Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 98 Spellcasting Feat
Found it! Zhang Yuan's gaze focused on a line of text on the catalog scroll:

Training and Practical Application of Gesture-Free Spellcasting

Silently noting down the book's number and location, I continued searching for my next target. A moment later, I also successfully obtained another book, "The Techniques and Limitations of Spellcasting While Wearing Armor."

These two specializations were already Zhang Yuanlao's must-have goals, as they were extremely important for a warrior-mage dual-wielding professional.

When it comes to casting spells while wearing armor, we must first understand why sorcerers cannot wear armor.

One reason why most mages don't wear armor is that their strength cannot support heavy armor, and light armor generally doesn't offer as much protection as mage armor or enchanted robes.

But what's even more deadly is that while armor might not necessarily save your life, it definitely increases your chances of spellcasting failure.

Firstly, armor hinders spellcasting. Even the slightest distortion of posture or movement during spellcasting will be amplified and reflected in the probability of spell success. Therefore, the heavier and more protective the armor, the more fatal its impact on spellcasting.

Secondly, there's the barrier effect of the armor's material itself. Casting any spell relies on communication between the caster and the magic network. Generally speaking, the thicker and denser the armor, the greater the obstruction to this communication. Even leather armor provides a noticeable barrier, while steel... well, let's not even go there.

This is why the mages of Faerûn are all cloth-clad; of course, if you have a legendary mithril chainmail, then everything is a different story.

Spellcasting while wearing armor refers to a spellcaster simplifying their spellcasting gestures through training, making them less susceptible to the limitations of armor. However, the armor itself still presents an obstacle to communicating with the magic network, so the dream of wearing heavy armor and chanting incantations is unnecessary.

The gesture-free spellcasting is actually an extension and expansion of the armor-wearing spellcasting.

As the name suggests, hand gesture-free spellcasting eliminates the need for any spellcasting actions, completely freeing the caster's hands. This is of great significance to Zhang Yuan, who often needs to fight with dual swords.

This eliminates the hassle of having to sheath the sword and switch between melee and spellcasting states when casting spells, allowing for better flexibility and adaptability.

For example, during the gnoll attack, if I could have cast a spell directly with my sword, I might have been able to throw out the spell before the enemy could reach me and turn the tide of the battle. At the very least, by avoiding the action of drawing my sword, I would have had more reaction time and initiative.

However, this is not without its costs. The consequence of eliminating the need for hand gestures to assist in guiding the spellcasting is that the difficulty of casting spells increases significantly. Unless one has mastered the spellcasting and chanting skills to a high degree, it is foreseeable that the casting time and the probability of failure will increase rather than decrease.

Which is more important or less important depends entirely on individual judgment.

As Zhang Yuan sat down at his desk with a stack of books, he felt as if he had returned to his days of studying with his old teacher, Te Li, where he would read books, practice spellcasting, and occasionally conduct small experiments.

Yes, Zhang Yuan, who had only recently come into contact with alchemy, was quite interested in this subject, which was somewhat similar to chemistry in his previous life.

Alchemy is actually closely related to transmutation arcane arts, as both are related to the transformation and transmutation of matter.

However, the methods and approaches of alchemy sometimes feel... how to put it, not so magical.

For example, if you recite a spell and a living person turns into a squirrel, that's great, that's magic.

But if someone were to carry around a bunch of potion bottles, dropping a drop here, pouring a bottle there, stirring it here, and boiling it to a boil there, they would probably be more likely to be seen as an old witch or an apothecary. However, Zhang Yuan, who had received a science and engineering education in his previous life, was not at all averse to this kind of chemical-like method. In fact, in the past two days in Tyrandeil's laboratory, he had already successfully concocted the basic alchemical gadget, the tripping bag.

This thing is actually a sealed, viscous liquid. When used, the tripping bag is thrown out. When it lands or is hit and breaks, the liquid will burst and spray out. It is initially viscous and then quickly hardens, fixing moving objects in the target area for a period of time. Of course, those with strength exemptions are not affected.

Making the tripping bag wasn't particularly complicated, but someone who wasn't a chemistry or biology major spent quite a while working with a bunch of bottles and jars, and even got some on their robes once. Luckily, magic tricks were quite effective at dealing with such small stains, saving them the trouble of washing their clothes themselves.

However, it was a success nonetheless. Using the materials from Tyrandeer, Zhang Yuan made a few tripping bags for his own use.

Speaking of laboratories, the laboratories in Gaolibao are truly complete, so complete that Zhang Yuan felt as if he had returned to the scene of visiting one of the chemistry department's laboratories in his previous life.

Before coming to Gaolibao, Zhang Yuan had some ulterior motives, wanting to see if some of the experimental tools from his previous life, such as droppers, vernier calipers, and protractors, could shine in this world.

If I could "invent" these things, who knows, Tyranitar might take notice of me and pass on his mantle!

When he arrived at the alchemy lab the next day, all his dreams were shattered.

Tyrande not only has these simple basic tools, but also more powerful enchanted upgrades.

Wow, a crucible that automatically heats, controls the temperature, and cleans up afterwards; a separator that autonomously identifies and separates the components in a mixture; and an extractor that directly decomposes substances to obtain specified components.

Someone immediately knelt down, realizing that their idea was too naive, even childish. In just a few hundred years of scientific development in their previous life, so many research tools had been created. How long was the magical era of Faerûn?
Even if we start counting from the time the Netheril and Imasca civilizations were destroyed, that's nearly two thousand years ago.

The Nether Empire fell in the year the Magic Network shattered—DR-339—and more than 1,700 years have passed since then, in DR 1364.

(The protagonist traveled to Faerûn in October of DR1363, the month of Fallen Leaves. It is now February of the following year, the month of Winterclaws. Time flies.)
None of the mages engaged in research are mentally challenged, so why would the research tools here in Faerûn be inferior to those on Earth in the previous life?
Having realized this, Zhang Yuan stopped thinking about these irrelevant things and instead focused on his experiment, completing his first project—the creation of a tripping bag.

Not satisfied with his modest achievements, Zhang Yuan had become somewhat addicted to the process of experimenting and creating practical items by himself. He spent all his spare time outside of reading and practicing magic in the alchemy laboratory.

This is a rare opportunity, and the materials are free, so why not try it?

His next target was suffocating powder, a highly irritating dust that could cause both friendly and enemy forces within the affected area to cough and choke, unless you were exceptionally strong and successfully exempted from the penalty.

In fact, Zhang Yuan preferred the Blazing Glue, which had direct lethality. When properly mixed and made into a high-quality Blazing Glue, it could even rival ordinary fireball spells. Of course, that would require a master to do it.

Unfortunately, this kind of alchemical item is not something a beginner can handle, and the process of making it is full of dangers. A novice alchemist who had just started learning had to give up.

However, this happy time was interrupted on the fifth day by a text message from Tyranitar.

Thank you for your generous donation, like "It seems like a Five".

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(End of this chapter)