# Axis Earth Magic System 1: Forcefields/Battle Auras



## NerdyCavegirl (Feb 9, 2016)

I'm reworking my magic system from the atoms up, so to smooth out inconsistencies and create realistic costs and limits, I'd like to base my magic/psionics as closely as possible on what real-world physics would allow. Now none of this "science doesn't matter cause it's fantasy" crap certain members were nagging me about; I'll definitely stretch certain things for the story, but that comes after I've analyzed the possibilities that others have experienced or entertained. So I'll start with the basics: energy and defense. Assuming living beings do have auras, how would this energy be measured? Where would it come from? Could our caloric intake support it, or would we need could an outside source of energy? Could it be used to generate an electromagnetic forcefield? How much energy would it take to stop an arrow? Could electromagnetism be used to neutralize heat? I know much of this is highly theoretical, but that's no excuse not to have thoughtful discussion.


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## NerdyCavegirl (Feb 9, 2016)

Any input besides disregarding the relevance of my inquiry would be appreciated!  As well as links to any thoughtful forums or articles that already cover this, though I prefer real-time discussion over reading an article where no one answers questions.


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## ThinkerX (Feb 9, 2016)

Keep in mind my info is decades out of date.  But way back in the 80's, I read through piles of occult/new age/psychic ability books, pro, con, and everything in between.  Much later, I incorporated elements of this into my own magic system, which has parallels to what you intend.  

First: I saw this way back in a college video.  Then a few years ago, I saw its successor on the shelves at Wal*Mart of all places.  The video depicted a guy wearing a sort of helmet that looked like it had been put together by Rube Goldberg on an off day.  He was sitting on the floor, next to a model train.  That helmet let him move the train just by thinking at it.  The Wal*Mart version (going from the box) let you lift a small ball.  More intense/focused the thought, the more power.    Basically, the human brain does put out power, the trick is tapping into it.  

As to the occult books, the ones that interested me the most were where legit researchers attempted objective research (with varying degrees of success.)  Something that got hinted at in a lot of these books before I finally found more detailed...statements: a lot of these experiments were designed to fail.  Promising experiments were either never followed up, or never undertaken.  Reporting marginal or borderline success was...acceptable...dramatic results were a career killer.  

But, that said, they were able to make not-so-great cases for various forms of ESP and telekinesis.  Later on, some of the ESP research was appropriated by the military and became rebranded 'Remote Viewing.'   After some interesting and highly controversial tests, Remote Viewing took a left turn into conspiracy theory territory. 

Another thing that became evident from the reading is that psychic abilities tend to run in families. Multiple tales of parents and children engaging in psychic games.  The 'willing' or 'wishing' game is one of the more interesting here.  And from a paranoid religious perspective, one of the more frightening.

Anyhow, for my purposes, I decided magic starts with the mind.  In my worlds, there was an alien race that came to earth, snatched thousands of people, and took them to other worlds.  Said aliens had a very different biology than humans.  To them, 'psychic abilities' were the norm, and they based much of their technology off this.  They decided humans (and others) would make fine assistants/servants.  To operate their equipment, they genetically modified certain humans to greatly increase their psionic potential.    Later, catastrophe befell the aliens, and their human servitors became the first wizards.

Magic starts with the mind.  Therefor 'mental arts' - ESP, 'charm,' divination, come first.  Also includes focusing tricks and what might be termed 'mental' wards.

Mind can affect things outside itself.  Tiny changes can affect living systems to a large extent.  And accounts of faith healing are rampant in all cultures.  (Faith healing requires faith to work - and faith is a product of the mind).  Hence 'Metabolic' magic.

The research also substantiated telekinesis - plus there were many accounts of levitation.  Mind over matter.  An enhanced version of the funky helmet or Wal*Mart game.  

Also went with pyrokinesis...just enough accounts of this to warrant it...

Not really justified, but I gave my wizards the ability to do impressive illusions.

Then there was Lovecraft and how magic was seen in the ancient world.  Lovecraft created a pantheon of powerful (and almost always nasty) entities with lifespans and abilities far in excess of humanity.  Certain characters of his would sometimes work with these beings in exchange for a sliver of their power.  And way back in the ancient world, you had 'True Names' - the goal of just about every serious sorcerer.  Get the True Name of a God, Demon, or Spirit, and the sorcerer could command it to do things.  (The tame version of this is the genie in the lamp - but this is also all through the Bible.)  To me it synched, so I went with it - there are wizards who barter with very powerful, very unpleasant entities for power.  

I think I'll quit before you fall asleep.


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## Russ (Feb 10, 2016)

ThinkerX said:


> The research also substantiated telekinesis - plus there were many accounts of levitation.  Mind over matter.  An enhanced version of the funky helmet or Wal*Mart game.




Can you direct me to some scientific source that presents evidence for the existence of telekinesis?


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## NerdyCavegirl (Feb 10, 2016)

Far from falling asleep, ThinkerX. Have you came across anything theorizing the maximum energy output of the human brain and what biological requirements/limitations that would entail? Would there be enough energy to create a field to neutralize projectiles, high temperatures, or higher atmospheric pressure?


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## Jerseydevil (Feb 10, 2016)

I won't be able to answer many questions directly, but can give some background.

A calorie is a unit of energy, specifically the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1g of water 1 degree C. This unit is very tiny, so the calories on a nutrition label are actually Kilocalories, or 1000 calories. For our purposes here, I will use calories in their conventional meaning, as seen on food labels.

Every body function uses calories. Breathing, digesting food, repairing and healing, movement, heartbeat, all use up calories. The brain, which would be the basis of your magic system, uses about 20% of the body's energy consumption under normal circumstances. If brain activity spikes, caloric consumption will increase in direct proportion. There will be a metabolic spike, meaning that energy needs will be increased even after the event occurred. 

Energy the body needs is found in glycogen, a compound that is stored in muscle tissue as well as the liver. When energy is used, this stored energy is depleted. Eating something replaces it. Stored body fat can be converted as well, which involves a chemical process that is too complicated to get into here. 

Also, it is important to note, that muscle mass will also be depleted if caloric intake is less than expenditure. One pound of muscle burns about 50 calories a day just sitting there, and if there is a calorie deficit, the body will break down muscle tissue, since its not getting enough energy to sustain it.

The point is, I have no idea how much energy certain activities cost in terms of energy, like stopping an arrow, but if brain function spikes, there will be a calorie burn, which will have ramifications throughout the rest of the body. Also, the energy required to generate a force field or move an object will require a vast amount of energy, much more than is normal for humans. For example, I am 5'7", 160lbs, and weight train heavily daily. For maintenance, I must eat at least 3,000 calories every day, or my muscle will break down, and I lose size and strength. I'm also tiny by most male standards, and heavy power lifters, body builders, and strength athletes who are 230 lbs+ could easily eat twice what I do. Projecting energy outwards will use many times more calories than that.

 The magic user will have to consume great quantities of carbohydrates and glucose rich foods for quick energy, as well as fats for long term energy. Also protein will be needed for proper brain function as well as muscle repair. I can talk fitness and nutrition in much greater detail, but this should suffice for now.

Unless the magic user is very well fed, he or she will be skinny, physically weak, and possibly malnourished or anemic.. In this case, magic should only be used sparingly or in emergencies.


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## ThinkerX (Feb 10, 2016)

> Can you direct me to some scientific source that presents evidence for the existence of telekinesis?



Again, my info is decades out of date.  Off hand, I'd suggest googling 'Rhine.' He was one of the early more or less objective researchers.  His TK experiments involved a 'psychic' subject altering the numbers that turned up on rolled dice.  There were critiques about bias in his experiments.  He or one of his successors eventually created a mechanical dice roller.

Then, of course, there was Uri Geller's 'spoon bending,' which drew comment across the entire spectrum, much of it hostile.  I do remember accounts of other psychics duplicating this ability, and a couple researchers hinted it could be 'learned' by certain types of people.  But past this, the research...stopped.  



> Far from falling asleep, ThinkerX. Have you came across anything theorizing the maximum energy output of the human brain and what biological requirements/limitations that would entail?



Not really.  As pointed out, maximizing 'magic' would mean maximizing calories.  Also, unless overflowing with raw power/talent, your mage is going to have a very disciplined mind.  One of the almost attainable goals for the computer world is computers operated by thought alone - no keyboard or voice commands.  



> Would there be enough energy to create a field to neutralize projectiles, high temperatures, or higher atmospheric pressure?



Neutralize projectiles...probably not.

High temperatures...might want to google 'fire walking.'  A real phenomena, learnable by others.  Probably some videos on You-Tube or some such.  From what I recollect, some fire walkers were pretty dang impressive.  

Not sure what you mean by atmospheric pressures.  I do recollect reading that meditation involving controlled breathing is effective against altitude sickness, if that helps.   

Another thing that comes into play here is...well, I'll call it 'extraordinary concepts.'  Things we lack words for, and can approach only via flawed analogy.  Turned up over and over again.  Account that sticks in mind here was the Harvard educated woman who studied esoteric meditation at a remote monastery.  Initially, she figured 'I'm educated.  I will keep a record describing this.'  By the mid point of her account she had to admit, that despite her formidable education, she lacked the vocabulary to describe what she was experiencing in the deep trance states.


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## Russ (Feb 11, 2016)

ThinkerX said:


> High temperatures...might want to google 'fire walking.'  A real phenomena, learnable by others.  Probably some videos on You-Tube or some such.  From what I recollect, some fire walkers were pretty dang impressive.



Fire walking I got to see up close and personal.

When I was a young lawyer I got hired to explain the waivers that were being signed by people at a fire walking event to anyone who had any questions.

All sorts of people came and learned to fire walk.  It was pretty impressive.


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## NerdyCavegirl (Feb 11, 2016)

jerseydevil said:


> Unless the magic user is very well fed, he or she will be skinny, physically weak, and possibly malnourished or anemic.. In this case, magic should only be used sparingly or in emergencies.



That explains why so many psychics and mages are portrayed as pale and scrawny. Yeah I figured the energy requirements would be pretty massive, I just wasn't sure if it was reasonable within the human diet. I'm thinking of utilizing some other source, maybe Earth's own electromagnetic field if that'd carry enough energy, but I don't want it to be unlimited. I imagine we burn calories to convert fat into glycogen, so I can see it still requiring some of the user's own energy to tap into any other source.


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## SotaMursu (Feb 18, 2016)

7.19Ã—10^18 joules is the energy that creates the mass of a 80kg person. (E = mc^2)
If you could magically convert the mass of a human body into energy and use it to stop a bullet from an ak47 (below 2000 joules) with a perfect efficiency, you could stop 3 595 000 000 000 bullets, and then you would have dissipated your whole body as energy.

You could have characters convert their blood into energy, for an example. If you'd convert a liter of your blood into energy perfectly, you'd still be able to stop over 40 billion bullets from an ak47.

The Real Meaning of E=mcÂ² | Space Time | PBS Digital Studios - YouTube
The True Nature of Matter and Mass | Space Time | PBS Digital Studios - YouTube

You could have it so that it requires training to gain greater efficiency to balance it out to less godlike magical barriers.


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## AndrewLowe (Feb 28, 2016)

The _Dune_ saga offered up many 'scientific' examples of magic.  To the commoners, those who had special abilities were known as whores, witches, tyrants, and abominations.  However, the few who could accomplish feats understood that their power stemmed from an outside chemicals (generally melange, always something poisonous), genetic traits, and a minute control of their bodies functions.



Spoiler: SPOILER



Powers ranged from increasing metabolism to achieve superhuman speed (Miles Teg), Prescience (major theme, also the hardest power to achieve, only accessible to males...  over the course of 6,000 years, only three men ever achieve prescience), fighting off infectious diseases through conscious control of antibodies, slowed aging, reincarnation through genetic clones (memories are only awakened under excruciating pain), ancestral memories, action control through exquisite fluctuations in voice and poise, sexual imprinting (making someone a willing slave through calculate erotic maneuvers).  The list goes on...



The spoiler describes the various powers that exist in the _Dune_ universe.  Only look at the spoiler if you are familiar or if you plan on _never_ reading the books. 

Ironically, I think that the best (most interesting _and_ most realistic) magic system I've come across is in a work of science fiction, not fantasy.


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