Pierce

Introduction

The mastery system is TS' form of character progression. There are no levels.
All characters start with 3 mastery slots and can have up to a maximum of 5 slots.
Your character increases power level by putting points into their mastery.
For more information on a specific mastery, click on their name!
Any mastery that is marked as (Complex) may require some extra reading on their own page. If you are a new player, consider avoiding them.

◆ These are part of your character's kit, don't select them as your starting 3.

Language

Language - All characters start out with a Mastered level of the common language and a few other common languages. However, ancient and rarer languages require you to put points into them to comprehend and use them. E.g. Gnollish, Demonic, Shattered, Forgotten, Elefyn, etc...
Languages do not take 1 of the 5 mastery slots your character is limited to. They will also not appear on your character sheet until you unlock them.

Core

Mobility - Mobility, reflexes, or quickness. This mastery does not take 1 of the 3 starting slots.
Wellness - Fortitude, vitality, natural resistances, or heath. This mastery does not take 1 of the 3 starting slots.
Luck - The ability to defy all odds sometimes. This mastery does not take 1 of the 3 starting slots.

Traveling

Riding - The ability to ride a mount and mounted combat in combination with your melee weapons, ranged weapons, and magic. This mastery does not take 1 of the 3 starting slots.
Seafaring - The ability to operate ships and naval combat, which includes fighting other ships and operating naval armaments. This mastery does not take 1 of the 3 starting slots.

Physical Combat

Pierce - Combat skills with weapons that deal critical damage.
Slash - Combat skills with balanced and versatile weapons.
Cleave - Combat skills with weapons that use momentum to chop or saw and sunder armor.
Bludgeon - Combat skills with powerful, albeit slow weapons that crush or smash.
Ranged - Combat skills with weapons that deal damage at a distance.
Body Combat - Combat skills with fist weapons and movesets that use the entire body.

Physical Defense

Shield - Skills with shields. You do not need dual-wielding to use a shield with another weapon.
Guard - Include defensive movesets through weapons, such as: blocking, deflecting, disarming, and other countering techniques.
Acrobat - Include scaling wall, flipping, swinging from rope to rope, etc. These mobility technique cannot be done while wearing heavy armor or wielding large weapons. In combat, it includes evasion, safety rolls, and other damage avoidance movements.

Combat Supplement

Berserk - (Complex) This martial art employs power strikes. Berserkers channel their adrenaline and rage to withstand pain. They exert more power and speed the lower their health becomes. Click to read more about it.
Dual-wielding - This fighting style enables ambidexterity for its user in and out of combat, allowing them to wield and fight with a weapon in each hand. You must pick a weapon when you take this mastery. Click to read more about it.

Evocation Magic

Pyromancy - Fire magic is effective at all ranges; however, it is low in accuracy and difficult to control. Fire magic also offers explosively quick movement spells. Traits: high energy consumption and high damage.
Hydromancy - Water and ice magic is most optimal at medium range and is accurate; it also offers many crowd control spells such as slow or root. Ice magic creates defensive obstacles and protects the user. This magic is very versatile. Traits: medium energy consumption and low damage.
Geomancy - Earth magic is best at close range and is the most defensive magic because it can shape earth in a variety of ways to hinder or block foes. Direct earth manipulation is very costly, however, despite its destructiveness. This magic cannot manipulate metal and the certain kinds of crystals. Traits: high energy consumption, medium damage, and low accuracy.
Aeromancy - Air and lighting magic is highly precise at medium range and works very well against humanoid targets. Lightning provides a number of crowd control through stun and electified. Air on the other hand offer various movement spells such as minor gliding ability and the ability to soften falls. With air, flying is not possible, but high jumps can be achieved. Overall, this magic is very versatile. Traits: medium energy consumption, medium damage.
Arcanamancy - Arcane magic uses the raw non-elemental magical energy, it is powerful at long range with high accuracy. This magic often manifests in the form of a ray or burst that is purple in color. Arcane spells require more mana than elemental magic, but can be combined with them for stronger effects. This magic also enables short range teleportation to places the user can see, the distance grows with higher mastery. Traits: high energy consumption, very high damage.

Other Magic

Planamancy - (Complex) Astral mages draw magical power from beings living in different planes of existences. Through this, they are able to cast any spell that is not on the advanced mastery list. Trait: high energy consumption, albeit high utility. This magic is rather complex, so you should click on the name to read more about it.
Malefimancy - Dark magic specializes in vile magic, rot, hexxes, and curses that are difficult to defend against. It also offers a lot of dark rituals and lengthy spell preparations.Note: the in-game world abhors users of dark magic. Trait: low energy consumption, but spells usually require a longer casting time or preparation.
Phantasmia - Illusion magic is not regarded as a formal school of magic, but it can be used to create temporary distractions, fantasies, or altered perceptions. These spells are stronger when they are cast on a single target. Although an illusion AoE field is possible, sustaining it require a lot of energy, at Adept onward, short term invisibility becomes possible, but not perfect. This mastery can be used to tank damage. Trait: medium energy consumption and low damage.

Support Magic

Illumancy - Light magic is often used to heal injuries, buff, and protect its target from harm and does minor holy damage (not smiting). Trait: High energy consumption. This magic is better utilized by a true mage than a hybrid caster. Also enables Resurrection.
Naturamancy - This magic manipulates nature, particularly plant life, and offers a number of nature-themed healing spells. Trait: low energy consumption in nature, if not, it is mid-range in energy consumption. It also offers the possession of beasts. This magic is most effective in the wilds. Also enables Resurrection.
Muse - (Complex) Bardic magic is a supportive magic similar to Illumancy and Naturamancy, but has no offensive spells. Click on the name to read more. Without music, Muse spells can be cast through singing or dancing. It does not work with Magical Tools. To use muse equipment or empower Muse, take Music. Also enables Resurrection.

Miscellaneous

Summoning - Form a pact with a named familiar that will take on the form of base magic fueling it. Maintaining a summon requires persistent energy. Summon may take on a maintenance form out of combat so its master may conserve energy. Summoning is a bit complicated, so click to read more about it.
Magical Tools - The ability to use grimoire, staff, rod, focus, accessories, charms, tarot cards, and other magic tools. When wielded with a martial weapon, you do not need dual-wielding to use them both at the same time. Magical tools improves the user's perception and identification of magic and magical artifacts.

Survivalism

Hunting - Include tracking, stalking, improved detection, and trapping (detecting, disarming, setting traps). This Mastery also gives hunters an advantage over humanoid, beasts, and monsters, that they have encountered and hunted many times.
Beast Taming - (Complex) The ability to tame animals and have them fight alongside you; the mastery also includes animal empathy. You must train the animal and establish a relationship with them, however. Click to read more about it.

Utility

Rogue - This mastery includes acrobatic movements, stealth, hiding, sneaking, lockpicking, spying, disguising, pilfering, and sleight of hand. Users of this mastery can disappear from sight with ease. Rogue also allows for quick re-positioning in combat.
Tinker - (Complex) This mastery grants the user the ability to come up with strange inventions for their own purposes. Tinker specializes in mechanical addons, traps, automation, but most importantly, science! Click to read more about it.
Spellbane - This mastery is used to defend against magic, specializing in defense against spells. It behaves differently depending on whether the user is primarily a magic practitioner or a martial fighter.

Support

Heroic Shouts - This mastery allows its user to provide front-line support purely through their shouts. Click to read more about it.
Alchemy - This mastery allows the creation of magic potions, poison, healing salves, etc. Alchemy also includes skills in herbalism. Please click to read more about it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I put mastery points (MP) into my Mastery?
To update your mastery, follow direction and post in this thread.
So how do you get mastery points (MP)?
Read about posting rewards here!
Why is it important to put MP into a Mastery if it doesn't increase the tier?
Having more points in a mastery makes you better at that mastery, even if it doesn't increase the tier.
For example: 2 equally skilled Sword users are dueling, one is at 505 MP (Adept) while the other is at 650 MP (Adept). The latter should statistically win.
Can you combine Mastery?
Yes, all Mastery can be combined in one way or another. This can usually be achieved by doing actions or casting spells in a sequence. For magic, there may be combined spells that show up in your spell list if both of the magic are compatible.
For example: if you had Pyromancy and Weaponsmithing, you can work on the go because you have fire magic. If you had Alchemy and Pierce, you can lace your dagger with poison manually or through a combined skill in game.
Can I respec my mastery?
Yes, you can do it here. It costs gold, however.
What happens when I get to Illustrious (tier) on a mastery?
You unlock a Heroic Feat based on that mastery, click that link to read more about it.

◆ If you are a new player, please skip this part for now. This information here isn't relevant to you just yet! Come back once you have had some time on the site.

Advancement

Mastery Advancement - Terrasphere doesn't have "levels," instead, our character progression system is about improving mastery. In time, your character will hit very clear milestones that change them quite a bit. When you have spent 1000 MP on your character, you will unlock the 4th slot. Please check out the link above!

If this is not your first time reading this page, you can go here: Advanced Mastery and Evolved Mastery.