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[Unknown72]

Just a suggestion but maybe add stipulations on whether the effect/biome is Good, Evil or Neutral. As, for example, an Evil Agriculture sphere would have rose thorns become more dangerous and poisonous plants become more poisonous, Neutral would have plants grow faster and have higher harvest yields, and Good would have thorns go away, poisonous plants become less dangerous, etc etc

[Nordlicht]

I just wanted to add that I like the idea of things like coins, gems, or gold/silver dust raining from the sky, but since it's magical and would royally disrupt economies in the long run if you could just cart infinite gold from some region I think it would be helpful if that Wealth transmuted into lead or something once it's removed from the sphere of WEALTH magic.

I think transmutation is a good idea. In a wealth area, fruits would turn into gems and coins (and not be edible anymore), but rot and become mouldy the moment they leave the area. Water could be very expensive wine that get's sour when leaving. I think the food ascpect of wealth should not be overlooked. Basically turning an area into the land of milk and honey.

[Shonai_Dweller]

Just a suggestion but maybe add stipulations on whether the effect/biome is Good, Evil or Neutral. As, for example, an Evil Agriculture sphere would have rose thorns become more dangerous and poisonous plants become more poisonous, Neutral would have plants grow faster and have higher harvest yields, and Good would have thorns go away, poisonous plants become less dangerous, etc etc

I believe Toady mentioned that Good and Evil biomes are likely to be replaced entirely with this new system. Besides, savage unicorns with deadly horns live in Good biomes right now, would it make sense for plants there not to have thorns?

[voliol]

The Good/Evil (and possibly Benign/Savage) systems have been stated to be planned for removal. However, many of these Spheres fall in line with what the Good/Evil biomes already represent, like the DEATH, DISEASE and NIGHTMARES spheres, that are already being used for evil regions in the upcoming version. And the Good spheres are ones like Wealth and...

Peace:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spell effects:

• Pacify a creature, making it friendly.
• Prevent a creature from initiating any physical aggression/attacks.
• Cause the internal conflict of a creature's mind to (c)ease.

Environmental effects:

• At ALL levels:
  • Conflict levels have an increasingly hard time increasing.
  • Internal conflict are eased, by an increasing amount as the magic levels go up.
• At EXTREME levels:
  • Attacks of any kind cannot be physically made.

Creature effects:

• At LOW levels:
  • Creature has smaller fangs/claws/dangerous body part.
  • Creature with PRONE_TO_RAGE has a lower chance of becoming enraged.
• At MEDIUM levels:
  • Creature is BENIGN, if it was not a LARGE_PREDATOR.
  • Creature that was previously a LARGE_PREDATOR is no longer one.
  • Creature with PRONE_TO_RAGE has a much lower chance of becoming enraged.
• At HIGH levels:
  • Creature is BENIGN, even if it was previously a LARGE_PREDATOR.
  • Creature with PRONE_TO_RAGE no longer has it.
  • Creature lacks the proper body parts for attacking, unless they have some other important function (e.g. stance, grasp).
• At EXTREME levels:
  • Creature is BENIGN, even if it was previously a LARGE_PREDATOR.
  • Creature with PRONE_TO_RAGE no longer has it.
  • Creature lacks the proper body parts for attacking.
  • Creature physically cannot attack.
  • Creature will attack, and try to subdue, any other creature that begins an act of aggression.
  • Normally carnivorous creature is a herbivore, or even a GRAZER.

Plant effects:

• At MEDIUM to EXTREME levels:
  • Thorny plant doesn't have thorns.

Item effects:

• At ALL levels:
  • Item causes those who use it (wear if the item is clothing, sit in if it is a throne etc.) to value PEACE more.
• At LOW to HIGH levels:
  • Weapon gets hit/accuracy penalties, unless the target is a major warmonger.
  • Coffin increases the chance of its owner getting a peaceful rest, sending them to the most "peaceful" afterlife option.
  • Wearable item (preferably trinket) eases internal turmoil of the wearer.
• At EXTREME levels:
  • Weapon can't be used for attacking, unless the target is a major warmonger.
  • Coffin ensures whoever is laid in it a peaceful rest, sending them to the most "peaceful" afterlife option.
  • Wearable item (preferably trinket) clears all internal turmoil when worn.

[alexsa2015sa]

There are many speheres already existing: Fire, Weather, Water, but - a horrible omission - Dwarf Fortress currently features no Cold, Snow, Frost or indeed any halfway Winter-relevant sphere. It is terrible. What gives people? Everyone's outside places where winter is cold?

It's certainly an oversight if I saw one. For simplicity's sake, I've labeled the non-existent sphere Cold. (because it's wider than most other synonyms) With that in mind, and reminding that Cold doesn't exist as of 44.12:

   Cold

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spell effects
   Reduce temperature of an object / item / creature / tile / area, etc
      - freezing liquids
      - stopping fires
      - turning vapor into liquid
      - turning vapor into solid (resulting in ice)
   Summon a entity associated with cold
   Gain immunity to low temperature effects (possibly including phase changes)
   Amplify existing cold effects
Environmental effects
   Any level
      - ambient temperatur drops compared to natural values, down to lethal and towards absolute zero.
      - Ambient humidity increases, resulting in everything frosting over even in deserts.
   Low
      - Fire is still warm.
   Medium
      - Temperature drop during cold season is sharper. Even in tropical climates, it is cold enough the water freezes over. Summer climate might remain largely intact. Glaciers and tundra are least affected, but are still colder than natural.
      - Fire doesn't spread very fast and produces little heat
   High
      - Even summers are noticeably colder, and little different from spring or autumn. Winter is longer and it always has water freezing over. Naturally cold climates experience perpetual winter
      - Sunlight is either stopped by the rolling clouds, or provides no heat
      - Fire easily dies down for no visible reason, if it even starts in the first place
      - Liquid is impossible to find even deep underneath; amidst magma, glaciers of obsidian are found instead
      - Entities associated with cold can be found about
   Extreme
      - Smothers the temperature increase, up until the region is trapped in supernatural winter with no temperature fluctuation whatsoever.
      - Even air might be freezing, resulting in unbreathable environment and impossibility to start fires
      - Instead of semi-molten rock underneath, it's something way too cold to dig through. Hell is probably frozen over.
Weather effect
   Sudden temperature drops, mist and fogs and frost. Combined with rainfall, results in snowstorms and blizzards. Nothing blatantly supernatural beyond "suddenly cold", until hell freezes over.
Creature effect
   Low
      - is somewhat resistant to cold; enough so e.g. bears hibernate later and crops start growing a week sooner.
   Medium
      - creature's material temperature drops in relation to its normal value. It might find it difficult to consume hot meals.
      - Dislikes fire and related activities
   High
      - Liquids produced by the creature don't freeze easily, solids evaporate easier but don't burn well.
      - Acceptable temperature range drops compared to normal creatures.
      - Creatures are cold enough to freeze water in colder climates. External frost covering accumulates upon exposed skin.
   Extreme
      - normal materials totally replaced with extra-cold equivalents. Absolutely not flammable
      - creature becomes cold enough to freeze water by walking over it or breathing at it. External frost covering accumulates upon any armaments and surroundings.
      - Magic is a necessary element of composition
      - Can't feed off normal meat and grain at all; they are too hot for this.
Object effects
   Any
      - the item is cooler than it should be by normal physics. As temperature drops the effect grows more pronounced.
   Medium
      - the item is cold enough to freeze water in colder climate. External frost covering accumulates over its surface.
   High
      - the item is difficult to set on fire. Even wood and coal might prove impossible to use as fuel normally.
   Extreme
      - item is cold enough to freeze water. Touching it results in the same flash-freeze, if the flesh isn't protected in some way (through spells or being of Cold sphere)
      - Vapors and liquids frost over its surface. It might even include air.
Rituals and enhancers
   Obviously, Cold rituals in a Cold climate are that much easier. If it is normal winter or environmental cold sphere pollution probably don't matter.
   Magma isn't conducive to Cold magic. At all.
Plant effect
   Low
      - is somewhat resistant to cold; enough so e.g. bears hibernate later and crops start growing a week sooner.
   Medium
      - plants might become averse to sunlight and transition away from normal plant mechanics
      - It is possible to harvest crops during cold winter. In hottest climates crops wither instead
      - Logs aren't very suitable to use as normal fuel as they burn poorly
   High
      - Liquids produced by the plants don't freeze easily, solids evaporate easier but don't burn well. Direct sunlight might harms them
      - Acceptable temperature range drops compared to normal creatures.
      - Cold enough to freeze water in colder climates. External frost covering accumulates upon exposed surfaces.
      - Likely divorced with normal water and sunlight requirements and absorb magic instead
      - It is impossible to farm crops if the water doesn't freeze over for good part of the year. They typically melt instead of withering.
      - Logs and mats in general don't ignite to anything short of dragonfire and don't work as normal fuel
   Extreme
      - normal materials totally replaced with extra-cold equivalents. Absolutely not flammable
      - creature becomes cold enough to freeze water by walking over it or breathing at it. External frost covering accumulates upon any armaments and surroundings.
      - Magic is a necessary element of composition
      - Everything doesn't ignite, period

[PlumpHelmetMan]

Does DF really not have a "Cold" sphere? Well then yeah +1 to adding one for sure.

[Hapchazzard]

Alright, I've let this thread wither for way too long. I've updated the list with some of the suggestions presented since my absence. Here's a new one:

Wisdom

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spell effects:

• Increase a sentient creature's soul attributes, in particular ANALYTICAL ABILITY, FOCUS, INTUITION, PATIENCE, MEMORY, EMPATHY and SOCIAL AWARENESS
• Confer sentience onto a non-sentient animal, plant or object
• Detect other creature's "alignment", or motivations
• Induce flashes of insight

Environmental effects:

• At MEDIUM levels:
  
  • Sentient creatures get a moderate temporary soul attribute boost whilst in the area
  • If a creature is sleeping in the area, dreams tend to be less chaotic and may sometimes give valuable insight
• At HIGH levels:
  
  • Sentient creatures get a large temporary soul attribute boost whilst in the area
  • If a creature is sleeping in the area, dreams often present the dreamer with pertinent revelations, such as upcoming betrayals, associated characters hiding a secret agenda, solutions to problems the creature is facing
  • The area itself may become sentient, using local nonsentient creatures as it's eyes, ears and enforcers
  • Visiting nonsentient creatures may temporarily gain sentience
• At EXTREME levels:
  
  • Sentient creatures get a massive temporary soul attribute boost whilst in the area
  • If a creature is sleeping in the area, dreams often present the dreamer with pertinent revelations, such as upcoming betrayals, associated characters hiding a secret agenda, solutions to problems the creature is facing
  • The area itself becomes sentient, using local nonsentient creatures, plants and inanimate objects as it's eyes, ears and enforcers. Basically, a massive gestalt consciousness that encompasses everything within the area
  • Visiting creatures may get brilliant flashes of pseudo-clairvoyant insight, 'connecting the dots' in way they normally never would and getting a limited understanding of future events
  • Visiting nonsentient creatures and even objects may temporarily gain sentience
  • Prolonged exposure to the area may have negative repercussions on a sentient critter's mental health as the revelations within prove too much

Creature effects:

• At ALL levels:
  
  • Creature's soul attributes increase
• At MEDIUM levels:
  
  • Creature tends to have more meaningful, pertinent dreams
  • Sentient creatures may overcome inherent mental drawbacks, e.g. goblins overcoming their bloodlust, kobolds overcoming their need to steal, etc.
  • Has the ability to judge mundane creature's motives and detect falsehood with uncanny accuracy
• At HIGH levels:
  
  • Creature tends to have more meaningful, pertinent dreams
  • Sentient creatures may overcome inherent mental drawbacks, e.g. goblins overcoming their bloodlust, kobolds overcoming their need to steal, etc.
  • Nonsentient critters may gain sentience
  • AI creatures at this level act with almost total rationality when it comes to pursuing their goals, having lapses of judgement only in extreme situations
  • Has the ability to judge the motives of even supernatural creatures. Is very difficult to deceive without the assistance of some type of magic.
• At EXTREME levels:
  
  • Creature tends to have more meaningful, pertinent dreams
  • Sentient creatures overcome inherent mental drawbacks, e.g. goblins overcoming their bloodlust, kobolds overcoming their need to steal, etc.
  • Nonsentient critters become sentient
  • AI creatures at this level act with absolute rationality when it comes to pursuing their goals
  • May possess a sort of pseudo-clairvoyance, simulating the creature's extreme ability to connect the dots and make good predictions of the future
  • Has the innate ability to almost immediately know another creature's motives - mundane, supernatural, and even deities/creatures with lovecraftian mindsets/semi-sentient magical forces. Will detect any falsehood unless it is augmented with some pretty serious TRICKERY-based magic.

Plant effects:

• At MEDIUM levels:
  
  • Creature is more likely to have meaningful, pertinent dreams and revelations upon eating a fruit of the plant
  • A creature that eats a fruit of the plant might get a moderate temporary boost to soul stats
• At HIGH levels:
  
  • Creature is more likely to have meaningful, pertinent, or clairvoyant dreams and revelations upon eating a fruit of the plant
  • A creature that eats a fruit of the plant might get a large temporary boost to soul stats
  • Animals that often eat the plant's fruit might develop sentience
  • A sentient creature that eats from the plant might have random personal values change as the revelations from the plant change their way of thinking
  • The plant itself might be sentient at this point
• At EXTREME levels:
  
  • Creature is more likely to have meaningful, pertinent, or clairvoyant dreams and revelations upon eating a fruit of the plant
  • A creature that eats a fruit of the plant might get a massive temporary boost to soul stats, or permanently raise their soul stats
  • Animals develop permanent sentience after eating a fruit of the plant
  • A sentient creature that eats from the plant might have random personal values change as the revelations from the plant change their way of thinking
  • If the plant is associated with any forces/deities associated with other spheres, the creature becomes more in-tune with the flow and motives of these entities
  • The plant itself is sentient

[Scruiser]

So you've mentioned rituals/sources, but a lot of spheres don't have any listed yet.  Have some more.  These sources/requirements/rituals could be required at time of casting, or required to charge a mana bar (with a procedurally generated name for magical energy instead of just calling it mana of course) for a given class of spells, or some combination of the two.

So to give some examples with the current spheres:

Agriculture:

• Edible crops offered as a sacrifice/reagent
• Farm plots as a required location

Animals

• Sacrifice an animal, use an animal as a reagent
• Specific biomes required as a location for spells that involve animals native to that biome

Art

• Creating a work of art as a means of casting
• Sacrificing a work of art or using a work of art as a reagent

Beauty

• A certain level of beauty as a casting requirement
• Giving up beauty as a sacrifice
• Being in a beautiful location

Blight/Disease

• Giving a sickness to a sacrifice/yourself
• Being sick

Boundaries

• Being at a wall/gate/doorways
• Being at the border of two biomes

Dream:

• Being asleep
• Sleeping longer/extra

Fire:

• Burn fuel
• Burn an enemy
• Sacrifice an animal in flame
• Volcanoes/magma filled tiles as a required nearby

Light:

• Staying out in the sunlight during clear weather
• Glass objects to focus sunlight

Poetry:

• Reciting poems to cast/charge spells
• Sacrificing a written object containing poetry

Water

• Being located near a large body of water
• A water-skin or bucket of water as a reagent or catalyst

Wealth

• Sacrificing valuable gems/items
• Using valuable gems/items as a foci (not permanetly consumed)
• Being at a location surrounded by wealth (i.e. valuable furniture)

 I could also see spells with effects in one sphere and sources/requirements from another sphere (procedural generating a mix and match of various effects and requirements).  A fire necromancer who burns charcoal fuel to animate fiery undead for example (Fire and Death).  A druid sort of magic user that goes around blessing crop outputs but requires animal sacrifices (Agriculture and Animals).  The wiki list parent/child spheres and precluded spheres and this could be used as a cue and/or restriction in the procedural generation.

[Scruiser]

Have two more spheres:

Trickery

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spell effects:

• Turn invisible/gain stealth status even while being watched
• Make enemies more cowardly
• Make targets of persuasion more suggestible
• Move an item into your inventory without those being stolen from realizing it was moved or in your inventory
• Open locked doors

Spell Costs/Rituals:

• Sacrifice or use as a reagent a stolen item
• Steal/sacrifice abstract qualities from other creatures

Environmental effects:

• At LOW levels:
  
  • Slight increase in gullibility/suggestibility of creatures not adapted to environment
• At MEDIUM levels:
  
  • Locked doors occasionally become unlocked
• At HIGH levels:
  
  • Great increase in gullibility/suggestibility of creatures not adapted to environment
  • Terrain takes on maze like properties with narrow winding paths and dead ends
• At EXTREME levels:
  
  • Doors frequently and randomly become locked or unlocked
  • Creatures get frequently lost/confused
  • Creatures occasionally turn invisible

Creature effects:

• At LOW levels:
  
  • Sentient creatures increased in deceptiveness, liar skill increases faster
• At MEDIUM levels:
  
  • Non-sentient creatures gain thieving tag
  • Non-sentient creatures gain increased ambush skill
• At HIGH levels:
  
  • Creatures can disappear in plain sight
  • Greatly increased ambush skills
  • If sentient, greatly increased liar/persuader skills
• At EXTREME levels:
  
  • Creatures can turn invisible
  • Creatures can inflict confused state on enemies

Civilization/World Gen Effects

• Bandits use high trickery environments to hide and make their base
• Thieve seek out trickery spells
• Thieves with trickery spells are more easily able to pull off artifact heists or assassinations
• Rulers and villains with social trickery spells manipulate others more easily

Healing

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spell effects:

• Remove syndromes/hostile spell effects
• Increase Recuperation
• Regenerate lost limbs
• Set dwarf back into a healthy body
• Complete true resurrection of the dead (should have high costs for balance)
• Extend lifespan

Spell Costs/Rituals:

• Diagnostician Skill
• Soap/bandages/other hospital supplies as a reagent
• "Sacrifice" health problems to power spell effects from other spheres

Environmental effects:

• At LOW levels:
  
  • Slightly increased recuperation levels of everything
• At MEDIUM levels:
  
  • Greatly increased recuperation levels
• At HIGH levels:
  
  • Regeneration of lost body parts
  • Syndromes are recovered from quickly
• At EXTREME levels:
  
  • The dead occasionally come back to life
  • Creatures heal as fast as they are injured
  • Negative syndromes and curses are instantly cured/can't be activated in the first place

Creature effects:

• At LOW levels:
  
  • Increased recuperation
• At MEDIUM levels:
  
  • Greatly Increased recuperation
  • Regeneration of lost limbs
• At HIGH levels:
  
  • Creatures periodically heals allies
  • Creatures' lifespans tend to their maximum possible values
• At EXTREME levels:
  
  • Creature grants continuous healing effect just by it presence
  • Creature grants healing effect by being consumed
  • Creatures gain immoratlity[\li]
    

Civilization/World Gen Effects

• Civilizations will prioritize access to healing environments
• Those obsessed with immortality might move to or try to conquer extreme healing environments instead of or in addition to becoming necromancers
• Healers might reduce causalities in worldgen battles, stop plagues, etc.

[voliol]

MoreTrickery

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spell effects:

• Make a creature lost. If used on the player, it rotates their view, or simply lowers their spacial sense/memory, at which point their view rotates. Otherwise, it messes with the pathfinding, or whatever is needed to make an AI creature "lost". Discussed in DFtalk 16.
• Summon mirages.

Environmental effects:

• At ALL levels:
• Getting lost is easier, the required memory+spacial awareness needed to not get lost increases with the magic level.
• At HIGH levels:
• Mirages appear in the distance, of generic creatures and smaller geographic features. The mirages dissolve as you approach.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Mirages appear, of creatures, plants, items, and even larger geographic features such as lakes or mountains. Depending on the biomes knowledge of your mind, specific people/plants/items may appear as mirages, related to your travels. The mirages dissolve first upon contact.

Creature effects:

• At ALL levels:
• Creature learns the Intrigue skill at a faster rate.
• At MEDIUM levels:
• Creature sometimes flickers into the symbol/graphic of one other set creature. Upon inspection, its form will be revealed, and the description will include something like "...it disguises itself as a [OTHER_CREATURE] to fool others.".
• At HIGH levels:
• Creature sometimes flickers into the symbol/graphic of another creature. Upon inspection, its form will be revealed, and the description will include something like "...it disguises itself to fool others. [...] It is currently in the form of a [CURRENT_DISGUISE_CREATURE].".
• Creature is a natural shape-shifter that can turn into one other set form.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Creature is a natural shape-shifter that can turn into multiple other forms.

Item effects:

• At ALL levels:
• Item can be used for strange but meaningless tricks, confusing and bedazzling onlookers. For distraction and entertainment. E.g. a staff that can be bent using the right technique, cards that allow for easy card tricks.
• At LOW levels:
• Instrument is slightly off pitch/quality/volume, changing every time it is played.
• At MEDIUM levels:
• Instrument perfectly mimics the sound of an instrument from the same category (keyboard/stringed/wind/percussion), instead of the instrument it appears to be. What instrument it mimics may change.
• The attacks of a weapon are confusing, observing these can sometimes give false predictions to the inattentive observer.
• At HIGH levels:
• Instrument perfectly mimics the sound of another instrument. instead of the instrument it appears to be. What instrument it mimics may change.
• Instrument can be used producing non-instrument sounds. E.g. the striking of thunder, the squeak of a rat, generic shouts and grunts.
• The attacks of a weapon are confusing, observing these can sometimes give false predictions even to an attentive observer.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Instrument can be used to produce a legible human (or dwarven!) voice, even mimicking individuals to the point of perfection. Can be used for forming sentences.
• The attacks of a weapon are very confusing, observing these often gives false predictions even to a master observer.

[Sanctume]

I'm a noob and just brainstorming this.

Magnetic Charged Metal Manipulation
ORDER, LAWS, CREATION, METALS, LIGHTNING

Basically a rail gun. 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spell Effect
Ionize metal bolt (item 1 rail bolt) to it's positive / negative charge.

Introduce a source of spike of opposite charged energy (item 2 lightning battery). 

Encase reaction in metal tube with one least resistance exit (item 3 gun muzzle.

Result in rapid acceleration of metal bolt at high velocity.

new material: smelt 4 steel + 1 aluminum = 24 titanium bars.
   
item 3. Create metal tube (pipe section) using 4 titanium bar.   

item 2. Create lightning charged fuel (battery)

item 1. Create rail bolts (1 titanium shaft + 1 adamantine tip) = 25 rail bolts.

new item. Create rail magazine (quiver, 1 metal bar) capacity 25 rail bolt ammo.

new item / spells. Create metal trigger capable of single, burst (3 ammo) or full auto rail (25 ammo per tic)

[IncompetentFortressMaker]

If this is a necro post, then my apologies; I really can't tell whether this is alive or dead.

Anyway, I noticed that nobody seems to have mentioned the Salt sphere. It wouldn't do much IMO, but here's some stuff I thought of:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Environmental effects:

• At MEDIUM levels:
• Water tastes slightly salty, even in areas far inland.
• Rain occasionally leaves salty residue on anything it touches.
• At HIGH levels:
• Water tastes noticeably salty.
• Rain often leaves salty residue on anything it touches.
• Food is sometimes seasoned with salt for no apparent reason.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Water tastes unpleasantly salty.
• Rain always leaves salty residue on anything it touches.
• Food is often seasoned with salt for no apparent reason.
• Everything is covered in a thin dusting of salt.
• If the area is cold enough to freeze water, solid flakes of salt will snow from the clouds instead of flakes of ice.

Plant effects:

• At MEDIUM levels:
• Plant tastes slightly salty, regardless of whether it's edible.
• Alcohol brewed from plants tastes slightly salty, even if it wasn't brewed within a Salt-associated region.
• At HIGH levels:
• Plant tastes noticeably salty, regardless of whether it's edible.
• Alcohol brewed from plants tastes noticeably salty, even if it wasn't brewed within a Salt-associated region.
• Plants that would usually grow in salty areas (E.G. in mangrove swamps) grow more quickly; plants that would usually grow in non-salty areas grow more slowly.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Plant tastes unpleasantly salty, regardless of whether it's edible.
• Alcohol brewed from plants tastes unpleasantly salty, even if it wasn't brewed within a Salt-associated region.
• Plants that would usually grow in salty areas (E.G. mangrove swamps) dominate the local vegetation; plants that would usually grow in non-salty areas are halved in population.

Creature effects:

• At MEDIUM levels:
• If the creature is eaten, it tastes slightly salty.
• Creatures gain a slightly increased tolerance for salt, and the taste of salt.
• At HIGH levels:
• If the creature is eaten, it tastes noticeably salty.
• Creatures gain a somewhat increased tolerance for salt, and the taste of salt.
• If a creature didn't like the taste of salt, it now does. If it already liked the taste of salt, it likes the taste of salt even more.
• Creatures get a minor happy thought for eating something with salt in it (independent of whether it actually tastes salty).
• At EXTREME levels:
• If the creature is eaten, it tastes unpleasantly salty.
• Creatures gain a highly increased tolerance for salt, and the taste of salt.
• Creatures are addicted to salt.
• Creatures get a medium unhappy thought if kept from eating salt for too long. Creatures will suffer salt withdrawal and require it to get through the working day; the mechanics for salt withdrawal would probably be similar to alcohol withdrawal (creatures are effectively salt dependent now).

Object effects:

• At MEDIUM levels:
• Objects occasionally become covered in salty residue for no apparent reason, even if they weren't rained on.
• At HIGH levels:
• Objects sometimes become covered in salty residue for no apparent reason, even if they weren't rained on. The residue is slightly thicker than it is at MEDIUM intensity.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Objects often become covered in salty residue for no apparent reason, even if they haven't been rained on. The residue completely coats the object and is difficult to get off.
• Objects made of salt will occasionally appear for no apparent reason. They can be just about anything, from a toy boat to a two-handed sword.
• Sometimes objects will become salt when they weren't initially made from salt. This could, for example, turn half your tavern into salt block constructions, along with the furniture becoming salt.

All right, all right, that's a little more than "not much". Salt-dependent dwarves would be highly interesting (or !!FUN!!) since they also have alcohol dependency. Sorry if this is too much; if it's outlandish, just tell me.

[IncompetentFortressMaker]

Am I doing too much? If so... sorry.
I didn't see the Travelers sphere mentioned; here's some stuff I thought of:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Environmental effects:

• At LOW levels:
• Anyone attempting to go somewhere consistently arrives a few minutes earlier than they expect to.
• At MEDIUM levels:
• Anyone attempting to go somewhere consistently arrives about a quarter hour earlier than they expect to.
• At HIGH levels:
• Anyone attempting to go somewhere consistently arrives up to two hours earlier than they expect to.
• The landscape sometimes undergoes sudden changes that often help, but sometimes hinder, the traveler.
• Paths to seemingly nowhere sometimes form.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Anyone attempting to go somewhere consistently does one of two things: a) they arrive up to two and a half hours earlier than they expect to, or b) they sometimes complete their journey instantaneously.
• The landscape consistently changes relative to the traveler in unexpected ways, not always helpful ones either.
• Paths to various places often form for no apparent reason.
• Some places become impossible to stumble upon - you must intend to travel there to be able to access the place in question, otherwise the landscape will change to stop you from going there. You might be batted backwards by a tree and such.

[Scruiser]

If this is a necro post, then my apologies; I really can't tell whether this is alive or dead.

I think the preferred policy in the suggestions forum is too resurrect old threads instead of starting new ones that are similar so that suggestions get compiled in places were Toady or Threetoe could access and sort through them easily.  So it's actually a good thing that you continued this thread instead of starting a new one.  Hopefully the OP will update the first post with all the new sphere listed...

Most of your suggestions for salt will require improved flavoring/food preferences, which might be out of the scope of the Myth and Magic arc... then again, working on bees led Toady to implement the clay industry and the wax industry, so I wouldn't rule it out.
A few more for Salt:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spell effects:

• Preserve Food
• Eliminate Infections/drain infectious tissue
• Banish Ghosts (see traditional real worl superstitions about ghosts)
• Draw salt out of water making it fresh water to drink

Spell Costs/Rituals:

• Use salts as reagents/ingredients
• Cast spells in salt water enviroments

Environmental effects:

• Food lasts longer
• Difficulty farming (slower growth rate or outright can't plant farms) in high salt areas

Worldgen effects:

• Longer lasting food means longer trade routes
• Spells to purify water makes salt water environments easier to settle
• Environments affected by salt become difficult to settle or farm in

A few more for Travel:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spell effects:

• Teleport to a previously place you have been to
• Travel faster
• High bursts of speed to escape or enter combat quickly
• Extraplanar travel

Spell Costs/Rituals:

• Travel long distances as a prerequisite or as part of a ritual
• Traveling to special locations/sites as a way of activating magic

Worldgen effects

• Historical figures can move between sites faster

Creature effects

• Faster movement speeds
• Teleportation
• Extraplanar travel

[IncompetentFortressMaker]

Necro-posts are the preferred policy, you say? Then here, have something for Rain!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spell effects:

• A spell to summon a rainstorm/snowstorm.

Environmental effects:

• At LOW levels:
• Rains or snows slightly more often.
• At MEDIUM levels:
• Rains or snows at a somewhat increased rate, more than that of LOW intensity.
• At HIGH levels:
• Rains or snows quite often.
• Rain and snow is more intense.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Perpetually raining or snowing.
• Rain and snow is very intense.

Creature effects:

• At MEDIUM levels:
• Creature no longer dislikes being in rain or snow; if it didn't dislike being in rain or snow, it instead gets a minor happy thought from being in rain or snow.
• At HIGH levels:
• Creature likes being in rain or snow.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Creature will get periodic unhappy thoughts when not in rain or snow. Creature dislikes sunny weather.

And Volcanos, why not (no, the sphere name in DF is not spelled "volcanoes" for reasons only Toady is likely to know).

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Environmental effects:

• At LOW levels:
• In magma tubes, magma refills slightly faster. Everywhere else, it refills at an extremely slow rate - except for actual volcanoes on the map, which receive a slightly increased rate of refilling compared to elsewhere, this is the Volcanos sphere after all.
• At MEDIUM levels:
• Magma refills faster now, refill speed is higher than at LOW intensity.
• The ambient temperature of the area increases somewhat.
• At HIGH levels:
• Magma refills quite fast. In actual volcanoes on the map, the refill rate is high enough to be hazardous. If you're particularly unlucky, the volcano might overflow.
• Magma-heated workshops work one and a half times as fast.
• The ambient temperature of the area increases enough to be unpleasant to those used to temperate climates.
• Rarely, clouds of steam will drift nearby rather than ordinary rain appearing.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Magma refills faster than you can move it away. All actual volcanoes on the map are perpetually overflowing, as are magma tubes.
• Magma-heated workshops work twice as fast.
• All rain has boiled away; it is replaced by clouds of steam drifting nearby whenever rain would normally appear.
• All fog will boil away.
• The ambient temperature of the area is enough to slowly melt the fat off of anything present in the area. On the bright side, no more fat couch potatoes?
• All bodies of water become superheated or boil away.
• Magma will occasionally erupt from the ground, if bodies of water are present. It will replace said bodies of water.

For Jewels:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spell effects:

• A spell to summon a gemstone. The higher the skill of the caster, the higher the chance of getting the gemstone the caster intended to get.
• A spell to summon a creature made from gemstones. This would only work in an area with EXTREME-intensity association with Jewels, unless the caster is very skilled in jewelry. In that case, creatures made from gemstones could be summoned in an area with HIGH-intensity association with Jewels.

Environmental effects:

• At LOW levels:
• Gems are slightly more common.
• At MEDIUM levels:
• Gems are common.
• At HIGH levels:
• Gems are very common.
• Gems can appear in places that logically make no sense, such as a faint yellow diamond embedded within a layer of clay.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Gems are quite frequent. Expect miners to strike more gems than ordinary stone.
• Gems often appear in places that logically make no sense. Don't be surprised if you strike an emerald cluster instead of a soil layer.
• Gems can make up entire layers of the map.

Plant effects:

• At LOW levels:
• Tiny pieces of crystal may be occasionally embedded into fruits and such.
• At MEDIUM levels:
• Embedded crystals are larger and more common.
• At HIGH levels:
• Embedded crystals are large and often occur. Sometimes, an entire portion of a plant will be made from a gemstone.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Three quarters of all plant life on the map is made from gemstones.
• Of the remaining quarter, embedded crystals are very large, incredibly common, and can take up entire portions of plants.

Creature effects:

• At LOW levels:
• Small body parts can sometimes be made of gemstones. For an example, you might get an indigo tourmaline fingernail.
• At MEDIUM levels:
• Gemstone body parts are now more common, and can be larger.
• At HIGH levels:
• Entire organs and limbs are commonly made from gemstones.
• Creatures can grow gemstones in place of lost body parts, and repair broken ones with gemstones. If a maceman shattered the bone in your knee, for instance, it might regrow as a gemstone.
• At EXTREME levels:
• It is not uncommon to see entire creatures made from gemstones.
• All creatures have at least one major body part (organ, limb, etc.) made from gemstones.
• All injuries are repaired with gemstones, and all lost body parts will regrow into gemstones.
• Creatures spontaneously grow gemstone armor plates.

For Silence:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Environmental effects:

• At LOW levels:
• Sound fades at a slightly higher speed than would be expected.
• At MEDIUM levels:
• Sound fades noticeably faster than would be expected.
• At HIGH levels:
• Sound fades very quickly. If you and a friend stood approximately 3 meters apart, you would need to shout to hear each other.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Sound has all but disappeared. Two people having a conversation would need to shout when standing not more than a meter apart.

Creature effects:

• At LOW levels:
• Creatures experience slight disinclination to verbal means of communication.
• At MEDIUM levels:
• Creatures experience considerable disinclination to verbal means of communication.
• At HIGH levels:
• Creatures experience strong disinclination to verbal means of communication.
• Creatures have some difficulty vocalizing.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Creatures experience extreme disinclination to verbal means of communication.
• Creatures cannot vocalize at all, and must communicate by other means (writing, gestures, body language, etc.).

Some stuff I thought of for Duty.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Environmental effects:

• At MEDIUM levels:
• The environment will passively resist duty-shirkers (E.G. trees blocking their way).
• At HIGH levels:
• The environment will actively resist, but not hurt, duty-shirkers (E.G. being carried off by a river at unnatural speed).
• At EXTREME levels:
• The environment will openly attack and attempt to seriously injure or kill duty-shirkers.

Creature effects:

• At LOW levels:
• Creatures are slightly more inclined to do what their duties demand of them.
• At MEDIUM levels:
• Creatures are noticeably more inclined to do what their duties demand of them.
• At HIGH levels:
• Creatures are very inclined to do what their duties demand of them, to the point of avoiding thinking about actions that would not be dutiful.
• At EXTREME levels:
• Creatures will always attempt to do what their duties demand of them. Not doing their duties is unthinkable.