worldbuilding Fantasy World planning

[MacThorstenson he/him]

Ok, I like that idea for innates. 

As for fuel, I don’t care about the crystals. But I would like it if it weren’t possible for people to monopolize it. 

Maybe all crystals are filled slowly, overtime, wherever they are, and then the energy is expended quickly in one burst. 

[ShadowLord_Lith he/him]

Just now, MacThorstenson said:

Ok, I like that idea for innates. 

As for fuel, I don’t care about the crystals. But I would like it if it weren’t possible for people to monopolize it. 

Maybe all crystals are filled slowly, overtime, wherever they are, and then the energy is expended quickly in one burst. 

^Yeah, I was thinking it was something like that. 

Like I mentioned earlier, I feel as though areas that are 'magical hotspots' should have more than just crystals growing in them. Maybe plants that contain magic like crystals do, just to a somewhat lesser degree? Or insects that use magic to fuel their bioluminescence and store it in tiny, crystalline structure that form inside of them? Perhaps animals gain a limited sentience thanks to the constant and large presence of magic, causing them to naturally act like a portable hotspot to recharge crystals with? There are lots of things that one could do.

[xinoehp512 he/him]

My idea is that magic is a resource that's semi-nonrenewable. It wouldn't be hard to get, not exactly, but there would be practical consequences to using a whole lot of it.

I'm picturing it as an analog to electricity here on earth. There are plenty of ways to generate it, but they all have their drawbacks.

[kenod]

My suggestion would be that Investure flows through the land along leylines, with crossing points being Investure hot spots. These hot spots would also have more power available for things like natural magic, and may cause excess Investure to coalesce into Investure crystals that can be minded and used as fuel, or simply used for magic directly. However, every place in the world has some energy available, and while too small to use for real spells (at least useful ones), this energy doesn't run out (energy used by Rituals simply returns to this place), and a special spell exists for artificially distill crystals using this energy. Distilling crystals would be more efficient when tapping into a leyline or hot spot though.

[Steel Inquisitive he/him]

I like that idea. 

If everyone is ok with the above, which I think pulled a couple different ideas together nicely, then we're done with magic planning! Well, almost, how prevalent  do we want the magic? Natural magic is everywhere but how much so? Is there magic people/animals/objects everywhere or are they uncommon? Ritual magic is well know to society or only performed in secret? Innates.... 1/10? 1/100? 1/100000000000?

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

13 minutes ago, Steel Inquisitive said:

I like that idea. 

If everyone is ok with the above, which I think pulled a couple different ideas together nicely, then we're done with magic planning! Well, almost, how prevalent  do we want the magic? Natural magic is everywhere but how much so? Is there magic people/animals/objects everywhere or are they uncommon? Ritual magic is well know to society or only performed in secret? Innates.... 1/10? 1/100? 1/100000000000?

I'm ok with the above. I'd say natural magic is relatively common enough in the lower levels (folkloric creatures, etc.) but uncommon when it comes to true god manifestation (being those that can bestow powers upon others). I think Ritual magic is well-known but in the way that biochemists are "well known" in our world. Sure, I know what a biochemist is and sort of what goes on in the process, but I can't just go put a lab coat on and do biochemistry. It requires serious study. So it's a known entity, but prohibitive due to time constraint and complexity. Unsure about Innates. I'd say 1/100 or more rarity.

[Steel Inquisitive he/him]

1 minute ago, ZincAboutIt said:

I'm ok with the above. I'd say natural magic is relatively common enough in the lower levels (folkloric creatures, etc.) but uncommon when it comes to true god manifestation (being those that can bestow powers upon others). I think Ritual magic is well-known but in the way that biochemists are "well known" in our world. Sure, I know what a biochemist is and sort of what goes on in the process, but I can't just go put a lab coat on and do biochemistry. It requires serious study. So it's a known entity, but prohibitive due to time constraint and complexity. Unsure about Innates. I'd say 1/100 or more rarity.

That's what I was thinking on all of the magics as well.

[ShadowLord_Lith he/him]

One in one hundred sounds like a decent rarity. 

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

2 minutes ago, ShadowLord_Lith said:

One in one hundred sounds like a decent rarity. 

Obviously we will probably end up having a rather large concentration of this population in the RP lol, but yeah speaking just in terms of "the world" at large, 1/100 sounds like enough to make them useful, but not too powerful. I have the image of Innates working with Ritual mages in hired positions. You have a group of rituals and then one Innate who effectively acts as a translator. Or, you could have an Innate who travels with a group of people seeking out manifestations of natural magic (someone looking for a rogue folkloric creature, perhaps, or rumors of an emerging god). 

[kenod]

I think we should also nail down the specifics of Ritual magic a bit more, such as the different disciplines and usages, and the methods for casting magic, and how they interact with natural magic.

A few examples of things I'm wondering about:

• I write down a spell on paper, and activate it. Does the ink just disappear or can I activate the spell again if I make sure there's still enough fuel?
• What is the range on my spells? Can I create a massive spell in my base, and create a small spell where I am to change it's coordinates and activate it, launching a massive spell in front of me?
• Can I link spells together, creating two different sets of symbols where one is the main body of the spell and one controls variables?
• Can someone create a spell simply by perfectly visualizing it (given how complex spells are, this would be quite difficult)?
• If both of the above are possible, could experienced mages prefer to simply write out the body of their spells, and take care of exact variables mentally?
• If I use body modification magic to give myself a body the same as some kind of mythical creature, do I get some of it's powers through natural magic?
• We've got enchanting to give new properties/abilities of objects (I think). Would this work for people as well, and would this require fuel to use active abilities?
• How would we call creating magical tools by inscribing spells on them and leaving a slot of fuel? Something like "Artifacting"?
• Would using incantations be used as concentration aids or trigger words to activate spells?

[xinoehp512 he/him]

1 minute ago, kenod said:

I think we should also nail down the specifics of Ritual magic a bit more, such as the different disciplines and usages, and the methods for casting magic, and how they interact with natural magic.

A few examples of things I'm wondering about:

• I write down a spell on paper, and activate it. Does the ink just disappear or can I activate the spell again if I make sure there's still enough fuel?
• What is the range on my spells? Can I create a massive spell in my base, and create a small spell where I am to change it's coordinates and activate it, launching a massive spell in front of me?
• Can I link spells together, creating two different sets of symbols where one is the main body of the spell and one controls variables?
• Can someone create a spell simply by perfectly visualizing it (given how complex spells are, this would be quite difficult)?
• If both of the above are possible, could experienced mages prefer to simply write out the body of their spells, and take care of exact variables mentally?
• If I use body modification magic to give myself a body the same as some kind of mythical creature, do I get some of it's powers through natural magic?
• We've got enchanting to give new properties/abilities of objects (I think). Would this work for people as well, and would this require fuel to use active abilities?
• How would we call creating magical tools by inscribing spells on them and leaving a slot of fuel? Something like "Artifacting"?
• Would using incantations be used as concentration aids or trigger words to activate spells?

• I think you could activate it again, but the ink might fade each time you do it.
• The range of a spell would likely be power-based: i.e. more fuel=more range.
• I think the variables are included on each part of the main body and describe the specifics of that part, but this could be changed.
• That would be worth soooo many points...
• Maybe
• Not unless you include that in the spell.
• It would work like Hemalurgy (I think)
• Sure, why not.
• Trigger words.

[Steel Inquisitive he/him]

4 minutes ago, kenod said:

I think we should also nail down the specifics of Ritual magic a bit more, such as the different disciplines and usages, and the methods for casting magic, and how they interact with natural magic.

A few examples of things I'm wondering about:

• I write down a spell on paper, and activate it. Does the ink just disappear or can I activate the spell again if I make sure there's still enough fuel?
• What is the range on my spells? Can I create a massive spell in my base, and create a small spell where I am to change it's coordinates and activate it, launching a massive spell in front of me?
• Can I link spells together, creating two different sets of symbols where one is the main body of the spell and one controls variables?
• Can someone create a spell simply by perfectly visualizing it (given how complex spells are, this would be quite difficult)?
• If both of the above are possible, could experienced mages prefer to simply write out the body of their spells, and take care of exact variables mentally?
• If I use body modification magic to give myself a body the same as some kind of mythical creature, do I get some of it's powers through natural magic?
• We've got enchanting to give new properties/abilities of objects (I think). Would this work for people as well, and would this require fuel to use active abilities?
• How would we call creating magical tools by inscribing spells on them and leaving a slot of fuel? Something like "Artifacting"?
• Would using incantations be used as concentration aids or trigger words to activate spells?

• Ink shouldn't disappear. So long as you have fuel....
• The greater the range the more fuel you need. I imagine it should be a prohibitive amount for very large spells.
• Yes? Some of this stuff will be possible, but that doesn't mean they've figured it out or will figure it out within the next million years.
• Yes. but super difficult. Only a master can and probably only for simple spells.
• Yes. ^
• ............. I don't know........ depends on if people believe you would perhaps?
• I think it would be possible, but also horrible for the mind. You would need fuel.
• That works for me.
• Both. I picture mages being able to decide what the trigger for each spell will be. Sometimes it would be convenient to just have to say a word and other times more convenient to touch a certain part of the spell.....     

[kenod]

2 minutes ago, xinoehp512 said:

That would be worth soooo many points...

It would be balanced by the level of concentration required, and the fact that even with a lot of training most mages would only be able to do it with a few specific spells they specialize in, which would be very simple as well. People who could cast any spell this way would be archmages or something.

On the other hand, I expect that the photographic memory skill would be rather expensive too, since they could just have this entire library of spells memorized, ready to go.

6 minutes ago, xinoehp512 said:

Trigger words.

I was thinking of this more in a way that both would be possible, just tools that some mages use. For example, one mage might have trained themselves to associate a specific word with a specific symbol, using incantations to quickly create a visualization, while a different mage might use them like a mantra, to block out any distractions to prevent them from messing up their visualizations, while a third might use throwable talismans that are made to activate with a specific trigger word, allowing them to be activated at the right distance.

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

Just now, kenod said:

I was thinking of this more in a way that both would be possible, just tools that some mages use. For example, one mage might have trained themselves to associate a specific word with a specific symbol, using incantations to quickly create a visualization, while a different mage might use them like a mantra, to block out any distractions to prevent them from messing up their visualizations, while a third might use throwable talismans that are made to activate with a specific trigger word, allowing them to be activated at the right distance.

Thanks for writing this, because I was about to type up something similar! I also think both should be possible, depending on the mage involved.

[xinoehp512 he/him]

15 minutes ago, kenod said:

It would be balanced by the level of concentration required, and the fact that even with a lot of training most mages would only be able to do it with a few specific spells they specialize in, which would be very simple as well. People who could cast any spell this way would be archmages or something.

On the other hand, I expect that the photographic memory skill would be rather expensive too, since they could just have this entire library of spells memorized, ready to go.

I was thinking of this more in a way that both would be possible, just tools that some mages use. For example, one mage might have trained themselves to associate a specific word with a specific symbol, using incantations to quickly create a visualization, while a different mage might use them like a mantra, to block out any distractions to prevent them from messing up their visualizations, while a third might use throwable talismans that are made to activate with a specific trigger word, allowing them to be activated at the right distance.

I was thinking of having the spell observe the environment and activate when a condition is met.

[Steel Inquisitive he/him]

22 minutes ago, xinoehp512 said:

I was thinking of having the spell observe the environment and activate when a condition is met.

Not sure what you mean by that, but a mage should be able to make anything a trigger for his spell.

Plot ideas? I was thinking we could have a plot centered on a person slowly ascending to godhood. Set up a crisis happening to her/his kingdom and have a hero with a group of friends rise to the occasion. If we go with that idea, I totally think @ZincAboutIt should have the character that's going to be a god by the end of the plot!

[MacThorstenson he/him]

I do want some thing involving a magic school. 

And I would like to be teaching there 

[ShadowLord_Lith he/him]

8 minutes ago, Steel Inquisitive said:

Not sure what you mean by that, but a mage should be able to make anything a trigger for his spell.

Plot ideas? I was thinking we could have a plot centered on a person slowly ascending to godhood. Set up a crisis happening to her/his kingdom and have a hero with a group of friends rise to the occasion. If we go with that idea, I totally think @ZincAboutIt should have the character that's going to be a god by the end of the plot!

^I agree with this. Including the bit about Zinc. They'd make an awesome god. 

4 minutes ago, MacThorstenson said:

I do want some thing involving a magic school. 

And I would like to be teaching there 

^Could we mix you and steel's ideas?

[Steel Inquisitive he/him]

3 minutes ago, MacThorstenson said:

I do want some thing involving a magic school. 

And I would like to be teaching there 

That would be good..... I'd probably spend a lot of time asking how Ritual stuff works! 

Perhaps a group of students and teachers caught up in the defense of the kingdom from a rival nation?

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

38 minutes ago, ShadowLord_Lith said:

^I agree with this. Including the bit about Zinc. They'd make an awesome god. 

Aww shucks  I’d love to lead this portion of the plot, really anything needed with the natural magic end! I could pilot around any number of weird folkloric NPCs too, I love this kind of thing. I think it would be even more fun to have the person becoming a god slowly morph into a potential villain, or grey-area kind of person? I'll workshop this and come up with some ideas.

Edit: also, I know we are doing public world-building, but should we publicly plot? Greater plot points should absolutely be made public, but do we want to effectively sketch out the whole greater-plot of the story from end to end? Or have some of it reveal itself as the rp goes on? Just figure we should define this before we get too far into the plotting.

Edited March 7, 2019 by ZincAboutIt

[kenod]

44 minutes ago, Steel Inquisitive said:

That would be good..... I'd probably spend a lot of time asking how Ritual stuff works! 

Perhaps a group of students and teachers caught up in the defense of the kingdom from a rival nation?

Could be fun as well, especially since it means we can work out Ritual magic as we go. We might want to have students be in second year though, to allow them to have at least some degree of power already.

32 minutes ago, ZincAboutIt said:

Edit: also, I know we are doing public world-building, but should we publicly plot? Greater plot points should absolutely be made public, but do we want to effectively sketch out the whole greater-plot of the story from end to end? Or have some of it reveal itself as the rp goes on? Just figure we should define this before we get too far into the plotting.

We should probably create a basic concept, and then either appoint a gm who will work everything out further, or we'd just let everything develop in a more organic way, like the main alleyverse (though probably with a bit more planning, and in a more centralized way, taking a look at the Reckoners rp here).

Also, I'll probably be creating a character who is a Flesh-Crafter who had an encounter with a folklore being when younger and changed their body to match them. They'd probably study healing magic, but also have the ability to use it in more offensive ways.

[Steel Inquisitive he/him]

I was thinking we should have some sort of ranking system for the Natural magic. The magic is loose but it will help I think if we had some level of classification. 

How about:

1. Renowned. This person is known for a skill and Natural magic is starting to enhance his/her abilities. (i.e. An archer who would hit the target 9/10 times is now believed to be incapable of missing so now never misses.)
2. Legend. This person has gained a reputation for skills/abilities that are uncanny. (i.e. A bounty hunter who now can sense the general direction of his target.)
3. Hero. This person is known for having magical abilities. (i.e. A physician who knows exactly what's wrong with a patient just by looking at them and can do some minor healing with magic.)
4. Champion. This person is known for their powers. (i.e. a warrior who can kill with a touch, doesn't grow tired easily, and can take a lot of punishment.)
5. Demi god. This person is known for being practically immortal along with their powers. (i.e. a famed ship captain who is immortal and can control the ocean to a degree.)
6. Ascendant god. This person is worshiped as a god and has lost all physical form and can give powers to followers in certain cases. (i.e. a famed merchant has become known as the god of wealth, and some followers might be able to call on his power to allow them to know if a business venture is a good idea.)

What do you guys think? I was trying to pick non-combat ones for greater variety..... some of those are a stretch. This is still loose as there would still be those in transition zones...... I don't know if we could classify objects/animals or if we need to.....  

[kenod]

11 minutes ago, Steel Inquisitive said:

I was thinking we should have some sort of ranking system for the Natural magic. The magic is loose but it will help I think if we had some level of classification. 

How about:

1. Renowned. This person is known for a skill and Natural magic is starting to enhance his/her abilities. (i.e. An archer who would hit the target 9/10 times is now believed to be incapable of missing so now never misses.)
2. Legend. This person has gained a reputation for skills/abilities that are uncanny. (i.e. A bounty hunter who now can sense the general direction of his target.)
3. Hero. This person is known for having magical abilities. (i.e. A physician who knows exactly what's wrong with a patient just by looking at them and can do some minor healing with magic.)
4. Champion. This person is known for their powers. (i.e. a warrior who can kill with a touch, doesn't grow tired easily, and can take a lot of punishment.)
5. Demi god. This person is known for being practically immortal along with their powers. (i.e. a famed ship captain who is immortal and can control the ocean to a degree.)
6. Ascendant god. This person is worshiped as a god and has lost all physical form and can give powers to followers in certain cases. (i.e. a famed merchant has become known as the god of wealth, and some followers might be able to call on his power to allow them to know if a business venture is a good idea.)

What do you guys think? I was trying to pick non-combat ones for greater variety..... some of those are a stretch. This is still loose as there would still be those in transition zones...... I don't know if we could classify objects/animals or if we need to.....  

Sounds interesting. I can probably do a classification for animals. Also, can they use Investure crystals or hotspots to enhance their powers (if they have any)?

[Steel Inquisitive he/him]

Just now, kenod said:

Sounds interesting. I can probably do a classification for animals. Also, can they use Investure crystals or hotspots to enhance their powers (if they have any)?

That would be great! I don't know where to start with those. 

I imagine hotspots would make using their abilities easier as the realms are even more closely tied in those places. As for the crystals..... I don't know. What do you guys want?

(This is all assuming you guys are ok with the above..... I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to force what I want on everyone... I just like to organize things.... especially magic systems!) 

[+ZincAboutIt she/her]

45 minutes ago, Steel Inquisitive said:

I was thinking we should have some sort of ranking system for the Natural magic. The magic is loose but it will help I think if we had some level of classification. 

How about:

1. Renowned. This person is known for a skill and Natural magic is starting to enhance his/her abilities. (i.e. An archer who would hit the target 9/10 times is now believed to be incapable of missing so now never misses.)
2. Legend. This person has gained a reputation for skills/abilities that are uncanny. (i.e. A bounty hunter who now can sense the general direction of his target.)
3. Hero. This person is known for having magical abilities. (i.e. A physician who knows exactly what's wrong with a patient just by looking at them and can do some minor healing with magic.)
4. Champion. This person is known for their powers. (i.e. a warrior who can kill with a touch, doesn't grow tired easily, and can take a lot of punishment.)
5. Demi god. This person is known for being practically immortal along with their powers. (i.e. a famed ship captain who is immortal and can control the ocean to a degree.)
6. Ascendant god. This person is worshiped as a god and has lost all physical form and can give powers to followers in certain cases. (i.e. a famed merchant has become known as the god of wealth, and some followers might be able to call on his power to allow them to know if a business venture is a good idea.)

What do you guys think? I was trying to pick non-combat ones for greater variety..... some of those are a stretch. This is still loose as there would still be those in transition zones...... I don't know if we could classify objects/animals or if we need to.....  

This is more organized that I imagined it going, but it does make sense to have it classified. I would say no on the crystals - the magic comes from group-belief after all. Hotspots make more sense. It would figure that gods would more naturally arise around these hotspots anyhow, with how magic flows through the world.