The raw form of psychic energy which is routinely used by sentient beings to manipulate and change the consensus reality.

In Huna mana is visualized as a pink or gray mist that exists throughout the universe and which is breathed in and shaped via prayer.

Mana is the bassist and one of the creators of the Japanese Visual Rock band, Malice Mizer. A male, Mana is usually seen in full Goth-female garb, both while performing in the band and during everyday life. He refers to his makeup and clothing style as 'Gothic Lolita,' which is signaturized by his characteristic color - blue.

In the CCG Magic: The Gathering mana is magical power, usually gathered from the land, though some various objects, spells and creatures can summon its power (Elves, sacrificial rituals, and certain artifacts). Mana is gathered by tapping the lifeforce of the land, which drains it for a short time (1 game turn). If the mana is not used within the turn, it begins to tear apart the body of the person who is trying to hold it, causing mana burn, an harmful inner fire. This is easily avoided by only gathering enough mana to cast the spells needed.

Mana is used by super-human creatures called planeswalkers to power their spells, and the abilities of their minions. It is most commonly used in duels between two or more planeswalkers. These duels are the subject of this game.

By popular definition, mana is an omnipresent ether that can be drawn upon to construct magic spells. It is used in Magic: The Gathering and too-numerous-to-count role-playing games and fantasy stories. This Western understanding of mana can be attributed to Larry Niven, who first described it as such in his 1978 novella, The Magic Goes Away.3 Of course, Niven did not invent this perception of mana but probably combined the writings of early anthropologists with a bit of artistic license.

The anthropologist R.H. Codrington described mana as "an arbitrary, impersonal force possessed by people and objects"1 in his 1891 book, The Melanesians. This early work strongly influenced many anthropologists who linked Codrington's description of mana with many other culture's belief systems, including the Iroquois orenda, Sioux wakana, and Algonquian manitou.1 This association of mana with an all-pervading force resident in every aspect of being is inaccurate, but widespread nonetheless.

Mana describes a belief held and practiced by the people of Polynesiab and Melanesiac, and can be difficult to understand as "the idea of mana is not universal even in Melanesia, and the same term has much different meaning in neighboring Polynesia."1 It may be described as holiness, respect, or even virtue and is said to be exhibited strongly in people with great character. A Maorid chief would have a lot of mana, so much so that touching him was considered dangerous. Even so, mana was only experienced in fellowship whether between the chief and his village or even two men in a fight.2 In the case of the chief and his village, the shared mana would be dominated by the chief who represented the greatest force of mana; indeed that is why he is chief. Even when inanimate objects are said to have mana it is derived from people. Often an object was said to be imbued with an ancestor's mana.


1 www.allenvarney.com/av_mana.html
2 alexm.here.ru/mirrors/www.enteract.com/jwalz/Eliade/090.html
3 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mana

a Also referred to as Wakan Tanka
b Many Islands
c Black Islands
d New Zealand native word for their people, though often used to describe South Pacific natives in general

In Blizard's Diablo game series, mana is the spiritual/magical force flowing within each character's veins. In Diablo, mana really only had one use: powering spells. In Diablo II, however, you cannot simply pick up a book and learn a spell. Each character has a unique set of special skills that he or she can learn, and the largest part of these skills are powered by this mana.

In Diablo, your maximum amount of mana could be increased by spending time (I.E. experience points) developing your "Magic" characteristic. The sorcerer, a class specifically geared toward magic-usage, naturally benefits the most from this development.

In Diablo II, the "Energy" characteristic is what boosts your character's mana, and a class more given to actual magic-usage still benefits more. This is well represented by the fact that the "fighting" classes' attack skills generally have lower mana costs than a magic user's powerful attack spells.

In Diablo II, there are also certain monsters that can drain some or all of your mana with each hit they land on you, making life difficult for a character who relies too much on mana for survival/defense.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.