Spell Study: Flame Arrow

By Archmage Terrinus Aleph

Flame Arrow is a spell that summons forth a number of projectiles composed of ruinous fire and launches them at high velocity at the caster's target(s). It spell is capable of extreme damage in the hands of a mage practiced in multiplicity.

While sense would dictate that such an effect is more suited to the school of Evocation, it belongs instead to the school of Conjuration. It is capable of rivaling, in pure destructive capability, many comparable Evocation spells.

The most common variant of the spell taps the Subschool of Creation, in that the caster spontaneously assembles (creates) the 'arrows' from non-existence. These projectiles do not require continued magical expenditure to maintain their existence.

Flame Arrow is also one of few spells affected by Multiplicity Constants, whereby successful insertion additional mnemonic clauses can allow for the creation of more projectiles. While the commonly accepted limit for a skilled mage is seven arrows in one casting, apocryphal evidence suggests that nine or even ten arrows can theoretically be created at a time.

Of particular note is the fact that each projectile is of random structural frequency. Because each is created individually, rather than through initial invocation alone (as most Evocation Spells are), each projectile is a unique arcane construct and will easily overwhelm Spell Mantles.