if i cast armor at lvl 1, is armor at lvl 5 any better? Does the spell lvl on "buffs" just effect the spell time?

The manual only says that the duration increases with power level. However, I'm pretty sure that the effectiveness also increases. It's pretty easy to tell. Before casting Armorplate note the character's AC. Then cast at power level 1. You should see an increase to the AC. Wait or rest off the spell, then cast again at power level 5. Check to see if there is an increase over what you saw when cast at power level 1.

IIRC, at power level 5 Armorplate you will get a +3 added to every character's AC.

Well, you should always go for higher power levels no matter what. I do believe it increases the armor amount. But always go for the highest power level because it increases the domain (alchemy, divinity) skill and elemental skills (fire, water). And obviously, after enough times, you can access even higher power levels.

Wow, new names for School/Spellbook ('domain') and Realm ('element') I understand 'element' for Realm, but where does 'domain' come from?

If you want to develop your Realm (and School, and Powercast) skills, the fastest way is to cast the highest level attack spell you know in each Realm with the lowest amount of power (one circle only) repeatedly. You get Skill improvements more often if you cast more often, regardless of the total SP used. BUT if you want your Buffs to be more effective, cast them all the way up. This is especially true of spells that affect magic, like Magic Screen, Eye-4-Eye, etc. And casting a buff over an existing one will only credit your skill advancement if it's cast at a higher power level than whatever remains of the present one.

Actually I call it domain because back in uh, I think it was Wizardry Seven (Crusaders of the Dark Savant) they called it domain name. Besides it is practicall and logical because it is exactly a domain. The domain of wizardry, divinity, alchemy, and psionics. It just sounds right to me.

Not that is really matters one way or the other in the universe of things, but in Wiz8, they are called Mastery (Wiz, Alc, Psi, Div) and Realm (Fire, Air, Water, Earth, Mental and Divine) skills, as per page 77 of the Game Manual.

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On P 76; "As the study of magic evolved, four different schools of magic formed. Each...assembled their own spellbook of enchant ments."

The page continues with brief descriptions of "Priest Spellbook...Mage Spellbook...", etc.

And from P 81 to 117, whenever this is listed it is as Spellbook. (eg as part of Samurai stats; "Spellbook____Mage"

Since P 77 was the oddball, and in places like Flamestryke, and this forum (and others like it), School or Spellbook has been used much more than anything else, that is why i use them.

Different things Scatter. There are the Wiz, Alc, Psi and Div spell books as you desribe, but the SKILLS of Wiz, Alc, Psi and Div are referred to as Mastery Skills.

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