Winterhold College Textbook: Basics of Destruction Magic, Chapter II: Firebolt

Chapter Two: Firebolt

Introduction

By the time you are reading this, you should already be very adept with the "Flames" spell, if you are not, then it is suggested that you finish the previous chapter before beginning this one, as fundemental understanding in destruction are required. Firebolt is another basic spell in a mage's arsenal, though being slightly harder to cast than "Flames". "Firebolt" does not require constant focus like "Flames" do as it is a projectile spell, however, one would need to garner more magicka to channel the incantation. Being a ranged spell, "Firebolt" can effortlessly hit targets more than 50 steps away, making it a common sight on the battlefield. Although lacking in pure offensive capabilities compared to its more powerful variants, "Fireball" and "Incinerate", its low tax on the caster makes "Firebolt" one of the most cost-effective spells in the destruction school, and as such, this is also most important spell that you need to learn to defend yourself against. However, just like "Flames", don't think of "Firebolt" as a novice's tool which a mage would gladly abandon once learning a more advanced one, "Firebolt" remains one of the most versatile spells out of all the schools of magic, some very skilled sorcerers even created many powerful variations, like "Homing Bolt", "Searing Ember" amongst others, and we will cover these spells in the book " Master Spells of Destruction Magic"

History

As said in the previous chapter, pinpointing the first practitioner of the spell is quite impossible. It is widely agreed by scholars that the early version of the "Firebolt" spell is used to hunt fasting moving prey by the early Ayleids, however, as the projectile does have a certain travel time, it is not often used on avian creatures. "Firebolt" is generally believed to popularized by nord mages during the Dragon War, though possessing the aforementioned trait of having a rather slow projectile speed, thanks to the relative size and speed of dragons, a skilled battlemage can easily hit the beast with most of his volleys. Due to its high cost-effectiveness, long range and high precision, "Firebolt" is a common sight on the battlefiled. In fact, the Imperial Army is known to employ thousands of battlemages at the very back of their formations to hurl "Firebolt" at enemies, these mages are commonly referred to as Arcane Artillery Units by General Warhaft of the late third era. It is this tactics that instilled fear into the hearts of many an enemy of the Empire. Imagine facing down an army of well-armed imperials marching towards you, sunlight bouncing off their shiny plate armor, swords drawn, shield held in front, and just as your army is beginning to charge the enemy, suddenly, a storm of fireballs suddenly rises up the skies, eclipsing the sun above and starts to bear down with lethal velocities, before you even had time to raise your shield against this devouring torrent, your army is set ablaze, burning, charred, and ready to be slaughtered by the soldiers who are now just 10 steps away. By the early Fourth Era, "Firebolt" is just as popular as ever, frequently used by travelling mages to deal with wild animals on the roads, and sometimes, even a few bandits who managed to obtain a tome use it for their own nefarious purposes. To most mages, "Firebolt" is the equivalent of a steel sword to a warrior, reliable, effective and easy to use.

Usage

Being the versatile spell it is, "Firebolt" has many applications, but it can be generally divided into two categories: "Long Range" and Close Range"

Long Range: 50 steps away is generally considered long range for "Firebolt", when dealing with enemies this far, projectile velocity is most essential, closely followed by accuracy. As enemies this range are usually archers or mages, the most important tactic is to be able to reliably ensure that they do not fire their weapon or use their spells rather than outright killing them. Of course, you would think that complete annihilation is better, your projectile would have to be very slow in order to guarantee a kill, such missiles could be easily dodged by your opponent, which allows him the window for retaliation. And as such, power and destructive potential is usually sacrificed in favor of speed and precision, and one volley is enough to set your opponent on fire, sending them into a state of panic and unable to loosen arrows or hurl lightning. At this range, "Firebolt" is more often used to harass and irradiate rather than to destroy. In order to achieve such a feat, one must channel less energy into the projectile itself and more into hurling it, and due to this, your spell would look like a thin fiery arrow rather than a miniature fireball. Also, using "Firebolt" this way is extraordinarily effective for hunting deer or rabbits, as they tend to move very fast but are physically weak enough to be killed even by the diminished power of the spell.

Close Range: 15 steps in and you are looking at the close range variation of "Firebolt", usually one will find himself in these situations when: 1.Exploring Dungeons, 2.Facing a charging warrior, 3. Indoor combat. And at this range, stopping power is of the utmost priority. So, completely opposite to long range combat, you need to focus more magicka to the projectile itself and less to propel it. Though the projectile would be slower, it is almost impossible to dodge by the enemy at this range, especially when indoors. Trading speed for power, your spell has an unparalleled amount of offensive capabilities, a single cast would be more than enough to completely ravage the armor of the target, often sending him flying backwards. Due to the raw power it offers, this variation is often favored by spellswords, one volley and his opponent would be on the grounds, pleading for mercy.

How to Practice

There are two parts of the "Firebolt" spell, the channeling and the projection. The first part involves draining your magicka to form a burning ball of flames, and the second part includes the various ways you can eject it outwards, the magnitude of magicka used for either part determines the spell's suitable range.

To practice hitting target at long range, you should first get a grip on how much energy you should put into the projectile, a fireball half the size of your fist should be enough, and expand the rest of your magicka to propel this missile. During its flight, the fireball should be drawn out , stretching horizontally to form a thin straight line, just like a bolt. To help to correct your spell, you should put a thick wooden board with a circle the size of a lemon drilled out in the middle and place it 10 steps in front of you. Cast the spell and aim it directly at the hole, and if you are casting it right, the spell should go straight through the hole and leave the wooden board unscathed.

As for short range engagement, put about 80 per cent of your energy into the ball itself, the flames should grow to about the size of your head, and use the remaining magicka to hurl it forwards.In order to practice this variation, you should purchase the soul gem warding device from the alteration master at the college, place the soul gems 3 steps apart on elevated pedestals and activate them. The warding spell should come up, stand 5 steps away from the device, and cast the spell, repeat until you can break the ward in a single volley, that would be strong enough to be effective for close range combat.

When you have practiced both variants, you are ready to begin the next chapter: Lava Whip

Edit: I have changed the next chapter from "Fracture" to "Lava Whip"