Incantation
This article is about expressions for casting spells sometimes called “Words of Power”. For for the Words of Power to open dungeons in Ultima V, see Words of Power (dungeons).
An incantation (or Words of Power) is an expression made by a mage when casting a spell, usually in the form of utterances. Like reagents, Intelligence, mana and various other resources, incantations are one of the requirements in spell casting.
Sosarian Magic and Ultima IV[edit]
Unlike incantations in later ages, within the system of Sosarian magic each spell requires the caster speak a unique set of words that do not appear to share any etymology with other spells. Sometimes these words also form the name of the spell, but often, the name of the spell and the incantation are different.
The Quest of the Avatar[edit]
At the dawn of the Age of Enlightenment, incantations are still needed to cast spells, although they do not appear to be taken very seriously and have often gone undocumented.
Later Incantations[edit]
Ultima V introduced the use of primitive magical syllables, each possessing some sort of agency useful to an adventuring mage. These syllables combine to form incantations. For instance, the syllables An (“negate”) and Flam (“flame”) would form an incantation to douse a fire, or In (“create”), Sanct (“protection”), followed by Grav (“field”), would create an energy field. During this time, incantations also formed the names of the spells, but in later ages, spells were also given names separate from their incantations.
| Syllable | Meaning | Pronunciation[1] |
|---|---|---|
| An | Negate | ah n |
| Bet[n 1] | Small | b eh t |
| Corp | Death | k oar p |
| Des | Lower/down | d eh ss |
| Ex | Freedom | x |
| Flam | Flame | fl ah m |
| Frio[n 2] | Cold | fr ee oh |
| Grav | Energy/field | gr ah v |
| Hur | Wind | h oo r |
| In | Make/create/cause | ih n |
| Jux | Danger/trap/harm | juh ks |
| Kal | Invoke | k ah l |
| Lor | Light | l oar |
| Mani | Life | m ah n ee |
| Nox | poison | n ah ks |
| Ort | Magic | oar t |
| Por | Movement | p oar |
| Quas | Illusion | kw ah ss |
| Rel | Change | r eh l |
| Sanct | Protection | s aa ng kt |
| Tym | Time | t ih m |
| Uus | Up | oo ss |
| Vas | Great | v ah ss |
| Wis | Knowledge | w ee ss |
| Xen[n 3] | Creature | z eh n |
| Ylem | Matter | aye l eh m |
| Zu[n 3] | Sleep | z oo |
- ↑ Not used in Pagan magic
- ↑ Only used on Serpent Isle
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Not used in runic magic
Runic Magic[edit]
- Main article: Runic magic
Runic magic incantations have the singular trait that they are not expressed through speech, but by manipulating rune stones, whose characters form syllables.
Trivia[edit]
- In Ultima IV and earlier games, incantations are provided in the manuals purely for narrative flavor; they are not a direct game mechanic that players need to input or memorize to cast spells.
References[edit]
- ↑ Garriott, Richard et al. "Magic". The Book of Lore (Ultima V). Origin Systems, Inc.: 1988. Page 33.