Magic systems based on science?

[mhd]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

Hmm. Perhaps using this psuedo-magic requires a brain capable of understanding computer code at an instinctive level. So all mages possess varying levels of a particular kind of computer enhanced autistic savantism.

 

Or computers. Some "nano infection" creates a computer with a primitive AI system within the body of the wizard. As opposed to a normal disease, this isn't about who's resistant, but who's actually susceptible, i.e. who's able to accept the neural connection. (Maybe some bad rejection syndrome is responsible for bringing back mental problems to a populace who descended from people who were eugenically "cleansed" from such problems)

 

This would fulfill the trop of the wizard's familiar. You're talking to your AI to translate "magical terms", and it might possess a rudimentary intelligence beyond being a more sophisticated mental command line interface. So you're talking to thin air, or if you (and/or your environment?) can't cope with that, you assume your pet is talking to you.

 

And within meditation, you're now fully within your "computer" environment and can meditate upon things magical. If one were to take this further, even communication ("astral space") or observation (access to orbital spy satellites) would be possible, although I won't be using that for my campaign.

[Lucius]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

Initiating an initiation? How appropriate.

 

I thought so

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary thinks initiating an initiation would be really starting something

[Ranxerox]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

Well, how's this?

 

Hundreds of year ago (let's make it 300 years, just as not to get too carried away), there was a war between the genetically modified and non-genetically modified humans. But it wasn't as simple as that. It was also a war between haves and have nots, and for many of it's participants a religious war as well. The non-genetically modified won ... if you considered brutish survival on a war blasted planet winning. Mankind slipped back into savagery (did it ever leave?).

 

Now, from the edge of extinction, humanity has bounced back and pulled itself up to the iron age. However, while they are rare some marvels from before the war still exist. The most wondrous of these marvels are the machines and systems of genetically modified. Many of them were designed to be self-repairing and operate as well now as when they were new. However, one of the things that stoked the resentments that lead to the war was that the devices of genetically modified were often deliberately designed not to be user friendly. To operate one of their weather machines, nano-factories or jump portals you frequently have to be able to do math off the top of head that would give Einstein a nose bleed. Failure to give the machines the right instructions usually results in being ignored by the instrument but can result in disaster as the weather machine brings a hurricane, the nano-factory produces poison gas or the jump portal transports you somewhere which you can not survive.

 

While the war was the end to the "pure" genetically genetically modified (unless the GM wants there to be a secret enclave somewhere), genetically modified genes are still present in the population, and there are still people who can operate the ancient devices. These people are often viewed with great distrust and even outright hostility, and frequently have health problems based on the genes that they carry. The people who originally sought to have their children modified usually did consider the possibility that the world would drop back into the stone age, and consequently did leave as much genetic versatility as they could have. So it is not uncommon for those with genetically modified heritage to require special diets for optimal health or to be naturally too tall to be anything but skin and bones on the meager diets available to them.

 

Despite, these drawbacks men and women with genetically modified genes, the wizards if you will, are often valued by those in power. They are also often sent along with their hardier, non-wizard brethren on quest prove their worth before they are completely trusted.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

The talk of using computer programming style syntax for magic spells reminds me of the Matrix Magic system that I created for Fuzion years ago (and have never really been able to properly adapt to Hero). One would learn basic spells and enhancing components, and build more complex spells from there using a simple but strict syntax.

 

For example, a mage might know (off the top of my head; I don't have the PDF from that handy right now) a Fire Bolt, Enhance, and Multi-Target. He could then, for simple spells:

 

Fire Bolt (basic)

Enhance, Fire Bolt (increased damage)

Multi-Target, Fire Bolt (hit two targets with the basic bolt)

Multi-Target, Enhance, Fire Bolt (hit two targets with increased damage)

Enhance, Enhance, Fire Bolt (damage increased even more)

Enhance, Multi-Target, Fire Bolt (hit three targets with basic bolt)

Enhance, Multi-Target, Enhance, Enhance, Fire Bolt (hit three targets for third-level damage)

 

And so forth. The basic spell takes a Phase, and each Enhancer adds a half phase, so the last spell would take three Phases to cast.

 

Just an idea to play with.

[Mister E]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

The talk of using computer programming style syntax for magic spells reminds me of the Matrix Magic system that I created for Fuzion years ago (and have never really been able to properly adapt to Hero). One would learn basic spells and enhancing components, and build more complex spells from there using a simple but strict syntax.

 

For example, a mage might know (off the top of my head; I don't have the PDF from that handy right now) a Fire Bolt, Enhance, and Multi-Target. He could then, for simple spells:

 

Fire Bolt (basic)

Enhance, Fire Bolt (increased damage)

Multi-Target, Fire Bolt (hit two targets with the basic bolt)

Multi-Target, Enhance, Fire Bolt (hit two targets with increased damage)

Enhance, Enhance, Fire Bolt (damage increased even more)

Enhance, Multi-Target, Fire Bolt (hit three targets with basic bolt)

Enhance, Multi-Target, Enhance, Enhance, Fire Bolt (hit three targets for third-level damage)

 

And so forth. The basic spell takes a Phase, and each Enhancer adds a half phase, so the last spell would take three Phases to cast.

 

Just an idea to play with.

 

I really like this idea. This is a magic system I could sink my teeth into.

[Cancer]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

Don't forget the consequences of a spell gone wrong. The default options on some spells would have to be set perversely.

[mhd]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

And so forth.

 

I see what you might have done there.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

I see what you might have done there.

Not intentionally (for a change).

[BobGreenwade]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

I was, by the way, able to find the old PDF online. It's here.

[Markdoc]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

The talk of using computer programming style syntax for magic spells reminds me of the Matrix Magic system that I created for Fuzion years ago (and have never really been able to properly adapt to Hero). One would learn basic spells and enhancing components, and build more complex spells from there using a simple but strict syntax.

 

For example, a mage might know (off the top of my head; I don't have the PDF from that handy right now) a Fire Bolt, Enhance, and Multi-Target. He could then, for simple spells:

 

Fire Bolt (basic)

Enhance, Fire Bolt (increased damage)

Multi-Target, Fire Bolt (hit two targets with the basic bolt)

Multi-Target, Enhance, Fire Bolt (hit two targets with increased damage)

Enhance, Enhance, Fire Bolt (damage increased even more)

Enhance, Multi-Target, Fire Bolt (hit three targets with basic bolt)

Enhance, Multi-Target, Enhance, Enhance, Fire Bolt (hit three targets for third-level damage)

 

And so forth. The basic spell takes a Phase, and each Enhancer adds a half phase, so the last spell would take three Phases to cast.

 

Just an idea to play with.

 

I really like this idea. This is a magic system I could sink my teeth into.

 

This is basically how some types of magic worked in Chivalry and Sorcery and how Sorcery worked in 2E Runequest.

 

I've whipped up a HERO version of it here.

 

cheers, Mark

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

Some recommended reading:

 

* Accelerando by Charles Stross

* The Wizardry books by Rick Cook (Wizard's Bane, The Wizardry Compiled, etc.)

* The Warlock series by Christopher Stasheff (beginning with The Warlock In Spite Of Himself)

* The Science of Magic by Jesse Spears (gaming product available at rpgnow.com)

* "Mage 2 Mage", which is a programming language-like magic system.

* Perl, just because.

 

For a little more on the fantasy side, and mainly for some different ways to think of magic and/or its interaction with tech:

 

* Operation Chaos by Poul Anderson

* Magic, Inc. by Robert A. Heinlein

* The Compleat Enchanter by L. Sprague deCamp and Fletcher Pratt

* The Ethshar books by Lawrence Watt-Evans

[csyphrett]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

There is also the Young Wizards and Mage by Matt Wagner.

CES

[Stephen Mann]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

The Dance of the Gods series by Mayer Alan Brenner (Catastrophe's Spell, Spell of Intrigue, Spell of Fate, and Spell of Apocalypse) have a magical society built unknowingly over a super science basis. The amnesiac hero from the first story is the programmer who created the computer that creates magic.

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

The Magic of Recluse Series has something like this in it's origins as well, going back to a lost colony rediscovered by a misjumping warship.

 

 

Those who had been exposed to the hypernet control systems on board star-ships found that there was some kind of native energy field (from the trees of the planet, turns out) they could manipulate in the same way they could manipulate the ship systems. And so could their descendants.

[CorpCommander]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

Mage 2 Mage is pretty cool! Thanks for the link!

 

Don't forget "The Empire of the East" series in which a version of our world, during the Cold War goes through The Change in which nuclear defenses (and by that I mean they defend against nukes and not that they threaten the rest of the world with nuclear weapons for deterrent) are actually created that change subtly the basic function of certain sub-atomic physical laws. The "Enemy" (Commies lets face it!!!) have their own defense system. When they go to war both systems go into effect and as the wavefronts collide unexpected results are had and the world is changed from one where science works to one where magic rules. One of the chief bad guys was a nuke that was going off then the wave hit and transformed it into a demonic beast.

 

Technology runs through out the books. In fact part of the first book is about the hero stealing and operating a main battle tank and kicking ass with it.

 

Oh and the protagonist is a young man with "special gifts he wasn't aware he had" whose family is killed by the Empire so he joins the rebellion. You probably think this is a total rip off of Star Wars... and it is Star Wars that filed the serial number off that story and stole it! Star Wars comes 10 years AFTER the first book The Broken Lands was written.

 

Empire of the East + Ardneh's Sword by Fred Saberhagen. Get them!

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

Ooo, hey. There's also this. (Warning: memetic quicksand. Time sink. Approach at your own risk.)

[Sigilbear]

Re: Magic systems based on science?

 

Don't forget the Flux and Anchor series by Jack Chalker.