Steampunk Magic Alternate

Henchman99942 · 12-26-2016, 01:19 AM

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?

12-26-2016, 01:19 AM	#1
Henchman99942 Join Date: Oct 2012	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?