Currently prepping my next campaign (using either HERO, to which I'm pretty new apart from an old bout with 4E Champions, or the other generic point-based system.). I'm trying to generally establish the usual fantasy tropes based on a post-apocalyptic setting (way, way back, i.e. no electronical/mechanical stuff lying about). Dwarves and elves based on ancient bio-engineering, for example.
And of course, magic that literally is sufficiently advanced technology. Now, I don't want to simply exchange lightning bolts for laser pistols, if I can avoid artifacts most of the time this would be great. And no lackluster "the apocalypse created a rift between dimensions, voila, magic!" copout.
Right now I'm thinking about one branch of magic that is basically people manipulating the weather control system. This, of course, was highly advanced so local micro-climates are definitely possible without interrupting the whole world. Nevertheless, the wizards are on their towers for a reason: They have to guard their region, as neighboring mages are likely to send bad weather their way.
Another possibility would be manipulating the broadcast power and defense grid (energy explosions, force fields etc.) or some kind of nano-goo (whether that's omnipresent or wizards have to bring their own "pixie dust").
Now mechanically I don't see a big problem. Never mind the justification, you have your usual power frameworks with foci, incantations etc. I'm here looking for those justifications and neat examples.
One "problem" that is common to most of these magic subsystems is the initial perk that qualifies someone to be a mage. On the lower end, I could imagine simple knowledge of the "magic language" would be sufficient, so once you learn how to shout "WCS: 35.4 67.8 MAX SURGE EXEC." you'll be a wizardly bolt slinger. But maybe a rarer prerequisite would be fine: There has to be some kind of way to a) perceive some magical data, and connect to the system. Maybe some genetic engineering that allowed the descendants of former overseer colonists is still within the population. Not quite sure what that would be, barring wishy-washy super-science.
And yes, of course, a wizard's staff that is a comms device. But that is almost a bit too obvious. Wizards hoarding a secret formula to make gems/glass to observe obscure "sky-writing" or some way to deduce coordinates would be more up my alley.
So, anyone got some ideas? Or some neat stuff from other RPGs, novels, animes etc. that one could "borrow"?