Nature
Yay! Grass!
Nature magic is not just for tree-huggers! Although it's abilities do make for some impressive gardening, Nature magic is a very versatile class of elemental magic! It can also just be used to help brighten things up! Who doesn't like a good patch of magically grown wildflowers?
This magic is based around the feeling of connecting to the plants around you, working alongside them, not against them. It's thought that dopaline's who learn this tend to have higher empathy, however it's nothing more than a baseless belief.
BASIC SKILLS
Flora Growth
Desc: Flora growth is the most basic of all nature abilities, as well as one of the most versatile! Florists, hobbyist gardeners, farmers, and odd forest dwelling dops alike can find use with this ability. Whether it’s to help sickly flowers reach full fruition, or to speed up a harvest to beat out your competitors, flora growth is a skill loved and utilised by many.
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Learning: Most say it’s easier to start with a sprout than it is a seed. Some dopals like to make it a game, like those activities back in school you’d do where you try to see how well your beanstalk can grow! Others prefer to study and grow a plant alone, noting down its progress with and without their help.
Limits/Risks: How well you can grow your flora all depends on your mood! Dopalines with more extreme emotions such as happiness or rage may end up growing too many plants at once, while an upset dopal may end up killing the plant, possibly killing their mood further. It’s good to find that middle ground, that peace of mind, that zen, before attempting this ability.
Photosynthesis
Desc: Many dopals like to dip into nature magic for this specific skill, an easy way to regenerate energy when you’re running low. Much like a plant, dopalines with this skill are able to draw energy from the sun to give themselves that little push they need to finish a job or fight.
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Learning: An advised way to learn this skill is just by sunbathing! On a sunny day, many dopalines like to just lie in the sun and take in its warmth, then focus on converting that warmth into energy.
Limits/Risks: While it may be tempting to just take all your energy from the sun, this isn’t advised as it can cause an unhealthy dependency that really shines through when the sun doesn’t. Dopalines found to be abusing the photosynthesis ability may find themselves lethargic or depressed on rainy days, struggling to regain energy from the usual means.
Limits/Risks: In more crowded areas such as forests, it may be difficult to make out anything at all - no, it may just be noise to your ears until you have more experience with nature magic. It’s also much easier to hear a plant’s words when you’re closer to it. Different plants may also have different personalities, some a dopal may find frustrating, annoying, fun, or all three! For example, a tree may be wise and a little snarky, while berries may be excitable and fun-loving!
Green Tongue
Desc: They say the wind whispers, but really it might just be the plants trying to tell you what they’ve heard. Wanderers like to use this skill for finding out the dangers of an upcoming path, while dopals sent to solve a problem with a forest can easily find out the root of the problem through a simple conversation with the local plantlife.
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Learning: Sitting in the forest is the easy first step, though some dopals prefer to use a flowerbed or local park for more streamlined conversations. The next step is to listen closely, try to distinguish the sounds carried on the wind, while focusing as well on the nature around you.
Garden Sense
Desc: Dopalines proficient in nature may find themselves able to map out an entire area in minutes just by standing in the middle of all the nature there. With eyes closed and hands outstretched, they can reach their senses to the plants, feeling, seeing, hearing what they do. This is often used when trying to navigate a new location, or identify where a local issue could be.
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Learning: Dopals learning this skill are typically advised to do so alone, as distractions may just inhibit their ability to truly learn it. The best way to learn when you’ve found a spot alone is then to close your eyes and focus on the area around you, trying to visualise what the local plantlife may be able to see.
Limits/Risks: This skill is generally easier to do with a level head, as strong emotions may cloud your senses. Its range also isn’t too far, especially at Basic level, though range and clarity may increase as your proficiency with the magic does.
ADVANCED SKILLS
Beast's Tongue
PREREQUISITE: Green Tongue
Limits/Risks: New animals may take a bit to learn the language of, and wild animals may be less willing to chat than domesticated ones.
Desc: A base understanding of nature’s language can easily lead to learning the language of the fauna too! This may start with simply understanding their body language more than other dops, though as more time is spent with the animal, they may be able to decipher what their chirps and barks really mean! Often used by those with pets, those residing in the forest, or just dopals who want to flex that they know their friend’s sparzynx actually hates them.
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Learning: A fun and easy way to learn this skill is to first have an animal in front of you! Friend groups or just lone dops may utilise their own pets for this ability, instructing them to make whatever noise they make repeatedly until they can understand it. A dopal with a closer bond to the animal may find this ability easiest to learn, as they’ll already have a deeper understanding of them than most.
Nature's Blessing
PREREQUISITE: Flora Growth
Desc: Plants have always been known to have healing properties, so it’s not unheard of for a dopal to be able to take such properties from the nature around them and reutilise it for themselves and others. Medical professionals are generally expected to have this ability, while others may find it useful for themselves, especially if they’re the clumsy type or happen to have a friend or relative known for getting themselves hurt!
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Learning: Dopals trying to learn this ability may surround themselves with plants, then focus on syphoning the healing energy from them and into themselves. Some may also partner up so they can focus on moving the healing from plant to dopal, but this isn’t necessary if one prefers to learn alone.
Limits/Risks: Unfortunately, this ability can only heal minor cuts and scrapes, though larger wounds may be lessened in severity. Additionally, while a dopal can take the healing energy from a plant or two and store it for later, it will fizzle out eventually if not used.
Limits/Risks: You can control whether the beam is harmful or helpful, though it can’t do both at once. It takes more energy to help than to harm, and the skill overall is rather useless without the sun present unless you’ve managed to store up some solar energy with the photosynthesis skill.
Solar Shot
PREREQUISITE: Photosynthesis
Desc: Useful for combative purposes or forcing energy into a dopal or plant that just won’t rest up, this ability can be both painful and helpful! Many dopalines like to learn this skill for if they get into a sticky situation, though medical professionals may also learn it to just give a patient a little energy boost if they need it.
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Learning: The first tip for learning this skill is to have some solar energy already stored, but not used yet. Then, focus on creating a ball of solar energy in front of you, a mini-sun if you will. It’s generally advised to start with a helpful beam, as while it’s harder to do than a harmful one, it backfiring won’t result in possible injury.
Danger Detection
PREREQUISITE: Garden Sense
Desc: It’s said dopalines with nature magic are hard to surprise. This may be due to their danger sense, a step up from garden sense, which allows them to better identify the threats in an area alongside the general layout! Dopals with this ability tend to align with law enforcement, or otherwise be the type to fix problems in an area, though some may also use it for general everyday life things, such as avoiding pranks and surprise ‘attacks’. It’s also pretty good for if you’re involved in crime and have a target on your back!
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Learning: Dopalines learning this skill often like to go to the same place they learned Garden Sense, as it’s familiar and possibly even nostalgic to them. There, you can learn this ability rather quickly with your improved understanding of magic and the environment, though it may still require more focus than simply mapping the area does.
Limits/Risks: Danger Sense requires a lot of focus to use at first, and any distraction can easily break this focus for dops with less experience. Its range also isn’t the largest, and while you may be able to sense a large amount with Garden Sense, Danger Sense may prioritise alerting you to your immediate vicinity.
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Rexik's Wrath
Desc: When you're at your wits end, may the rage of Rexik themself flow through you, calling every plant and beast to your aid as you show your foes the true power of nature! This is typically learned by dops prone to getting themselves into sticky situations, and some dopals in the law enforcement field may also find it useful.
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Learning: Dopals trying to learn this skill are advised to put themselves in a dangerous situation surrounded by nature, or otherwise pretend they’re in one. Focusing all their fear and rage into the flora and fauna around them, successful use of this skill will result in the nature around them leaping to their defence, either defensively or offensively.
PREREQUISITES: Beast's Tongue & Flora Growth
Limits/Risks: This skill can be highly volatile if not controlled effectively, and could lead to more harm than intended. It’s also not to be used too much at once, as the local wildlife may turn on you out of annoyance from being called on so much.
Homegrown Healing
PREREQUISITES: Nature's Blessing & Photosynthesis
Desc: An upgrade to Nature’s Blessing, Homegrown Healing is often used in much more dire situations due to its higher energy cost. With the use of solar energy to enhance healing ability, a dop can close a life threatening wound in minutes. Used by emergency responders as well as combat-prone dopals and said dopals’ friends, this ability can be the difference between life and death.
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Learning: The learning process for this skill involves storing some solar energy with the photosynthesis skill, then healing a wound with Nature’s Blessing while imbuing the solar power into the ability. The wound should be healed much more effectively than without!
Limits/Risks: Using this skill is exhausting, and may result in the user’s collapse if used too much at once. It tends to target one dopal if its focus isn’t split, however splitting its focus also takes more energy from the user. This ability, while able to regrow missing limbs, may substitute their flesh with more…floral materials. So instead of a regular arm, you get a wooden arm!
Limits/Risks: This skill is harder to learn and master than Rexik’s Wrath, and may result in some frustrating failures. The relationship between your dop and nature should be mutual and symbiotic, a scenario where both benefit in the end. Nature will come to your aid if you call it, but you should be able to aid nature in becoming what you want it to be. This skill is also rather tiring to use for extended periods of time, and damage your weapons and defences take may become damage to you if you’re not careful.
Floral Fisticuffs
PREREQUISITES: Danger Detection & Flora Growth
Desc: Make your grassy allies into your greatest weapon! This ability allows for a dopal to weaponise the nature around them, creating bark armour and sharp vine blades from the ground, or perhaps sharpened petal shurikens? Whatever you can imagine, you can probably make it. This ability is perfect for if you want a more controlled version of Rexik’s Wrath, and tends to be used by noble warriors or otherwise combative dops!t don’t have access to a tap!
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Learning: Learning this skill is as easy as standing in a forest and calling nature to you, however it requires focus and creativity. You need to shape the grass into blades, the bark into armoured plating or a shield, you can’t just scream for Rexik to help you and call it a day unfortunately! This is where many dopals seem to fail, as they try to bend nature to their will without putting in the effort themselves.
