Howling's Techs vs Nocturne's Spells
Techs and Spells are two different ways of using the mana inside the pony's body to have an effect on the physical world.
All the juicy lore details after the cut!
Spells (Artes Magicae) and Techs (Artes Technicae) are methods to convert the mana in one's body to obtain a tangible effect in the physical world.
The major difference between Spells and Techs is how this conversion happens, which in turn determines how complex and powerful is its effect.
Spells use formulas and chants:
A formula is a series of arcane signs that the caster must visualise in their mind in order to 'tell' the mana how to reassemble itself to obtain the desired effects;
A chant is a phrase, that can be spoken or just thought, that ties together the instructions given by the formula and completes the process of reshaping the mana into a concrete form; it is argued if the chants are actually necessary to perform a spell and, to tell the truth, it's been abundantly proven that you can cast a spell with just the formula and no chant and not vice versa; however it's been also documented that if the same user casts the same spell without using a chant, it takes more time and it's often less potent than the times they did use the chant; there are no definite theories on why spells act in that way, but it's a common, and somewhat folklorist theory, that since mana it's a manifestation of the inner self it needs to be encouraged through heartfelt and passionate words; examples of chants:
Oh bright star, cast your silver glow around me and light up my path!
Merciless flame, scorch those who oppose me!
Roar oh mighty winds and cut down my enemies!
Hear the beat of the earth and tremble before its immensity!
There's no escape from the abyss… Let the darkness consume you!
While chants can be memorised by any pony, formulas are much more complex: as said before, they use an arcane alphabet very different from that used in our language. Albeit it does have less characters, each one is much more articulate and there are many similarities between each other to the point that a slight mistake in writing them could have drastically different effects. But a caster can't simply memorise the characters, they need to understand what they mean, since they are basically complex instructions condensed in just a sign and by visualising them as a spell is casted they have to be given meaning to be effective.
It's been confirmed by practical evidence and scientific studies that Unicorns are much more adept at casting Spells: its basically universally accepted, although there are still different schools of thought concerning some details of the process, that their horn not only helps channelling the mana to a single point making it easier to 'project' it outside, but its structure innately contains the basic lines and curves that make up all the arcane characters, so it's easier for them to visualise and use formulas, to the point that the elemental conversion formula (that allows to change the elemental alignment of the user's mana) it's basically automatic for them, granting them therefore a simpler access to the whole elemental spectrum of magic.
To be clear, everypony, given enough time to study and practice, can use any level of spells, but they're simply outpaced by Unicorns in terms of ratio of mana conversion (therefore the power of a spell) and casting speed, not to mention that Earth Ponies and Pegasi that want to use a elemental spell that it's not aligned with their natural affinity need to add an extra formula to convert their own mana to the desired one. So it's not uncommon for Non-Unicorns to have one or two Spells aligned with their elemental affinity as an ace in the hole, but they will never be as versatile or as effective as a Unicorn.
To shorten the gap with their horned brethren, Earth Ponies and Pegasi specialise in Techs.
Techs work on the same basic principle as Spells, as they convert one's mana into a physical effect, but instead of relying on formulas to shape it and guide it, they use movements and tools.
Unlike Spells, that have a wide array of applications, Techs are born and almost exclusively used as instruments for offence and defence: it's no surprise that many of them need some sort of weapon to work properly.
Basically, instead of using arcane signs to 'tell' the mana how to change itself, the user 'throws' the mana outside through movements akin to those of martial forms and shapes it through their fury, willpower, courage and so on: therefore, Spells are seen more intellectual, while Techs are considered much more emotional, primal and spontaneous, despite they still need a rigid discipline to be performed properly.
Instead of formulas, Techs use sequences of coded movements to shape the mana and use it concretely; the most common effect is referred as "projection", as it throws a mass of elemental mana, that can be shaped into different forms depending on the movement and on the weapon used, at the target; other examples are:
Protective barriers
Weapon power ups
Blasts and bursts
Environment alterations
Improvement of physical performances
Different elements also have different specialities and some unique abilities that can't be emulated by the others; generally speaking, although there' some wiggle room based on the user's creativity:
Fire excels at offence
Water excels at defence
Earth excels at battlefield control
Wind excels at mobility
Ice excels at battlefield control and defence
Lighting excels at offence and mobility
Light excels at healing and defence
Darkness excels at offence and illusion
There are manuals and instructors that teach the precise sequence of movements that maximise the effect of a Tech, although they seem to be not as strictly structured as Spells, since they leave some space to personalise the execution, while a Spell could easily go haywire if they aren't casted properly.
Generally, Techs are much more immediate than Spells, but also less powerful since the conversion process is not as effective as the one used in Spells. Given their speedy natures, the user can use only Techs compatible with their elemental alignment, giving them less versatility than a Spell user.
From these considerations spawns a dilemma as old as Techs: are they stronger or weaker than Spells? I personally think that in a one on one duel, assuming that both contestants are equally experienced, a smart and quick assault of different Techs can overcome the spellcaster before they can even act, but a very cunning and strategic Spell user can slow down the opponent and have enough time to show their most powerful and destructive tools, so in the end it still depends on the qualities of the individual.
Extract from "The power inside of us" by Spirit Star