Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-72.77.73.35-20140408181126/@comment-135.19.83.160-20140627002933

That really depends on what universe you're thinking of, but since this is Elderscrolls universe, let's stick with that. Technically the hands are the focus point of conjuring the spell, yes, though I'm sure if your skills at focusing and meditation are great enough, you could focus the spell from any part of your body, or even "Ventriloquist Casting", making the spell appear elsewhere. There's no mention of it in Elderscrolls, but in many other fictions, the mouth or tongue seems to be the focus point, as in Dragon Age, or Dragonlance. Mute the caster and he can not speak his words of magic to brin the spell into existance (Hense why Qunari bind their mage's mouths and use enchantments to forcibly mute them). It all depends on which way you want to look at it or how you want to think of it, really. I like the idea of a mage being so powerful, he wouldn't even need his body to focus a spell, and could do it anywhere at whim (With a great deal of consentration, mind you).

An yes, I am a very big Magic Nerd....