Unpredictable Random Number Generator: Ceremonial Magic
Lottery in a world where divination is common is doomed to fail, as anyone can pay a mage to provide the lucky numbers in advance. Or is it?
What if the numbers are generated based on whether or not a ceremonial casting succeeds? A crude example would be a mage casting Seek Earth to detect a gem hidden under one of two cups. If he finds it, "1" is generated, otherwise "0". Various mechanisms may be applied to equalize the probabilities of each outcome.
This all hinges on the rule that magic can't affect or predict the outcome of ceremonial casting.
Is this setup feasible? Are there ways of cheating for an outsider? (Assume all officials involved are honest and incorruptible.)
|