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Demons, Skeletons, and Druids…Oh My!

Magic in the Hyborian World 

Over the last few weeks/months, Funcom and their representatives have been leaking more information about the magic system than they had been previously, so I was anxious to sit down with Jorgen and quiz him on some of the finer aspects of spellweaving and the darkness that many spells call forth. 

The “Journey into Darkness”

In the Age of Conan, and in the Conan lore in general, spellcasters are a special caste of people. Like our real world today, common citizens in Hyboria have no connection to mystical or supernatural forces. When someone in Hyboria does tap into these arts, it is not through common means and often is tied to the demon world in some way.

“We call it the ‘Journey into Darkness’,” Jorgen said. “While the melee combatants experience this in the decisions that they make in the world and how they interact with NPCs, the spellcasters are in particular danger to going down this path due to their connection to the forces of darkness.”

He went on to explain that this is due to the extremely volatile forces that the spellcasters are drawing from. Since their magic is tied to a darker place, it naturally affects the magic-users. The threat is accentuated further when a character weaves his spells together.

For those that are unfamiliar, it was revealed that magic users in the Age of Conan will be able to blend their spells together to form greater and more potent effects. Though the reward from mixing these spells is enhanced, so to is the risk.

“If the spells mixed exceed the character’s abilities, the spellweave could backfire and injure or kill the player,” Jorgen said. “There is also a greater chance of falling farther into darkness.”

If the character takes the path of darkness too far, they may not be able to return. When a character is corrupted to a certain point, he will be plunged into a hell or a place a lot like it. Once this has happened, the character is forced to fight his way back from the depths in order to truly restore life back to his character.