Rexal magic is by nature UTILITARIAN. Which means the magic has a direct use and purpose, as opposed to being purely for show. Think of rexal magic as like a rexal having another arm, it is a part of their being that they use to accomplish tasks in their day to day life. Just like an arm, the magic needs to be interacting with the environment to enact a change or show that it is being used.

As such, rexal magic should be depicted being USED by the rexal as a way to interact with their environment. This is the key to gaining the +2 MP bonus for an image. If the magic is not clearly shown being used for an obvious purpose that needs no explanation, then it would not count for the Magic MP bonus.

We always encourage users to come up with new and creative ways to depict rexal magic, just be aware that any depictions should still be clearly and easily discernable by the MP team to have points awarded.

Effort is key when it comes to your magic presentation! The bonus is our way of saying ‘well done’ for the time and dedication you’ve put into creating magic that’s detailed and carefully crafted. Using simple methods like stamp brushes, gradients, or filters won’t get you this bonus. Instead, you rexal’s magic needs to be manually drawn by you to showcase your creativity and hard work.

Remember, magic and lore go hand in hand! There are numerous ways to portray magic but any method you select should involve considerable effort. An additional 2 MP might not seem like much, but trust us, it will accumulate over time!

There is a tab on the species page titled ‘Magic’ which will cover this in more detail, but for a list of some accepted and not accepted uses with visual aides, please read below.

When rex are exuding their magic in times of effort or activity they will often vent magic from their apertures and/or mouth. This is usually seen by other rexals as a thick billowing smoke which is the same color as a rexal's halo. A rexal (such as depicted on the left) which simply has a visible halo that glows softly naturally, as well as apertures which glow, is not considered to be using its magic.

Magical Smoke Rules

hand drawn smoke emitting from the apertures and/or mouth which has detailed shapes or depth. The halo existing on its own with a non-directional glow is not considered magic. It is considered a part of their body, just as a leg or tail is. Likewise, glowing apertures are considered normal on a rexal, not an expression of rexal magic.

Other simple lighting effects that will not be accepted – sparkles, stamp brushes, non directional blur glow around the rex body and gradients. Incorrect: a single brush stroke from each aperture to indicate smoke. Magic smoke should show clear effort with depth and shapes. Rexals breathing is also considered a normal function and not magical, even in cases where they use magic to help them breath underwater for deep diving. As there is not a visual 'feature' to accompany this use of magic, attempts to depict this will not gain the Magic MP bonus. This is something that is happening on a molecular level, we simply can't see it happening in an image! Rexals do notexpel magic colored bubbles as a form of respiration while underwater, nor do they need 'bubble helmets' to hold air for them to breathe underwater.

Rex can use their magic to lift objects to bring them closer or move them away from themselves.

Levitation Depiction Rules

The object is clearly highligted in the glow of rexal magic The object is depicted being moved from a normal position where gravity would naturally place it Incorrect: the object is not highlighted by rexal magic showing any interaction, there is no clear indication the rexal is interacting by levitating the object Incorrect: The item is randomly placed with no indication of how or why it is there. There is no indication that magic is interacting with the item in the environment.

Rexal halos are an indication of their magic reserves and are usually present and emitting a soft glow as a default. This on its own is not considered to be a rexal expressing its magic. However a rexal can direct their magic concentrated in their halo to show it specifically casting light to better illuminate a portion of the environment. This is a common purpose for rexal magic in Deep Diving, but can also be commonly seen when rexals are exploring caves or hunting at night (because only inherently magical creatures can see magic, and their prey are not magical.)

Directional Lighting Rules

Lighting from the halo is clearly interacting with and illuminating the environment, bounce lighting is depicted Incorrect:The halo existing on its own with a non-directional glow is not considered magic. It is considered a part of their body, just as a leg or tail is. The lighting being cast must have a clear direction and interaction with the environment, think detailed brush strokes showing how the light is interacting with the object or environment. Other lighting effects that will not be accepted – non directional blur, stamp brushes, sparkles, non-descript glow around the rex body.

Rexal magic can be utilized to build up simple or more complex illusions based on their skill and energy devoted. However any illusion must always have a magical aura to clearly depict to the MP team that this is an illusion, and not just an ordinary background or object.

Illusion Magic Rules

a scene bordered by illusion magic OR specific elements of a scene clearly being composed of magic. Incorrect:a scene, item or object with no indication that it is anything other than a normal scene not composed of magic. Is this a bird?