An Introduction to Magic

An Introduction to Magic

Magic is an important part of any campaign. In our upcoming campaign, Technomancy will take center stage in this area. Technomancy is one of the custom features of the Spellpunk campaign we are creating. It is one of the 2 or 3 things that set this campaign apart from other campaigns like Deadlands, or even Forgotten Realms. Below I will detail an introduction to Technomancy and spell out what exactly is going on with it in the campaign.



Basics:

Technically, our campaign has almost no magic system to it. There are not wizards running around, no mages throwing around spells, not even Gandalfian wizards capable of summoning eagles and talking to moths. No, our campaign has a much more subdued magic system than any of that. This is not to say that there isn’t magic, just that it doesn’t operate in the traditional ways. Our most basic question then is what types of magic are there, and what the hell is this paper about?

 1)        To some extent, there is a familiar magic system in the game.   But this occurs in the form of ‘Shamanism’.   Be this a medicine man, a witch doctor, a voodoo priest, or something similar, to recreate the ‘wizened native shaman’ feel, there is some low level of shamanistic magic in the campaign.

 2)        Technomancy:   This is the bread and butter of the campaign world in terms of magic.   This is the closest a character can get to a wizard in dnd.

 3)        Engineers:   While not possessing any magical ability, engineers can still manipulate magical materials and create works similar to magical items.

Below we shall discuss in brief each of these types of magic.



Shamanism:

Shamanism is specifically in the campaign world to create the wizened spiritual native leader. Think back on western movies and the like. There is always some weird Native American shaman who performs some bizarre ritual with the main character. Sometimes this induces a spirit walk for the character, or something of the like. Other times, the shaman just seems to commune with animals and plants, or maybe he has an uncanny ability to heal the character with ‘the old ways’.

Shamanism in our campaign should work in precisely the same way. It’s just badass to have a mysterious mystical native. Yes, it doesn’t make any actual sense, but it’s just cool. To recreate this feel, we will simply include shamanism magic in the campaign. Here’s how it works:

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2;"> 1)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Shamans exist

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2;"> 2)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Shamans have extremely subdued powers (probably through an active point cost cap)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2;"> 3)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Shamans powers are all tied to the same source, hence all on a power framework

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2;"> 4)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        We literally give no explanation for how their abilities work, other than saying ‘through the old ways’

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2;"> 5)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        That’s it

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">This is basically all we need to know right now to understand how shamans work and what their role in the campaign is. Basically they are just spiritual advisors to natives, and they have some cool minor magical tricks.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Engineers:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Engineers use science to craft technology in the campaign world. Unlike the other two classes that sandwich the engineer entry; engineers don’t actually have any magical ability whatsoever. They are however included here because they create ‘magical’ effects in the campaign world.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Basically an engineer is just like an engineer on earth. They study at school, they know a lot of math, they understand mechanics and physics and chemistry, and design of machines. They then take materials in the campaign world and manufacture products through a design and testing process that leads to increasingly improved finished products. You might now be asking, how the fuck are they wizards then?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Well, the answer to this is that they aren’t really wizards at all. Instead, they use materials to create wizard like effects. In particular, they use a scientific understanding of magical materials to create effects that replicate magical abilities. To illustrate this, consider our fantasy metal that is super resistant to bursting under pressure. This metal makes space flight possible in our campaign. The engineers who build and design spacecraft understand, through science, that the metal is resistant to warping under high heat and pressure; hence they use this metal to manufacture ships capable of incredible thrust. In essence, they use a naturally occurring material and ‘build’ a ‘spaceflight spell’.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Engineers don’t have any ability to use magic themselves. Instead they just use the presented properties of magical materials and normal materials to create their effects. As such, engineers are perfectly capable of creating non magical material using pieces of equipment. In fact, some of them probably prove capable of creating legitimate pieces of technology that merely appear to be magic under the old adage that ‘any technology sufficiently advanced will appear as magic’. For now, this is the understanding we need of engineers:   they are normal people, who use natural and magical materials to create effects which either appear as magic, or duplicate magical effects. Here’s how it works:

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3;"> 1)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Engineers are a character class, so all people playing an engineer must purchase the package.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3;"> 2)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Engineers specialize in a discipline of engineering

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3;"> 3)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Engineers use crafting skills to forge and maintain equipment

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3;"> 4)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Engineers must use knowledge of science in the campaign to construct feasible equipment.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3;"> 5)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Certain campaign restrictions limit the scope of creatable equipment.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3;"> 6)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Engineers are dependent on supplies, time, and money to make their equipment.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Technomancers:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Technomancers are the big type of ‘wizard’ in the campaign world. While shamans are probably closest to wizards from DnD in terms of ability and description, technomancers are our flair on magic in the world. One might initially think that a technomancer sounds a shit balls ton like an engineer, and you would be right, but there are important differences.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Technomancers are actually not normal people at all. Magical materials quite naturally give off magical radiations, just like certain normal materials give off normal radiation. In high dosages, some of the rarer magical materials are capable of having effects on humans. Primarily, this occurs in the form of magical diseases, and death. However, sometimes, individuals have their genetic material they pass on to their children mutated. Usually this leads to just still births and the like, but occasionally, they create ‘technomancer’ offspring. These offspring have inherent magical abilities, and can manipulate similar magical and natural forces in the world around them.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Technomancers then, are a race, and not quite a class. Though most people who play a technomancer will likely play the fully ‘engineered’ out version of one, this is in the strictest sense, not necessary. Technomancers have an inborn natural ability to manipulate magic and/or the natural world, through some inborn magical ability. They might possess the ability to walk through walls, or see vast distances, or produce fire upon command from their hands. Regardless, they have some inborn magical gift.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Technomancers’ gift is not without limitations. In fact, it is very limited. However, it also gives them a unique insight into certain aspects of science in the campaign world, and allows them to build, and maintain machines far superior to those that their ‘engineer’ counterparts can. Here’s how it works:

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4;"> 1)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Technomancers are a race, and must purchase a basic racial package.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4;"> 2)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Technomancers are usually trained in an engineering discipline related to their power.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4;"> 3)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        At character creation, the Technomancer must declare the nature of his power.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4;"> 4)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Technomancers have inborn powers they can use, and they can ‘boost’ these powers through inventions.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4;"> 5)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Technomancers are limited by the ‘extended’ campaign scope restrictions, allowing them to build more powerful items than engineers.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4;"> 6)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Only constructed machines of technomancers require time, supplies, or money to build.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4;"> 7)<span style="font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">        Technomancers rely on science, and their innate ability in order to create magical effects.   Hence, their innate powers are usually tied to a power framework, though not necessarily.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">This concludes the Introduction to Technomancy. For more information, consult individual articles on the different types of magic in the campaign world.