Adding flavor to spell casting

[ValiantDrator]

I'm currently building an admixture wizard for a small campaign my friends and I are putting together. I have a pretty good idea as to what I want to do with him mechanically, but I want him to stand out a little bit.

I was thinking of having him use incantations before some of his spells (mostly just those modified by metamagic feats so as not to bog down game time), but I'm not exactly the most clever of individuals and am having a difficult time of coming up with anything that sounds sufficiently arcane. Any suggestions or examples would be greatly appreciated!

[Rennaivx]

My favorite way to add a little bit of arcane flavor to casting is to perform incantations in another language - even fairly simple phrases can sound complex and spooky when said in a language others aren't familiar with. Think the Latin invocations in the Harry Potter series.(Admittedly, I do a lot of play-by-post, and this is easier to do when you can just copy and paste from Google Translate.)

If you're not especially linguistically-gifted, rhymes are a customary way to add an arcane feel to a statement, as well as adding unfamiliar-sounding names or lists of elements or components. The numbers three and seven are often ascribed ritualistic significance in a lot of fantasy, and repetition ups the arcane factor as well.

EDIT: For inspiration, think the classic example, the witches from Macbeth:

Thrice the brinded cat hath mewed.
Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whined.
Harpier cries: - 'tis time, 'tis time!

[FaceInTheSand]

Make noises up, with a weird voice/accent/inflection if possible. It's what I do for each monster language, eventually you'll have repeating sounds that could be words and eventually, based on context, you'll ascribe meaning to those words and probably remember them; if not, players won't notice.

Alternatively, seconding Rennaivx, on one game, our oracle had the tongues curse and spoke only in French during fights. Another character spoke celestial, and the player spoke French, so translated. I have been known to do dwarven as Russian with a Scottish accent.

Maybe shift up the language depending on spell. Enchantment spells are in sylvan, evocations in the relevant Elemental language, spells with the evil descriptor are in abyssal/infernal.

[My Self]

Google Translate something into another language (preferably a non-latin-based language), repeat that process with another language, then splice those translations together until you have a sufficiently arcane-sounding mash. Also consider speaking things backwards, or speaking the translated stuff backwards.

[CampinCarl9127]

Draconic Translator is my personal favorite.

[Derklord]

CampinCarl9127 wrote:

Draconic Translator is my personal favorite.

I should not have clicked that link. I pity the group I'll play my next caster in - every single spell I'll cast will be accompanied by me shouting stuff like "kiwieg sia skriiod" (feel my wrath)!

My Self wrote:

Also consider speaking things backwards

That was my first idea, too - Zatanna from DC comics does that, casting spells by saying stuff like "sdraug llaf peelsa".

[JamZilla]

Google Translate the names of spells into Latin.

......

As the goblin closes in, a wicked gleam in it's eye and a crazed grin on it's face, Presto the wizard grimaces and from between gritted teeth spits the ancient words taught to him as an initiate at the Acadamae so many years ago;

Magicae telum!

His hands perform the complex arcane gestures in a the blink of an eye, fingers contorting and flexing through pure muscle memory, the product of a motion performed a hundred times before.

A tiny orb of force appears in the air before him and with a flourish he sends it streaking like a slingbolt through the air, watching with grim satisfaction as it punches a smoking hole in the goblin's chest.

......

That works for play by post of course but if at the table I usually have a series of phrases and describable gestures in a notepad or word doc handy if I want to add some RP to my spellcasting.