Ars Nouveau

Getting started

Craft a Novice Spell Book from a book and an iron shovel, pickaxe, axe and sword. That is the whole entry fee: it comes with a few starter spells, so you can cast from it straight away. The Tattered Tome, a book and a lapis, is the mod's own guide, and can stand in for the book in the spell book recipe.

Keep a stock of iron, gold, amethyst shards or lapis, diamonds, Sourceberries and Archwood logs; almost every recipe in the mod asks for one of them. Archwood trees, in four colours, have a small chance to grow in any biome, and an Archwood Forest is full of them along with the mod's creatures. Sourceberries grow in taiga and Archwood forests.

• Craft the Novice Spell Book and cast your first spells.
• Build an Imbuement Chamber and turn amethyst or lapis into Source Gems.
• Build a Scribe's Table and learn new glyphs.
• Set up a Source Jar fed by a Sourcelink, then the Enchanting Apparatus.

How a spell is built

A spell is a row of glyphs read left to right. It always starts with exactly one form, which decides how the spell reaches its target. Then come one or more effects, which happen in the order you place them. An augment changes the glyph just to its left, and several augments can stack on the same glyph.

Forms

Projectile (thrown), Touch (what you click), Self (you), Underfoot and Orbit among them. The form is the first glyph, and there is only one.

Effects

What happens: Break, Harm, Ignite, Heal, Launch, Smelt, Harvest, Blink and dozens more. A spell can carry several, resolved in order. A few, like Burst, Linger, Wall and Rune, carry the rest of the spell to a new area.

Augments

Amplify, Dampen, AOE, Extend Time, Duration Down, Accelerate, Pierce, Split, Sensitive, Fortune, Extract, Randomize. Each changes the glyph to its left.

Open the book's crafting page with C while it is in your hand. Click glyphs to add them, name the spell and press Create; a book holds ten spells. Right-click casts. X and Z step through your spells and V opens a wheel of them.

Casting costs mana, the sum of every glyph in the spell, shown by the bar at the bottom left. It refills by itself. Every glyph you learn adds a little to your maximum mana and to how fast it refills, and so do a better book, magical gear and mana potions. If a spell will not cast, you are short of mana, or it does not start with a form, or it has no effect.

Spell books and glyph tiers

Glyphs come in three tiers, and the book decides which you can cast. Upgrading a book keeps every spell in it.

Novice Spell Book

Tier I glyphs. A book and four iron tools.

Mage's Spell Book

Tier II. The novice book with obsidian, three diamonds, two quartz blocks and two blaze rods.

Archmage Spell Book

Tier III. The mage's book with three ender pearls, two emeralds, a totem of undying, a nether star and a Wilden Tribute, which only the Wilden Chimera drops.

Tier I

Projectile, Touch, Self, Underfoot, Break, Harm, Ignite, Light, Launch, Leap, Pull, Gust, Harvest, Cut, Fell, Freeze, Interact, Place Block, Pickup, Dispel, Delay, Amplify, Sensitive and more.

Tier II

AOE, Extend Time, Duration Down, Accelerate, Dampen, Pierce, Extract, Fortune, Crush, Smelt, Heal, Grow, Explosion, Exchange, Slowfall, Invisibility, Ender Inventory, Animate Block and more.

Tier III

Blink, Burst, Orbit, Linger, Wall, Split, Lightning, Glide, Intangible, Hex, Wither, Fangs, Summon Vex, Summon Undead and Summon Decoy.

New glyphs are made at the Scribe's Table. Use your spell book on it, pick a glyph, and throw the items it shows onto the table; it also pulls them from chests nearby. Each glyph costs experience, more for higher tiers. Using the finished glyph teaches it to you. An Annotated Codex records what you know so another player can learn it all at once.

Source and Sourcelinks

Source is the mod's energy. It runs the Imbuement Chamber and the Enchanting Apparatus, powers turrets, rituals and creatures, and opens portals. It is stored in Source Jars, made of archwood slabs around glass, and machines draw from jars close to them. A comparator reads how full a jar is.

Sourcelinks gather it, each from something different, and fill the jars around them. Every one is a source gem cross with gold and one item in the middle.

Agronomic Sourcelink

Crops and trees growing within 15 blocks; Mageblooms, Sourceberries and Archwood saplings give more. Bone meal does not count. Made with wheat. The usual first one.

Mycelial Sourcelink

Food near it, on the ground or on pedestals, more for more filling food and far more for Sourceberry food. It also turns the ground below into mycelium and grows mushrooms. Made with mushroom stew.

Volcanic Sourcelink

Anything that burns, Archwood logs best and Blazing Archwood most of all. Its heat turns nearby stone into magma and then lava. Made with a lava bucket.

Vitalic Sourcelink

Mobs dying and animals breeding nearby, plus a trickle from baby animals, which it also grows faster. Made with a glistering melon slice.

Alchemical Sourcelink

Potions from potion jars next to it, more for longer, stronger and more complex ones. Made with a brewing stand.

Source Relays carry source between jars up to 30 blocks apart. Link them with the Dominion Wand: click where the source comes from, then where it goes. Sneak-click a relay with the wand to clear it, and a redstone signal pauses it. The collector and deposit relays pull from or fill every jar within five blocks, the splitter serves several jars at once, and warp relays send source any distance, losing some beyond 30 blocks.

The Imbuement Chamber, Source Gems and essences

The Imbuement Chamber, archwood planks around gold, turns an amethyst shard or a lapis into a Source Gem for 500 source, and an amethyst block into a block of them. It slowly makes its own source, or draws on jars within two blocks to work faster. Source gems are in nearly every recipe after this.

With three Arcane Pedestals around it (within one block), the chamber turns a source gem into an essence for 2,000 source. The pedestal items are kept. Essences go into glyphs, gear and the apparatus.

Air Essence

A feather, a Wilden Wing and an arrow.

Earth Essence

An iron ingot, seeds and dirt.

Fire Essence

Flint and steel, a torch and gunpowder.

Water Essence

A water bucket, a snow block and kelp. With a bucket it makes a water bucket, and with lava, obsidian.

Abjuration Essence

A fermented spider eye, sugar and a milk bucket.

Conjuration Essence

A Wilden Horn, a Starbuncle Token and a book.

Manipulation Essence

A stone button, redstone and a clock.

The Enchanting Apparatus

Most of the mod's gear is made here. Build the Enchanting Apparatus (sourcestone, gold and a diamond) on top of an Arcane Core, and set Arcane Pedestals within three blocks of it. Put the recipe's items on the pedestals, then use the middle item on the apparatus. A source jar nearby pays for recipes that cost source. Sourcestone is eight stone around a source gem.

The apparatus also enchants. Put an enchantment's items on the pedestals and use the item you want enchanted on the apparatus; it only applies enchantments that suit that item. Levels go one at a time: Smite III needs an item that already has Smite II.

Enchanter's Wand

An archwood log in the middle; four source gems, two gold ingots, Air and Manipulation Essence around it. Inscribe one spell at the Scribe's Table: it always starts Projectile, Accelerate, and lets you cast past the ten-spell limit of a book.

Rings

A Ring of Potential (iron nuggets around a source gem) becomes the Lesser Ring of Discount with four diamonds, two ender pearls and two source gems, and that becomes the Greater with four diamonds, two blaze rods and two source gems. The Jump Ring gives jumps in mid-air for mana.

Amulets and belts

From a Dull Trinket: the Amulet of Mana Boost and Amulet of Mana Regen. From a Mundane Belt: the Belt of Levitation (sneak in the air to rise) and the Belt of Unstable Gifts.

Enchanter's weapons

The sword, shield, mirror, gauntlet, bow, crossbow and fishing rod each carry one inscribed spell and cast it as you use them.

Charms

Each magical helper is summoned from a charm made here from its token: see Creatures.

Magical armour and threads

Three sets, each made in the apparatus from an ordinary piece with four Magebloom Fiber around it. The Sorcerer's set starts from gold and has the least defence and the best thread slots, the Arcanist's from iron, and the Battlemage's from diamond, with the most defence and the weakest slots. All of them raise mana regeneration.

Each piece has three tiers, raised in the apparatus. The first upgrade takes two blaze rods and 2,500 source, the second two ender pearls, a chorus fruit and 5,000 source. Every tier adds regeneration and more, larger thread slots. Threads go in at the Alteration Table, a Scribe's Table with Magebloom Fiber: put the armour on its stand and use a thread on the tablet. A thread counts once per set.

Magic Capacity

Ten percent more maximum mana per level.

Spell Power

More spell damage per level.

Life Drain

Heals you for 20% of your spell damage per level.

Repairing

Repairs magical armour and enchanter's items with mana; in a level 3 slot it makes your armour unbreakable.

Undying

Saves you from death once per sleep, like a totem. Needs a level 3 slot.

Gliding

Glide as with an elytra. Needs a level 3 slot, and an elytra to make.

The Starbuncle

Twenty percent faster per level.

And more

Depths (breathe longer, and never run out in a level 3 slot), Feather, Heights, High Step, Warding, Immolation, Kindling, Chilling, and one for each creature: Wixie (longer potions), Whirlisprig (more saturation), Drygmy (looting), Amethyst Golem (knockback resistance).

Creatures that work for you

Ars Nouveau's automation is a household of small creatures. Most are befriended in the wild for a token, the token becomes a charm in the apparatus, and the charm summons them; three come from the Ritual of Awakening instead. Casting Dispel on one gives its charm back. The Dominion Wand tells them where to work.

Starbuncle

Moves items between chests: wand a chest then the Starbuncle to take from it, the Starbuncle then a chest to put into it. Filter with Allow and Deny scrolls or item frames, and stack several charms on one to carry more. Wild ones come close if you hold a gold nugget, and one that picks it up leaves a token. The charm is the token with four gold ingots.

Drygmy

Produces the drops of the mobs and animals around it without hurting them, plus experience gems, into a chest beside its henge. More different creatures nearby make it happier and more productive; it needs source. Befriend a wild one by throwing a Wilden Horn near it. Use the charm on mossy cobblestone.

Whirlisprig

Produces the natural materials around it, logs, crops, seeds and flowers, into a chest next to its flower. It likes variety. A wild one drops a token when a tree grows near it.

Wixie

Crafts anything you show it from the chests around its cauldron, and brews potions into potion jars. Get the token by casting Dispel on a witch at half health or less. Use the charm on a cauldron.

Amethyst Golem

Turns amethyst blocks into budding amethyst, speeds up growth and harvests the clusters. Perform the Ritual of Awakening next to budding amethyst.

Weald Walker

A living Archwood tree that guards an area, casting spells at monsters. The Ritual of Awakening at the foot of an Archwood tree.

Bookwyrm

Each one lets a Storage Lectern reach more inventories. The Ritual of Awakening with a book and quill thrown in.

Alakarkinos

Sifts sand and gravel near its chest for archaeology loot, for source. Found on beaches; give one a pottery sherd for its token.

Familiars

A familiar follows you and gives a bonus. Perform the Ritual of Binding near the creature to turn it into a Bound Script, use the script to learn it, and summon it from your spell book's Familiars page. Summoning gives you a short sickness before you can summon another. A Starbuncle is the usual first.

Starbuncle

Speed II. Feed it a gold nugget and you can see gold ore through walls for a while.

Drygmy

Earth spells hit harder, with a chance of extra looting.

Whirlisprig

Earth glyphs cost half, and food fills you more.

Wixie

Potions you apply last longer.

Amethyst Golem

Halves the knockback you take and throws attackers back.

Bookwyrm

Pulls items and experience within five blocks to you.

Rituals

A ritual needs a Ritual Brazier (an arcane pedestal, a block of source gems and three gold ingots) and a ritual tablet. Use the tablet on the brazier; it lights and waits. Throw in any augment items now, then click it with an empty hand to start. Rituals that run on source draw from jars within six blocks, and a redstone signal stops them. Each tablet is used up.

Sanctuary

No hostile mob spawns within 32 blocks; each rotten flesh thrown in adds a block, up to 128.

Binding

Turns a creature nearby into a Bound Script, for familiars.

Awakening

Archwood trees become Weald Walkers and budding amethyst an Amethyst Golem; with a book and quill, Bookwyrm charms.

Containment

Puts a mob within three blocks into a Containment Jar. Many keep working inside: chickens lay, cows give milk, a blaze lights the jar.

Flight

Players nearby fly when they jump, for source.

Disintegration

Destroys monsters nearby into experience gems worth twice the experience, with no item drops.

Harvest, Overgrowth, Fertility

Harvest picks ripe crops into a chest, Overgrowth bone-meals the area, Fertility breeds animals until there are twenty.

Restoration

Heals everything nearby and cures zombie villagers instantly, with discounts if you were there.

Weather and time

Cloudshaping clears the sky (gunpowder for rain, a lapis block for a storm); Sunrise and Moonfall set day or night.

Scrying

Shows a block of your choice through walls for a while; throw the block in first.

Burrowing

Digs four holes straight down to bedrock.

Challenge

Starts a raid in a village; an emerald raises it to the hardest, for totems on easier difficulties.

Summon Wilden

A spike, a horn and a wing thrown in summon the Wilden Chimera. It breaks the blocks around the brazier.

Shaping the land

Conjure Island (plains or desert), Flowering, Forestation, Gravity, Summon Animals and Warping.

The Wilden and the Chimera

Wilden are hostile creatures that gather around their dens at night. Hunters run with wolves, Stalkers attack from the ground and the air, and Defenders, found in cold biomes, hit hard and slowly. They drop the Wilden Horn, Wilden Spike and Wilden Wing that essences, threads and tablets ask for.

The Wilden Chimera is the mod's boss, called with the Ritual of Summon Wilden and one of each drop. It resists cold, so leave the frost spells at home; the mod suggests tier II spells and gear, with buffs, Dispel and something to move fast. It drops the Wilden Tribute, which the Archmage Spell Book and the Summoning Focus need.

Turrets, storage, portals and potions

Spell Turret

Casts an inscribed Touch or Projectile spell on a redstone pulse, like a dispenser, paying from source jars. The enchanted turret costs half the source; the timer turret fires on its own. Good for one-block farms, quarries and mob farms.

Runic Chalk

Draws a permanent rune that casts its spell on whatever walks over it, then recharges from nearby jars.

Storage Lectern

One window onto many chests, wanded in from up to 30 blocks; Bookwyrms raise how many. Named inventories become tabs. Repositories hold a double chest each and keep their name.

Warp scrolls and portals

A Warp Scroll records a spot and takes you there once, in the same dimension; the stabilized one is reusable and crosses dimensions. A frame of sourcestone, from 1 by 1 up to 21 by 21, with a full source jar nearby and an inscribed warp scroll thrown in, becomes a portal that costs nothing to use.

Potions

A Potion Jar holds 100 potions. The Potion Melder combines two jars' effects into one potion, the Potion Diffuser keeps everyone nearby under a jar's effect, and a Potion Flask carries eight doses.

Seeing far

A Scryer's Crystal is a camera you can look through, and the Scryer's Oculus opens any crystal whose scroll sits on a pedestal next to it. The Planarium is a pocket dimension in a jar.

Questions