[Space/Thaumatology] Stargate: Fantasy - Worldbuilding thread

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by TGLS

That's kind of the opposite of what I was trying to say. My point was more, "flipping labels around doesn't transform science fiction setting into a fantastical setting, it makes a science fiction setting with weird labels." And so, transforming a science fiction setting into a fantastic one means that you need to detechnologicalize the unusual elements of the setting.

<SNIP>

OK, I've noted you down as a vote against 1, unless you say otherwise. Also, trying to come up with a way to describe a vote for emotionally or conceptually-variable magic items. In my mind, that best fits Fetishes from Path/Book Magic (and other spirit-related magic systems and styles), as the spirit within responds to the user and the situation. That should come after the 'mana or something related' vote (probably the next one, once this one gets finalized), since that would affect it.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Better yet, you should VOTE and then patiently wait for that to be a topic of discussion. I've run this type of thread before, and if you are interested, you should be voting... even if you're only expressing mild opinions. Without votes, the thread will fall apart.

Thank you, yes.

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

okay, voting.

1 is necessary for the gates and other thigns msitaken for sufficiently advanced tech.

2. is necessary for the Powers of "Advanced" beings both fully "Evovled" spirits and evolving humanoids that aren't quite there yet.

6 (specifically its' Enchntment system)can be used to produce things that look like tech but actuallya ren't.

Everything else is very unlikely to be mistaken for tech or the powers of advanced beings.

Thank you for voting, even if I'm wincing at the idea of using the standard Enchantment system without serious modifications (and disagree that it's any better suited for 'looks like tech but is not' than any of the other ways of making magic items - most of them could, and Magical Engineering is almost exactly that). Possibly using naquadah and other preparations/houserules to allow for lots and lots of 'Quick and Focused' enchantment, but I'd still prefer something else. Not going to clutter the thread by arguing about it, but if you're curious about my opinion, these two threads go into it, albeit in somewhat thread-specific manners.

EDIT: Just in case it needs to be said, the vote should be open until at least Sunday (August 28).

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

O


the other ways of making magic items - most of them could, and Magical Engineering is almost exactly that).

).

"Magical Engineering" isn't very well developed IMHO. It's more of a concept than a system but it's part of option 1 in any case.

I didn't even say that Standard Enchanting was better than any other option. I just said it would work. It's also been developed to the point that I find it easier to work with.

There are seom Palth/Book Rituals (Path of Gadgets logically enough) that can be used to permantly enhance tech but you have to bind a spirit into a fetish and when anybody figures out how to duplicate it the "non-techness" will become obvious. It might work as a big reveal in a horror-themed adventure.

[adm]

I would choose 1 and 2, for reasons already mentioned.

Either 3/4, or a blend, for all the times the show has them track down instructions on how to do something.

8 for unexpected low level abilities found during the "adventure of the week".

In general, having something like the Ancient's gene, and/or a naquadah infusion, to use the tech seems like a good idea.

Question; Are you limiting this to SG:1, or will you include either, or both, SG:A, and SG:U?

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by adm

Question; Are you limiting this to SG:1, or will you include either, or both, SG:A, and SG:U?

That's something to be voted on later, I think.

OK, so unless I've miscounted or someone replies while I'm typing, the answer to this question is as follows (and will be edited into the question post for the convenience of future readers):

Magic as Powers has four votes in favor, and is thus the primary system for the setting (the kara'kesh might not exist at all here, or might be an amplifier or power source, rather than the source of the abilities listed - alternatively, it might be something that only younger, weaker, or less 'wizardly' Goa'Uld use); Material Magic has four votes for and one against, so it'll be pretty common; Path/Book Magic has three votes counting mine; Spell-based Magic has two votes; Syntactic Magic (which might be mixed with PBM), Social Connections as Magic, and Low Magic stand at one vote each (the original civilization of the Ancients having Low Magic universally would make sense, without needing many in modern times to have that, and some of the other systems could have been invented by them), and so exist but aren't common in the modern era (but could still pop up and surprise the PCs). The other options are somewhere between 'very rare' (possibly Ancient and mostly forgotten, or just not used much) and 'the aptly named Sir Not-appearing-in-this-film.'

I've got some other questions written up, and the next question on magic will be in a separate post, after a while.

[Prince Charon]

Magic System Question II

Does this setting use mana levels, or some variant thereof, or none at all? If they exist and vary over time (which would be another question to vote on), that may be why the Stargate becomes active again. A tie or near-tie will usually mean that multiple options are true, just not all in the same places - and we'll probably need another vote on if and how they interact. There is a related question below, but in a 'yes or no' format.

1. Mana (Some areas are Aspected, others, perhaps most, are not. Does not require the Ascended-expies to be active on the mortal plane. I slightly prefer this option.)

2. Mana, but without any use of Aspects (Does not require the Ascended-expies to be active.)

3. Mana, but heavily Aspected (Most places with greater than No Mana have some sort of Aspect, and knowing what it is can be important in-game. Does not require the Ascended-expies to be active.)

4. Sanctity (Requires the Ascended-expies to be quite active. Aspects depend on which gods are particularly interested in your location, level depends on how much attention they're paying.)

5. Spiritual Resonance (Not psionic in this setting. Similar to Sanctity, but only requires lots of active spirits that help or make magic happen (e.g. the mana in Roma Arcana), and puts more emphasis on the fact that specific places and times can be various levels of good for multiple Aspects of magic, and various levels of bad for others.)

6. No equivalent (Magic works to pretty much the same degree all over. If interacting with the Infinite Worlds oversetting, this means it also works in places where it would not be expected to, like Homeline.)

7. Something else (please specify).

Please remember to include the number(s) of your preferred option(s) when you vote.

EDIT on 8/29, about 8 am where I live: I noticed that there were two options numbered '2.' I've corrected that, but it means that if you already voted before this edit, you may need to edit your vote.


Do ley lines or some equivalent exist in this setting? Please reply with YES in all caps or NO in all caps, so I can be sure of your answer. If YES wins, that may effect where Stargates need to be in order to work, or the Stargates might alter the ley lines, instead - or they might not have much direct interaction.

*******

Answer: Three votes for option 6, which wins, two votes for 5 (this may be important later due to the ley lines vote), and one vote each for 1 and 3. Six YES votes for ley lines existing, which is going to spawn a new question.

[adm]

5, Given the fickle nature of the tech in the show, I like the idea of Spirits.

YES, I like the pseudo science of ley lines for the gates.

[Fred Brackin]

Magic System Questions II

5. Mana isn't necessary to Magic options 1 and 2.

Ley lines are a tentative YES.

After re-numbering my vote is "6". I'd hopoe there was enough context that "never mind the mana" was what I wanted.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

Magic System Question II

My preference would be for number 6 ("No equivalent"), although having areas (both natural and artificial) where magic doesn't work is likely appropriate (such as with Thor's Hammer). This could be described as "requires mana, but mana is largely the same everywhere, with very few exceptions."

I like the ley lines idea, so mark me down as a YES on that.

[TGLS]

5, it would make things hard to systematically determine how strong magic is in a particular location, time of day, etc.

YES, I do like the idea of bizarre coincidences showing up around stargates at particular angles from the gate.

[Prince Charon]

FYI, I've just noticed that there were two options numbered '2.' I've corrected that, but it means that if you've already voted, you may need to edit it. I apologise for the inconvenience.