On the Infinite Worlds Setting and Cabal-style Cosmology

[shkspr1048]

Has anyone ever had any problems reconciling the cosmology set forth by the Cabal supplements with the physics of the Infinite Worlds setting? And if so, what sorts of alternatives have people come up with?

[Tyneras]

I ruled that the various aspects of hermetic magic was sensing the flow of oz and mana across the universes, and that it was a Thaumatology roll at whatever penalty I felt was appropriate to adjust to the slightly different balance each world had. If they succeeded, no penalty. If they failed, I gave a penalty to all magic rolls for the day, and they could retry each day. On a critical success, they got a +1 to all rolls for 1d days due to their remarkable insight. On a critical failure, they had the penalty and did not know it, they (the character, not the player) believed the local magic was weak or difficult to work with.

Otherwise no changes.

[Starship]

just because some wizards think they are the center of the multiverse doesn't mean they actually are. if I ever ran a game I would have the Cabal as a weak third faction in the infinite worlds. I would let them have dominion over all the fantasy type worlds. they would pretty much have their hands full with those worlds in addition to squabbling amongst themselves. they don't really have the time or energy to invest in the Infinity v Centrum war.

as for the cosmology, I would tread the 3 realms as a unique world kind of like a dimensional highway. it can't be reached by Conveyor, only magic. it has connections to other worlds on various Quanta but the paths can only be opened in specific ways.

[johndallman]

I have not worried about it very much, because my IW campaign is Cabal-centred, and the characters have no detailed knowledge of the technological means of world travel.

The Astral Plane allows them access to a large number of worlds, but they don't know if the set is the same as those accessible technologically, although they do know there is overlap. The Astral has nothing that obviously corresponds to quanta.

My main cosmological interest in this campaign at present is establishing a variety of incompatible theories as to why the universe is like this. So far, the PCs have only learned of one, and elected to make fright checks all by themselves.

[Flyndaran]

The Cabal controls and has interest in Low Mana worlds, as they lack unique knowledge in Normal Mana worlds.

I would like to put the Cabal as having something of the Truth, but mangled coupled with the little known fact that there is no such thing as a no mana world. What's considered no mana is actually Very Low -10 to skills. And those worlds tend toward weirdness and reality breaking on other ways.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by shkspr1048

Has anyone ever had any problems reconciling the cosmology set forth by the Cabal supplements with the physics of the Infinite Worlds setting? And if so, what sorts of alternatives have people come up with?

No. But that's just because the cosmology of the Cabal supplements has nothing to do with the physics of the Infinite Worlds setting. It's a totally different way to travel between worlds, and each method takes you to a different but overlapping set of worlds.

[shkspr1048]

Originally Posted by johndallman

I have not worried about it very much, because my IW campaign is Cabal-centred, and the characters have no detailed knowledge of the technological means of world travel.

The Astral Plane allows them access to a large number of worlds, but they don't know if the set is the same as those accessible technologically, although they do know there is overlap. The Astral has nothing that obviously corresponds to quanta.

My main cosmological interest in this campaign at present is establishing a variety of incompatible theories as to why the universe is like this. So far, the PCs have only learned of one, and elected to make fright checks all by themselves.

Hmm. So the Astral Realms would be a dimension of space-time that connects various worlds, like an ocean surrounding a series of islands, with the various lands therein could be thought of as ships, whereas the technologically accessible worlds are like areas with airports. The two can co-exist, but one isn't necessary for the other.

Of course, the metaphor could then extend to an aircraft carrier or seaplane, allowing for a technology-based method of accessing the Astral directly...

Anyway, another thought occurs to me. If the deeper Astral Realms are supposed to be the homes of the gods, how might two conflicting images of a god, from two parallel worlds connected to the Astral, manifest? For instance, say there is the standard manifestation of Zeus (Sky Father, King of the Greek Gods, etc.), while from another world there's a version that had a different origin myth (where, say, eldest brother Hades became King of the Gods, and Zeus is relagated to the status of a minor rain deity)? Would these two versions manifest seperately, be combined into a single ...Omni-Zeus, or what?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by shkspr1048

Has anyone ever had any problems reconciling the cosmology set forth by the Cabal supplements with the physics of the Infinite Worlds setting? And if so, what sorts of alternatives have people come up with?

Nope. Infinity's physics connects you to a limited band of worlds and the Cabals metaphysics connect you to a partially overlapping band of worlds/places. Niether is particularly close to an Omniversal version of the "Triuth" if that even means anything.

[Lamech]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Nope. Infinity's physics connects you to a limited band of worlds and the Cabals metaphysics connect you to a partially overlapping band of worlds/places. Niether is particularly close to aen Omniversal version of the "Triuth" if that even means anything.

Does the setting books ever say that the Cabal is limited in the worlds it can go to? Indeed do they say that infinity is limited in the worlds that it can go to? Obviously infinity has trouble* reaching any world not in its local quantum band, and the Cabal's favorite travel method, magic, has trouble getting to a lot of worlds, but I'm not sure there are a whole lot of unreachable worlds. For Infinity at least I didn't see any mention of jumpers finding worlds that can't be conveyed too, or worlds that can be conveyed too that can't be jumped too.

*Not even impossible though, they have a super conveyer than doesn't need a projector.

[Flyndaran]

Since Cabal uses magic to world step other than traveling directly through the Astral Plane, I would assume no mana worlds are unreachable.

IW conveyers could just be like trains only allowed to stop at certain stations. It doesn't mean that there isn't anyone in between those places.