So, according to some Pignite's Pokedex entries, it has the ability to convert the food it eats into the energy necessary to create fire internally (Fennekin is very similar, but it eats twigs and sticks instead of actual food). I'm currently designing a tribe of mages with the ability to control heat and fire and I want to come up with a reasonable explanation (reasonable as in, grounded in science) as to how they can create fire internally. I'm thinking maybe they could adopt a similar trait to Pignite and convert the food they eat into the fuel needed to start the fire. This would most likely be done by having the mage telekinetically induce enough heat into the fat tissue in their bodies to the point of ignition, and then employing a similar force to sever the flames from the fat before it burns up completely (this part about psychically controlling fire that isn't attached to its fuel source is the only aspect of my idea that doesn't follow real world science and can therefore be ignored when answering my question). At which point, the mage guides the flame through the body in a way that leaves their insides unscaved until it escapes outside through the pores in the mage's body (will escape through the hand for a flamethrower/fire blast-styled attack, and will escape everywhere at once for a shockwave-like attack).
Now here's the thing. I'm terrible at biology, and I'm only slightly better at science, so I have no idea how to identify the flaws of this idea, or the modifications needed to make it sound. This is why I would be extremely grateful if any of you guys and girls could potentially help me out and tell me the things about this explanation for generating fire internally that work and don't work. Now obviously, if there's something important I'm missing about this idea of mine that completely diminishes it's value, by all means, please tell me, but assuming it's scientifically sound, there's a few things I need to know. Specifically...
- Would I need to give my mages the secondary power of heat and flame resistance in order to make this idea work?
- Assuming my mages had the same amount of fat in their bodies as the average human being, how long would it take for them to literally burn through all their fat (assuming they spent a fairly long time in battle casting flamethrowers and fireballs)? Also how long would it take to build it back up again if they ever ran out?
- What will happen to my mages once they run out of fat to cast from? Will they just straight up kick the bucket, or will they just feel really weak and tired and have to spend the next few days building up their strength again?
- Since my mages are literally burning fat to create their fire, will they lose so much weight during battle that it becomes noticeable?
- What kind of diet would work well with this idea? Also, I like to keep my mages looking and feeling fairly healthy so what kind of exercise should my mages do in order to stay healthy enough to get by (they're not super muscularly or anything like that, but they're far from chubby or fat), without (figuratively) burning so much body fat that they're useless in a fight?
- What effects will my mages undergo when burning fat in their body? I don't know what happens to fat tissue when it's set ablaze, but assuming it emits gas during the combustion process, will that have any nasty effects on the mage's body? Also what obstacles in the mage's body will they have to overcome in order to guide the fire from their fat to their hands?
Thanks in advance btw. I happy to have joined this forum
Now here's the thing. I'm terrible at biology, and I'm only slightly better at science, so I have no idea how to identify the flaws of this idea, or the modifications needed to make it sound. This is why I would be extremely grateful if any of you guys and girls could potentially help me out and tell me the things about this explanation for generating fire internally that work and don't work. Now obviously, if there's something important I'm missing about this idea of mine that completely diminishes it's value, by all means, please tell me, but assuming it's scientifically sound, there's a few things I need to know. Specifically...
- Would I need to give my mages the secondary power of heat and flame resistance in order to make this idea work?
- Assuming my mages had the same amount of fat in their bodies as the average human being, how long would it take for them to literally burn through all their fat (assuming they spent a fairly long time in battle casting flamethrowers and fireballs)? Also how long would it take to build it back up again if they ever ran out?
- What will happen to my mages once they run out of fat to cast from? Will they just straight up kick the bucket, or will they just feel really weak and tired and have to spend the next few days building up their strength again?
- Since my mages are literally burning fat to create their fire, will they lose so much weight during battle that it becomes noticeable?
- What kind of diet would work well with this idea? Also, I like to keep my mages looking and feeling fairly healthy so what kind of exercise should my mages do in order to stay healthy enough to get by (they're not super muscularly or anything like that, but they're far from chubby or fat), without (figuratively) burning so much body fat that they're useless in a fight?
- What effects will my mages undergo when burning fat in their body? I don't know what happens to fat tissue when it's set ablaze, but assuming it emits gas during the combustion process, will that have any nasty effects on the mage's body? Also what obstacles in the mage's body will they have to overcome in order to guide the fire from their fat to their hands?
Thanks in advance btw. I happy to have joined this forum