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Old 02-05-2014, 03:33 PM   #1
Grawlix
 
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Default Computer Compatible Magic?

I'm looking to make a modern magician using Thaumatology as a starting point, who utilized his magic through computers using them to access the astral plane similarly (or perhaps in parallel) to connecting to the internet. They would be able to astrally project, including rendering the astral plane so it could be accessed through VR or hack into reality itself, altering data and thereby gaining real world effects. Of course they would still have to overcome mystical obstacles to do this but such a practice would also allow technological obstacles to be created too. Perhaps the Akashic Records have a firewall now?

Anyway, not looking for anything exact but I was wondering which system/s would be best utilized to capture the feel of this kind of magic and if I would need to adapt it to make it only accessible through digital mediums.

I'm sure I have seen magic like this in multiple places but the only one that comes to mind is in the early Hellblazer story "Ghosts in the Machine". If anyone can point me to any other sources that would be a great bonus too!
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Old 02-05-2014, 03:46 PM   #2
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Default Re: Computer Compatible Magic?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Grawlix View Post
I'm looking to make a modern magician using Thaumatology as a starting point, who utilized his magic through computers using them to access the astral plane similarly (or perhaps in parallel) to connecting to the internet. They would be able to astrally project, including rendering the astral plane so it could be accessed through VR or hack into reality itself, altering data and thereby gaining real world effects. Of course they would still have to overcome mystical obstacles to do this but such a practice would also allow technological obstacles to be created too. Perhaps the Akashic Records have a firewall now?

Anyway, not looking for anything exact but I was wondering which system/s would be best utilized to capture the feel of this kind of magic and if I would need to adapt it to make it only accessible through digital mediums.

I'm sure I have seen magic like this in multiple places but the only one that comes to mind is in the early Hellblazer story "Ghosts in the Machine". If anyone can point me to any other sources that would be a great bonus too!
Mage the Ascension comes to mind at first. Virtual Adepts and Hermetic Thig/Verditius mages come to mind.
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Old 02-05-2014, 04:46 PM   #3
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Default Re: Computer Compatible Magic?

GURPS Technomancer has some rules for using the standard magic system with computer assistance. It would be easy enough to put a limitation on those to make the magic work only with computers. Adapting the rules for any other GURPS magic system might be tricky, though. It's a third edition book, but the standard magic system didn't change very much between editions.

(Aside: Technomancer also points out the difference between a spell-checker and a spelling-checker.)
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Old 02-05-2014, 05:54 PM   #4
ericthered
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Default Re: Computer Compatible Magic?

So what are the desired effects?

The limited and concrete one seems to be 'View and interact with the astral plane via my computer'. I unfortunately don't know what would be on this particular astral plane. magical resources? information? other worlds?

The other effect seems to be 'hack into reality', which could mean all sorts of things and is really a dangerous and incredibly powerful use of magic, or could be quite limited. What effects are easy that way, and what are hard?
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Old 02-05-2014, 06:25 PM   #5
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Default Re: Computer Compatible Magic?

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Originally Posted by Grawlix View Post
I'm sure I have seen magic like this in multiple places but the only one that comes to mind is in the early Hellblazer story "Ghosts in the Machine". If anyone can point me to any other sources that would be a great bonus too!
There's a novel called MagicNet which has a premise like the one you've described. It's from ca. 1990, though, so the computer tech is going to be laughably outdated.

Last edited by Dalillama; 02-05-2014 at 07:00 PM.
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Old 02-05-2014, 06:53 PM   #6
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Default Re: Computer Compatible Magic?

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Originally Posted by Dalillama View Post
There's a novel called MagicNet which has a premise like the one you've described. It's from ca. 1190, though, so the computer tech is going to be laughably outdated.
Abacus? Also a novel from 1190? Maybe 1990?
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Old 02-05-2014, 06:57 PM   #7
Christopher R. Rice
 
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Default Re: Computer Compatible Magic?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Grawlix View Post
I'm looking to make a modern magician using Thaumatology as a starting point, who utilized his magic through computers using them to access the astral plane similarly (or perhaps in parallel) to connecting to the internet. They would be able to astrally project, including rendering the astral plane so it could be accessed through VR or hack into reality itself, altering data and thereby gaining real world effects. Of course they would still have to overcome mystical obstacles to do this but such a practice would also allow technological obstacles to be created too. Perhaps the Akashic Records have a firewall now?

Anyway, not looking for anything exact but I was wondering which system/s would be best utilized to capture the feel of this kind of magic and if I would need to adapt it to make it only accessible through digital mediums.

I'm sure I have seen magic like this in multiple places but the only one that comes to mind is in the early Hellblazer story "Ghosts in the Machine". If anyone can point me to any other sources that would be a great bonus too!
You could probably use just about any system for this...but I'm going to recommend my favorite. GURPS Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic would be perfect for this and it even has a couple of sentences on how it could be used under Alternate Core Skills (p. 13 of said book). You've got the free form magic that is just useful with technomagics. I've also put together a pretty comprehensive article that touches on this in the form of digital ritual path magic grimoires and I've got another article that's all about traditions and flip switching for the RPM system. One of the examples is technomagic. No idea when either of those will be out, but really you don't need them to enjoy RPM+Technology. :-)
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Old 02-05-2014, 07:00 PM   #8
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Default Re: Computer Compatible Magic?

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Originally Posted by sir_pudding View Post
Abacus? Also a novel from 1190? Maybe 1990?
Indeed. It's been a long day.
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Old 02-05-2014, 10:02 PM   #9
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Quote:
Ritual Path Magic would be perfect for this
RPM is nice. But "hacking reality" sounds more like Effect Shaping than Energy Accumulating to me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thaumatology p122
In Effect Shaping magic, magical ceremonies work because they shape the desired result, either by manipulating reality directly or by invoking and binding or persuading spirits to perform the task. A ceremony is more-or-less fixed in length and format. If the procedure is performed correctly, and the magician overcomes any resistance, then it works; if it isn’t, and he doesn’t, then it fails.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thaumatology p134
In settings where Path/Book magic uses the Energy Accumulating model instead of Effect Shaping, the actual “shaping” of a ritual may be relatively easy, taking only moments and a word or a thought. The problem is that effective magic requires considerable energy – far more than any caster can supply personally.
You probably want it to take time to write the programs. Or, cinematically, do the hacking/netrunning online. You don't need a 700 Kv transmission line run into your computer to provide a lot of energy while you hit a couple of keys.

Of course, the difference is closer to fluff than mechanics. You could probably tweak RPM pretty easily to replace the energy gathering rolls with hacking success rolls, and just declare that the time is actually "conducting the ritual" (writing the code) rather than "gathering energy". Tweak required units of time to suit. Casting the spell is still quick if you want to visualize that as launching the program you just wrote, or non-existant if the effect just occurs when you're done.

If you want mages to be able to save programs for later execution, you've got a conditional ritual. (And possibly a charm, if they have to put it on a USB drive and get it to the Big Bad's Master Control Program in the center of the Secret Base to be able to give him the old end-of-line.) If it's the act of hacking that's actually doing the work, and not execution of a program, then no conditional rituals for hanging spells. You're either hacking or you're not.
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Old 02-05-2014, 10:14 PM   #10
sir_pudding
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Default Re: Computer Compatible Magic?

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Originally Posted by Anaraxes View Post
RPM is nice. But "hacking reality" sounds more like Effect Shaping than Energy Accumulating to me.
You could redo RPM as an Effects Shaping system, too.

Or just do a Book (or maybe Path) system with Computer Hacking as the core skill and rituals as programs.
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