Thematic gesturing

[yaron]

Slartucker's list of new gestures (in the alt-spellbook thread) reminded me of how some spells in Warlock have gestures that are thematically appropriate.

This is a fun, sometimes overlooked aspect of the spell book, so I thought I'd list those that I'm aware of, in the hope of others being able to add more:

Shield
Raise your arm, palm forward, like saying: stop!
Surrender
Raise both arms, indicating surrender.
Magic Missile
Snap n' point. Very appropriate.
Finger of Death
A longer weave that works up to a snap n' point.
Blindness
I like the double D ending. Like sticking your fingers in their eyes.
Magic Mirror
This one is my favourite. Try it. You clap, then continue smoothly to symmetrical waving, miming a mirror.
Paralysis
The wiggle is the most appropriate gesture for a continuous spell. I just wish it was a different continuous spell.
Fear
Not strictly to do with physical gesturing, but I like that fear forces opponents to gesture defensively.

Anything else?

[Slartucker]

The snap n' point is incorporated into Fireball as well, and of course FOD combines gesture elements of Magic Missile and Fireball. Lightning Bolt ends in D as well -- so all the missile type spells are launched by pointing your finger. Makes sense.

Snapping seems to be a power-gathering gesture. Almost no spells end in S -- just WWS and PPws (and cSWWS, but that one wasn't in the original rules). On the other hand, S is needed for the two spells with purely magical effects, Antispell and Permanency.

[Citanest]

I've always liked the way that with a double snap of the fingers, you can disappear!

But the Finger of Death is King, beginning with the portentous PWP, going on to hint at Cause Heavy Wounds (WPF) and Fireball (FSS), then 3 S's which implies Delay (when the end is ironically nigh), and finally finishing with SD in a super-charged Magic Missile channelled through that single pointy finger.

Finger of Death: a poetic masterpiece.

[bigjim]

I do like that clap of lightning ends with a clap.
The last two gestures of Invisibility are appropriate, you wave good bye, then snap to disappear.
I also like resist heat and cold, both ending with a finger wiggle and the palm, almost like a shield.

[ourjake]

resist cold uses cold snaps and resist heat uses heat waves

[xade]

Nice

STOP! (P)
and brief magical charge and point out your target (SD)
and then wiggle the fingers, much in the same way you'll be manipulating your target...

[ourjake]

odd that paraholics don't take damage from carpal tunnel after 8 turns or so. but i guess we can pop some aleve beforehand