my apologies for not having it under hand right now, but I am fairly sure Sounssy does. It's found in a quest in Hawthorne Hut if my memory serves me right. Or maybe I'm confusing it with that lorebook excerpt above...

 

Being old doesn't necessarily mean your whole aether runs dry, and maybe it's a generality more than a certainty. I don't remember the exact words of that quest. But I could assume that yes, Louisoix might have been more powerful in his youth? After all his staff Tupsimati is powerful itself not because of its user, but because it directly siphons the land's aether. Meonbryda also uses it against Nabriales with a certain potency even if it's broken (she knows how to use it and that's it).

 

I wouldn't say that Magitek is manipulation of aether, baring the fact that yes, Ceruleum is a distillate of lingering earthy aerther. But it's used as a crude and powerful form of energy to power everything they have. They don't especially show a huge understanding of aether manipulation all in all.

 

Aetherochemistry is however a very advanced field of aether knowledge, but that's the specificity of Allag.

[PhantasticPanda]

Aether personal power and presence varies a great deal all during the life for everyone. Aether declines with age, or at least with old age. Which means less reserves to use, aether harder and harder to manipulate, etc.

 

Basically, being old physically also dulls magic.

 

Where did you get this snippets of lore? I can see aether reserves not being as great as before, but I don't think it'd affect much with the ability to manipulate aether. We still see older characters manipulate aether to create power spells such as the BLM in the 30-50 story and Louiseaux using the power in his staff in his attempt to bind and defeat Bahamut.

 

From a more magitek standpoint. Garleans, while not being able to cast magic, are still experts in aether manipulation with magitek. I can see magitek experts developing some sort of shield or bind, or even implant that can suppress the ability to  cast magic.

 

For the snippet of lore my apologies for not having it under hand right now, but I am fairly sure Sounssy does. It's found in a quest in Hawthorne Hut if my memory serves me right. Or maybe I'm confusing it with that lorebook excerpt above...

 

Being old doesn't necessarily mean your whole aether runs dry, and maybe it's a generality more than a certainty. I don't remember the exact words of that quest. But I could assume that yes, Louisoix might have been more powerful in his youth? After all his staff Tupsimati is powerful itself not because of its user, but because it directly siphons the land's aether. Meonbryda also uses it against Nabriales with a certain potency even if it's broken (she knows how to use it and that's it).

 

I wouldn't say that Magitek is manipulation of aether, baring the fact that yes, Ceruleum is a distillate of lingering earthy aerther. But it's used as a crude and powerful form of energy to power everything they have. They don't especially show a huge understanding of aether manipulation all in all.

 

Aetherochemistry is however a very advanced field of aether knowledge, but that's the specificity of Allag.

 

Doesn't it say in the lorebook while Garleans are physically unable to manipulate aether, they're still experts in the field, how aether works, and knowledgeable about it down to a science. And they do appear much more knowledgeable in Allagan tech than our savage Eorzean minds have discovered so far. While ceruleum is essentially refined aether into a usable form fuel, some Garleans have been known to utilize that to rival even regular aether manipulation. Examples would be Gaius empowering his armor and therefore his strength. Or in the Warring Triad, Regula was able to form a literal aetherial tiger using ceruleum powered magitek to attack the WoL.

 

 

They've even have the knowledge of creating Resonant Echo Users which goes faaaaaaar beyond understanding simple aether manipulation, even when they are implementing science. But they still need to know how aether works and how to manipulate it, outside of turning it into fuel.

 

[Valence]

No, you are probably right. You have lore telling you on one hand that Garleans never managed to retro engineer a single piece of salvaged allagan tech, that they are immune to aether spells/casting so they have a hard time feeling it and yet their scientists seem to show a good and smart grasp at it, even if unusual.

 

I think the more exact conclusion is that in the field of aetherial studies, they have a smart and very rational knowledge of it, quite peculiar compared to Eorzeans. In the field of energy though (ceruleum engine), well... that field doesn't require much aetherial knowledge other than distillating it and burning it in a combustion engine.

 

The whole program they have to infuse people with aether and the echo is proof enough that they don't suck at aether science, far from it.

 

 

 

Edit: and I didn't see your spoiler... So well, yes.