The fantasy thread

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Destructionator
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The fantasy thread

Post by Destructionator »

I do kinda wanna talk about magic and such, so that's what this thread is about. The magic system is not currently in the main canon as described on the rest of the forum, nevertheless it is fun to talk about, so that is what this thread is for. All the fantasyesque stuff will be contained in here, despite possibly being enough to be a 'verse on its own if fully explored. We'll see.

First off is an overview the magic system. This is a special kind of magic - it is a relatively hard science magic. You can't violate fundamental physical laws with it beyond, of course, the mysterious mechanism that makes magic possible.

So what this means is no creating or destroying energy or matter, no disregarding conservation of momentum, no freezing whole lakes with your mind.

The magic system here is in many ways less magical than the FTL drive in the proper canon. FTL's end result is still impossible which leads to horrible consequences, even handwaving the mechanism. The end result of magic is not impossible, thus the consequences are social rather than physical in nature, which is much easier to reconcile with science.


Furthermore, the in universe characters approach it with science. Science vs magic is a moronic argument, since they are not opposed. Science is a methodology to learn, whereas magic is a mechanism to do stuff. Applying science to magic lets the characters improve their magic skills. Similarly, magic vs technology is fucking stupid. Again, magic is a mechanism to do stuff, and technology is a way to do stuff better. You can make technology out of magic: common examples are magic wands in other fantasy works. By applying science and engineering to magic, you can, well, refine it into a science. :P Which can eventually lead to perfecting it.

In my fantasy setting, magic is simply another part of the natural world, and is treated as such.


Magic manipulates energy (it magically moves it around), but since it cannot create energy out of nowhere, it is limited to doing somewhat small feats. Combined with its rather short range and focus around the caster (and his low resolution mind) means it is a personal level affair.

Since again, it can't create energy, it means what you can do with it is dependent on where you are. If a mage is standing next to an extraordinarily hot anvil, he can do some magic heat manipulation much more easily than if he is in the middle of nowhere.

The availability of mundane energy isn't the only environmental limiting factor to magic though. The other is the magic field strength around him. The magic field is what is used to actually do the magical manipulations, and varies with location, people's activity, and other factors.

The magical field is most scattered when there are lots of people moving about; magic is weakest in city centers.


I'll have more later.
His Certifiable Geniusness, Adam D. Ruppe (My 'verse)
Marle: Lucca! You're amazing!
Lucca: Ain't it the truth! ... Oh, um...I mean...
Marle: Enough with the false modesty! You have a real gift! I would trade my royal ancestry for your genius in a heartbeat!

"I still really hate those pompous assholes who quote themselves in their sigs." -- Me
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Destructionator
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Re: The fantasy thread

Post by Destructionator »

There are a few main types of magic users: people, other life forms, inanimate objects and magical energy beings. Calling some of these 'users' is a bit of a stretch, of course, but I'm listing them anyway for completeness.

The main divide are those who manipulate the magical field and those manipulated my the magic field. In practice, there is a bit of cross-over: for example, a mage can manipulate the field to cast a spell, but the field can manipulate him too, letting him sense other mages and do other subconscious feats. The most extreme is when the magic field itself reacts like a living thing - the field manipulates itself.

When one of these lifeforms from the field arise spontaneously, it can appear as if a monster randomly appeared out of nowhere!

There are several levels of magical entities. Some don't show much behaviour at all, and others can exhibit intelligence, and there are many things in between.


Why this arises spontaneously in the first place is a field of active research (out of universe reason: it explains the game mechanic of random battles), but we have a rudimentary understanding of what causes the stimulus response in magical entities. Magical fields react in certain ways as they overlap, creating the illusion of monsters responding to stimuli. As best as we can tell, the simple ones never feel pain or anything like that, though emotions do seem to be emergent properties in some of the more complex entities.

When a magical entity is disrupted, its field simply disperses and the monster appears to fade away. Higher level ones disappear in an elaborate swirl of lights as their concentrated field disperses in bursts then layers.


And bah, I'm too distracted tonight to write anything. Pure magical entities are cool though - they can be like people, but without the inhibitions of the flesh. I'll again return later when I can write with more focus.
His Certifiable Geniusness, Adam D. Ruppe (My 'verse)
Marle: Lucca! You're amazing!
Lucca: Ain't it the truth! ... Oh, um...I mean...
Marle: Enough with the false modesty! You have a real gift! I would trade my royal ancestry for your genius in a heartbeat!

"I still really hate those pompous assholes who quote themselves in their sigs." -- Me
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