I would suggest that everyone here change their passwords. One of our members, Octavia had recently had all of her forum data reset. Everything is gone. They don't know exactly how this occurred by Octavia believes someone may have hacked into we account and somehow wiped all her forum info. Until we have answers, I suggest we all change our passwords to avoid this from happening to us.

Wow, Thanks. I never thought to warn others, that was a good move. Just to help with the situation, it's very selective things. My display name and photo got changed, but when I came back this morning, whoever was in my account changed them back as best they could, which does NOT  make it better, by the way, it just proves it was a half-assed hacker who won't follow through. And now that my name is back, the only thing that seems to have remained reset is my post count, which I would very, very much like back up at 47 where it was, I'm never going to find the next rank at this rate. My time online has stay, my topic creations, strangely enough, my account creation date, all those are fixed. So while I'll still going to make good on my promise of finding the hacker and making his life terrible, I'm also hoping that the admins can fix my data.

For the first time since she had met the mare, Vinyl actually looked annoyed. Octavia sighed, resting her head on a hoof. Octavia wasn't sure when she started judging ponies so heavily based on what they liked or disliked, and she felt bad about how she had been treating Vinyl, who really didn't deserve it.


"Look, Vinyl. I'm sorry I've been so rude today. I've had a bad day, and I'm just a bit annoyed with life, but it's not fair to take it out on you. I'm sorry your invention doesn't work yet, it sounded like a pretty cool idea. Just... Maybe when you have ponies test-drive it, perhaps a pair of earplugs?" Octavia finished with a slight giggle, trying to show she wasn't really mad at Vinyl. Yes, she should have been more considerate, but everypony makes accidents, and listening to the stallion, it didn't seem like there was permanent damage done. She knew personally how painful it was when you open yourself and your ideas up to ponies you trust, and they respond hurtfully.

(You should never assume anything in RP. Also, why is some of it blue? Are quotes not enough? And no, you can't edit it, that defeats the point of RP. Gotta, 'Role' with it. Huh? Huh? I'm sorry, that was awful.)


Octavia smiled warmly, she knew what it was like to try and get help from random strangers; it certainly was awkward. She opened her mouth to speak up again, when another sound cut through her focus. This time, she knew exactly what was causing it, and as her eyes shifted over to confirm the source, she sighed slightly.


"Sorry, hold on a moment, I'm certain she's going to interrupt." Octavia said, turning to greet the newcomer with a smile. Vinyl scratch, Ponyville's resident DJ and **** raver. She wasn't what Octavia would consider a bad pony, all things considered she was actually rather nice. However, her horrendous, garish excuse for music, which could always be heard in her presence, was what really got to Octavia. If she would simply turn it down around other ponies, then her popularity with Octavia would at least triple. But, asking her so was a lost cause, one that Octavia have explored several times.


"Hey guys what's crackin'?" The white mare said, ever cheerful. "Octi, you didn't tell me you were visiting Ponyville! You wound me." She continued. Octavia had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.


"Oh, not much, we were just having a conversation. I'm here on business, I'm leaving at 12:30. There, I have now told you." Octavia said, struggling to continue smiling at the well-meaning mare.

So, magic is always a fun topic, and I wanted to share my head-canon and see how it compares to everypony else's. I'll leave out stuff like, 'In my head-canon' because you all know that's what I mean.


---------------------------------------------------



For starters, there are two parts, two paths to magic. First, the lesser path. All unicorns who have 'developed the ability to use magic' are users of the lesser path. It entails simple manipulations of the physical world, primarily levitation, light and sound effects, and many of the abilities given to ponies by their cuite marks. It's not terribly powerful or impressive, but for most it's enough to get the job done. It's also only usable by beings with a magic horn, as said horn serves as their focus point.


Second, there is the greater path. Every conceivable feat, from teleportation, to necromancy, to time travel, can be accomplished with knowledge of the greater path. All beings with any respectable mana pool at their disposal can use greater path magic. It is easier for horned beings, as they don't need an external focus, but ponies have used objects such as bells, crystals, and even other beings as focuses to incredible ends. Casting a greater path spell is different from lesser path spells in several ways.


First, it takes more then willpower and mana to complete a spell. Each greater path spell requires anywhere from one to a theoretically infinite number of words of power, which are simply spoken as the spell is cast. Words of power are scraps of the knowledge from which the multiverse we all live in was wrought. Discovering them in a process that may take lifetimes, as it involves understanding an idea or object so utterly completely that causing and creating this idea or object is effortless, just as it was when the gods formed everything. The greatest number of words to ever be discovered by one being is when a unicorn mage by the name of Starswirl the Bearded discovered 4 in his lifetime.


Any being that knows a word of power can easily transcribe it onto a surface as you would any other word. Any written word of power is instantly memorized when read. However, the first a greater path spell is cast with it, it immediately fades from memory. The more times it is learned, cast, and forgotten, the better it stays, until it is remembered permanently.


Starswirl set another record when he used 8 words in a single spell to create a link between Equestria and Earth through a mirror. No being in recorded history has ever used a more complicated spell, and the mana drain on him was too great to ever be done again, leaving him magically crippled for the rest of his life.


When a being casts a spell from either path, is slowly eats away at their mana pool as it runs. Spells like teleportation, or other instantaneous casts, take all of their required mana at once. Lesser path spells take very little mana, allowing most ponies to go about their lives and never even come close to running out. However, greater path spell take much more, and the requirement increases exponentially as you add words of power to your spell, in a manner that roughly equates to doubling every word. Thus, two words is twice that of one, three is four times, four is eight, and so on. The more magic that a being uses, the more the total size of their mana pool grows, but using spells that push past the limits of their mana pool can have a number of widespread disastrous effects.


Magic beings, unicorns in particular, can receive, and are required to in any royal and government occupations, a magic level test. It ranks them in terms of mana pool size, and in the case of greater path users, their word learning speed. The tests are simple, and involve the levitation of various weights until they can no longer be held. The ranking is by letter.


F - Non magic being.
E - Extremely weak, can only manage a few seconds of the lightest levitation.
D - Weak magic user, possibly from injury, but can probably survive comfortably without having magic problems.
C - Average magic user, has no problems with simple lesser path spells, or whatever is needed for their job.
B - Above average magic user, moderate mana pool, and can probably use more types of magic then just what their cuite marks dictate.
A - Strong magic user, large mana pool, mastery of several magic types, capable of greater path magic if they have the words.


Below must already be capable of at least some greater path magic, but being able to do so does not guarantee placement there.


Gamma A - Greater path user with a substantial mana pool, only knows a hoof-full of words, usually no more then 5, takes around a dozen tries to learn a word.
Beta A - Mana pool that borders on massive, acquired word count nearing a dozen. Can learn new words withing around half a dozen tries.
Alpha A - Enormous mana pool, acquired word count being upwards of 20, learning new words takes a few tries at most.
Perfect A - Mana pool which has no practical limits, master of at least 95% of words known to pony kind, can learn new words in one or two tries.

Most magic users have rate a from an E to a B, with notable exceptions being alicorns, which have a mana pool of at least a Beta A, Discord, who is the only known Perfect A, being able to support whole dimensions and change the face of the land without batting an eye. Starswirl was the first recorded pony to reach an Alpha A. Twilight Sparkle rated at a Beta A before ascension, now borders on a high Alpha A in terms of mana pool size. Zecora rates at a Gamma A, because while her number of acquired words is quite high, she has a smaller mana pool then a Beta A.

Finally, greater path spells can be identified by their signature spell-circle. Ever greater path spell has a circle that changes depended on the number of words, what words are used, the result location of the spell, and the caster's magic color. It can be hidden by adding an additional word to your spell.

---------------------------------------------------

That's it, folks. What do you think? How are things different for you?

Octavia nodded back, turning towards the door. She wasn't sure why, but something about Lunar gave her a feeling of hope, and for the first time in too long, she felt a little less alone.

"To Ponyville station!" She said, opening the door and stepping outside.

"I do, actually. Although as I was saying, it's been a long time. The last time I played in it was at the Canterlot garden party some months ago." Octavia responded, slightly surprised the a Ponyville sales-pony knew of her. She watched as Lunar walked back into her greenhouse, and started doing planty looking things, the functions of which Octavia didn't understand.


"Canterlot, right? That's, what, an hour and a half by train each way?" She heard Lunar call out. She nodded automatically.


"Give or take, yeah. The wedding will be taking place in one of the wealthy upper streets near the castle, it's a bit of a walk from the train." She responded, peering in.

Eventually Octavia brought her crying under control, and turned to face the unicorn mare again.


"I'm so sorry about that. You know how it is, things build up until they explode. Anyway, 200 bits, you said?" Octavia said, wiping her face and eyes off as she dug into her bag looking for the necessary two gold coins of the three she possessed. She finally laid hoof on them, and with a sigh, pulled them out and moved to hoof them to the mare.

This is a valid idea, and I love when users are willing to give feedback. However, at this point in time I feel that doing such a thing would be a bit unfair. Not everyone is a great OC maker, it is true. But just because they don't excel at the character creation process, it doesn't mean they should be rejected, particularly if they tried their best.

We want this forum to be a place where people can be creative, without being stifled by restrictions that were created out of fear that we might have to deal with an overpowered OC. If such an character is created and makes it so roleplaying is no longer fun for other members, an admin will step in and intervene. Until then, however, I think everyone's OC should be given a fair chance.

Right, I totally understand. I just wanted to throw the idea out there, I don't care if I look like the bad guy, someone has to.