Metal
Tougher than steel
Considered one of the hardest elemental elements to learn, it tends to go hand in hand with electric magic. It's the element of the underground. This element requires lots of concentration, it's a slow element, although like every other element, anyone can learn it, those with dicey focus might have a harder time.
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As you might guess, this element revolves around manipulating and finding metals and things underground, although it's named after metals, it can still involve moving rocks and earth.
BASIC SKILLS
Metal Detection
Desc: Dopalines with this ability are just walking metal detectors, able to sense metal through the ground as though it were simply a creature making noise in the distance. This is useful for dopalines on mining expeditions, as it allows them to figure out if an area is worth mining before they actually go ahead with it! It’s also good for finding the odd coin or two for yourself.
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Learning: A quick tip for this skill is to find a beach! Failing that, find a large, flat expanse of land, a field is probably the most common you’ll find. Then, turn your focus to the ground, and envision the dirt underneath. You should be able to hear a slight ringing where metal underground should be!
Limits/Risks: Due to all the metallic objects produced in the modern dopaline world, one may be at first overwhelmed by what they find. With practice, it becomes easier to filter out and identify specific things.
Terra Tear
Desc: This ability allows a dopal to make small cracks in the ground at most, or lightly control patches of the earth. It’s often used by moviemakers and stunt performers to create obstacles, though it may also be used to create a small blockade by a dopal trying to escape a sticky situation.
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Learning: Going to your nearest cave isn’t a bad shout for this skill, try imagining a big hand grabbing a good handful of the rocks and dirt around you to get a good start on learning Terra Tear. The more you focus on this metaphorical hand, the easier it comes to you!
Limits/Risks: You can’t tear the ground apart with this ability, the most a dopaline can manage at basic level seems to be small cracks in the ground.
Minor Magnet
Desc: A perfect reason for many to dip into Metal magic, as it allows them to keep any metallic objects on their person almost at all times! It at least means they won’t be losing their keys any time soon.
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Learning: First tip is to observe a magnet and how it works, watch it pull metals towards it and, if you’re the type to do so, note down what you see. Then, it’s advised you get a coin or key or otherwise small metal object, then imagine that same pull, as if your magnetic field is pulling the object towards your hand.
Limits/Risks: This ability isn’t strong at first, only pulling at most a key and coin at once, though as you become more proficient, larger quantities of larger objects may find themselves drawn to you.
Earth Sense
Desc: The sounds of the earth below are too quiet for many to hear, but an attuned dopal may be able to just make them out. Dopalines with this skill are often employed to listen in and warn of any upcoming earthquakes or otherwise earthborne problems that may arise in an area that could be used, either for mining, civilisation, or other stuff.
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Learning: Go and sit yourself in an open field, just lay down on the ground and listen in. Don’t think too hard on sensing every little shake and quake, instead allow the rumbles to come to you, like a timid creature.
Limits/Risks: The sounds of tectonic tremors may bring anxiety to easily worried dopalines, as who knows when a devastating earthquake may happen? Will you be able to warn the town? Aside from that though, a dopal can’t sense much more than a few feet below them.
ADVANCED SKILLS
Ground Breaker
PREREQUISITE: Terra Tear
Limits/Risks: If left unchecked, this ability could get rather out of hand rather quickly. Not only can you pull stones from the ground, but you can tear tectonic plates away from each other to create fissures within the ground. A dopaline without actual control over this ability could accidentally hurt themselves or others, though even without injury, significant structural damage can definitely be caused.
Desc: Tearing the ground apart is nice and all, but have you heard of that but bigger? Ground Breaker is a skill learned by many mining dopals, as they can use it to easily tear the caves apart without much need for a pickaxe. It may also be used to install underground systems, such as piping or tunnels, as the ground can simply be removed and put back when the work is done.
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Learning: Many recommend you test out this skill by making attempts at yanking out large rocks from the ground, taking what you know from Terra Tear and blowing it into a much larger scale, if you had the right focus you could even pull the largest stone in the woods!
Magnetised
PREREQUISITE: Minor Magnet
Desc: A step up from Minor Magnet, Blacksmiths and other dopalines that work with lots of metal love this ability. It’s the perfect way to keep tools on you without need for a toolkit, and can also be used to pull objects towards you so you can be lazy and not just walk over to get them!
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Learning: Why don’t you try sitting in a cave, see how much metal you could draw out through that? Though if you don’t have a cave readily available, your very own kitchen will suffice as long as you’re careful with the more dangerous items you could find sticking to your body as you practice.
Limits/Risks: If a dopaline is inexperienced with this skill, they may not expect the power it truly has. This creates the funny visual of a dopal covered head to toe in different metal trinkets! At least it makes finding those coins you dropped under the sofa easier.
Limits/Risks: The damage this ability can cause is huge, as the earthquake can be any magnitude, though lower ones are more common with less experience. Larger magnitude earthquakes result in larger amounts of energy used.
Quake Shake
PREREQUISITE: Earth Sense
Desc: With Earth Sense comes the ability to create your own earthquakes. Yes, you heard that right, earthquakes. Dopalines able to sense the tectonic shifts below the ground are able to manipulate the plates to their will, and this can easily result in them shaking up the ground like no tomorrow! This tends to be used offensively, possibly in protest to new towns or just in protest to that guy in particular, a strong enough ‘quake can probably create fissures larger than the Ground Breaker ability could even dream of!
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Learning: It’s often a good idea to test this skill out in the woods, sounds like an odd choice but in actual fact it makes seeing the effects a lot easier, you get to see the trees and bushes rustle and quiver in real time which makes a great gauge of strength!
Metal Bending
PREREQUISITE: Metal Detection
Desc: Metal Bending is a blacksmith’s best friend, the difference between a modern blacksmith and a “traditional” blacksmith. A modern blacksmith can have your weapon done, sharpened and pristine for you in minutes, seconds even, while a traditional blacksmith may be stuck in the old ways, using fire magic for their forging and insisting it’s better because it has integrity. Both weapons are good, one was just made quicker. The best part of this skill, however, is how versatile it is, as you can use it to make more than just weapons. Anything you can think of works!
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Learning: So, now that you know how to find metal, you gotta learn how to shape it to your own will. Most common place to learn is of course at a Blacksmith’s with your own stick of iron, or using your own cutlery if you’re really that careless. Just focus on what you want to turn this metal into in your head and watch as your magic makes it a reality.
Limits/Risks: The most one may be able to handle at first is simply, well, bending the metal, but with great practice comes great ability! This ability can easily become your substitute for a furnace, as you can just bend and manipulate the metal as though it were heated up and malleable, though at first it may be difficult to wrangle.
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Steel Storm
Desc: This skill allows for a dopaline to tear metals from all angles of their surroundings and speed-shape them to fit what they need them for. It's typically used when a dop finds themselves underprepared for a fight, but may also be used if a blacksmith finds themselves too close to a deadline to make it with metal bending on its own.
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Learning: To get this one under your belt, many often choose to fake danger. Often by going down caves with your friends wearing dumb scary masks and the like, apparently the more frightened you feel the quicker the skill comes to you.
PREREQUISITES: Metal Bending & Minor Magnet
Limits/Risks: This ability tends to be used without thought, a Metal proficient dop's stress response. Unfortunately, its efficient effectiveness is rather taxing on the user, so once the adrenaline wears off, the dopal may need to take a few days off to rest.
Miner's Gambit
PREREQUISITES: Quake Shake & Metal Detection
Desc: Dopalines with this skill are a must have for mining teams, as they're able complete a job that could take months in minutes. Some also like to use this to find lost trinkets when magnetism alone isn't working, though this isn't advised due to its destructive capabilities.
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Learning: To learn this skill, many like to just wander into a cave, detect the metal around them, and focus on pulling it all towards them at once. Their focus should be so strong it shakes the ground, and a successful attempt should have all the metals and minerals in a pile at their paws.
Limits/Risks: This skill pulls all the metal and minerals in an area towards the dopal, however it may take some of the wall and ceiling with it. An unprepared dopaline may end up injured, trapped, or worse.
Limits/Risks: Too big a guard can end up in an exhausted and vulnerable dopaline, so it's generally advised as a move used to buy yourself time for a quick getaway. Structural damage is another possible issue, alongside the possibility of injury if one isn't careful enough!
Grounded Guard
PREREQUISITES: Earth Sense & Ground Breaker
Desc: A simple defensive move, combative dopals like to learn this skill just so they can shield themselves from oncoming danger without need for anything extra, just the ground around them. This ability can also be used to make slopes for races of any kind!
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Learning: Dopals are advised to pair up for learning this skill, however a pet or simply no props or scenarios is equally as effective. The trick to this ability is to focus on the earth around you and tear a chunk of it upwards in front of you, but not completely detach it. Having something charging at you just brings up the urgency and gives the kick a struggling dopal may need.