Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Thayne
I don't think this can be right, because caves can have natural vaults/domes
|
True. But then why wouldn't corbels be just as good as a true voussior arch, as long as they have the same shape on the bottom edge? ("Intrados" -- if nothing else, the question has been good for my vocabulary. So thanks :)) Perhaps the natural domes get by the same way the false arches do -- sufficiently thick walls, even if they're not as efficient as the true arches.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Thayne
Could an earth mage who doesn't realize the value of voussior wedges end up creating a wide ceiling by doing something like this? |
Most people (or such is my impression) subscribe to the notion that mages can only create useful, functional, or beautiful items with their magic as well as they could create such a thing by mundane means. That is, they need the appropriate skills for art or crafting or engineering whatever material they're Shaping and whatever item they're trying to make, and are limited by their TL knowledge in what they even know to try. They can't just create anything their player can imagine (like the pseudo-medieval mage Shaping Metal into a 9mm handgun), or automatically succeed in a flawless creation just because "it's magic". If they do have such skills, though, mages have a huge advantage in time and effort and precision to do the work.
(Anthony pointed out applications for Find Weakness. Measurement is also very handy for construction and crafting. I'd like to reward the would-be mage-engineers for their additional investment in relevant knowledge. Magic's already too good at preempting skills as it is; the more you can keep them relevant to the mages, the better.)