Mechanics (Magic System)

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Post Post #50 (ISO) » Tue Jan 15, 2013 9:18 am

Post by Feirei »

(You should probably include ice for those ice freaks like myself, unless water = ice in this game)
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Post Post #51 (ISO) » Tue Jan 15, 2013 9:24 am

Post by inspiratieloos »

Ice would be a combination of projectile/conjure/shape + imbue.
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Post Post #52 (ISO) » Tue Jan 15, 2013 9:58 am

Post by Feirei »

So I'd learn what to get there?
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Post Post #53 (ISO) » Tue Nov 13, 2018 4:05 pm

Post by Annadog40 »

Based of what I read from the other threads around the site, there are two classes of magic, Sorcery and Spirit.

Here are the Sorcery Class:
Fire: Projectile, conjuring, shaping, dispelling, imbuing
Water: Projectile, conjuring, shaping, dispelling, imbuing
Earth: Projectile, conjuring, shaping, dispelling, imbuing
Wind: Projectile, conjuring, shaping, dispelling, imbuing
Nature: Healing, growing, communing, life shaping.

Here are the Spirit Class:
Humanoid Divination: Trancework, Automatic Writing, Tarot Cards
Non-Humanoid Divination: Tea-Leaves Stone Scrying, Bone/Rune Casting, Astrology
Conjuration: Summoning Object, Summing Creature, Summon Detection, Astral Projection,
Alchemy: Panacea, Transmutation, Philosopher's Stone, Enchanting

Since the seven main cultures have their own forms of divination and each branch may only have five max, I split the divination between the human cultures and the non human cultures. That seemed the easiest way to divide them.

Below are some lore information copied from here
Spoiler: Divination
Where sorcery could be considered the manipulation of matter, divination concerns the manipulation of time. The diviner does not actually travel in time or read the future, but does have the ability to learn and see hidden events and motivations in the past and present, and to find influences on the future. With this information, actions can be taken on a more mundane level that can have far-reaching consequences because they can occur in the exact place, time, and manner to have the greatest influence.

Unlike sorcery, divination tends to be very culturally defined in terms of methodology. While all sorcerers in all cultures effect magickal work in a similar manner, divination relies on the use of various artifacts to direct the concentration of the diviner, which may vary greatly. The result is that diviners of different cultures have varying effectiveness when it comes to certain common subjects of divination. The common ritual artifacts are as follows:

Trancework: Only used by the Tiktuk. Through the use of drums, the diviner slips into a trance and is inhabited by one of the Tiktuk goddesses or ancestral spirits for the delivery of a message. Because of the amount of work involved, trancework is never used for personal issues, but only for community information.

Automatic Writing: A system primarily used by the Passani that involves using the copying of passages from their holy scriptures to induce a trance. Interpretation of what the diviner writes while under trance reveals hidden messages. This is the most prophetic of the divination schools, and the messages tend to refer to future influences to the exclusion of all else.

Tea-Leaves: Pioneered by the Elves, this system involves swirling the leaves of a nearly finished cup of tea across the sides of the cup, producing patterns for interpretation. Results tend to centre around how interconnected with the world around him or her, the questioner is and will be. It lends itself well to personal questions, and deals only obliquely with community issues.

Stone Scrying: Pioneered by the Dwarves, scrying involves allowing variations in different stones and ores to suggest images in response to a question. Different stones are said to be better for inquiring into different issues. Results centre around unlocking the influences of the past on the issue presented. This method is poor for divining future influences. Similar to tea-leaves, scrying is also better suited to personal questions.

Bone/Rune Casting: This method is preferred by the Slith. A series of marked or unmarked items is thrown at an empty space of earth, and the patterns suggested by where the bones end up is interpreted. If the items are marked (runes), when which rune ends up where is also part of the interpretation. Being more complex than many other methods, casting is generally good at answering any question, but does not give the detail a more specialized method would.

Astrology: The preferred method of the Aerin works through interpreting the positions of various stars and planets. Through the use of carefully derived charts, they are able to determine influences on situations in any time. This method has issues with specifics, and cannot deal well with particular events except through relating them back to the influences expected after the fact.

Tarot Cards: This specialized set of cards is used by the Briaf diviners. It works through the interpretation of a randomized layout of cards. Effectiveness is similar to that of Slith casting methods, though there tends to be a difference in the sense of information derived. The cards are less direct and more subtle, which seems to allow for finer detail.

Many cultures also use crystal balls, which are a finer variation on Dwarvish scrying. All diviners also hold to a standard of magickal ethics.


Spoiler: Conjuration Information
Conjuration is the only Magickal art that can be described as "discovered" -- in this case by the famed prophet Isun al-Istari of the ancient Passani Empire. He became the first conjurer through a series of visions, in which he was shown a great silver door to the Astral Realms guarded by a powerful Efreet. He was shown inside, and gifted with the ability to call forth Astral objects and beings to the waking world. By founding a small but prestigious mystical school, he was able to pass this skill on. It has since passed beyond the Passani Empire to other races and cultures, but in a very clear lineage traceable back to al-Istari.

At its most basic, conjuration consists of making an out-of-body journey to visit Efreet. The conjurer there makes a request for what he would like to manifest from the Astral Realms, which is provided. The conjurer does not pass through the silver door; only al-Istari has done so.

Gifts from Efreet come with two conditions. An offering must be made to Efreet for each successful visit, otherwise he will cease to answer supplications. The type of offering is worked out individually with Efreet when the conjurer is initiated into the school of conjuration, though most choose to use a blood offering as a blood offering forms a significant part of the initiation ceremony.

In addition, gifts from Efreet are always tied directly to the essence of the conjurer, the only thing keeping the Astral object in this realm. That is, any Astral object exerts a continual drain on the conjurer proportional to its power, and will revert back to the Astral Realms when the conjurer no longer has enough energy to support the drain. This is a safety mechanism worked out between al-Istari and Efreet. Conjurers have the ability to summon great beings through their magickal work, such as ancient dragons and greater demons, which could wreak great havoc if permitted to overwhelm the conjurer that summoned them. However, because of this limitation, overwhelming the conjurer will simply send these beings safely back to the Astral Realms.

More advanced conjurers learn how to direct the actions of Astral beings. It is possible for lesser conjurers to summon Astral beings -- and if the beings are sufficiently weak, to keep them around for a while -- but it is in many cases unwise as the beings will behave according to their own natural wills.

The Astral Realms contain items and beings of every possible description. For this reason, conjurers must be precise in their requests of Efreet. If they are not, the results could be quite unexpected.

It should be noted that the Tiktuk were found to have a related conjuration art, developed independently of the al-Istari school. In many respects, the two arts are the same. The Tiktuk, however, make requests of their Lady Death, who guards a curtain of the palest violet to the Land of the Ancestors, where they believe the dead go. Scholars in comparative magickal theory have determined that this is another doorway to the Astral Realms, which has led them to speculate on additional, as-yet unknown doors.

The conjurer can only have one item at a time.


Spoiler: Alchemy Information
Alchemy is the magickal manipulation of nature. As such, it is quite different from sorcery, which sees the world as a series of inert elements. Alchemy sees life in all things, and attempts to work with this living nature.

From a philosophical standpoint, the goal of each alchemist is to purify himself through alchemical work. Alchemical magick covers the actual processes of working with nature, both to produce practical results and to point the alchemist forward in the work of self-purification. It is possible for non-magical people to study herbalism and healing, but they will not be able to do any magickal healing.

It should additionally be noted that alchemy is the only magickal branch that can produce truly long-term effects. A potion can be bottled and kept for a long time without any additional cost of magickal energy to the alchemist. Maintaining an effect through sorcery or conjuration always requires a continual drain on the sorcerer or conjurer. As with all other branches of magick, alchemists are held to a standard of magickal ethics.

Alchemy seeks self perfection. To do that, an Alchemist must study the nature of things. This is all well and good, but there needs to be a practical side so that the alchemists can make a living. To that end, they have three main pursuits:
Panacea: Making a potion so potent that it completely cures everything. While they haven't found it yet, they are making great strides in caring for people and can make a healthy living as a doctor.
Transmutation: Some think that making their own money out of random other stuff would be useful. However, not only is it generally frowned upon as a distratction to the pursuit of perfection, it takes a heck of a lot of energy. Most alchemists simply cannot make major changes to things.
Philosopher's Stone: Creation of an element that is easily formed into anything else.... the stem cells of the universe.

This leads to three general areas that Alchemists focus on:
Magical Healing:
Healing is relatively easy for one who understands the nature of things. The Alchemist determines how much he wants to heal and then roll his skill. The mod may adjust things based on the injury. For particularly difficult or magickal injuries, there may be a penalty. But in general, any alchemist worth his salt will be able to heal a person- it just might take time. If he is interrupted while healing, he will need to start over, but he won't need to (or even be allowed to) re-roll unless there is a refresh cycle between the attempts.


Though with conjuration, since they are astrally traveling to a place, they could use that to travel outward. Some might choose to do that rather than facing Efreet or the Lady Death.
The detection of a summoned object was invented by a shopkeeper who's name is lost to history. The story goes they've been swindled too many times by conjurers who kept conjuring items to trade but said items vanished. They learned conjuration and eventually found the ability to detect items from the other plain. They taught that ability to many shopkeepers who then taught many more.

Alchemy shares some remains of the long lost Ritual Magick. The most obvious sign of this is the enchanting feature which can take something from one branch of magic and apply it to an object like putting a fire aspect on a sword.

Nature is the newest form of magic. Due to the way it is practiced, it is counted more as a sorcery type of magic. Nature magic had been practiced for many years by the reclusive Elven/Dryad tribes in secret until one day, an elf by the name of Kailu Wrangella opened the flood gates and connected both the branch of magic and the tribes to the outside world. Most of the Elven/Dryad tribes rejected the outside world but one tribe tentatively moved closer to Amstaad to learn about the culture.
Nature magic and Alchemy have a sort of rivalry going on since both are able to heal just in different ways.

There used to be many other branches of magic such as Ritual Magick that were lost to common knowledge. Scholars believe there are many other branches of magic like Nature that are just waiting to be uncovered. Many enterprising wizards travel the planet searching for the next branch of magic.
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Post Post #54 (ISO) » Wed May 01, 2019 6:35 am

Post by vonflare »

I think we should discuss 2 classes of magic that are pretty important - death and time magic

first, death. We have nature, which covers healing/growth/life, but we don't have anything for death. We could implement a new school for death/shadow magic, or combine it into another school like earth? Or consider death magic fullmetal-alchemist style and put it into alchemy. Either way, necromancy would be whatever school death is + conjuration.

now, time magic. Personally, I think humanoid- and non-humanoid divination could be combined into one school, but either way time magic would be contained in these schools. However, is time travel possible in this universe? if so, which of the two does it fall under (if they wouldn't be combined)?

Also, we need to clarify different subtypes of magic. Does ice fall under water magic? Does lightning fall under wind, or fire, or both combined? Is lava fire, earth, or a combination?
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Post Post #55 (ISO) » Wed May 01, 2019 7:06 am

Post by Annadog40 »

There isn't a historical prescience for either time travel or death magic. Death might work with conjuring though any magic can cause death. Drown with ice, burn with fire. Nature isn't an equivalent to light. Nature can exist in the dark.

I think shadow would be better to put in than time or at least discovered first. Time can become really powerful.

The reason I separated the two is because I think there is a limited amount of sub branches in each school.

From the post above, "Ice would be a combination of projectile/conjure/shape + imbue." Not sure about lightning though it would make more sense to be tied with fire.
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Post Post #56 (ISO) » Thu May 02, 2019 2:50 am

Post by Annadog40 »

In post 54, vonflare wrote:first, death. We have nature, which covers healing/growth/life, but we don't have anything for death. We could implement a new school for death/shadow magic, or combine it into another school like earth? Or consider death magic fullmetal-alchemist style and put it into alchemy. Either way, necromancy would be whatever school death is + conjuration.
I've been thinking about this and lore wise, since the Tiktuk worship the Lady Death. Maybe far away from Amstaad, there is a hidden Tiktuk society that found shadow/death magic and their branch of conjuration developed from shadow magic and carried the conjuration but the shadow magic remained lost to time (but can be re-discovered by adventuring magic scientists not unlike nature.)

I think a world history thread could be quite interesting.
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