05-15-2021, 02:46 PM | #11 |
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: New Zealand.
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Re: A World Building Decision: Magic Aptitude
There is always a mixture of circumstances.
Partially genetic plus partially astrological has come up in fiction before. I've used a variation on one of the methods described earlier, "magic aptitude is a combination of genetics, old bargains with powers and the alignment of the planes of existence" The genetic and Old bargains were a justification as to why different cultural groups used magic in different ways. (Styles, rules, weaknesses). One culture for example had no primary* magic users as a result of a powerful curse. The magic users there used trickery and chemistry to emulate magic. *worldbuilding in that world had each culture with a primary and secondary magical style/school. For example one nation had Antimagic clergy as their primary and illegal demonology as their secondary.
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Waiting for inspiration to strike...... And spending too much time thinking about farming for RPGs Contributor to Citadel at Nordvörn |
05-15-2021, 02:59 PM | #12 | |
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Portland, Oregon
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Re: A World Building Decision: Magic Aptitude
Quote:
Innate but very easy to lose: much like the language engine that the brain is born with, the magery engine will, if not exercised/trained properly soon enough, will wither away. In some cases, again like the language engine, this withering may not happen, but it's very rare.
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Warmest regards, StevenH My current worldbuilding project. You can find the Adventure Logs of the campaign here. I try to write them up as narrative prose, with illustrations. As such, they are "embellished" accounts of the play sessions. Link of the moment: Bestiary of Plants. In a world of mana, plants evolved to use it as an energy source. It is also the new home of the Alaconius Lectures, a series of essays about the various Colleges of Spells. |
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05-15-2021, 09:46 PM | #13 |
Join Date: Jan 2014
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Re: A World Building Decision: Magic Aptitude
OK, some odder options:
Genetic (Dominant): Not having Magic Aptitude is caused by a recessive or group of recessive traits. Probably results in a disadvantaged minority group. Nonesuch: Magic Aptitude locking out spellcasting doesn't exist. Traits broadly enhancing spellcasting are as elusive as talent is in reality. |
05-16-2021, 08:09 AM | #14 |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Cincinnati, OH, USA
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Re: A World Building Decision: Magic Aptitude
Oceanic: Magery is dependent on the tides at the time of birth or conception of the mage.
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05-16-2021, 08:12 AM | #15 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: U.K.
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Re: A World Building Decision: Magic Aptitude
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"Inborn latent aptitude, may be unlocked by training or stress, can be unlocked and transformed into something terrifying by exposure to a cosmic artefact" may possibly crop up on occasion...
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05-16-2021, 10:21 AM | #16 |
Join Date: Sep 2007
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Re: A World Building Decision: Magic Aptitude
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05-16-2021, 11:37 AM | #17 |
Join Date: May 2021
Location: I'd rather be alone than be with people who make me feel alone.
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Re: A World Building Decision: Magic Aptitude
Magical biohazardous material; prolonged exposure to certain magical substances may cause long term detrimental effects on ones health but may also infuse you with magical aptitude.
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05-16-2021, 12:47 PM | #18 | ||
Join Date: Dec 2012
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Re: A World Building Decision: Magic Aptitude
Quote:
Quote:
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Warning, I have the Distractible and Imaginative quirks in real life. "The more corrupt a government, the more it legislates." -- Tacitus Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted. |
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05-16-2021, 02:50 PM | #19 |
Join Date: Mar 2013
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Re: A World Building Decision: Magic Aptitude
There were an interesting group of fantasy books about a city, Liavek. They were short stories written by different authors.
A person's magical power was proportionate to the length of time their mother spent in labor while birthing them. To be a mage the person had to bind his magic in an item. In addition, during this time every year, their magic went away and they had to reinvest their power in an item. This had a few ramifications in the stories. First, the only way to provide a permanent spell (such as immortality), you needed to convince another mage to do this, because it took all their magic. Second, during this time you were vulnerable to other people. In one story, they captured the most powerful mage and put him someplace where there were no objects to invest his magic in. (He found a solution.)
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A little learning is a dangerous thing. Warning: Invertebrate Punnster - Spinelessly Unable to Resist a Pun Dangerous Thoughts, my blog about GURPS and life. |
05-17-2021, 06:59 AM | #20 |
Hero of Democracy
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
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Re: A World Building Decision: Magic Aptitude
A different thread asked about if twins should have the same magery. Here's a fun answer: all human twins have magery and only twins have magery.
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Be helpful, not pedantic Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one! |
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