DA4: Tevinter hero ends the sixth blight, smacks some arrogant magisters around in the process, and exterminates the qunari. I'm tired of playing nice. I would like a deep, dark, epic story with a happy ending. One can hope I guess.
What is the climate in Tevinter? From the way it sounds it seems very Mediterranean, compared to say the British Isles of Ferelden of the France of Orlais. The further north you go the warmer it gets.
What is the climate in Tevinter? From the way it sounds it seems very Mediterranean, compared to say the British Isles of Ferelden of the France of Orlais. The further north you go the warmer it gets.
Sounds like it's hot. NPCs have spent the last few games remarking on how cold Ferelden is, so I expect some comments on the heat and humidity as we go further north. I wouldn't be surprised if they followed up on their cultural likening of western Tevinter = Rome, eastern Tevinter = India, with those regions also following similar weather patterns to those in the real world.
It would be the greatest thing if you run into a mage who is technically low in rank, but is enormously wealthy because s/he invented a spell that makes the air in an enclosed area (like a house) warmer or cooler depending on what you want. Magical air conditioning! They should totally have it by now.
What is the climate in Tevinter? From the way it sounds it seems very Mediterranean, compared to say the British Isles of Ferelden of the France of Orlais. The further north you go the warmer it gets.
Thedas is in the southern hemisphere, so I imagine it is considerably warmer than Ferelden.
Par Vollen, even further north than Tevinter sounds downright tropical.
It certainly is possible. We have seen magic that can create or manipulate localized weather events before.It would be the greatest thing if you run into a mage who is technically low in rank, but is enormously wealthy because s/he invented a spell that makes the air in an enclosed area (like a house) warmer or cooler depending on what you want. Magical air conditioning! They should totally have it by now.
While there are incantations, the slavers in DA2 thought that binding a mages hands makes them vulnerable.What is the most important physical act when casting a spell? In a lot of games you see the character make a gesture, a motion, utter a phrase or speak in an ancient language. What about Mages in DA.
Ferelden has a basic culture and its not particularly a "clean" place, that's why its called dump. The good thing about Ferelden is its probably the most carefree nation in Thedas, people really don't care about anything as long as their daily lives are not interrupted. They rather be free than be "culturally advanced". Yeah David Gaider confirmed the loose resemblance to England during Roman reign (or Ireland, or Scotland). Although Ironically Ferelden has one of the most advanced political system in Thedas, while still having basic rules such as trial by combat. There is actually sparks of democracy in Ferelden, given the game is based on feudal age its pretty impressive.
Free Marchers have always bitten more than they can chew, they have declared war three times on Tevinter and it has never ended well for them. While it has fertile lands, it probably had most deaths in history. So its not particularly safe.
Ferelden has potential, it *almost banished Chantry as a whole when it took Orlais's side and called invasion of Ferelden just. Granted it didn't happen but that's how much the people of Ferelden value their freedom. They are willing to sacrifice everything for it.
Where I know I can agree is that Ferelden may have greater potential.
Like beyond any initial Dragon Age series arc (several games), I can see a Ferelden/British empire happening.
I just think its a bigger dump in most respects compared to everywhere else *for now*.
Thought that was superstition the hand binding. Plus Irving was under extenuating circumstances
after mentioning students being hit in the head like a angry kungfu master... Is all I care about now be needs to have it doneThe mages seem to need something to direct spells. While it may be mostly a mental thing, the physical parts are still required for the average mage, I think. Otherwise, there is no point to the staves except to whack annoying students.
Pointing of hands, or at least their movement, seems required for the average mage to direct spells, so the binding of hands would limit a mage. It won't make them unable to do magic; they could still do incantations.
Magic Dragon Blood probably makes one like a Dreamer in the material world as in the Fade.
It seems that mages need something through which to focus their magic -- a staff, wand, or some other object -- for a lot of intense spellcasting as in battles and such, but I don't believe such a focus object is required to cast a standard spell normally. The Venatori spellcasters have large grimoires.
I would like to see something in addition to staves, like wands, or perhaps just a shorter staff. Diablo III has all sorts of different focus objects for the wizard class, including floating orbs, but those look ridiculous while running around. XD
It seems that mages need something through which to focus their magic -- a staff, wand, or some other object -- for a lot of intense spellcasting as in battles and such, but I don't believe such a focus object is required to cast a standard spell normally. The Venatori spellcasters have large grimoires.
I would like to see something in addition to staves, like wands, or perhaps just a shorter staff. Diablo III has all sorts of different focus objects for the wizard class, including floating orbs, but those look ridiculous while running around. XD
Wands... What wanna owl next lol
Wands... What wanna owl next lol
Those venatori casters still have staves... for some reason... Also, they are also waving their hands around when casting spells. The floating book with bound spirit stuff is for enhancing spells or whatever.
You know I'm joking right and we should have a per tbhYeah, I knew someone was going to go there. A wand need not be the same puny thing as in the Harry Potter universe. It is essentially a portable staff. Staves are very large and can be unwieldy. What if it breaks or you lose it in the heat of battle? A backup wand would be handy.
Ah yes, you are right, how could I forget one of my favorite staff models in the game? XD
or be real men and use your handsEnchanted dagger would be better. More uses.
A degree of concentration is required for the spell. In Asunder Rhys is in such pain that he is rendered incapable of healing himself. In the past it was also possible to stop a mage mid-spell by distracting them (hitting them usually did the trick).
In Masked Empire Felassan used a feather that formerly belonged to someone as a focus for his spell to find them. He also had a retractable staff that could be hidden under his cloak until he needed to use it. That struck me as such a practical solution to carrying around a staff you wonder that no one else had ever thought of it, particularly apostates in the south. I wonder if it would be possible to replicate that in game?
As for the climate of Tevinter, it is such a large place that I dare say it varies from south to north. I would imagine that Vyrantium is definitely more Mediterranean as it is on the same latitude as Antiva, adjacent to a much warmer sea than the Amarantine Ocean and the prevailing winds may well be from the north, in other words Seheron, which we know has jungles. Moving northwards the vegetation probably gets lusher, with a greater prevalence of palm trees and the like. However, cities like Marothius may well be quite arid depending on which side of the mountains the rain shadow falls. The Silent Plains may well be desert, having never really recovered from the 1st Blight. I would imagine the peninsula to the north of Minrathous is covered with jungle as it is would appear to be quite mountainous and therefore largely unsuitable for agriculture but the plain between the mountains and the sea to the south is likely paddy fields and the like. I should think Arlathan Forest does look jungle like but it is mid-way between the latitude of Seheron and that of Antiva, so could be more temperate rainforest than jungle. Of course, all the above assumes that the climate in Thedas follows the same rules as in our world, which is largely down to the writers, so who knows what we will find when we get there.
Tevinter robes are a lot more armored than southern versions and most of the Tevinter mages we have seen use metal and bladed staves. I think these imply they are more than prepared to be in melee and bash heads sometimes rather than casting spells all the time.
Any magical limitations in most of Thedas, especially the 'South' or 'South Influenced' (Ferelden, Orlais, Nevarra?, Anderfels?, Free Marches, etc?), may be considered an effect of a society that limits magical exposure and education. This era may have some particularly newer styles, techniques, discoveries about magic (and they may have come as a result of the magical direction of this Chantry era), but this is a convenient setup for Bioware to do all sorts of 'new' things about magic in the future.
For example, there is the opening for staves to only be one among many different weapons for mages, or even one among many styles (may be unarmed, use objects not as clear weaponry). Staves are just the most commonly understood useful weapon to channel the magic of magical people.
Tevinter, present and ancient, may have used staves, but these staves may have had more metal involved and have a more clearly physically offensive use. The ancient elves may have used objects to channel power, and perhaps objects with length like staves have, but there's nothing that keeps them being staves. Current Thedas (until more recent events) has been a world restricted in magic compared to its past/potential, and so we have a less magical population needing challenging objects, but using less offensively oriented objects. The Circles only break out the mages for war when very necessary - most often for selective recruitment for the Wardens. However, Tevinter is a (relative) magical holdout that may have more style than the south, and there are hedge mages and it seems the Qunari have select times that they unleash their mages on enemies in a more brutal fashion that doesn't really need staves.
If we're going to Tevinter in DA4, I expect significant expansion of magical lore. Specifically 'magic' - not just elves, mage culture, magical politics, the Fade realm. We ought to be diving deep into what magic means on Thedas, more than any previous game offered. DAO set up the world, DA2 showed us there's some more variety to its magic, and DAI unlocked the door to bigger and more varied interpretations on magic, but DA4 in Tevinter should be all about this stuff. Some players won't like this, but I'd assure them that there was always going to be more magic story in a Tevinter game, while games after it may ease up again and go on other emphasis. Its just Magic = Tevinter. There's a lot to learn about higher schools of magic (and even secrets or discoveries about 'mainstream' known schools) that the South simply mostly wouldn't explore unless the society was collectively pressed to do so. Obviously Tevinter won't be so advanced and powerful that the tales of it falling within and without would be unbelievable, but even today it resists the Qunari, has kept itself from utterly collapsing politically, has defenses that most of the rest of the present would should be envious of, and all through this, it presents an image and perhaps reality of a realm that would still repel the collective warfare of all of the Chantry/southern realms, albeit perhaps barely now. They gots good stuff.
Those venatori casters still have staves... for some reason... Also, they are also waving their hands around when casting spells. The floating book with bound spirit stuff is for enhancing spells or whatever.
Knight Enchanters don't need staves, they can use that medieval lightsaber.
Arcane warriors can use whatever.
They all still wave their hands.
The hands... or at least body movement... seems important. Maybe not vital/necessary, but important.
Post-Trespasser Solas doesn't need to use his hands to petrify a group of Qunari soldiers.
Solas is hardly representative of what the average Mage needs to do to performs magic.Post-Trespasser Solas doesn't need to use his hands to petrify a group of Qunari soldiers.
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