Quasi-Psionic magic system, feedback needed.

[Logos&Eidos]

Hey, have you been adding to it since you started this thread?

Not really, i have already laid out what most of the abilities are going to be. Some kind of astral projection and a related telepresence ability. A really high level ability to effect fate,fate being the pull exerted on the all things in the cosmos by the life-stream. The Telekinesis related ability to increase an objects potential energy;probably works by pouring energy into an object "directly" rather than using energy to throw it.

As you said,i have magic system with next to no limits in application and am annoyed by that fact. The abilities that i have established are mostly the classic psionic powers, filtered through my magic systems premise.

 

[WooHooMan]

It seemed like you add things each post. Like this "effecting fate" thing. I guess not, I'm just having trouble keeping track of all this.
I stand by my suggestion that you can't "fix" this so you either have to go with it or start from square one.

 

[Logos&Eidos]

It seemed like you add things each post. Like this "effecting fate" thing. I guess not, I'm just having trouble keeping track of all this.
I stand by my suggestion that you can't "fix" this so you either have to go with it or start from square one.

Not start from square one,just going to have to with elementalism,unfortunately. I'm not really adding new powers much as mentioning things as i go along,i actually have all this written down. it all mostly fits together.

Titans forge the cosmos out of their flesh blood and the waters of the abyss,then places a great perpetual current into the heart of the cosmos;to both power and control it, this is the life stream. Souls bubble up out of the life-stream like it was primordial ooze. The souls come to inhabit mortal bodies and being derived from the power at the heart of creation can exert control over it. The cosmos is later sunder into physical and spiritual, the only way to gain the reality altering power is to weave physical and spiritual forces back together.

There are magic systems that do everything that this ones dose and then some, but perhaps those authors just don't think to much about it and go.

 

[WooHooMan]

You should've probably post all the info together from the get-go.

People could've probably helped better if they were given all the info in a clear way instead of having it worked into the responses. Honestly, that made this thread kind of frustrating to read. Like with the last post: you started a thought, interrupted yourself with backstory about titans which have nothing to do with what I said, and then finished the thought. You should've put the titan stuff in the first post. I guess, y'know, for future reference.
With fiction, about 10% of success is the actual ideas while the other 90% is how you present it.

 

[Logos&Eidos]

You should've probably post all the info together from the get-go.

People could've probably helped better if they were given all the info in a clear way instead of having it worked into the responses. Honestly, that made this thread kind of frustrating to read. Like with the last post: you started a thought, interrupted yourself with backstory about titans which have nothing to do with what I said, and then finished the thought. You should've put the titan stuff in the first post. I guess, y'know, for future reference.
With fiction, about 10% of success is the actual ideas while the other 90% is how you present it.

I was providing information as it seemed relevant, the back story of the setting was not nesssery to under stand the mechanics of it's magic or it's premise.

 

[WooHooMan]

Well, this system you got going of throwing information of varying importance into posts doesn't make it easy to understand what you actually have. It also doesn't make discussion very easy.

Anyway, have you gotten around to using this system in a story? Maybe it'll work better when it's being applied to a plot. Or could find find a way to present it in such a way that you work around its problems.

 

[Logos&Eidos]

Well, this system you got going of throwing information of varying importance into posts doesn't make it easy to understand what you actually have. It also doesn't make discussion very easy.

Anyway, have you gotten around to using this system in a story? Maybe it'll work better when it's being applied to a plot. Or could find find a way to present it in such a way that you work around its problems.

At this point in my development process I could swap this system out for Elementalism and it would serve the same role in the story; though the flavor would change quite a bit. The most revelant question to ask others about this system would be what abilities do not fit with in the permise of the system and why don't they fit. The premise being converting spiritual energy into physical forces and imposing quasi-spiritual states on material objects.

 

[WooHooMan]

The most revelant question to ask others about this system would be what abilities do not fit with in the permise of the system and why don't they fit. The premise being converting spiritual energy into physical forces and imposing quasi-spiritual states on material objects.

As far as I can tell, there's nothing that doesn't fit. When a personally can mentally alter the nature of both the physical and spiritual, the sky's the limit.

 

[Logos&Eidos]

As far as I can tell, there's nothing that doesn't fit. When a personally can mentally alter the nature of both the physical and spiritual, the sky's the limit.

That's about what I thought.

The only limits that i have been able to apply are that you can't just magic some one to be better at something, performance being a combenation knowledge and physical/mental aptitude. Reality having been split into physical and spiritual,is nowhere near pliant as it was originally.

Elementalism is likely going to have to be the way that I go, because it's power while great has been split into easily managed domains.

 

[WooHooMan]

I don't think you have to do the elemental thing. You just need to approach this differently.
I would give some kind of suggestion but I don't know what parts you want to keep and what parts are you ok with changing. The lack of a story makes it hard to really say what's necessary.

 

[Logos&Eidos]

I don't think you have to do the elemental thing. You just need to approach this differently.
I would give some kind of suggestion but I don't know what parts you want to keep and what parts are you ok with changing. The lack of a story makes it hard to really say what's necessary.

The role that magic either elementalism or psionics would serve in the story is supernatural representation of a character's prowess. for the races of the known worlds magic,whichever form, has been their trump card against an at times extremely hostile world. In fact most governments have been magocractic military juntas,that is government by battle-mage orders.

For the Ma tribe(demons) magic has been less prominent for them, i imagine that a lot of their supernatural power is internalized, or they evolved such a formidable natural physiology that using magic never became a dominate trait for them.
Exactly what magic is to the Ma is determined by which for of magic is applied to the setting.

If Elementalism then the Ma do not cast spells they have natural ability to influence one and only one element, more advanced practitioners can feed on their element and even transform themselves into their given element; the transformation being a magic extension of the Ma's natural shape shifting.

If psionics then the Ma have same ability set as the Known Worlders, they are just much more powerful on account of having far more life-force at their disposal and the ability readily replenish their strength by feeding on living thing around them.

As for what abilities i'd want to be in the psionic-system, all the iconic psi-powers with phasing through matter and storing items by dematerialization as a component of the mechanics relating to teleportation; transmogrification might also be realted to teleportation, it's main purpose in the story is the creation of exotic material.

 

[S.T. Ockenner]

I first heard the word "psionic" on the old Nintendo 64 game called Wizardry. These types could drain a team member an experience level. Since that doesn't make sense in fiction, I changed it in my story to mean an alternate system available to royalty of a certain race. They use it as telekinetic attacks of to cancel another's ability to use magic. Like your system, it's an alternate to elemental magic, though I didn't round it out with any complexity. As with the elemental type, it needs a clearly defined progression and means of being taught, so it sounds like you're on the right track.

I don't mean to nitpick, (or maybe I do!) but the definition of telekinesis is the levitation of objects/organisms, typically outside of the user's body. I don't quite understand how telekinesis could stop magic. Could you please clarify how that would work?

 

[LordFalco]

I don't mean to nitpick, (or maybe I do!) but the definition of telekinesis is the levitation of objects/organisms, typically outside of the user's body. I don't quite understand how telekinesis could stop magic. Could you please clarify how that would work?

TK carves out a nice niche in terms of push/pull. It's the antithesis of video game fireworks and Samantha Stevens wish-magic. To further distill this take on the subject, we might confine it to a genetically unique culture. The basic manifestation is mental repulsor rings ala the Galaxy Being from the Outer Limits launch.

Defense relies on drawing air molecules into a pressure shield to disrupt attacks. That implies heavier attraction like pulling down trees, or releasing a pressure barrier to create a shock wave. Limited range rules out the wizard's theater weather control.

Every system needs a hierarchy. Anatomy specialists cause pain, confusion, or loss of consciousness via deformation or vibration. Elites--maybe a priestly class--neutralize spell casters by severing the mental link with the so-called progenitor mind (that being how it works in Falco World). To keep it from being too convenient, we'll require capture and lengthy preparation.

And we must account for maverick artists who rapidly accelerate vibration to direct above-ground quakes at buildings.

This is just one approach. Readers don't want to bog down in mechanics, but having it in place lets the writer use it in a way that feels orderly and organic.

 

[S.T. Ockenner]

Thank you for explaining! I understand how that works much better now, and it actually makes sense to me now.