# What would be a synergistic "magic" to go with "Illusions"?



## servenvolley212 (Oct 30, 2013)

Here's the setup for this question: In my post-Apocalypse world where magic is now present on Earth (and Angels and Daemons are now stranded there after the destruction of Heaven\Hell planes...blah blah blah), I'm setting up the obstacles for my Daemon\Human duo and I'm trying to put together a human survival settlement that is protected by twin sisters.

One sister, we'll call her Larissa, has typical illusionary powers - affects what other people see, multiple images of self\sister, etc etc.

I want the other sister - we'll call her Melissa - to have some sort of modern-based power that "works" well with an illusionist's. I'm brain-farting through ideas so far and can't seem to focus. Maybe an ability that affects guns\ammo? By "modern" I mean dealing with gunpowder, machines, metals, etc. Something that would make sense in modern day Earth, not your typical "I can haz fireballz" or whatever.



Bad ideas or good, I'm just looking to spitball this with people that aren't my wife or 12 week old daughter (who is having her first "sick day", ugh. Poor thing has a really congested nose).


Hit me.


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## Pythagoras (Oct 30, 2013)

Perhaps you could go a different route with this, maintaining the Illusion aspect. You could specify that Larissa is a visual illusionist, and have Melissa be an aural illusionist. This way, between the two of them, they appear all powerful. They have power over nothing concrete at all, but through their illusory abilities, can influence everything that is concrete, giving them the power that they lack. 
Just a thought. Good luck.


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## Feo Takahari (Oct 30, 2013)

My first thought was the ability to create solid but invisible shapes. If you want something more "modern," maybe she can compress and reshape objects, while maintaining their properties--this would interact more directly with the properties of technogical objects, while still allowing her to give illusions a solid core.


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## servenvolley212 (Oct 30, 2013)

Pythagoras said:


> Perhaps you could go a different route with this, maintaining the Illusion aspect. You could specify that Larissa is a visual illusionist, and have Melissa be an aural illusionist. This way, between the two of them, they appear all powerful. They have power over nothing concrete at all, but through their illusory abilities, can influence everything that is concrete, giving them the power that they lack.
> Just a thought. Good luck.



Now this....this is pretty good. I like it.


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## servenvolley212 (Oct 30, 2013)

Feo Takahari said:


> My first thought was the ability to create solid but invisible shapes. If you want something more "modern," maybe she can compress and reshape objects, while maintaining their properties--this would interact more directly with the properties of technogical objects, while still allowing her to give illusions a solid core.



I like this, but I'm trying to envision this wihtout having to really delve into it in a chapter. I think this concept has a ton to work with, though.


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## FatCat (Oct 30, 2013)

What about non-visual illusions? The ability to create sounds, smells, sensations against/for one or more people. That way, when the two are together, they can completely alter the reality of those effected by their powers.


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## Svrtnsse (Oct 30, 2013)

Something that would go well with illusion would be Force Push or Telekinesis.

Set up an illusion of an oncoming something and then hit the target with a Push. 
Set up an illusion of some moving objects, only one of them is actually real.


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## psychotick (Oct 30, 2013)

Hi,

Why not have two illusionists working in two different ways. I'm not sure if this is what Pythagorus was getting at but it seems to me that there are two ways to create an illusion. You can either bend light - which is useful as it gives you illusions, invisibility, flash blinding and a laser weapon but doesn't do a thing about noise. Or you can bend the mind instead, which gives you a whole different set of illusions - i.e. you can make people see and hear what you want, and perhaps get them to not notice lots of things, walk right past that ticking time bomb etc. And for synergism your illusions by using both systems would be complete. People would see exactly what you want them to see, and not notice any discrepancies like noises or smells.

Cheers, Greg.


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## Sevundas (Oct 30, 2013)

You could consider mind magic of some sort, such as influencing emotions or slipping suggestions/false information into a person's mind. The person being affected wouldn't notice unless, for some reason, they question the validity of the suggestion and why they're thinking that. People usually don't question thoughts that they believe are their own, though.


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## Queshire (Oct 31, 2013)

hmmm.... way I see it, one of the problems with illusion magic is that it's a "soft" magic, you can wrap your prey in all sort of illusionary webs, but if they manage to get past that you're pretty much ****ed. You mentioned gunpowder before, so maybe an offensive ability based off that? Maybe something along the lines of making gunpowder (and potentially other things) explode remotely. You could cause an enemy's ammo to misfire or use illusions to cover up a minefield and all sorts of other "fun" traps.


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## wordwalker (Oct 31, 2013)

You could build the idea that illusion is mind-based, and "soft": the more strong-willed or just confident the enemy is, the less of a hold you have. But if the other magic is actual telekinesis or anything else material, it can be mixed in with the illusions to keep the enemy guessing what's real-- and break down their will to resist it, so they're more easily dazzled, which also helps the tangible attacks hit harder from behind that cover, and so on.


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## servenvolley212 (Oct 31, 2013)

Some seriously great responses in here. Thanks going out to everyone!


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## DassaultMirage (Oct 31, 2013)

Push and pull

First sister pushes the target into her chosen illusory world.

Second sister pulls the target back into the real world.

First sister pushes target back.

Cycle continues until the target is mentally deranged.


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## shangrila (Oct 31, 2013)

Something "real" would be my first thought, since the first sister in an illusionist. Maybe something to do with creating friction? That could cause gunpowder to explode by creating heat. Or, another modern idea, but interacting with computers or perhaps traditional elemental powers but over something like steel or plastic rather than fire/wind.

My other thought, if you wanted something that truly worked in tandem, was that the second sister could maybe excrete some sort of drug that made the target's mind more pliable to an illusion.


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## oyler44 (Nov 22, 2013)

From what I have read from all the responses, my only recommendation or idea in this particular subject is the use of a form of psionic ability. Even put an emphasis that since they are twins, the powers are divided between the two. Alot of people believe that twins are two halves of 1 whole person. Psionic ability is described easily as the ability to manipulate energy. Mental energy, physical energy and anything of the sort. Therefore, between twins, the power is split. But together they are unstoppable.

Example: One twin can manipulate the mind. Bending the ideas and thoughts of those around her. You can even go so far as you "convince the person you are manipulating to think you are not there." Essentially rendering you invisible.
The other twin can manipulate physical energy. Bending light, electricity or as you had referenced before, the ability to control combustible substances. I.E. gunpowder. (Cause a bullet to ignite/prime.)


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