Putting Magic Flavor on the Table; Masques Block

 The Masques block is the fifth block, consisting of the large expansion Mercadian Masques and the two small expansions Nemesis and Prophecy. The block was released in 1999–2000.

Mechanics

This block included the searchable Rebels and Mercenaries, Spellshapers, new cards with alternative costs, and new abilities playable by any player (e.g., Squallmonger). It introduced the keywords Fading and Rhystic magic—discounted spells and abilities that work properly unless a specified player pays a set amount of mana.

Putting Magic Flavor on the Table; Mercadian Masques

 Mercadian Masques is the eighteenth Magic expansion and was released in October 1999 as the first set in the Masques block

Storyline

The Weatherlight's troubles continue as it crash-lands on a strange new plane. The ship is attacked by the Cho-Arrim, who steal the ship. Finally, soldiers from Mercadia City arrive to arrest the crew. Meanwhile, Orim, who was captured with the ship, learns more about her captors. The Cho-Arrim are spiritual people who suffer greatly under the greedy Mercadians. Their leader Cho-Manno explains that he took the Weatherlight's arrival as a sign prophesying the return of the sky god Ramos and the end of Mercadian rule. Orim slowly becomes sympathetic to the Cho-Arrim's situation and attracted to their leader.

Mercadians are an evasive, aloof people: the nobles are hedonistic, apathetic, and lazy, while the commoners are selfish, grasping, and paranoid. Mercadian goblins are much larger and smarter than any the crew has encountered before, and they actually seem to be running the city despite their servile attitudes. Furthermore, a guild of professional assassins, thieves and horrors called Caterans roams the back alleys of the marketplace, ready to terrorize or murder anyone for the right price. The Mercadian magistrate unexpectedly offers Gerrard an unusual deal. A platoon of soldiers and Cateran mercenaries will be placed under his command to recover the Weatherlight. If the mission is successful, Gerrard may petition for both the return of his ship and safe passage out of Mercadia for himself and his crew. In the ensuing battle, the violent Caterans slaughter the Cho-Arrim indiscriminately.

Back in Mercadia City, Takara brokers a new deal with the magistrate: the crew will repair the damaged Weatherlight and restore its flying mechanisms for him in exchange for their freedom. Sisay, Hanna and Orim will travel to Saprazzo, a rival trade city inhabited by enlightened merfolk with the ability to switch between fish tails and human legs at will. There they will secure an artifact required to fix the ship, while Takara and the male members of the crew remain in captivity.

Eventually, Takara engineers the crew's escape. Gerrard's band discovers the ruins of an ancient Thran site, encounters a race of powerful dryads, and battles a huge, mechanical war engine.

Keywords and mechanics

Unusually, Masques introduced no new keyword abilities to the game, although it did have several themes that were continued throughout its block. These included:

• Rebels and Mercenaries: creatures able to search through their controller's library and "recruit" creatures of a specific type into play.

• Spellshapers: creatures that had repeatable activated abilities that mimicked various classic spells, potentially turning otherwise useless cards into powerful effects. All of Masques's spellshapers required paying mana, tapping the creature and discarding a card to use their ability.

• Masques also reintroduced instants and sorceries with alternative casting costs, such as Invigorate. This mechanic had not been used since Visions.

• Creatures with abilities usable by any player, such as Squallmonger and Flailing Manticore.

Card Conversions

Card	Type	Conversion	Element
4	Enchantment- Aura	Arrest	Conjuration

Home Security; Arrest

 

Replicating versatile spellcasting with the Mutants and Masterminds engine can quickly become overwhelming. Spell levels and slots do not fit how M&M handles power effects. The alternate effect enables a mage to generate a spell repertoire powered by a signature spell. This signature spell represents the focus of a Mage’s magical training and indicates how powerful that particular character’s magic is.

Arrest 1 Power Point

White

Conjuration

Magic

The mage can restrain a target indefinitely by channeling white mana into raw constructs. The mage attempts to ensnare the target with the construct; if they fail to capture the target, the construct fizzles away.

Mechanics

Arrest is a scaleable Create effect. The construct the spell forms has a size and/or toughness rank equal to the effect rank. Various spellcasting traditions shape this spell into their own signature restraints.

Create, Impervious, Limited (Restraint or barrier)Check Required (Effect fails to Manifest unless it traps a subject dodge check) 12

The Constructs at Call

Angelic Statues The Risan Church

Devotees of Stella Risa manifest this spell as a statue of an angel that grasps the target in its arms and envelops them in its wings.

Heightening and Lightening

Increasing the rank of this spell strengthens the construct and has the option of increasing it’s . effective size Characters of increased size can only be restrained by an arresting effect equal to their size rank or higher. You need at least a Level 4 Arrest effect to restrain a large creature.

Off Book Effect

Some manifestations of the Arrest effect trap the target within a solid mana construct. These manifestations could be used as an emergency shield effect by enveloping the target in a solid construct, you can prevent damage from impacting them.

The Essence of Power; Essence Physiology

 Adapted from Essence Physiology- Superpower Wiki

The power to transform into or have a physical body made up of essence. Technique of Biological Manipulation.

Essence Physiology

Capabilities

The user is able to transform their body completely into essence. Users transformed form can is anatomically identical to their normal form, aside of being made of essence, in which case it contains all to organs and is somewhat vulnerable to attacks. Alternately user can transform into homogeneous matter, without any part of their form being more important than the other.

Nigh Formed Essence-Energy Beings are or can change into mostly physical beings, with the essence energy flowing through their being, fortifying their cells, bones and muscles. Their power is mostly focused to their bodies and while they gain some amount of essence-attacks, the changes and applications are mostly internal.

Full-Formed Essence-Energy Beings are completely formed of essence energy without anything truly left from their physical form. They gain impressive control over their form and vast capacity to expel essence in various ways.

Application

Power Physiology 

The power to transform into or have a physical body made up of pure power.

The Essence of Power; Power Physiology

 Adapted from Power Mimicry- Superpower Wiki

The power to transform into or have a physical body made up of pure power. Variation of Essence Physiology.

Power Physiology

Capabilities

User is made up of or can transform their body completely into the essence of power itself. Users' transformed form is anatomically identical to their normal form, aside of being made of power, in which case it contains all to organs and is somewhat vulnerable to attacks. Alternately user can transform into homogeneous matter, without any part of their form being more important than the other.

Nigh Formed Power Beings are or can change into mostly physical beings, with the power flowing through their being, fortifying their cells, bones and muscles. Their power is mostly focused to their bodies and while they gain some amount of-attacks, the changes and applications are mostly internal.

Full-formed Power Beings are completely formed of power, without anything truly left from their physical form. They gain impressive control over their form and vast capacity to expel power in various ways.

Application

Power Source 

The power to possess various abilities granted by specific sources

The Essence of Power; Power Source

 Adapted from Power Source- Superpower Wiki

The power to possess various abilities granted by specific sources is a sub-power of Power Physiology and a variation of Superpower Manipulation and Power Physiology.

Power Source

Capabilities

The user derives their powers from a singular source, an intrinsic aspect either nestled within their very being or bestowed upon them by a supernatural force inherent in their respective universes. This source becomes the bedrock of their existence, granting them extraordinary abilities beyond the realm of ordinary beings.

Such a potent power source can manifest in various unique forms, ranging from ethereal elements to otherworldly substances. Traditionally, this energy hails from an external force that the users adeptly channel as living conduits, thus enabling them to wield innate abilities derived directly from the source.

The user's influence stretches beyond the realm of self-manipulation, but also possess the remarkable capacity to control the raw power enmeshed within themselves as much controlling the substance/energy within their surroundings that can be intricately linked to the source due to its intrinsic connection to their very respective universe.

Application

Divinity 

The power to have powers from a divine source.

Manifesting the Holy Power; Divinity

 Adapted from Divinity - Superpower Wiki   

The power to have powers from a divine source. Variation of Power Source. 

Divinity

Capabilities

The user has divinity and divine powers granting them an immense amount of sheer power, making them a divine being by nature, a status which can be obtained a number of different ways.

Users can gain divinity by having a divine ancestry, transform into a deity either by another god or by faith, channels act as a vessel for, the power/soul of a deity, mimic/steal powers from a deity, be enhanced/evolved to the point of godhood, or just being a divine being in the first place.

The level and forms of divinity is variable and unique by the user's nature and character of being, thus weaker or stronger users of divinities is ultimately reliant on the user alone.

Applications

Divine Force Manipulation

The power to manipulate context, objects, or concepts that have been deemed godly or almighty. 

Manifesting the Holy Power; Divine Force Manipulation

 Adapted from Divine Force Manipulation- Superpower Wiki   

The power to manipulate context, objects, or concepts that have been deemed godly or almighty. Sub-power of Divinity. Variation of Spiritual Force Manipulation and Transcendent Force Manipulation 

Divine Force Manipulation

Capabilities

The user has control of anything that is divine. They are able to manipulate divine objects and relics that are connected to the gods or divine power. With this, the user is completely considered worthy of spiritual respect, allowing them to achieve feats that are impossible to be reached by mere mortals.

Applications

Divine Magic

The user can use divine magic; a godly form of magic that uses godlike forces to mystically use divine powers to achieve impossible feats such as creating, destroying and reconstructing anything in existence, sometimes even to warp reality.

Manifesting the Holy Power; Divine Magic

 Adapted from Divine Magic- Superpower Wiki   

The ability to use divine magic. Sub-Powers of Divinity. Form of Magic. Combination of Magic and Divine Force Manipulation. Divine variation of Mythic Magic.

Divine Magic

Capabilities

The user can use divine magic; a godly form of magic that uses godlike forces to mystically use divine powers to achieve impossible feats such as creating, destroying and reconstructing anything in existence, sometimes even to warp reality. This type of magic is usually used by a transcendent/divine being or those related to them such as gods, demigods, angels, etc. Divine Magic also allows those who wield it the capability to go toe-to-toe with that of gods.

Applications

Celestial Warding

White

Abjuration

Magic

Tatoo

When Enchanted Beings are ascended by the Celestial order, their arms and torsos are subdermally laced with golden script. This gold etching is tuned to white mana, which disrupts magic that targets the enchanted being. This celestial warding also bonds the bearer to leylines of white mana, which grants them access to divine spellcraft.

Reactive (Activates when Targeted) Broad (Magic effects)Area Nullify 4

Putting Magic Flavor on the Table; Legends

 Legends is the seventh Magic: The Gathering set and the third expansion set,

Themes and mechanics

Legends introduced:

• Legends — Unique creatures that represent important characters in a set's story. The original type line "Summon Legend" was later changed to Legendary Creature, and they were given creature types

• Legendary lands — Unique lands which represent important places in a set's story.

• Multicolored cards — Cards which require more than one color to play.

• Enchant World cards (now World Enchantments) — Enchantments that change the playing environment for all players. When an Enchant World comes into play, all other Enchant World cards in play are destroyed.

and the mechanics:

• Bands with other — A variant on the banding mechanic.

• Poison counters — Pit Scorpion (Legends) and snake tokens created with Serpent Generator (Legends) give players a poison counter in addition to dealing combat damage. A player with 10 or more poison counters loses the game. This unnamed mechanic was the precursor to the poisonous, infect and toxic mechanics.

• Rampage — Creatures with rampage get bigger when blocked by two or more creatures.

Creature Types

Human

Humans are four-limbed bipedal primates of the mammalian class. They have a highly developed brain capable of abstract reasoning, language, and introspection. 

Card Conversions

Card	Type	Conversion	Element
12	Creature- Human	Celestial Warding	Enchantment

Marked Loyal; Celestial Warding

 

When Enchanted Beings are ascended by the Celestial order, their arms and torsos are subdermally laced with golden script. This gold etching is tuned to white mana, which disrupts magic that targets the enchanted being. This celestial warding also bonds the bearer to leylines of white mana, which grants them access to divine spellcraft.

Celestial Warding

Body Augmentation

White

Abjuration

Magic

Tatoo

A powerful magic enchantment that nullifies harmful magic effects and bonds the petitioner to white mana. This warding symbolizes the being's devotion to the Celestial order.

Reactive (Activates when Targeted) Broad (Magic effects)Area Nullify 

The Warding Ceremony

Anointed members of the Celestial order perform this sacred ritual. The petitioner is placed in the center of a circle, and clergy of the order pray over the ritual circle. As they do, the golden script of Celestial Warding is inscribed on the being's arms and torso in a subdermal fashion. This process is both painful and transformative, and it marks the petitioner as one who the Celestials have chosen.

Roll of the Warded

Morrigan Hawthorne

Raised in the church of Stella Risa, Morrigan’s parents dedicated her to the service of the Angelic Queen. Brought up under the protection of the Risan Church, Morrigan trusts the intentions of the Celestial order; she believes the order must be diligently protected from corruption.