How would you do this magic? Based on RPM/Realm/Syntactic

dataweaver · 07-26-2014, 01:14 AM

Coming in really late on this.

Basically, the magic of the Muses is an elaborate “bardic magic” system, and you should think of the spells they can cast and the role they play in the setting in that light. In the setting, they’d probably be entertainers, storytellers (and oral record-keepers?), and advisors.

Clio and Urania give you a past-and-future arrangent, with Clio having postcognitive abilities (good for finding skeletons in peoples’s closets; but mainly “calling on the past to inform the present”) while Urania lets you read peoples’ destinies.

Melpomene and Thalia are another pair; I’d draw on the contrast between them, with “comedy” being more about light-hearted/uplifting (vs. “tragedy”’s morbid and depressing) than it is about being humorous. Melpomene would feature curses while Thalia features blessings.

Euterpe, I figure, would be a master of sound, amplifying and/or directing it and/or modifying it. I’d similarly make Terpsichore a master of motion, with telekinetic-style effects — a bit like Bending, but without the elemental associations. I could see a Dancer enacting a “Walk on Air” spell (or, more accurately, “Dance on Air”), and/or incorporating effects akin to Light Walk and Lizard Climb, letting them dance on any surface as if it was solid ground.

Polyhymnia? Spirit magic: the hymns this Muse is associated with are known primarily for their religious characteristics; so making her magic involve summoning friendly spirits and warding against hostile ones strikes me as being quite appropriate.

Erato, meanwhile, would deal with manipulating emotions, inciting or soothing the audience.

Finally, Calliope. I’m not quite sure what to do with Calliope, though I’m thinking some sort of “power of legend” that lets the subject replicate feats from the epics, so long as the situation resembles in some way the circumstances in which the feat took place in the epics. Another possibility is illusion magic, e.g., granting the audience visions of the epic being told.

07-26-2014, 01:14 AM	#18
dataweaver Join Date: Aug 2004	Re: How would you do this magic? Based on RPM/Realm/Syntactic Coming in really late on this. Basically, the magic of the Muses is an elaborate “bardic magic” system, and you should think of the spells they can cast and the role they play in the setting in that light. In the setting, they’d probably be entertainers, storytellers (and oral record-keepers?), and advisors. Clio and Urania give you a past-and-future arrangent, with Clio having postcognitive abilities (good for finding skeletons in peoples’s closets; but mainly “calling on the past to inform the present”) while Urania lets you read peoples’ destinies. Melpomene and Thalia are another pair; I’d draw on the contrast between them, with “comedy” being more about light-hearted/uplifting (vs. “tragedy”’s morbid and depressing) than it is about being humorous. Melpomene would feature curses while Thalia features blessings. Euterpe, I figure, would be a master of sound, amplifying and/or directing it and/or modifying it. I’d similarly make Terpsichore a master of motion, with telekinetic-style effects — a bit like Bending, but without the elemental associations. I could see a Dancer enacting a “Walk on Air” spell (or, more accurately, “Dance on Air”), and/or incorporating effects akin to Light Walk and Lizard Climb, letting them dance on any surface as if it was solid ground. Polyhymnia? Spirit magic: the hymns this Muse is associated with are known primarily for their religious characteristics; so making her magic involve summoning friendly spirits and warding against hostile ones strikes me as being quite appropriate. Erato, meanwhile, would deal with manipulating emotions, inciting or soothing the audience. Finally, Calliope. I’m not quite sure what to do with Calliope, though I’m thinking some sort of “power of legend” that lets the subject replicate feats from the epics, so long as the situation resembles in some way the circumstances in which the feat took place in the epics. Another possibility is illusion magic, e.g., granting the audience visions of the epic being told. __________________ Point balance is a myth.[1][2][3][4]