- Location
- On Earth
alright fair enough.
Edit: Welp that couldn't have gone much worse.
Edit: Welp that couldn't have gone much worse.
"Build your own Magical System!"(tm): The Superpower: The Quest
- Thread starter Nando
- Start date
Nando
they, them
Naa, the first roll was to determine which source you got, for that there wasn't really a good or bad way to go, since those were assigned randomly.
For the second roll you had to be under a target number, so lower was better. You were actually just one point to high...and it was a contested roll and the other side sadly also did very well, so you'll still have to deal with some consequences. Which you'd had to do in any case, since this is all for trying to figure out in which direction the fuck-up goes 
Chapter 8
Nando
they, them
A.N.: Sorry for the delay. This chapter has been fighting me pretty strongly. I'd tried to come up with a system on how to deal with some things, prepared a whole bunch of stuff for that, realized that I would probably feel pretty railroady, decided to scrap that part, didn't get a good grab on how to do other parts and all in all went back and forth about much of it. Anyway, I decided to start Just Another Worm Quest, if you're interested. That one will hopefully not get bogged down so much by all this consideration stuff
But, enough of that: Chapter 8 is a go!
Even if you'd not been in a much better state than the day before when you went to bed, your sleep was mercifully nightmare-free. Still, munching your breakfast, pondering over the notebook you'd decided to use as a dream journal - hey, if magic is real, maybe other esoteric stuff might be, too? - you could feel your dreams slip from your memory. There had been several, but the only thing you could remember was...
Some kind of field. Maybe a corn field? With a maze? At least there was something tall growing on it, taller then you. Maybe there were other people - a trip with friends, to have fun in a corn maze? No, there were no other people - or? You stepped into the field, between the plants, and they blocked your view of the surroundings, the sky, the light...
Trying to put some sensible notes on the paper you thought about the things you could remember. You'd never heard anything about dream reading before, besides the fact that it did exist as a thing in folklore. Welp, it's time for research again, I guess. And with that thought you power up your computer and delve into the internet.
Only to quickly realize that the internet - magical place that it is, heh - is full of guides, theories, articles and stories concerning dreams. Apparently there'd been cases of both Thinkers and Masters with dream related powers, so you even found articles like "Ten signs that your dreams are NOT your own!" or "Prophetic dreams - but NOT a cape!" All the things that promised to tell you exactly how to interpret your own dreams were either very vague, contradicting each other or, in some cases, even themselves.
Shaking your head you closed another tab in your browser. This is going nowhere. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow. Plan set you also shut your dream journal notebook and go to the kitchen for a nice, extended breakfast. Before you start looking for something to eat you notice a piece of paper on the table. Oh, Ryan's left a note. "Hey chap, will be gone the whole day. But I'll be going shopping before coming home, so if you need anything call me. Have fun, dad. At least I won't have to go shopping myself." Grinning you decide to take this as an excuse to plunder the fridge of its content.
Satisfied after an hour long "breakfeast" as Ryan would undoubtedly call it, you pour yourself the rest of the juice. Looking at it you are reminded of your juice-related mishap from yesterday. Maybe I should focus on the iron that's already in my body? Let's see... Closing your eyes you try to feel the iron within you. Wait, how would the iron feel? Hmm. It's in the blood, right? And iron is kinda hard? With a clearer understanding of what you're trying to feel you renew your attempt. Okay, hard...those are my bones, where I can feel them press against something, my teeth grinding together...okay, blood...I can...hear my heart? And feel it, too. Hmm...
Opening your eyes again you scratch your ear - realizing that you'd heard your blood rushing in there, too - pondering what else you could try. Maybe something changes if I consume some iron? Let's try again, with the juice. But just observing! So you down the "iron" juice, straining your sense for any change. You can feel the fluid going down your throat and settle in your stomach. Or, well, my belly. Do fluids go into the stomach? Shaking the random thought from your mind you try to find out if you could do anything with the iron you consumed.
Your power seemed unenthusiastic about this: you could feel the possibility for a System, similar to how the Demonology System, or rather the "Ritual-(Demon-Calling)-Summoning-Magic System" was at the edge of being actualized at first. You knew with your current understanding and intent you'd get something like an "Internal-Iron-(consumption-internal)-Magic System" which would be...very limited. Still better than getting covered in juice and pieces of glass, I guess.
Sitting back down at your desk you pull out your notes concerning runes. Comparing your...powersense? The sense of your power? Your powers feedback? Another thing to maybe give a name at some point, just to not confuse myself while thinking about this stuff. Naming issues aside comparing your results from your foray into runes with those from drinking "iron"-juice you quickly realise that you are not as close to getting a Runic Magic System as you are to getting the Iron Consumption one.
So, start with the beginning. What are runes, how do they work? ...runes have meaning. They are letters, or words or something, at least part of a language. And languages have rules, how to write words, the structure of a sentence. Right, so. Runes will have to follow those rules, obviously. Or, no, wait. They will have to follow some set of rules. Maybe I can think of it like a program. Or, well, rather programming languages? Then there are different languages that are good for different stuff. And have different rules. So, Norse could be good for...weapons? And hieroglyphs for...protection or something. That part I'll probably have to figure out later, but...this should work, right?
Looking into that mental space where you perceive your power you get an impression of immense potential. The System you've been considering will be very broad in its applications and possibilities; the effects it would be able to achieve ranging in scope, scale and sheer power through the whole spectrum of parahuman powers you can think of. But you also know it will be a very hard System to master. You will have to study the runic languages you want to use, and find out for what kind effects which runes fit best. Still, it sound like a very mighty tool to have in your arsenal.
Now, what is missing? Ah...yeah, I will have to come up with an actual use and try it out, right. Rubbing your eyes you decide to postpone that part, for now. Your mind's blurring with ideas, but right now you wouldn't be able to finish formulating any one of those. Let's have a look at something else for a while, and think about how to actually do this stuff tomorrow. Your Runic Magic System seems to be at the same stage as the potential Internal-Iron-(consumption-internal)-Magic System: ready to be implemented and used, but waiting for a final push to shape the minutiae of the (initial) how-to.
Laying on your bed you take a look at the pillow you'd wanted to blast with a direct application of your power just yesterday. Just thinking about it gives a slight twinge of phantom pain. You shudder. Okay, so maybe I should not channel from the source of my parahuman power, but what about other power sources? Pondering this idea doesn't get you far, though: the first thing that comes to your mind is the channeling of a religious patron, and you'd already turned away from one of those possible Systems.
Thinking about it some more didn't give you any new insights - but, you had gotten results with just trying things out before. Granted, they were not always ideal, but it showed that you could just create a Magic System with trying out the right things with the right intention. So, grabbing after my power source didn't work out so well. Buuut, my power recognized it as a valid attempt - otherwise I wouldn't have gotten that...thing I don't want to think about, 'cause it gives me a headache. That means...grabbing after another power source in the same way should work, right? Right.
{ModSys(Host(1))@Local: Query?}
A short moment later, a few streets over a young woman stumbles. Clutching her head a groan escapes her lips.
A vast, alien being, made of crystalline flesh. A blast of meaning. A tether forming, worming its impossible way through dimensions no human mind is made to perceive. A question, a shout, it's the voice of a boy. Another blast of meaning. The feeling of being watched.
A rarity in this city, a nice person helps the young, freckled woman to get on her feet, asks even, if there's anything they can do to help. The young woman denies, and hurries away, shuddering about the things she's seen, but can't remember.
At the same time, in a completely different part of the city, one member of a group of thugs, sporting red and black colors suddenly stops walking.
Staring blankly ahead he doesn't respond for several minutes. Then he tells his companions that he has something to do. Turning in the direction of downtown, he starts running.
So, yeah, that...happend. For those interested: I'd decided to use the Dark Heresy 2 Psychic Phenomena table for inspiration on consequences.
As mentioned in the chapter, Chris now has knowledge of the still locked Runic Magic and Internal-Iron-(consumption-internal)-Magic Systems.
In-universe it is now approx. 15:00 on Sunday the 27th of December 2009.
Voting for the next chapter will be a bit different than normal:
You are Fuel and you have some time to make use of this unique opportunity!
Please submit a plan which sorts the actions below from highest to lowest priority (as in: you assign priorities)!
[] Query@local: Hosts(OTH){[Destination], [Trajectory]}, Proposal{Hosts{[Purpose]}}
[] Assess: Host(2){[Expression]{[Deviation], [Purpose]}}
[] Assess: Local{Hosts(OTH), [Purpose]}
[] Execute: [Purpose]@local
[] Execute: Host(2){[Expression]{Restriction}}
Like usual we will have a moratorium, in this case of two hours. After that the vote will be open for at least 24 hours, but I'll give due notice when it'll close.
Have fun with this one
But, enough of that: Chapter 8 is a go!
Even if you'd not been in a much better state than the day before when you went to bed, your sleep was mercifully nightmare-free. Still, munching your breakfast, pondering over the notebook you'd decided to use as a dream journal - hey, if magic is real, maybe other esoteric stuff might be, too? - you could feel your dreams slip from your memory. There had been several, but the only thing you could remember was...
Some kind of field. Maybe a corn field? With a maze? At least there was something tall growing on it, taller then you. Maybe there were other people - a trip with friends, to have fun in a corn maze? No, there were no other people - or? You stepped into the field, between the plants, and they blocked your view of the surroundings, the sky, the light...
Trying to put some sensible notes on the paper you thought about the things you could remember. You'd never heard anything about dream reading before, besides the fact that it did exist as a thing in folklore. Welp, it's time for research again, I guess. And with that thought you power up your computer and delve into the internet.
Only to quickly realize that the internet - magical place that it is, heh - is full of guides, theories, articles and stories concerning dreams. Apparently there'd been cases of both Thinkers and Masters with dream related powers, so you even found articles like "Ten signs that your dreams are NOT your own!" or "Prophetic dreams - but NOT a cape!" All the things that promised to tell you exactly how to interpret your own dreams were either very vague, contradicting each other or, in some cases, even themselves.
Shaking your head you closed another tab in your browser. This is going nowhere. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow. Plan set you also shut your dream journal notebook and go to the kitchen for a nice, extended breakfast. Before you start looking for something to eat you notice a piece of paper on the table. Oh, Ryan's left a note. "Hey chap, will be gone the whole day. But I'll be going shopping before coming home, so if you need anything call me. Have fun, dad. At least I won't have to go shopping myself." Grinning you decide to take this as an excuse to plunder the fridge of its content.
Satisfied after an hour long "breakfeast" as Ryan would undoubtedly call it, you pour yourself the rest of the juice. Looking at it you are reminded of your juice-related mishap from yesterday. Maybe I should focus on the iron that's already in my body? Let's see... Closing your eyes you try to feel the iron within you. Wait, how would the iron feel? Hmm. It's in the blood, right? And iron is kinda hard? With a clearer understanding of what you're trying to feel you renew your attempt. Okay, hard...those are my bones, where I can feel them press against something, my teeth grinding together...okay, blood...I can...hear my heart? And feel it, too. Hmm...
Opening your eyes again you scratch your ear - realizing that you'd heard your blood rushing in there, too - pondering what else you could try. Maybe something changes if I consume some iron? Let's try again, with the juice. But just observing! So you down the "iron" juice, straining your sense for any change. You can feel the fluid going down your throat and settle in your stomach. Or, well, my belly. Do fluids go into the stomach? Shaking the random thought from your mind you try to find out if you could do anything with the iron you consumed.
Your power seemed unenthusiastic about this: you could feel the possibility for a System, similar to how the Demonology System, or rather the "Ritual-(Demon-Calling)-Summoning-Magic System" was at the edge of being actualized at first. You knew with your current understanding and intent you'd get something like an "Internal-Iron-(consumption-internal)-Magic System" which would be...very limited. Still better than getting covered in juice and pieces of glass, I guess.
Sitting back down at your desk you pull out your notes concerning runes. Comparing your...powersense? The sense of your power? Your powers feedback? Another thing to maybe give a name at some point, just to not confuse myself while thinking about this stuff. Naming issues aside comparing your results from your foray into runes with those from drinking "iron"-juice you quickly realise that you are not as close to getting a Runic Magic System as you are to getting the Iron Consumption one.
So, start with the beginning. What are runes, how do they work? ...runes have meaning. They are letters, or words or something, at least part of a language. And languages have rules, how to write words, the structure of a sentence. Right, so. Runes will have to follow those rules, obviously. Or, no, wait. They will have to follow some set of rules. Maybe I can think of it like a program. Or, well, rather programming languages? Then there are different languages that are good for different stuff. And have different rules. So, Norse could be good for...weapons? And hieroglyphs for...protection or something. That part I'll probably have to figure out later, but...this should work, right?
Looking into that mental space where you perceive your power you get an impression of immense potential. The System you've been considering will be very broad in its applications and possibilities; the effects it would be able to achieve ranging in scope, scale and sheer power through the whole spectrum of parahuman powers you can think of. But you also know it will be a very hard System to master. You will have to study the runic languages you want to use, and find out for what kind effects which runes fit best. Still, it sound like a very mighty tool to have in your arsenal.
Now, what is missing? Ah...yeah, I will have to come up with an actual use and try it out, right. Rubbing your eyes you decide to postpone that part, for now. Your mind's blurring with ideas, but right now you wouldn't be able to finish formulating any one of those. Let's have a look at something else for a while, and think about how to actually do this stuff tomorrow. Your Runic Magic System seems to be at the same stage as the potential Internal-Iron-(consumption-internal)-Magic System: ready to be implemented and used, but waiting for a final push to shape the minutiae of the (initial) how-to.
Laying on your bed you take a look at the pillow you'd wanted to blast with a direct application of your power just yesterday. Just thinking about it gives a slight twinge of phantom pain. You shudder. Okay, so maybe I should not channel from the source of my parahuman power, but what about other power sources? Pondering this idea doesn't get you far, though: the first thing that comes to your mind is the channeling of a religious patron, and you'd already turned away from one of those possible Systems.
Thinking about it some more didn't give you any new insights - but, you had gotten results with just trying things out before. Granted, they were not always ideal, but it showed that you could just create a Magic System with trying out the right things with the right intention. So, grabbing after my power source didn't work out so well. Buuut, my power recognized it as a valid attempt - otherwise I wouldn't have gotten that...thing I don't want to think about, 'cause it gives me a headache. That means...grabbing after another power source in the same way should work, right? Right.
{ModSys(Host(1))@Local: Query?}
A short moment later, a few streets over a young woman stumbles. Clutching her head a groan escapes her lips.
A vast, alien being, made of crystalline flesh. A blast of meaning. A tether forming, worming its impossible way through dimensions no human mind is made to perceive. A question, a shout, it's the voice of a boy. Another blast of meaning. The feeling of being watched.
A rarity in this city, a nice person helps the young, freckled woman to get on her feet, asks even, if there's anything they can do to help. The young woman denies, and hurries away, shuddering about the things she's seen, but can't remember.
At the same time, in a completely different part of the city, one member of a group of thugs, sporting red and black colors suddenly stops walking.
Staring blankly ahead he doesn't respond for several minutes. Then he tells his companions that he has something to do. Turning in the direction of downtown, he starts running.
[X] Well... The plan is...(alternative channeling and allomancy version)
-[X] Jot down dreams in a web document and see if you can glean anything from it. (2 Hours) (dreams: 46; 46, 30)
-[X] Rest, and recover (1 hours) (72) (Ryan went shopping)
-[X] Consume some iron and see about using it for a personal buff.try to feel the iron within you and use it. In Various Magical systems metals have metaphysical properties, Iron is seen as a strong metal in those systems, and is even linked to blocking off fae-like beings. This would mean that consumption of such could increase strength, durability, or even our resistance to other parahumans powers.(1 hour) (53)
-[X] : Runes have meaning, but meaning alone means... well little. To properly use runes, you need to put them together in the proper way. In fact, it could be compared to programming, with the proper selection of runes put together in the proper order and fashion resulting in a well designed runic program, whether that design is for a summoning circle or an always on effect for an enchanted item, and a not well put together selection of runes... well, one thing computer programs have over runic diagrams is that computers don't have the risk of expressing bugs by exploding on you. To go with this analogy, different kinds, or families, of runes would be like different programming languages, with some better at some applications then others. (2 Hours) (65, 42)
-[X]you draw your power from within you, but what if you could find external source of magic like in many books? Try To use your power to reach external sources of power, and try draw power from it.(2 hours) (31, 5) (derail!, crit. fail consequence roll: 86; pushed into severe consequence: 91) (poor Brockton Bay)
-[X] Jot down dreams in a web document and see if you can glean anything from it. (2 Hours) (dreams: 46; 46, 30)
-[X] Rest, and recover (1 hours) (72) (Ryan went shopping)
-[X] Consume some iron and see about using it for a personal buff.try to feel the iron within you and use it. In Various Magical systems metals have metaphysical properties, Iron is seen as a strong metal in those systems, and is even linked to blocking off fae-like beings. This would mean that consumption of such could increase strength, durability, or even our resistance to other parahumans powers.(1 hour) (53)
-[X] : Runes have meaning, but meaning alone means... well little. To properly use runes, you need to put them together in the proper way. In fact, it could be compared to programming, with the proper selection of runes put together in the proper order and fashion resulting in a well designed runic program, whether that design is for a summoning circle or an always on effect for an enchanted item, and a not well put together selection of runes... well, one thing computer programs have over runic diagrams is that computers don't have the risk of expressing bugs by exploding on you. To go with this analogy, different kinds, or families, of runes would be like different programming languages, with some better at some applications then others. (2 Hours) (65, 42)
-[X]you draw your power from within you, but what if you could find external source of magic like in many books? Try To use your power to reach external sources of power, and try draw power from it.(2 hours) (31, 5) (derail!, crit. fail consequence roll: 86; pushed into severe consequence: 91) (poor Brockton Bay)
So, yeah, that...happend. For those interested: I'd decided to use the Dark Heresy 2 Psychic Phenomena table for inspiration on consequences.
As mentioned in the chapter, Chris now has knowledge of the still locked Runic Magic and Internal-Iron-(consumption-internal)-Magic Systems.
In-universe it is now approx. 15:00 on Sunday the 27th of December 2009.
Voting for the next chapter will be a bit different than normal:
You are Fuel and you have some time to make use of this unique opportunity!
Please submit a plan which sorts the actions below from highest to lowest priority (as in: you assign priorities)!
[] Query@local: Hosts(OTH){[Destination], [Trajectory]}, Proposal{Hosts{[Purpose]}}
[] Assess: Host(2){[Expression]{[Deviation], [Purpose]}}
[] Assess: Local{Hosts(OTH), [Purpose]}
[] Execute: [Purpose]@local
[] Execute: Host(2){[Expression]{Restriction}}
Like usual we will have a moratorium, in this case of two hours. After that the vote will be open for at least 24 hours, but I'll give due notice when it'll close.
Have fun with this one
Shit here we go again
Nando
they, them
Yeah, when the vote was clear I though: okay, with decent rolls maybe he'll figure something like "I channel the power of the sun" out, but the wording of the vote really didn't help Chris in this case. And then there were those rolls...welp.
By the way, there were over thirty possible sources, with different chances, depending on how likely I thought it would be that they'd be near Chris.
dgr11897
FBI surveillance Tank
- Location
- Behind you
Question about the rune symbols, since they are going to function like a programming language, is there anything keeping Chris from making and using his own set of runic symbols? Figure out a set of basic instructions you want to have, from which you can build up more complicated systems, and then make a system around that, rather than just using norse or egyptian runes, unless we're drawing on the power of people's faith and usage of that language somehow.
Nando
they, them
Good question!
This might get a bit
This whole set up of Chris' Shard works with something I call "metaphorical weight" in my head. It partly translates to peoples faith, yes. It's cultural significance, historic use, faith, believe, reasoning, assumption - all the things of human culture, basically, build the background/framework for how the shard implements stuff.
This get's an additional twist, since it goes through Chris' personal lens, in a way.
So, while Chris might be able to create his own set of runes, he would need a good reasoning behind that, and then he'd be able to work with those inside his Runic Magic System.
He wont get a special System for using his own set of runes (anymore), since he primed such a broad System, that any other possible System that would have relied on runes would get subsumed in it.
There could still be some other system that uses "runes", but those would not fit into the definition of "runes" the Runic Magic System uses. E.g. they are scribbles that only have meaning in the context of that specific System or they don't have a meaning in the language sense and are more something like circuitry.
This get's an additional twist, since it goes through Chris' personal lens, in a way.
So, while Chris might be able to create his own set of runes, he would need a good reasoning behind that, and then he'd be able to work with those inside his Runic Magic System.
He wont get a special System for using his own set of runes (anymore), since he primed such a broad System, that any other possible System that would have relied on runes would get subsumed in it.
There could still be some other system that uses "runes", but those would not fit into the definition of "runes" the Runic Magic System uses. E.g. they are scribbles that only have meaning in the context of that specific System or they don't have a meaning in the language sense and are more something like circuitry.
magic the gathering is possible? MC become a planewalker.
Nando
they, them
I'm really not that firm on how the magic of MtG works, outside of the card game, but generally it would be possible for Chris to get a System that works similarly - connect to lands, gather energies from them, shape that into spells, achieve effects - so, yes. But, as with all the other Systems, Chris would have to reason through the logic of the System, to get it.
Happerry
Bat out of Hell
- Location
- Kanto
Well, here's a plan, though I super don't know what all these are going to do. This plan does the thing that assesses purposes, then executes them, then checks to see where things are going, then checks to see how things are changing, and then does something with a restriction. I think. If I'm parsing things right. Who knows? Not me.
[X] Plan I have no idea what I'm doing
-[3] Query@local: Hosts(OTH){[Destination], [Trajectory]}, Proposal{Hosts{[Purpose]}}
-[4] Assess: Host(2){[Expression]{[Deviation], [Purpose]}}
-[1] Assess: Local{Hosts(OTH), [Purpose]}
-[2] Execute: [Purpose]@local
-[5] Execute: Host(2){[Expression]{Restriction}}
[X] Plan I have no idea what I'm doing
-[3] Query@local: Hosts(OTH){[Destination], [Trajectory]}, Proposal{Hosts{[Purpose]}}
-[4] Assess: Host(2){[Expression]{[Deviation], [Purpose]}}
-[1] Assess: Local{Hosts(OTH), [Purpose]}
-[2] Execute: [Purpose]@local
-[5] Execute: Host(2){[Expression]{Restriction}}
Last edited:
Nando
they, them
Hmm, while it's part of the thing to not know what you're getting into, I'll try to give some insight...
First of all, think about the meaning of the words for a shard, especially if in brackets.
"OTH" is an existing abbreviation.
Fuel has a regular host.
Case 53s happen because...?
Hmm...yeah, that's all. We'll see if we get more votes. Wouldn't want to go with just one person's input for this part...
Turbonator
Mildly Chaotic
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Alright, this quest looks pretty fun. I am very fond of creative magic systems, so I'm excited to see where this goes.
[] Plan I have no idea what I'm doing
Edit: Not sure what to do on the plan front.
My thoughts on magic systems we could go for:
While I like that Brandon Sanderson's work has shown up, wouldn't Feruchemy be better than Allomancy? Especially since Feruchemy can be used to enhance mental speed, which I imagine would synergize with probability manipulation. For those who aren't familiar with Feruchemy, it is the art of storing a given attribute in a corresponding metal in order to draw on it later. Among the attributes that can be stored are physical speed and strength (speed is pretty busted btw), Identity and determination (probably a decent way to deal with Masters), and some more esoteric stuff like Fortune, which hasn't been seen on screen but is said to affect luck--bad luck when storing, good luck when drawing on it. Health also provides decent regeneration, though it makes you vulnerable to illnesses while storing. Feruchemists can also draw in an attribute faster than they stored it, which means they can enhance that attribute to an extreme for a brief time.
Oh, and there's an Allomancy/Feruchemy exploit that has been used to become a god-king, but I imagine the shard would patch it out. And Feruchemy alone can be used to make a metalmind (that's the term for a metal object that's storing an attribute) that grants others Feruchemy. By divesting themselves of Identity, a Feruchemist can store their magic in a nicrosilmind and make it possible for someone else to use it, as Identity is what normally locks a metalmind to the Feruchemist.
As for other works... Parshendi forms could be pretty interesting. Capture a spirit and bond with it in order to change your form and potentially gain an associated power. Watch out for spirits that can corrupt you.
Awakening would be an interesting Shaker/Tinker power, but the method of collecting Breath would give us away real fast and cause some problems for the donor (who has to be voluntary), so perhaps it could be restructured to be more fitting for Chris.
Elantris has a magic system based on object-oriented programming. It works by drawing "Aons" (Elantrians can do so by drawing in the air, leaving a trail behind) that reference the land's geography.
Soul Forgery could be fun. Put a stamp on something or someone to temporarily modify its subjective history (its soul, in other words) to in turn change its current state. Fix a table, give yourself years of combat experience, etc. The duration of the stamp depends on how similar the modified history is to the original. It's a pretty nice system, but it requires extensive research and expertise. Well, I think Nando will be rebalancing the systems we suggest, so maybe this one will get a little buff.
Now, moving away from Brandon Sanderson, I vaguely recall coming across a magic system that's vaguely similar to FMA's Alchemy in that you can achieve effects by making an equivalent sacrifice. Promise to not eat candy for a day in order to unlock a door, etc. I don't even remember the title of the source, but hey, some sort of exchange-based system could be useful.
There was another magic system based on each mage having a particular frequency to their magic, which usually corresponded to one of the four classic elements. Skilled mages could shift their frequency enough to reach into other elements, but by and large they were constrained to their natural element. I believe spells were cast by picturing their magic as a light that they shined into a series of mirrors to make a pattern.
A Pact-style magic system could be interesting, making contracts that are mystically enforced (it would be handy for the whole demon thing). Or take a very specific aspect of Pact, and build favor with "spirits" by always speaking the truth, eventually causing them to start shifting things in your favor. I remember there was that one morally reprehensible guy who was almost untouchable due to how much favor he'd built up. Of course, the issue is that if you lie, you lose all that favor.
We could go for a generic sort of time-manipulating power similar to probability manipulation, I think the two would work well together.
Anyway, that's all for now, probably.
[] Plan I have no idea what I'm doing
Edit: Not sure what to do on the plan front.
My thoughts on magic systems we could go for:
While I like that Brandon Sanderson's work has shown up, wouldn't Feruchemy be better than Allomancy? Especially since Feruchemy can be used to enhance mental speed, which I imagine would synergize with probability manipulation. For those who aren't familiar with Feruchemy, it is the art of storing a given attribute in a corresponding metal in order to draw on it later. Among the attributes that can be stored are physical speed and strength (speed is pretty busted btw), Identity and determination (probably a decent way to deal with Masters), and some more esoteric stuff like Fortune, which hasn't been seen on screen but is said to affect luck--bad luck when storing, good luck when drawing on it. Health also provides decent regeneration, though it makes you vulnerable to illnesses while storing. Feruchemists can also draw in an attribute faster than they stored it, which means they can enhance that attribute to an extreme for a brief time.
Oh, and there's an Allomancy/Feruchemy exploit that has been used to become a god-king, but I imagine the shard would patch it out. And Feruchemy alone can be used to make a metalmind (that's the term for a metal object that's storing an attribute) that grants others Feruchemy. By divesting themselves of Identity, a Feruchemist can store their magic in a nicrosilmind and make it possible for someone else to use it, as Identity is what normally locks a metalmind to the Feruchemist.
As for other works... Parshendi forms could be pretty interesting. Capture a spirit and bond with it in order to change your form and potentially gain an associated power. Watch out for spirits that can corrupt you.
Awakening would be an interesting Shaker/Tinker power, but the method of collecting Breath would give us away real fast and cause some problems for the donor (who has to be voluntary), so perhaps it could be restructured to be more fitting for Chris.
Elantris has a magic system based on object-oriented programming. It works by drawing "Aons" (Elantrians can do so by drawing in the air, leaving a trail behind) that reference the land's geography.
Soul Forgery could be fun. Put a stamp on something or someone to temporarily modify its subjective history (its soul, in other words) to in turn change its current state. Fix a table, give yourself years of combat experience, etc. The duration of the stamp depends on how similar the modified history is to the original. It's a pretty nice system, but it requires extensive research and expertise. Well, I think Nando will be rebalancing the systems we suggest, so maybe this one will get a little buff.
Now, moving away from Brandon Sanderson, I vaguely recall coming across a magic system that's vaguely similar to FMA's Alchemy in that you can achieve effects by making an equivalent sacrifice. Promise to not eat candy for a day in order to unlock a door, etc. I don't even remember the title of the source, but hey, some sort of exchange-based system could be useful.
There was another magic system based on each mage having a particular frequency to their magic, which usually corresponded to one of the four classic elements. Skilled mages could shift their frequency enough to reach into other elements, but by and large they were constrained to their natural element. I believe spells were cast by picturing their magic as a light that they shined into a series of mirrors to make a pattern.
A Pact-style magic system could be interesting, making contracts that are mystically enforced (it would be handy for the whole demon thing). Or take a very specific aspect of Pact, and build favor with "spirits" by always speaking the truth, eventually causing them to start shifting things in your favor. I remember there was that one morally reprehensible guy who was almost untouchable due to how much favor he'd built up. Of course, the issue is that if you lie, you lose all that favor.
We could go for a generic sort of time-manipulating power similar to probability manipulation, I think the two would work well together.
Anyway, that's all for now, probably.
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Nando
they, them
Glad to have you
That said, I'm sorry to announce that I wont be able to get the next chapter out this evening - and from tomorrow on I'll be unable to write till around the 26th.
Meanwhile I'll try to clean up the vote options a tiny little bit. The current plan would probably not result in a course of action you'd favor
What each step actually means stays the same.
Query@local: Hosts(OTH){[Destination], [Trajectory]}, Proposal{Hosts{[Purpose]}}
Assess: Host(2){[Expression]{[Deviation], [Purpose]}} -> Assess@Host(2): {[Expression] {[Deviation], [Purpose]}
Assess: Local{Hosts(OTH), [Purpose]} -> Assess@local: {Host(OTH), [Purpose]}
Execute: [Purpose]@local -> Execute@local: [Purpose]
Execute: Host(2){[Expression]{Restriction}} -> Execute@Host(2): {[Restriction]{[Expression]}}
Lets make a physics based version of this magic system, in which you can control atoms, but only those moving in a frequency range unique to the user. We only need to find what energy an atom of each elementsneeds to move at that frequency at solid matter, then use statistical mechanics equations to find out how many atoms have a certain energy at current temprature. Then calculate how much of it is potential energy and how much is kinetic, and then we know how many atoms move at the needed frequency, and chris can use them. Really easy.
Sorry. A moment of physics babbling, triggered by giving elements frequencies. I had to
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Turbonator
Mildly Chaotic
- Pronouns
- He/Him
That sounds interesting, but it might be a bit much for Chris's dyscalculia. Something for later, perhaps.
Edit: To build on the prophetic dreams idea, perhaps we could try having Chris try to draw/paint something while letting his mind wander, with the resulting image giving a hint about the future.
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0
Well, it was a joke. If you want some mulecular control, I am sure we can come up with something not requiring half an hour of calculation for every use
Nando
they, them
Actually there's only one valid plan right now?
And my attempts to give some more clues on the vote options, without spoiling all the fun
Happerry
Bat out of Hell
- Location
- Kanto
Huh, something went weird when I checked the vote tally then.
But given that I seem to have missed a warning about the current plan... hmm.
[X] Plan I still don't know what I am doing but we may have given someone powers
-[1] Assess@local: {Host(OTH), [Purpose]}
-[2] Query@local: Hosts(OTH){[Destination], [Trajectory]}, Proposal{Hosts{[Purpose]}}
-[4] Assess@Host(2): {[Expression] {[Deviation], [Purpose]}
-[3] Execute@Host(2): {[Restriction]{[Expression]}}
-[5] Execute@local: [Purpose]
So on further thought, i think we just triggered some poor person and may or may not be doing a second trigger ourselves. The shard is about to ping everyone around it for data, assess the host for information, apply restrictions to the host, and execute the hosts purpose. I also think that it's not our shard that will be doing all of this, but whoever's shard just triggered. As such, what this plan does is have it assess what the host's issue is, ping every other shard around for more data and access to more options, re-assess the host to see what deviations the expression of the hosts purpose has/will caused, put in the needed restrictions to fix any issues it finds, and then execute whatever it's come up with. Assuming I'm guessing what these options do correctly at least.
But given that I seem to have missed a warning about the current plan... hmm.
[X] Plan I still don't know what I am doing but we may have given someone powers
-[1] Assess@local: {Host(OTH), [Purpose]}
-[2] Query@local: Hosts(OTH){[Destination], [Trajectory]}, Proposal{Hosts{[Purpose]}}
-[4] Assess@Host(2): {[Expression] {[Deviation], [Purpose]}
-[3] Execute@Host(2): {[Restriction]{[Expression]}}
-[5] Execute@local: [Purpose]
So on further thought, i think we just triggered some poor person and may or may not be doing a second trigger ourselves. The shard is about to ping everyone around it for data, assess the host for information, apply restrictions to the host, and execute the hosts purpose. I also think that it's not our shard that will be doing all of this, but whoever's shard just triggered. As such, what this plan does is have it assess what the host's issue is, ping every other shard around for more data and access to more options, re-assess the host to see what deviations the expression of the hosts purpose has/will caused, put in the needed restrictions to fix any issues it finds, and then execute whatever it's come up with. Assuming I'm guessing what these options do correctly at least.
Hiatus, I guess?
Nando
they, them
Okay, so, this is not working.
With such a small amount of participation, I'm a) not able to get enough motivation going to actually write stuff, and b) not able to get enough out of the votes, to actually come up with things.
I realize that some of that's most likely on me, especially for this last vote, but...yeah, participation wasn't very high all the time, so maybe this is just not interesting for so many people?
Anyway. Below is a spoiler explaining the votes and going-ons from the last chapter, if you're interested in that.
Anyway, I guess I'll keep an eye on this thread for the next time, if any questions come up, but for now, this'll go to sleep...
With such a small amount of participation, I'm a) not able to get enough motivation going to actually write stuff, and b) not able to get enough out of the votes, to actually come up with things.
I realize that some of that's most likely on me, especially for this last vote, but...yeah, participation wasn't very high all the time, so maybe this is just not interesting for so many people?
Anyway. Below is a spoiler explaining the votes and going-ons from the last chapter, if you're interested in that.
Chris' used his not properly configured shard connection to ping other local shards. The first attempt had connected to his own shard, which resulted in the DATA-System, since his shard obviously didn't want to mess up its host.
The shard Chris connected to in Chapter 8 on the other tentacle ended up doing a Kephri, basically (with a time limit, since Chris' shard kicks them out, at some point).
Vote options with plain text translation below:
[] Query@local: Hosts(OTH){[Destination], [Trajectory]}, Proposal{Hosts{[Purpose]}}
Asks local shards about the position of their hosts and suggests to have them engage in conflict.
[] Assess: Host(2){[Expression]{[Deviation], [Purpose]}}
Assesses the power Chris (Fuel!Host(2)) has got from Fuel, with an explicit focus on mutations or other deviations accured by the non-standard trigger, and its applications for conflict.
[] Assess: Local{Hosts(OTH), [Purpose]}
Assesses if there are any other hosts nearby and checks if engaging in conflict is viable.
[] Execute: [Purpose]@local
Engages in conflict with viable targets in the local area, using the Fuel power granted to Chris.
[] Execute: Host(2){[Expression]{Restriction}}
Applies standard restrictions to Chris' Fuel power (Manton limits).
Bonus points to any one who can figure out
a) whose shard this is
a.1) who collapsed on the street
b) what's up with that gangster.
The shard Chris connected to in Chapter 8 on the other tentacle ended up doing a Kephri, basically (with a time limit, since Chris' shard kicks them out, at some point).
Vote options with plain text translation below:
[] Query@local: Hosts(OTH){[Destination], [Trajectory]}, Proposal{Hosts{[Purpose]}}
Asks local shards about the position of their hosts and suggests to have them engage in conflict.
[] Assess: Host(2){[Expression]{[Deviation], [Purpose]}}
Assesses the power Chris (Fuel!Host(2)) has got from Fuel, with an explicit focus on mutations or other deviations accured by the non-standard trigger, and its applications for conflict.
[] Assess: Local{Hosts(OTH), [Purpose]}
Assesses if there are any other hosts nearby and checks if engaging in conflict is viable.
[] Execute: [Purpose]@local
Engages in conflict with viable targets in the local area, using the Fuel power granted to Chris.
[] Execute: Host(2){[Expression]{Restriction}}
Applies standard restrictions to Chris' Fuel power (Manton limits).
Bonus points to any one who can figure out
a) whose shard this is
a.1) who collapsed on the street
b) what's up with that gangster.
Anyway, I guess I'll keep an eye on this thread for the next time, if any questions come up, but for now, this'll go to sleep...
Nando
they, them
Yeah...not sure what exactly the problem was, but I guess I didn't manage to really lay out what I wanted this to be...and, well, I'm not really confident in my writing, especially dialogue is very hard for me.
Maybe I'll start something else in the future (see quest idea thread for a potential), or actually try my hand at a non-quest story. Who knows. For now I'll try to finish the update for JAWQ in the next 24 hours...