Lesson Three

The Transformation Formula

Objectives

• Understand and correctly differentiate between transfiguration and transformation.

• Be able to explain the different variables in a spell

• Apply the transformation spell to simple circumstances.

• Transformation: Last defined as “that which causes an alteration in the intended target.”

• Implies the remaking of an intended target, magically or not

• Transformation alters an object without regards for the previous form

• Transfiguration deals with the original essence of the targets

Essence

• Everything has a natural attribute which makes it was it is fundamentally, called essence

• Without said essence, everything would loose its identity

• The Latin root of the word means "to be"

• You can change the shape, colour, size, texture or any other trait but the essence never changes

• Essence gives a purpose

The Difference between Transfiguration and Transformation

The Transformation Formula History

• Up until the 16th century, transformation was very popular
• This was before transfiguration was it's own branch of magic 
• In 1546, Madam Lucielle Capaldi published her on work on the Transformation Formula, a theory with a vast number of variables 
• Even the most skilled minds had difficulty understanding what she wrote
• Some of the variables were wand core, wand wood, spell caster's age and gender, personality type, their height, weight and degree of physical strength 
• However, these experiences only applied to her own abilities
• Ser Robert Branch worked with her to create a more general equation that could be applied to the masses
• They condensed the variables into what we use today 

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The Formula 

• The formula is: T=(P times W times C) divided by (V times M) times 2
• The T stands for the Difficulty Index and is directly influences by weight, which is M, as well as vitality (V), Wand Power (P), Willpower (W), Concentration (C) 
•  The similarity index value (Z) changes between every spell
• This equation is not in mathematical terms and we have control over many of the factors
• Difficulty Index (T): Determines the success rate of the spell. Higher indexed spells are significantly easier than those with lower indexed values
• The closer the difficulty index is neutral (0) the more challenging and advanced the spell
• Wand Power (P): Wand power is generally not an option, something you get to decide upon. This is affected by the core. 
• Willpower (W): Willpower is comparable to that of physical strength. All transfiguration spells require a degree of willpower to achieve any level of success. It is not quantifiable but can be determined as weak, strong or moderate
• Concentration (C): Is required for all transfiguration and also covers focus. Focus is the intense concentration for a moment of time on a specific target and concentration is extended focus on that chosen target. It is the second variable controlled by the spell caster. 
• Weight (M): This variable is defined as the mass of the target object. The weight refers to the weight of the person of object being transfigured by the spell and not the spell caster. This can also refer to: 

Mass: The amount of matter in an object.
Matter: Physical substance in general, as distinct from mind, spirit and energy.
Gravity: The force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass.
Weight: The force experienced by an object by gravity that is measured on a scale.

• Vitality: Vitality comes from "life", and is best summarized as the "level of life" of a target. When vitality increases, it causes the denominator (bottom portion of the fraction) increases in amount. Several other factors feed into this category, including Life, Age, and Level of Complexity. Complexity grows with size and brain functionality; Invertebrate, Insects, Arachnids, Amphibians, Fish, Reptiles, Simple Mammals, Complex Mammals, Humans and Humanoid Creatures
• Similarity Index (Z): For each transfiguration, there are two targets that need to be compared; the initial and the result. The more similarities they share, the easier it will be to transfigure them. Without taking the similarities into consideration, one can cause serious and (sometimes) permanent damage to the initial target, to the spell caster or the people around them 
• Higher levels of vitality and mass cause the difficulty index to decrease to a harder level. Higher levels of concentration make the transfiguration easier to preform. Wand power is not something that can be decided or controlled. The similarity index is not something that can be avoided without disastrous consequences. Higher levels of differences cause transfiguration to become significantly harden and more similarities make the spell easier.