The official blog for the future webcomic! In a universe that's actually a game, a group of nerds just tries to keep each other safe. A collaborative project between friends.
I finally sat down and worked all this element stuff out, so buckle up and get ready for a rough explanation of each element!
It should be noted that it’s possible to have a dual element while not having a hybrid— you can be water/earth but not nature, and you can even be air/ice.
Elements interactions are complicated and I’ll discuss them fully at some later point.
Also, please note that the personality traits associated with each element are just basic points, and pretty much no one will fit them exactly.
oops this got long, so have a cut.
PRIMARY ELEMENTS;;
pure elements, straightforward and the basis of all other elements
fire| focused on speed, evasion, and defence, fire users tend to be confident, valiant, and sometimes a bit grating. They can easily seem cocky and put others on edge, but they’re very straightforward and are great communicators. The magic itself tends to be flashy, distracting, dazzling, and packs a punch. Useful for distractions and getaways, fire users will rarely be seen in the middle of a fight. The speed factor is always present, and individuals will tend towards either offence or defence, with the vast majority being geared for defence.
water| somewhat unpredictable and fickle, water is focused on offensive power and excels at ripping down defences. Water lacks finesse and most water users are blunt to the extreme— either that, or silent and secretive. Water magic is known for dealing massive damage, with little to no side effects. The philosophy tends to be “hit hard and hit often” along with “if it’s dead fast enough plans don’t matter”. It can be hard to work on a team with a pure water user, though the offensive power they bring to the table can be more than worth it.
earth| known for their tankiness, decent attack, and low speed, earth users are great walls in combat. Very little fazes them, and their endurance is legendary. Quite often, they’re known as a bit too literal, sometimes missing the nuances of situations. Despite this, they have a certain unrelenting logic that will get them through most situations. The moral glue of most teams, earth users are very good at diffusing situations.
air| with an emphasis on never being seen, let alone caught, air users are masters of stealth. They’re flighty, with a tendency to rile situations up and then disappear the moment a fight breaks out. Air tends to not hit very hard, but their pure speed coupled with evasion and the mindgames they play make them a force to be reckoned with. Pranksters of the most irritating degree, you’ll never catch them in the act— unless they want you to.
SECONDARY HYBRIDS;;
hybrids of two primary elements; we are getting more abstract now. much more uncommon than primaries.
mist {water/fire}| dealing almost exclusively in buffs and debuffs, mist users can be a complete pain to fight, or the cornerstone of a team. An experienced mist user can make their teammates nigh untouchable, or completely tie down enemies. A well-placed mist user can turn the tide of battle, but it’s important to protect them well, as they don’t hit hard and can’t take much punishment. As a whole, mist users tend to be esoteric and hard to understand, almost always laughing at some personal joke.
ice {water/air}| passive yet destructive, ice is an inexorable force that will sweep in and do mediocre but constant damage. It also has a decent number of debuffs in its arsenal, and will combine these with its unrelenting damage to make a huge impact on the fight. Brisk, driven, and dry, ice users are very no-nonsense but are also very team-oriented.
sand {earth/air}| sometimes thought of as similar to mist, sand tends to focus on indirect damage and debuffs— especially those that affect accuracy. Hard to pin down, and even harder to get a straight answer from them, sand users will slip away if given the slightest chance— whether they’re in battle, or avoiding a hard discussion.
nature {earth/water}| with a focus on plantlife and regeneration, nature users can be seen as nurturing and caring— and while this can be true, never ever bank on the charity of a nature user. They can be just as unforgiving as nature itself, and with an arsenal of toxins at their disposal, it’s advised to keep on their good side.
magma {earth/fire}| similar to ice, magma will cause high, sustained damage over a shortish period of time, with several debuffs. Despite its destructive nature, magma is also adept at rebuilding, and when paired with certain other elements, can be extremely useful for creative endeavours. Magma users tend to be withdrawn and reserved, though how they handle stress can vary wildly— some are explosive and will lash out when things get too much, while others have much more healthy ways of coping.
heat {air/fire}| very in-your-face and standoffish, heat users are usually right in the middle of a fight, disrupting everything they can get their hands on. With a balance of low-power sustained damage and powerful attacks, heat users are versatile offensive fighters, with very little in the way of defence. Brash and loud, they’re the life of the party— if you don’t want to slap them.
TERTIARY HYBRIDS;;
hybrids of three primary elements; fairly uncommon though by no means rare.
clay {water/fire/earth}| often with jobs related to crafting, clay users tend to be jovial, carefree, and extremely precise. In battle, clay users specialise in fortifications, deforming the environment to suit their team’s needs. Decently defensive with very little attack power, clay offers defensive support to the whole team as well as moral support.
metal {fire/air/earth}| defensive and fast, but not terribly bulky, metal tends to have strange offensive powers— from attacks that do random damage, to attacks with high recoil, metal is a solid defender with wildcard damage. On the whole, metal users are dependable teammates, though they have a roguish and risky streak that’s nearly impossible to control.
electricity {water/fire/air}| fast, deceptively bulky, and with a massive amount of power, electricity users don’t really fall into any broad category— but are nonetheless one of the most specialised elements. Electricity users tend to barrel into the middle of a fight, take everyone by surprise, deal a large amount of damage, and then disappear. They’re usually no-nonsense, blunt, clever, and love fighting.
erosion {water/air/earth}| with almost no outright attacks, erosion is a strange element. It focuses on, essentially, punishing buffs on opponents. Most erosion attacks chip away, counteract, and degrade any buffs the target has on— at higher levels, this can even apply to the target’s equipment bonuses. Long-suffering, patient to the extreme, and with a uniquely abrasive skill with words, erosion users are always on top of any given situation— they have to be.
oh holy heck I did it!!!
stand by for the dissertation on dual elements and the offensive/defensive matchups but that’ll be god-knows-when
I promise VSU hasn’t died— it’s far too hot for my computer to handle my art program, and we’re all doing life-related things right now.
Hang on and bear with us here, the comic shall not fizzle out.
That being said, a massive post about the elements in the VSU universe is coming up soon ;D
aggressive, territorial, and utterly harmless, I present to you: the snipsprout
They come in two main subspecies, garden (the dull-coloured ones here) and hooded (the brighter one in the top right). They’re all nature element, and all have extremely weak plant magic.
They’ll attack and bite anything they can, but lack any kind of offensive strength whatsoever. They’re rather dumb, and are known for their tendency to sprint headlong into walls.
They can be found practically anywhere there are people and magic, and anyone with a nature alignment may find a small horde of these snappy morons following them around, chewing on ankles and climbing into inventories.
Many a nature adventurer has found their entire stock of healing items devoured by a lone snipsprout.
Finally! It felt like it taken so long, they were finally going to get their next roll! Sure, they had gotten a level 50 spell at level 10 while most others they knew got something interesting that suited them- and, okay, so it was just taking up inventory space now, but with this one they'd get something good! They were hopeful. There was the possibility of getting something really good! And then no one would pick on them anymore, right? And...oh.
Wait. Wait-- what? They....they had got a scythe? But clearly they were a mage! They weren't a melee fighter. It was as tall as they were, even! How were they supposed to use this properly? Was this all just some ridiculous joke somehow? Was the world itself mocking them too, now? They couldn't believe it. They were supposed to have above average luck! This...this felt like they had none at all. Here they were, a mage...and they had just obtained...a scythe. 'Defeated' couldn't even begin to describe how they felt.
Open mouth. It’s not even mad here, its jaws are just melty.
This, however, is an extremely angry Crucible— and this isn’t even the most firey it can get. Its base colour changes, and cracks may start opening up until it looks like it’s completely made of white-hot magma. The students never see this unless there’s an outside threat to the Forge. Foundry does something similar as well, going totally molten.
A team of a node and a hydrus, the Forgemasters help train young ones for their Adventures, the rather aimless quests that begin after high school ends.
Foundry, the node, is a rather abrupt and forceful person. She takes her job seriously, and will do everything she can to prepare her students. A powerful fire user, she is known for her completely unrelenting training methods.
Crucible, the hydrus, is a generally more approachable presence, though it certainly isn’t the most friendly being in existence. Even more adept with fire than its partner, it provides most of the heat for the forge the pair runs when not training students.
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