Card of the Week: Fireball

Goodness gracious!

A Primal Force

I belive that upon discovering their magic, all mages find at least one spell that inspires them. A spell that drives them in their studies so that they might master it. A spell that speaks to their soul. Perhaps a green mage might fall in love with the idea of summoning a great beast. A black mage might have twisted thoughts of animating the dead. And a red mage—maybe all red mages?—probably dreams of fire and destruction.

While I cannot speak with certainty for others, I know that that was the case for me. Admittedly red magic was not my first love (that would be the huge beasts of green), but the thought of unleashing a firestorm upon my foes appealed to me all the same. It is as direct a display of power as I can imagine: how better could I show my newfound magical prowess to the multiverse? I have long since learned that the subtler effects of the other magics are often more effective, but there is always something alluring about brute force.

But the power of fire magic is only part of the appeal, I think. The allure of fire, both magical and mundane, has captured the imagination of humanity since humanity’s beginning. It is no surprise, then, that fire has likely been harnessed by spell more often and more commonly than any other aspect of the world. By its ubiquity, it is likely that a mage’s first magical discovery affects fire in some way. In my advanced age, I cannot say for sure whether fire spells were among the first that I learned, but I would not bet against it.

Even after I settled into a preference for green and white magic in my earliest days of sorcery, I still found myself dabbling in red magic for the power of fire. White magic may be able to negate the threats of combat through enforced peace, but red magic’s fire is a more…permanent end. I have since become more cautious towards the death and destruction of my magic, but sometimes drawing upon the red is unavoidable. And sometimes, it is merely more convenient or efficient.

The Long, Long History of the Fireball

While using magic to affect fire is as old as magic itself, long lost to the ages. The act of forming it into a ball and hurling it at a foe, however, can surprisingly be traced back to its originator.

And lo, Leonard Patt's "Rules for Middle Earth" begat Chainmail, which begat OD&D, which begat AD&D, which begat AD&D 2nd Edition, which...uh...inspired the (Gamma) playtest, which begat Alpha.

Long before planeswalkers throughout the multiverse first gathered their magic and the casting of Fireball became widespread, the famed wizards Gygax and Arneson employed the fireball in their dungeon delving and dragon slaying. Indeed, the great deity Garfield almost certainly drew inspiration from their work, and he was not the only one. It is likely that all disciplines that employ the fireball—from the Craft of War to the Scrolls of the Elders—likewise built on the foundation laid by Gygax and Arneson.

But if the history of Fireball does not begin with Garfield, neither does it begin with Gygax and Arneson. The dungeoneering duo built upon the previous research of Gygax and another wizard, Perren, in their chainmail-clad mastery of war. While their work was somewhat obscure (at least, until the popularity of Gygax’s and Arneson’s later work brought it to light), Gygax’s and Perren’s work were noted by scholars. For ages, it was believed that Gygax and Perren invented the spell.

However, in recent years it has come to light that Gygax and Perren learned from Patt, an ancient and obscure alchemist and erstwhile mage. In his military rules of engagement in the domains of the Rings of Power, Patt created the spell as a magical equivalent of a catapult-stone. As his work was shared with only a few others, it was largely forgotten in light of Gygax and Perren’s version of Fireball.

Playing with Fire

What to do with infinite mana? What...to...do?

Despite the primal nature and frequent occurrence of Fireball, it has long been eclipsed by the use of Lightning Bolt among serious mages. Indeed, Lightning Bolt’s efficiency and speed generally make it better for wizardly combat than Fireball, but some cases remain where Fireball is advantageous. Fireball excels when a mage has a surplus of mana to power it, allowing it to scale in both strength and size in contrast to the fixed power of Lightning Bolt. This provides a matter of versatility in slaying multiple creatures at once or slaying creatures powerful enough to withstand the blast of a Lightning Bolt. But in a duel, mana is usually in short supply and opportunities to cast a decisive Fireball are few and far between. Most often, it serves as a specialist utility while Lightning Bolt does a red mage’s heavy lifting.

Fireball for lethal...the angels are just backup!

However, a few mages have come to rely on Fireball as a key spell in their selection. Mages following in the footsteps of the great Weissman often use it to defeat their foes once they’ve restricted their opponents from all courses of action and are rich in mana resources. Likewise, mages who tap the unlimited potential of the Basalt Monolith via Power Artifact often channel their mana into a world-scorching Fireball for victory.

It's the opening hand that dreams are made of.

Though the above strategies are reliable, tried, and true, Fireball is perhaps most famous for its potential to defeat a mage’s opponent immediately. Even in the oldest records, mages have circulated stories—likely told by friend of a friend—of combining the smoke-borne visions of the Black Lotus with the mage’s own Channeled lifeforce to power a lethal Fireball as soon as an opponent takes the field of battle. While this maneuver is possible, it is unlikely in the extreme. And yet its siren’s song has called to mages since the dawn of dueling, and many still attempt it to this day.

Danatoth of Alsoor (Dan Hyland)


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