Magic Circles

What it is

Every spell draws its own magic circle, built from its runes. Learn to read it and you know what a spell does before it lands: yours, another player’s, or the one a Runebound is about to throw at you.

You’ll see the same circle under a caster’s feet, behind their shoulders while they charge, in a monster’s hand, on the floor of a Domain, in a Shield, on a glyph, and beside the Cord screen and Grimoire. A longer spell never makes a bigger circle, just more points on its star.

How to get it

Every spell has one. To learn the runes’ looks, watch the circle beside the Cord screen: it redraws each time you change your spell.

How to use it

The parts, from outside in

1. Frame: a heavy ring with a ray on each star point.
2. Script band: the spell’s rune emblems, in order, written round and round.
3. Pattern band: the ring pattern of the spell’s first effect, showing its element from far off.
4. Star: one point per rune. One to three runes get a six-pointed star, four runes an eight-pointed one.
5. Roundels: a small circle for each rune, in casting order clockwise from the top.
6. Seal: the emblem of the spell’s first rune, usually its shape.

The circle takes the colour of the spell’s first effect, or teal if it has none.

Family and element

Family	Colour	Ring line	Emblem frame
Shape	Teal	Double line	Square
Effect	Its element’s colour	Solid line	Circle
Modifier	Gold	Dashed line	Diamond
Link	Violet	Chain of ovals	Octagon

Element	Colour	Ring motifs	Emblem glyph
Fire	Orange	Flame teeth, embers	A flame peak
Frost	Pale blue	Crystals, snowflakes	A snowflake
Storm	Yellow	Lightning, forks	A lightning bolt
Wind	Pale green	Waves, swirls	Two wavy lines
Earth	Brown	Blocks, pillars	A downward wedge
Life	Green	Buds, leaves	A flower
Void	Violet	Crescents, eyes	A crescent
Arcane	Pink	Stars, crosses	A four-pointed star
Time	Pale gold	Hourglasses, dials	An hourglass
Blood	Crimson	Drops, fangs	A drop

• Fused runes have a braided ring in both elements’ colours and an emblem split down the middle. See Fused Runes.
• Knots show a plain link ring, hiding what’s inside. See Knots.
• Secret spells have their own centrepiece instead of a star. See Secret Spells.
• Circle Disciplines add their own moving design, such as petals or an iris. See Circle Disciplines.

Read one fast

1. Colour is the element.
2. The seal is the shape: where it’s going.
3. Count the roundels: a long spell usually does more than one thing.
4. Violet chain rings are links: something more happens later.

The circle at the top of this page has seven points, a teal Nova seal and orange fire bands. Its roundels read Nova · Flashfire · Widen · Shock · Amplify · On Hit · Burst. The last Burst has no effect after it, so it does nothing: circles show weak spots too.

Tips and counterplay

Telegraphs. A Runebound about to cast holds its circle in its right hand for about a second, its nameplate turns bold between » « marks, and its rune marks flare. Bosses and the Archivist do the same for about a second and a half, and their boss bar names the spell. For Zone, Rain, Mine or Domain, the ground where it lands is marked.

When you see one:

• Step out of the marked ground.
• Shoot it down. Your bolt meeting theirs in the air bursts both. See Playing Together.
• Parry with a Shield at the last moment. See Shields and Parrying.
• Read it. A frost circle means keep fire ready for a Shatter. A violet chain means more is coming.