DTX Studios: Wiki launch content: written from the game's code, data and story bible (Tools/wiki/content)

2026-10-13T21:13:49Z

Wiki launch content: written from the game's code, data and story bible (Tools/wiki/content)

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Magic}}
'''Magic''' in ''Dawn of Embers'' comes in '''four schools''': '''Fire''', '''Water''', '''Earth''' and '''Lightning'''. Magic reaches the battlefield in two ways: through '''mage''' units, and through the [[Pillars]] (Points of Power) that mages charge.

== The four schools ==
Each school has its own mage unit and its own kind of Pillar.

{| class="wikitable"
! School !! Mage unit !! Pillar effect (summary)
|-
| '''Fire''' || Fire Mage || A barrage on enemy buildings that leaves them Burning
|-
| '''Lightning''' || Lightning Mage || A barrage on enemy units that leaves them Paralysed
|-
| '''Earth''' || Earth Mage || A protective ward on all your units and buildings
|-
| '''Water''' || Water Mage || A healing blessing on all your units
|}

For each mage's statistics, see the unit pages.

== Mages ==
* All four mages are trained at the '''Wizards Training Grounds'''.
* All four belong to one unit role, '''Mage'''. The school is the kind of damage their attack does.
* Mages attack from range and hit '''one target per attack''', like other units. See [[Combat]].
* '''Mages are the only units that can charge a Pillar.''' Every mage counts the same, whatever its school. See [[Pillars#Charging]].
* The '''Mystic''' [[Callings|Calling]] makes mage attacks 20% stronger.
* Out of combat, a mage carries its staff as a walking stick; in combat it takes it up as a weapon.

=== Does the school matter in combat? ===
In the current build, a mage's school '''does not change how much damage it deals to a given target'''. The game records each attack's damage type (Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, and also Melee, Ranged and Siege), but no counter system uses it yet. Today it decides only which attack icon the unit panel shows. See ''Planned'' below.

== Status effects ==
A '''status effect''' is a temporary condition on a unit or building. Today they come from Pillars and from the Captain.
* The unit panel shows an '''icon''' for each active effect. Its tooltip gives the effect's name and description.
* When an effect lands on your units, you get a short notice, at most once every 20 seconds per effect. Some effects, such as auras that flicker on and off, are never announced.
* '''Re-applying''' an effect from the same source refreshes its timer; it does not stack. The same effect from '''different sources''' (for example, two nearby warded units) does stack.
* Damage-over-time effects deal their damage through the normal damage rules, so armour and [[Disciplines]] reduce it, and a kill is credited to whoever caused it.
* All damage-dealt and damage-taken changes from status effects combine by multiplication. The combined total is kept between 10% and 1000% of normal.

{| class="wikitable"
! Effect !! Source !! What it does !! Duration
|-
| '''Burning''' || Fire Pillar strike || Loses 0.4% of its maximum health every second. || 5 minutes, refreshed by each strike
|-
| '''Paralysed''' || Lightning Pillar strike || Deals 30% less damage and takes 25% more damage. || 5 minutes, refreshed by each strike
|-
| '''Earthen Ward''' || Earth Pillar || Takes 15% less damage. Enemies who press close are Stonebitten. Applies to units and buildings. || 5 minutes
|-
| '''Stonebitten''' || An Earthen Ward nearby (about 2.5 m) || Takes 2 damage per second for each warded unit or building next to it. || While it stays close
|-
| '''Blessing of Water''' || Water Pillar || Regenerates 1.5 health per second. Allies close by are Renewed. Units only. || 5 minutes
|-
| '''Renewed''' || A blessed unit nearby (about 2.5 m) || Regenerates 1 health per second for each blessed unit next to it. || While it stays close
|-
| '''Captain's Command''' || Near the Captain (about 8 m) || Deals 10% more damage and takes 10% less damage. || While near the Captain
|}

Notes:
* '''Paralysed''' does not stop a unit from moving or attacking. It only weakens its attacks and its defence.
* '''Burning''' on a unit with armour is reduced by that armour, but every tick deals at least a small amount of damage.
* Status-effect names and descriptions come from the game's data. The texts above are the current in-game wording where one exists.

== Planned ==
* '''A counter system''' (damage type against armour class) is described in the code as a future feature. It is not active: every damage type deals normal damage to every target.
* '''Area-damage spells''' for mages are mentioned in the code as planned. Mage attacks currently hit a single target.

Magic - Revision history

DTX Studios: Wiki launch content: written from the game's code, data and story bible (Tools/wiki/content)