#magic mechanics

[tactically-cute]

I have complicated thoughts on healing Arts (and healing magic in general) if people are interested I can write up a long post on it.

[random-trash-roli]

I want to see more of the logic/laws behind magic in palia.

We know that flow (Magic) is illegal in palia because of how dangerous it supposedly is, but apart from knowing that flowstones can explode when handled incorrectly and that flow trees regenerate, we don't know that much about it. Animals can be affected by flow, requiring the use of disspell arrows to hunt them, but why are they affected by flow, are they born with it? Did they consume something? Do all living things have a small amount of flow in them and they just so happen to have more running through them? I look forward to singularity six building the magic mechanics and lore more in the future, because it seems like something very involved in the world of palia, but we barely understand anything about it.

[monorayjak]

Black

Honestly, not my best I know.

Magic the Gathering (MtG) is a card game created in 1993 that has continued into the modern day. While much of its success can be attributed to creative ideas in world building, gameplay, and characters, pieces of it are hinged on one of the games core concepts: the “Color Pie.” (Image Credit to Wizards of the Coast) In Magic, every card is grouped into one of a few categories: White, Blue,…

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[ask-the-almighty-google]

Just some Magic Mechanics for my Assassin’s Creed/The Librarian(s) Crossover Fic

Pretty sure I posted this before but forgot to tag properly and then Tumblr ate it so… reposting my art!

Literally begging people to ask me about it please.

Below is an interlude chapter from my fic The Book of Memories under the cut, in which Judson and Flynn discuss magic and the diagram above...

Judson actually jumped a little bit when he walked into the Annex Hub inside the Library and nearly ran into Flynn, who had pounced the moment he’d set eyes on the poor man with an open book balanced in one hand and a cuneiform tablet stylus in the other. His entire appearance was disheveled, to say the least, from the perpetually-tussled state of his hair to the now-constant lack of a tie and unbuttoned collar of his shirt (evidence of Desmond’s paranoia about giving enemies an opportunity to strangle him having finally broken the habit of neckwear) to the fact that the shirt was untucked, and finally to the missing left shoe with the sock that had little snowmen on it.

“Can I help you?” Judson asked politely. Flynn just nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah. Can you teach me magic?” Judson blinked, and Flynn gestured to the book with the stylus. “It’s just- I’ve been reading up on the books you recommended but I’m not really understanding some things. I was hoping you could explain?”

“…I see. What is the purpose of the stylus?”

“I was practicing on a tablet, it’s not important-”

“And the missing shoe?” Flynn finally paused for breath, that manic gleam in his eye fading away as excitement turned to a grimace.

“One of the gnomes got out and ate it. Desmond lost his right one using it as a lure, and Jenkins lost a blacksmithing glove trying to get it into the groundhog trap. But we got it back into the enclosure eventually.”

“If there isn’t a loss of limbs, I suppose we can chalk it up as a success,” Judson sighed. “Why the sudden desire to learn about magic?”

“Well… I just… I know you’re teaching Desmond,” Flynn said awkwardly. Judson sighed, tiredness seeping into his tone.

“Flynn, it- it’s a different situation. I’m teaching Desmond how to control his natural talents. Talents which you do not possess and thus don’t need to learn to control, and as such have no reason to learn anything.”

“I still want to,” Flynn begged. “Please? I sort of know the difference between Mages and Sorcerers, just not a lot, but I think I could learn! I’m an A student for a reason, hard work doesn’t faze me. Long hours of study? Definitely in my wheelhouse. I love a challenge! Even if it takes years I want to give it a shot. Just… give me the chance?”

“…Very well,” Judson sighed, motioning for Flynn to sit in front of the chalkboard. Taking up a piece of white chalk, he began to draw an information web from rote memory. It consisted of a large central circle with eight small circles around it, and four larger branches stemming off of the center. Above it was base information on magical creatures and below base information on Mages and Sorcerers, separate from all else. The four branches were ‘Null, Linguistics, Mathemagicks,’ and ‘Runic.’ Off by itself not touching anything was a smaller circle labeled ‘Isu.’

“There are some tests we will have to engage in to determine whether or not you can even perform magic at all,” he explained when he had finished with the diagram, pointing at the upper left branch labeled ‘Null.’ “Every living being has some level of base magic inside of them. Mages are born with an excess, and using magic comes to them very naturally. But Nulls are people born with a deficiency of magic, making their levels so low they may as well be nonexistent.” He pointed at a few of the connected bubbles as he spoke. “Because of this deficiency, Null people are naturally shielded against environmental magic, psychic magic, curses, and anything involving any sort of mind control. Like water off the backs of waterfowl, magic just… slides off of them in many instances. The lower a Null’s magic count in their body, the greater chance they have of not being affected by it, though spell strength can occasionally ensnare most of them if potent enough. Now-”

“Continue,” Flynn said patiently, completely ignoring Judson’s flabbergasted look as he stoked their tiny little portable fire pit and prepared a marshmallow for roasting. “I’m listening.”

“Mm… As I was saying, your ability to interact with some of our artifacts tells me you are not a Null, but this doesn’t explain your magical affinity,” Judson said doubtfully. “Mages, while having a natural affinity, need years of study to hone their raw gifts. Sorcerers can attain great abilities after years of study- far longer than a Mage might need I may add- but they can be fairly powerful on their own right. Magical creatures have by far the most daunting levels of raw power, but this always manifests in niche areas of ability and comes with certain restrictions based on what creature being discussed.”

“Like Isu?” Flynn asked, nodding pointedly at the single lonely circle on the diagram. Judson shook his head.

“Not exactly. As you know, the beings mythology have come to think of as the Gods of multiple pantheons across the world were actually a species that predated- and created- humanity called the Isu. After the human rebellion lead by the Hybrids Hawwāh and Adem- Eve and Adam- and the destruction of the world due to the solar flare that caused enough tectonic unrest to trigger the Toba catastrophe over 75,000 years ago, the Isu departed to a different plane of existence called ‘Eden’ much like the Fae world of Tír na nÓg where they could live forever. The Isu, being steeped richly with potent magical affinity, created three areas of study.” Here, he pointed to the remaining three branches on the diagram. “Isu could choose to master all three if they so chose, though different sects chose to master different branches as a cultural demarcation than anything else. The Feyan- or Greek and Roman Isu- chose to focus on the Mathemagick side of things. The Egyptian and Norse focused on Runic. Hindu and Celtic? Linguistic. They would often cross between the three in their experiments and so on and so forth, but the basics remain.”

“Can humans also master all three branches?”

“No. While humans were created in the image of the Isu to be a slave workforce, they took the precaution of limiting our magical abilities. While an Isu could use magic with impunity, a human can suffer extreme backlash if they do not understand the risks or know what they are doing, which is why practitioners of magic are extremely rare. Tossing aside the severe rarity of Mages, Sorcerers just don’t happen that often, due to how long it takes before dedicated study produces any positive results- at minimum, a Sorcerer won’t see any progress until the five year mark if not later. It can be extremely discouraging as a result, meaning that Sorcerers are actually even rarer than Mages statistically speaking.”

“So… trying to master more than one branch would be… bad,” Flynn summarized. Judson nodded.

“Tremendously. Fatally, even. That’s not to say that a practitioner can’t dabble, mind. We do it all the time, but we would never presume to claim mastery over more than one branch. I myself am a Linguist, and Charlene a Mathemagician. Jenkins has become extremely adept at Runes over the years. Deciding which branch to study is determined by which you are most attuned to. Your being a polymath may make that process difficult down the line once you’ve grasped the basics, in fact. But not impossible.”

“Color me intrigued.” Flynn removed the marshmallow from the fire and carefully placed it between chocolate and graham cracker, then crunched down. Judson sighed and decided to ignore the s’more situation in favor of continuing his lecture.

“Linguistics is a fascinating field of study, at- at least as far as I’m concerned. It relies heavily on empathic influence, and the more complex the crafting of the prose the more powerful a spell will usually be. The branch of Incantation carries curses, enchantments, illusion, and even the ability to distort reality. Lyric, or musical, spell casting is also somewhat common if you have the pipes for it. Another branch is called ‘Charmspeak,’ and it implies what you think it implies. The ability to persuade or hypnotize someone into doing or believing what you want. The ah- the little white spell that automatically gains peoples’ trust when you tell them that you are a Librarian falls under such a category. Extremely powerful Linguists can even summon Fictionals using this form of magic-”

“What’s a Fictional?” Flynn asked. Judson paused, mulling the question over, before shaking his head.

“A complex answer for another time, I’m afraid.”

“…Okay?”

“Mathemagicks is the employment of equations and science to affect and even warp reality. It contains alchemy, medicinal miracles for the most well-studied, and usually comes with a high affinity for technology including but not limited to technopathy. Runic practitioners enjoy environmental spellcasting and the ability to create artifacts or encode a magical charge and spell into a desired object through carving, embroidering, calligraphy, or even the occasional tattoo. The magic they use can be freeform in creation, but must contain specific purpose towards the object the magic is being imbued with. Only the most adept can create a phylactery or, in other terms, an object containing a piece of one’s soul.”

“…Like the Book of Memories and the pendant Altaïr created to reincarnate,” Flynn said, catching on. Judson smiled.

“Yes. And, like his forebears, Desmond has a very high affinity for Runic spellcasting in particular. Hence the reason he studies how to control his magic more with Jenkins than he does with me.”

“Are there abilities that everybody can do even if they don’t choose a specific area of study?”

“Of course. The Sight, which you have seen Desmond employ many a time, is so readily usable that even untrained individuals with a decent enough magical threshold can use it, and it is utilized quite frequently by the Assassin Brotherhood. Less- less so in the more recent centuries of course, as wild magic has faded from the world due to inactive Ley Lines, but you understand the principle. My ah- my mirror trick is another easy form of magic, and most individuals with magical affinity that are repeatedly exposed to magic develop a natural shielding of their mind, soul, and body over the years. Ah… clairvoyance, or dreamsharing, can happen by accident for the more magically inclined and give them some rather unpleasant deja vu on occasion. Astral Projection is usually obtained through careful balancing of mind and body and enjoyed as a way to study with impunity by monks the world over. Telepathy and minor illusion spells- usually of the sort that obscure a person from being discovered during a search and so on- require a decent grasp of the base mechanics through study to use effectively.”

Here, Judson smiled and held a finger and thumb up. He snapped them together, disappearing in a shower of golden dust and reappearing on the other side of the long center table. Flynn turned to see him in his seat.

“Snap Travel is perhaps the trickiest baseline spells to master and must not be attempted in any complex way unless done by an experienced practitioner after many years of study. It is not nearly as simple as it appears and requires a nearly encyclopedia knowledge of geography and latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates. Suffice it to say, I feel it will be almost annoyingly easy for you to utilize if you decide to pursue magical study under my instruction.”

“I’d love to!” Flynn exclaimed, leaping up and bouncing on his feet. Lopsided of course, given the lack of one shoe, but not deterring him from his bouncing in any way all the same.

“Hm.” Judson looked him over and gave an approving nod. “I’ll see about adding on to your education as Librarian, then. We’ll see what best suits you.”

[sweetpea-sprite]

phil: if i were dating you. well, heh. let’s just say horses wouldn’t be called horses anymore

oliver: what does that mean

oliver: i’m shaking what does that mean

[writing-ideas-inc]

World Building Prompt

Good questions in a world with magic:

How does the magic work? Do you need ingredients to cast a spell or just a word? Are there more difficult rituals that must take a longer time to perform?

What are the limits for your magic? How many spells can you use before you’re “empty”? (Make sure you take into account the difference of using many simple spells up to more than one difficult spell.)

How does one gain magic power? Do they gain it from a higher power, by reading and learning from books, from genetics, or some other way? (You can always gain help with this area from D&D player’s handbooks.)

Are there forbidden spells or forbidden paths of magic? Some good examples of what is usually seen as a forbidden path or magic are necromancy and blood magic.

For the higher level spells, why are they more difficult? What about them makes them more difficult? The amount of magical power or prowess needed? The necessary ingredients? The time period needed to cast the spell?

Is magic illegal in your world? Would your character(s) need to hide that they have magic? If it’s illegal, what happened to make it illegal?

-Mod Kaylee @levianarapunzel

[drist-n-dither]

STS: Tell me about this solarpunk-esque community in your wip and its magic/mech technology???? It sounds super cool!

Thank you! Hopefully i’ll make a more eloquent post about this group in the future!

They exist within the Valundrin Desert on the outsides of Coyi, between Amurid. It is blisteringly hot and deep dunes paint its landscape. The sand in this land is deep purple! 

The group were originally apart of Coyi but they separated themselves due to the ongoing war between Coyi and Amurid. The groups that travelled to the desert were a mixture of scholars, holy people, and regular citizens who had skills to get them along.  

Some of the technology includes, ships that transform to tunnel under sand, wind tunnels that alert to drastic changes in the winds and temperature (very good for their terrifying raw gem sandstorms), and small mechanisms that are shaped like bugs who hold magical light within them. Those little mec creatures fly around and shed light to those traveling at night or those who might be trapped in sand storm.  There is a good amount more than I’m pondering over but those are the more fun ideas! 

[sweetpea-sprite]

what if you wrote magic mechanics but from the phil comes with him to the other world AU?

send me a ship and i’ll write something small for it! please don't send any more in i'm struggling with the ones i have FMDBFJDB

Phil watches as Oliver cautiously pets his new familiar - he thinks Drippy called it a mite? - after it bonked him on the head with its sword. He's wary of getting ambushed - they hadn't encountered any "beasties", as Drippy calls them, when they came into the Deep Dark Wood, but Phil isn't taking any chances.

"What about Mitey?" Oliver says softly. "Like… like the word mighty, but it's spelled M-I-T-E-Y."

Drippy gives him a deadpan look. "How creative of you, Ollie-boy." Oliver glares at him, and Phil huffs a laugh through his nose.

The noise turns Oliver's attention onto him. "Oh! Could Phil have a familiar too?" Oliver asks, and Phil blinks.

"Don't see why not," Drippy says, and Oliver beams and stands up to raise his wand in the air.

"Wait, wait, hold on-" Phil starts, but Oliver is already drawing the rune in the air, and when it takes effect it cuts off Phil's speech entirely.

He didn't realise magic feels like this.

The magic feels like walking to school on a cloudy day, and stopping to rescue a snail on the sidewalk. It feels like sneaking into a car factory and giggling all the while. It feels like warm hugs that make Phil feel fuzzy, that he has to calm down from. It feels like crunchy orange leaves and warm fluffy blankets and motor oil on Phil's hands. He swallows as he realises that Oliver's magic feels like Oliver, and he's not sure how much of it he can take.

The spell wraps itself around Phil's heart, letting the magic of it overwhelm him, tease its way into his arteries. Then it creates something, something that manifests in front of Phil as all he can do is watch and wait for the magic to start fading.

The creature lands on the grass, and suddenly the magic bursts, not fades like he had expected, leaving Phil with goosebumps and letting him finally come back to his senses.

"Phil?" Oliver's voice says, and Phil turns to him slightly too fast. He looks worried. Drippy, standing next to him, is looking at Phil with the driest expression, and Phil looks away as soon as he makes eye contact. "Are you okay?" Oliver asks. "Did I do the spell right? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Phil swallows, and manages to say, "I'm fine," without any voice cracks, which he thinks is a miracle.

Oliver scrunches his eyebrows together. It's very cute. "Are you sure? Your face is all red."

Phil is sure it is. Phil is very sure it is. "Seriously, I'm okay, Ollie," he says, and if there's a god in this world, he thanks them for letting his voice be a normal pitch.

Oliver looks at him for another moment, then turns his attention to where the familiar that popped out of Phil's chest is. "What's this one called, Mr. Drippy?"

Phil gets a look at it as well, having been too distracted to see before. It looks like a little metal toy, with gears on the sides of its head as the hinges for its jaw. "That's a clinketyclank, mun," Drippy says. "Noisy little buggers, they are."

"Don't be mean," Oliver says, absentmindedly. He strokes the clinketyclank lightly, and Phil feels a little tickle somewhere in his heart.

The clinketyclank looks up at him. Phil stares back. Alright, he thinks. Maybe I'll get used to this at some point.