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Old 12-26-2016, 12:19 AM   #1
Henchman99942
 
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Default Steampunk Magic Alternate

So... I am thinking of starting up a steampunk plus magic campaign. I plan to use some form of the 'Technological' spells and have clockwork mechanisms be powered, at least in some cases, by spirits that have taken up residence inside them, either willingly or through trickery and entrapment. One reason that normal technology could not develop would be due to a property of refined metals. Whenever a metal is purified and refined sufficiently, it naturally attracts the attention of elemental spirits. They are drawn to such materials and inhabit them. Spirits exist in many flavors. Many are bad, and their proximity to humans is generally detrimental. People feel ill-at ease and experience nightmares when they are nearby. They also tend to go insane, developing some form of phobia or mania. I am thinking that Base metals generally attract bad spirits (or maybe just earth spirits) while the Precious or Noble metals (yes I am just applying that term as a verbal label) tend to attract 'good' spirits (or air spirits) or at least neutral ones not wholly intend on killing humanity. Magic, of course, would protect such materials from infestation. Additionally, tricking and trapping spirits against their will would reduce the Karma of the mage in question. Once a Mages' Karma got below a certain threshold, they would be subject to random and relentless attack by spirits in the area. On the plus side, a good mage and a good craftsman of clockwork mechanisms might simply invite spirits to occupy their creations and hope that the spirits find them to their liking. Such spirits would be free to come or go, as desired, and the spells required would not lower the mages' Karma.

This is about as far as I got. I welcome additional ideas and input. Does any of this sound like something that has already been done?
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Old 12-26-2016, 12:21 AM   #2
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Default Re: Steampunk Magic Alternate

Oh, One other mechanic I want to use... Clockwork engineers and craftsmen would make large scale gearing mechanisms and them use magic to shrink them down for use in mechanical devices.
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Old 12-26-2016, 06:00 PM   #3
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Default Re: Steampunk Magic Alternate

In third edition, GURPS: Technomancer added some spells to the basic magic system to allow magical enhancement of or interaction with technological devices. Most of those spells now appear in G: Magic and G:Biotech for 4e, so I would take a look at those to see what you can use.

The basic GURPS skill-based magic system draws some criticism on these boards, and some of it is deserved. However, if you want a magic system "out of the box" that works reasonably well, and actually has spells that does much of what you want, then you might to review it, first.
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Old 12-26-2016, 06:13 PM   #4
Fred Brackin
 
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Default Re: Steampunk Magic Alternate

Quote:
Originally Posted by tshiggins View Post
In third edition, GURPS: Technomancer added some spells to the basic magic system to allow magical enhancement of or interaction with technological devices. Most of those spells now appear in G: Magic and G:Biotech for 4e, so I would take a look at those to see what you can use.

The basic GURPS skill-based magic system draws some criticism on these boards, and some of it is deserved. However, if you want a magic system "out of the box" that works reasonably well, and actually has spells that does much of what you want, then you might to review it, first.
It can also be altered in many ways. If you don't want people throwing fireballs you can add ceremonial Only and you can't cast a spell in less than 10 seconds.

You can also just kick out any spells you don't want.

Gurps Magic also has many things useful to Steampunk such as a metal that gleams like brass but is 3x stronger (Orichalcum) or magically treated coal that burns 10 x as long (Essential Fuel).

Self-activating clockwork could be as simple as the Dancing Object spell/enchntment and Thaumatology has rules for spirit-assisted magic and "spiritual distortion" resulting from using magic.

Gurps Magic is so big and has been around fro so long that there are pretty good chances that it already has a selection of spells and a variant that does what you want.
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