Trying to develop a magic system, where mech are the foci, and is some what machine themed. Trying for a more logical system that leaves room for creativity. Bouncing around so many ideas, following some then hitting a dead end. I need some external input. What I am going for is an artificer or mechanical mage magic system. Where society is magic-punk, so there is wider spread use of magictech for basic machines and amenities. BUT mages themselves are not super common. All things are hooked up to a magic grid that is fueled by all people as all people naturally have massive stores of magic. But only very few can actually tap into their internal reserve and wield it. So while more high tech creations exist, such as magic guns, massive air ships etc, the amount of people able to use such devices limits widespread adoption.
I want mechs to work as foci, where mage pilots have their abiltiys significantly amplified. I don't want them to just be force multipliers, so mages abilities are drastically hindered when not using a foci(mech) or the smaller but still large suits of powered armor that allow for more power than just a person but less than a mech. That said I do want them to have some limited ability when operating on their own.
The Things That Have Been Thrown at the Wall: A none exhaustive list, but the things I have liked the most and have taken bits and pieces of:
Astral Metal: Special alloying process making metal conduct magic and gain other properties while magic runs through it. Astral Iron for example has low conductivity and low storage meaning channeling magic through it takes a lot of work, and it does not store magic well, but while magic runs through it, it becomes nearly indestructible.
Force: Machines are ultimately just ways of transforming and transmitting force. So mage gain some form of control over a kind of force. Kinetic, Magnetism etc. More emphasis on things like lite kinetics (telekinesis, walls of force etc) and less on things like gravitational force. If every mage could invert gravity while in a mech they would go from weapon platforms/machines of war to near god like entities. But perhaps a special few should have that kind of power.
Runes and Gears: What I have worked the most on basically.
The Gears: Easily the one with the most development. Gears are obtained through plumbing the clockworks and finding binding stations, where a piece of a machine that exists or existed is bound to the mage and physical representation as a gear. Gears will always represent parts or functions of a machine or tool with the exception of the Force Gear and the Rune Gear, gears created by the god of machines itself. It should be noted that “catch-all” gears also exist, and generally refer to some sort of widely adapted tool. “Earth Mover” could be referring to a spade head, shovel head, hoe head, tractor etc. Meanwhile most gears are specific such as the Lens Gear which allows one to magnify and focus force.
The Gears are not physical, but ethereal representations of their tool or part. When a mage channels magic these gears appear behind them, centering on the square of the back. Mages construct a gear train in this way, requiring the user to be cognizant of where the place them. A gear rotating counter clockwise will inverse its effect. The lens gear going counter clockwise instead defuses or unfocuses a thing.
The Runes: Runes a way of imprinting commands onto things. For the mecha it may look like this:
Rune Array is inlaid over the skeleton of the entire machine, allowing for the movement of limbs, smaller parts like rocket pods etc.
The Rune Matrix is the core, typically inserted into the back of the mech but not always, that gives the Pilot access to a certain amount of magical effects that they can wield while piloting their machine.
Runes exist but humanity is unable to create runes to dictate the form of something, only the effects. The magical machines of this world function by a limited design because of this. For example if you had fire then used the Form rune defining- “projectile” would shoot the fire forth as a fireball or gout of flame. Instead Form is inherited from the item the runes are placed on. If you inscribe warmth onto a lantern, the form of the object is its purpose, in this case to produce light, so all things touched by the light of the lantern also feel themselves greatly warmed by it.
The more far removed the effects are from the object the harder it is to do and the more energy is required to power it. A lantern already produces a little heat so amplifying and extending that isn't hard. Having it cool people down is a bit more of a stretch but not by a whole lot. Having it obliterate any living thing touched by the light is something that would be very hard to do, and take a lot of energy. Perhaps something like this could exist as a masterwork, but it may only work once before breaking itself or at least needing to be charged.
Mechs are loaded with with a variety of runes allowing its pilot to use a variety of effects. Mages themselves obtain Gears, representations of a part,tool, or function. For example the Lens Gear allows the user to focus or magnify something. Every Gear comes with a Form Rune that the mage has an intrinsic link to. While in a mecha they can access their form rune freely.
So bringing it all together if a Mage had the Lens gear, inscribed with “projectile” and a massive version of the lantern, Rather than allow the light to spill out in all directions as a lantern generally does, they could focus it in one direction or focus it into spheres, then launch them in a direction. Their warmth and light amplified scorching whatever they touch.
I want mechs to work as foci, where mage pilots have their abiltiys significantly amplified. I don't want them to just be force multipliers, so mages abilities are drastically hindered when not using a foci(mech) or the smaller but still large suits of powered armor that allow for more power than just a person but less than a mech. That said I do want them to have some limited ability when operating on their own.
The Things That Have Been Thrown at the Wall: A none exhaustive list, but the things I have liked the most and have taken bits and pieces of:
Astral Metal: Special alloying process making metal conduct magic and gain other properties while magic runs through it. Astral Iron for example has low conductivity and low storage meaning channeling magic through it takes a lot of work, and it does not store magic well, but while magic runs through it, it becomes nearly indestructible.
Force: Machines are ultimately just ways of transforming and transmitting force. So mage gain some form of control over a kind of force. Kinetic, Magnetism etc. More emphasis on things like lite kinetics (telekinesis, walls of force etc) and less on things like gravitational force. If every mage could invert gravity while in a mech they would go from weapon platforms/machines of war to near god like entities. But perhaps a special few should have that kind of power.
Runes and Gears: What I have worked the most on basically.
The Gears: Easily the one with the most development. Gears are obtained through plumbing the clockworks and finding binding stations, where a piece of a machine that exists or existed is bound to the mage and physical representation as a gear. Gears will always represent parts or functions of a machine or tool with the exception of the Force Gear and the Rune Gear, gears created by the god of machines itself. It should be noted that “catch-all” gears also exist, and generally refer to some sort of widely adapted tool. “Earth Mover” could be referring to a spade head, shovel head, hoe head, tractor etc. Meanwhile most gears are specific such as the Lens Gear which allows one to magnify and focus force.
The Gears are not physical, but ethereal representations of their tool or part. When a mage channels magic these gears appear behind them, centering on the square of the back. Mages construct a gear train in this way, requiring the user to be cognizant of where the place them. A gear rotating counter clockwise will inverse its effect. The lens gear going counter clockwise instead defuses or unfocuses a thing.
The Runes: Runes a way of imprinting commands onto things. For the mecha it may look like this:
Rune Array is inlaid over the skeleton of the entire machine, allowing for the movement of limbs, smaller parts like rocket pods etc.
The Rune Matrix is the core, typically inserted into the back of the mech but not always, that gives the Pilot access to a certain amount of magical effects that they can wield while piloting their machine.
Runes exist but humanity is unable to create runes to dictate the form of something, only the effects. The magical machines of this world function by a limited design because of this. For example if you had fire then used the Form rune defining- “projectile” would shoot the fire forth as a fireball or gout of flame. Instead Form is inherited from the item the runes are placed on. If you inscribe warmth onto a lantern, the form of the object is its purpose, in this case to produce light, so all things touched by the light of the lantern also feel themselves greatly warmed by it.
The more far removed the effects are from the object the harder it is to do and the more energy is required to power it. A lantern already produces a little heat so amplifying and extending that isn't hard. Having it cool people down is a bit more of a stretch but not by a whole lot. Having it obliterate any living thing touched by the light is something that would be very hard to do, and take a lot of energy. Perhaps something like this could exist as a masterwork, but it may only work once before breaking itself or at least needing to be charged.
Mechs are loaded with with a variety of runes allowing its pilot to use a variety of effects. Mages themselves obtain Gears, representations of a part,tool, or function. For example the Lens Gear allows the user to focus or magnify something. Every Gear comes with a Form Rune that the mage has an intrinsic link to. While in a mecha they can access their form rune freely.
So bringing it all together if a Mage had the Lens gear, inscribed with “projectile” and a massive version of the lantern, Rather than allow the light to spill out in all directions as a lantern generally does, they could focus it in one direction or focus it into spheres, then launch them in a direction. Their warmth and light amplified scorching whatever they touch.
Dreamer
Myth Weaver
Inkling
