Magic point

As Mana (of hawaiian mana "power" ) is in the fantasy genre (especially web and collectible card games) is a form of spiritual energy which can be used for application of magic of a competent characters. Other names are astral energy, astral points or magic points.

Description

Note: There are different implementations and competing versions of magic systems. Therefore may differ in individual games, the use, depiction and designation.

Function and application concept

In many popular games each spell requires a certain amount of mana, which is deducted immediately from the mana pool of the protagonist of the game when in use. If the required amount of mana (no longer) available, the desired spell can not be activated. The stronger the magic, the more mana it consumes. This is to prevent that the player has made it too easy to defeat his opponents.

Regenerate mana

In most fantasy computer role-playing games and mana can be restored by means of certain items (such as mana potions ). In many role-playing games (such as Massively Multiplayer Online Role- Playing Games ) such as World of Warcraft, Wizard, or certain breeds have the property of self-healing, mana thus recovers gradually by itself A full population arises in usually when the character rests completely, if possible, or by similar potions

Equipment ( such as rings ), character states ( such as poisoning), enchantments, certain areas and the like can affect both positively and negatively, prevent or even decimate the mana regeneration speed. A direct influence of Manawerten on the life points is not usually the case.

In general, is the game progresses through a step climb higher amount of mana at their disposal and stronger spells can usually be learned.

Forms of representation

In the role-playing world, the tradition has developed to represent the stock of available and einsetzbarem mana in the form of a blue energy bar that gradually empties at magic use. In some cases, the remaining amount and calculated in percentages. An example of this is World of Warcraft, in the immediately after calling a spell the selected Aktionsicon is gray colored and within one to several seconds "charged" is. The mana pool is calculated as a percentage and decreases, depending on the level of the previously invoked spell in order few to a few percent. Is the mana bar empty ( dropped to 0%), can not be conjured up by the learned spells, in many games, however, direct scrolls can be used from inventory.

Also in other MMORPGs, it remains mostly in the form of representation blue bar - the life points bar is usually green or red held to delineate them visible from Mana. Mana is therefore different from the so-called Magic Points (MP ) for which points specifically accounts need to be entertained.

Some games, such as Diablo and Sacred also use circular Mana ads, partly separately for individual spells that can regenerate at different rates.

Alternatives

The role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons rules is based on the so-called vancianisches magic system, named after the author Jack Vance, for the first time in 1950 introduced the principle in his short story Mazirian the Magician within the fantasy book series The Dying Earth. It comes entirely from without mana points and is based instead on the memorization of spells that are used up after pronouncing however.

An alternative model in computer games is the so-called decay, after a spell after the application is again available after a certain pause. Decay times can be combined with the Mana principle.