Sosarian magic

In the Age of Darkness, magic worked quite differently in comparison to its now-codified rules. The magic wielded in ancient Sosaria was far less versatile; mages were very busy rediscovering the limits of sorcery, since magic had been outlawed in Sosaria for many generations due to a general distrust by the populace. The coming of Mondain forced its return, in the hopes that a knowledge of magic might help to combat the evil wizard. It was an interesting time, before the rules for magic were finally set in Britannia.

For details of the spells, see Sosarian Spells

Magic Classes

Beginning with Ultima II, Sosarian spells are classed as either “prayers” or “sorcery” – although these terms can be synonymous with “clerical”/“wizard” or “divine”/“arcane” respectively. These classifications determine which professions are able to cast which spells.

First Age of Darkness

At the time of Ultima I, Sosaria was just recovering magic, after it had been banned for a long time; powerful magic users had yet to emerge. Wizards and clerics both practiced the art through their own separate methods. Preparation of spells and casting them from spellbooks was not yet the standard, so magic users had to resort to buying single-use spell scrolls, which they then would use for their magic.

Additionally, four objects were available to strengthen the caster's magic powers: staves, wands, amulets and triangles. The triangle was also a magical sword, usable as a weapon. The Wisdom of the caster determined the chance of successfully casting a spell, while Intelligence determined how powerful its result would be.

Ten spells were available:

Spell	Incantation	Effects
Blink	"Ducis-Educo" (You lead. I lead out.)	Random teleport underground
Create	"Struxi" (I build.)	Creates a force field that blocks all passage
Destroy	"Delio" (I destroy.)	Dispels force fields in front of caster
Kill	"Interficio Nunc" (I slay thee now.)	Destroys a single enemy
Ladder Up	"Ascendo" (I ascend.)	Creates a ladder to ascend one dungeon level
Ladder Down	"Infernus" (Underworld.)	Creates a ladder to descend one dungeon level
Magic Missile	"Vasto" (I ravage.)	Ranged attack spell
Open	"Apertus" (It is free.)	Safely unlocks coffins
Prayer	"Potentis-Laudis" (Great praise.)	A call for divine aid; randomly duplicates other spell effects
Unlock	"Pecunia" (Money.)	Safely unlocks chests
Steal		Increases thieving ability (Apple II only)

Second Age of Darkness

On the time-warped Earth of Ultima II, the division between divine magic and arcane magic grew larger, with wizards practicing arcane magic and clerics divine magic. The same rules for Wisdom and Intelligence applied, yet the use of magic itself was much more limited. Spellcasters required either a wand or staff to cast any spells, and while purchased scrolls were still a necessity, only three of the nine spells could be used by both classes. Three of the spells were purely divine, and three purely arcane in nature.

For whatever reasons (perhaps the warped nature of time and space in this part of Sosaria's past) spells could only be cast in the various dungeons and towers, making the formidable power of magic users next to useless on the surface world.

Nine spells were available:

Spell	Type	Effects
Ladder Up	Both	Creates a ladder to ascend one dungeon level
Ladder Down	Both	Creates a ladder to descend one dungeon level
Light	Both	Creates a magical light source
Blink	Arcane	Random teleport within a dungeon/tower level
Kill	Arcane	Destroys a single enemy
Magic Missile	Arcane	Ranged attack spell
Passwall	Divine	Removes a dungeon/tower wall
Prayer	Divine	Calls deity to destroy one enemy
Surface	Divine	Teleports caster out of dungeon/tower

Third Age of Darkness

In the time of Exodus in Ultima III, the division between arcane magic and divine magic in Sosaria was complete, with various specialty classes practicing either one or the other form of magic. Scrolls no longer had to be bought. Casters knew their spells from memory, and only the amount of mana available limited their level of power and frequency of use. Divine magic relied on Wisdom about the world that surrounds the castle, while arcane magic relied on Intelligence to understand the concept and theories behind magic.

In these times, The Book of Amber Runes revealed the arcane side of magic, while The Ancient Liturgy of Truth revealed the divine aspect. Both sides had their own unique set of 16 spells, which were further divided into 10 basic and 6 advanced spells. All authors of these tomes tried to make the workings of their spells a secret to outsiders, by giving them names that were not of the common tongue.

Both forms of magic required different words of power (in the form of phrases unique to each spell), and some had extremely rare and exotic components (even compared to nightshade or mandrake root!) needed to bring about their effects. Very little of these old ways survived the transition into the Age of Enlightenment.

The available spells were:

Arcane Spells Effects MP A Repond Destroy orcs/goblins/trolls (50% fail) 0 B Mittar Magic missile 5 C Lorum Minor light spell 10 D Dor Acron Down one dungeon level 15 E Sur Acron Up one dungeon level 20 F Fulgar Fireball 25 G Dag Acron Random teleport on surface 30 H Mentar Magic missile (INT-based) 35 I Dag Lorum Major light spell 40 J Fal Divi Cast a Divine spell 45 Advanced Spells K Noxum Multi-fireball 50 L Decorp Death bolt 55 M Altair Negate time 60 N Dag Mentar Major multi-fireball (INT-based) 65 O Necorp Weakens enemies 70 P Multi-death bolt 75

Divine Spells Effects MP A Pontori Destroy skeletons/ghouls/zombies (50% fail) 0 B Appar Unem Disarm chest safely 5 C Sanctu Minor healing 10 D Luminae Minor light spell 15 E Rec Su Up one dungeon level 20 F Rec Du Down one dungeon level 25 G Lib Rec Random teleport in dungeon 30 H Alcort Cure poison 35 I Sequitu Exit from dungeon 40 J Sominae Major light spell 45 Advanced Spells K Sanctu Mani Major healing 50 L Vieda Overhead view of surroundings 55 M Excuun Death bolt 60 N Surmandum Resurrection 65 O Zxkuqyb Multi-death bolt 70 P Anju Sermani Recall from ashes (losing five marks of Wisdom) 75

In the Apple II version, the teleport spell Dag Acron took a non-boat crew to a location with grass, and failed for boats. In the PC-port Dag Acron took a non-boat crew to a location with brush, and took a boat crew to a location with water. This could include bypassing the Silver Snake.

This was the last age in which magic was under experimentation. With the establishment of Britannia, the ways of magic were streamlined, and Britannian magic replaced all the other systems of magic.

Lore

“

A mentioned elsewhere in this manuscript, the practice of magic had once died out in Sosaria. The power of the mystic tradition proved too corrupting for the general populace and the lords of the land decreed that all who dabbled in sorcery were to be banished. ‘Twas not until the coming of Mondain the Wicked that our scholars once again unearthed the dusty tomes that contained the records of the once flourishing arcane arts, and set about to retrain adepts in the use of enchantments. Our leaders realize that once the discipline of magic is reawakened, it shall never again be put to rest. Such is our plight that even the most dreaded of the arts is laid bare to all who will try to learn it and who swear to use its powers to combat the spread of Mondain’s vile influence. While those naturally born to the practice of sorcery, who can invent their own enchantments and forge new ground in the arts, have yet to emerge as powerful wizards in their own right, a certain progress has been made. There are four artifacts available to the budding mage which will enhance the ability to weave enchantments: Staff, Wand, Amulet, and Triangle. The latter is a magical sword that may also serve as a weapon. Several powerful spells, which will cost the buyer in both gold and experience, may be purchased in the magic shoppes of Sosaria. – from The First Age of Darkness (Ultima I)

“

The use of magic spells is limited by your selection of profession. Only wizards and clerics can cast magic spells. Nine spells fall into three categories. Acquiring spells is simple: you purchase them in appropriate shoppes. Their cost rises with increasing power. Casting a spell uses it up even if it fails, so be sure to have plenty of the spells you like. – from The Second Age of Darkness (Ultima II)

“

Each character, that is allowed magic, has a maximum Magic Point level, which is displayed with the Party statistics. A Cleric with a Wisdom attribute of 25, will have an maximum Magic Point level of 25. If thou art a Ranger whose Intelligence is 15, and whose Wisdom is 10, then thou will be able to only cast second rank, (B), spells. Thy costs a different amount of energy to cast. A character replenishes that energy at a rate of one point per turn on the surface, and one point every four turns in a town or dungeon. Druids regain two points per turn, which is quite an advantage. Initial character races must be chosen carefully, or thy characters may never develop enough mystical force within them to succeed on thy quest. Having chosen thy companions, and formed a Party, a few last words of advice. The situation on Sosaria is worsening rapidly. The darkness of evil hangs like a pallor over the Lord British’s realm. – from The Book of Play (Ultima III)

References

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Magic Systems
Sosaria	Sosarian magic
Britannia	Britannian magic ☥ Britannian spells ☥ Ascension magic ☥ Rituals ☥ Ultima VII (SNES)
Serpent Isle	Serpent Isle magic ☥ Serpent Isle spells
Pagan	Pagan magic ☥ Pagan spells ☥ Necromancy ☥ Tempestry ☥ Theurgy ☥ Sorcery ☥ Thaumaturgy
Other	Runic magic ☥ Runic spells ☥ Savage Empire magic