Syrixia, what is the scale of your map?
Urban Fantasy Proposal
- Thread starter Grimalkin
- Start date
The Grim Reaper
TNPer
Honestly, I like the idea of the Masquerade personally, even if Imperium won't be contributing that directly.
Also, I do think it's a good alternative map - I just don't like it. I'm a fan of more broken up maps - more continents and islands and the like. Never been a fan of supercontinents, meself.
Also, I do think it's a good alternative map - I just don't like it. I'm a fan of more broken up maps - more continents and islands and the like. Never been a fan of supercontinents, meself.
Yeah, I feel similar - Syrixia, any chance you'd be willing to archipelagify it a bit?The Grim Reaper:
- TNP Nation
- Floresque
- Discord
- DivaythFyr
I could see my idea for a nation being in a temperate rainforest or taiga, perhaps behind some sort of hex or in a bubble that prevents non-supernatural people from stumbling onto it. I think that would work for a masquerade setting, if that's what we're going for.
- Pronouns
- he/him/his
- TNP Nation
- Zemnaya Svoboda
- Discord
- Eluvatar#8517
<@Myroria> I'm fine with a concealed world
<@Myroria> I might have my biomagic nation just exist in a deep temperate rainforest
<@Eluvatar> oh you posted
<@Agamemnon> Considering will is necessary for the using of magic...
<@Eluvatar> Agamemnon, I think you misunderstand me
<@Agamemnon> Probably, Elu.
<@Eluvatar> basically, the practitioners in Eluvataran Isles they don't do formal spells as such
<@Eluvatar> They do not have a discrete repertoire of effects they can spontaneously cause
<@Eluvatar> The closest they can get to that is the crafting of objects with supernatural properties
<@Agamemnon> Well when I think about how magic works, I see magic as a force that must be manipulated to create the desire effect. The will of the user primarily does this with the various forms and methods helping the user to focus their will into what they want to acheive.
<@Agamemnon> Does that...help at all?
<@Eluvatar> Right, what I'm saying is I want to be able to have subtly different magical systems
<@Agamemnon> In what way?
<@Eluvatar> So suppose two mages, a standard Wizard and a practitioner from the isles, need to break through a door.
<@Agamemnon> Mhm
<@Eluvatar> A standard Wizard might utter an invocation which focuses their mind on a carefully prepared command to kinetically shove the bolt out of the way
<@Agamemnon> Okay.
<@Eluvatar> A practitioner from Eluvataran Isles would focus their will on getting to the other side of the door, and if they have a strong enough force of will, and focus in the correct manner, the door becomes unlocked.
<@Eluvatar> But for such a practitioner, willing a door unlocked is _extraordinarily_ difficult
<@Agamemnon> So rather than focusing on the problem, you focus on the result you are trying to acheive.
<@Eluvatar> and you can't really predict how it's going to happen, even
<@Eluvatar> there are known situations where, as the result will tend to be minimalist, you can easily fuck it up badly
<@Eluvatar> (if any result at all)
<@Eluvatar> Hence they tend to prefer enchantments of things or places, which are more or less predictable
<@Agamemnon> So, if I'm understanding, since your focus is really on what you are trying to acheive, rather than, strictly speaking, focusing on the obstacle or the problem, the solution to the problem is out of the practitioner's hands.
<@Eluvatar> That is one difference I'm highlighting yes
<@Agamemnon> So in the same example with the door, your practitioner could have just as easily blown the door off the hinges in a spectacular mess rather than simply unlocking it.
<@Eluvatar> i.e. if that was lower-energy, yes
<@Agamemnon> And which one happens, strictly speaking, is almost out of their control.
<@Gulliver> So it's procedural versus declarative casting
<@Eluvatar> So such a practitioner would prefer making a Skeleton Key
<@Eluvatar> to directly trying to unlock doors
<@Eluvatar> even though making a Skeleton Key would take them a considerable investment of effort and possibly carry a permanent cost
* Agamemnon hms and thinks
<@Agamemnon> So give me an example of how this might work should the Eluvataran be forced into a combat situation.
<@Eluvatar> With what sort of threat?
<@Agamemnon> I like the old vampire standby.
<@Agamemnon> Say a vampire is threatening to rip your throat out.
<@Sak> o-o
<@Eluvatar> So they would prefer to use an enchanted object, i.e. a sanctified token, to ward it away
<@Eluvatar> Or some sort of phial of sanctified light
<@Eluvatar> But in the absence of something that would be applicable, a sufficiently potent practitioner would perhaps seek to designate their immediate surroundings as sanctified against Vampires.
<@Agamemnon> But the token would still be subject to True Belief, yes?
<@Agamemnon> Oh, a magical sanctification
<@Eluvatar> Ye-es
<@Eluvatar> It's a little subtle in that case
<@Eluvatar> The Eluvataran religion gets a little vague in some ways
<@Agamemnon> Because the belief is more in the sanctification than the token itself?
<@Eluvatar> The token need not be a holy symbol in this example
<@Eluvatar> They would have had to specifically imbue the item with their intent for it to be sanctified, as part of its crafting
<@Eluvatar> with possibly some special ingredients to make it stick
* Agamemnon nods
<@Agamemnon> I think I understand.
<@Agamemnon> How would he fight a faerie creature, like.. a troll.
<@Eluvatar> Generally speaking the overall strategy would be to use nature against it (if it has a natural weakness of some kind)
<@Eluvatar> i.e. petrifying sunlight if it's that kind of troll
<@Eluvatar> or an iron rod if that's the appropriate thing
<@Agamemnon> With a faerie troll would be weak to iron (and extreme heat if it's a Winter Court troll)
<@Eluvatar> But if a supernatural enemy has no natural weaknesses, as such, a sufficiently potent practitioner would prefer to craft a weapon which is this-enemy-bane
<@Agamemnon> I think it'd work fine, Elu. There's sufficient balance built into your system, plus I don't think it contradicts at all the system I've proposed.
<@Agamemnon> The basic of it is still the same: using will power to control magic to a specific end, though you go about it a slightly different way than normal.
<@Eluvatar> Yeah I was hoping there was enough in common for it to be in the same realm of possibility
<@Agamemnon> (With the potential for some hilarity to ensue.)
<@Eluvatar> -- If lacking that opportunity, they would have more limited options, such as the direct imposition of luck manipulation through brute application of willpower, or using something that can start fires to try to make more aggressive fire (with again, brute application of willpower).
<@Agamemnon> I just had this vision of an Eluvataran practitioner and a Wizard trying to be stealthy in a siege and offers to unlock the door with magic and subsequently blows the entire operation with the ensuing result.
<@Eluvatar> Something like a fireball or a lighting bolt would be /exceedingly/ uncommon coming from Eluvataran practitioners
<@Eluvatar> That would be quite the muck-up
<@Myroria> I might have my biomagic nation just exist in a deep temperate rainforest
<@Eluvatar> oh you posted
<@Agamemnon> Considering will is necessary for the using of magic...
<@Eluvatar> Agamemnon, I think you misunderstand me
<@Agamemnon> Probably, Elu.
<@Eluvatar> basically, the practitioners in Eluvataran Isles they don't do formal spells as such
<@Eluvatar> They do not have a discrete repertoire of effects they can spontaneously cause
<@Eluvatar> The closest they can get to that is the crafting of objects with supernatural properties
<@Agamemnon> Well when I think about how magic works, I see magic as a force that must be manipulated to create the desire effect. The will of the user primarily does this with the various forms and methods helping the user to focus their will into what they want to acheive.
<@Agamemnon> Does that...help at all?
<@Eluvatar> Right, what I'm saying is I want to be able to have subtly different magical systems
<@Agamemnon> In what way?
<@Eluvatar> So suppose two mages, a standard Wizard and a practitioner from the isles, need to break through a door.
<@Agamemnon> Mhm
<@Eluvatar> A standard Wizard might utter an invocation which focuses their mind on a carefully prepared command to kinetically shove the bolt out of the way
<@Agamemnon> Okay.
<@Eluvatar> A practitioner from Eluvataran Isles would focus their will on getting to the other side of the door, and if they have a strong enough force of will, and focus in the correct manner, the door becomes unlocked.
<@Eluvatar> But for such a practitioner, willing a door unlocked is _extraordinarily_ difficult
<@Agamemnon> So rather than focusing on the problem, you focus on the result you are trying to acheive.
<@Eluvatar> and you can't really predict how it's going to happen, even
<@Eluvatar> there are known situations where, as the result will tend to be minimalist, you can easily fuck it up badly
<@Eluvatar> (if any result at all)
<@Eluvatar> Hence they tend to prefer enchantments of things or places, which are more or less predictable
<@Agamemnon> So, if I'm understanding, since your focus is really on what you are trying to acheive, rather than, strictly speaking, focusing on the obstacle or the problem, the solution to the problem is out of the practitioner's hands.
<@Eluvatar> That is one difference I'm highlighting yes
<@Agamemnon> So in the same example with the door, your practitioner could have just as easily blown the door off the hinges in a spectacular mess rather than simply unlocking it.
<@Eluvatar> i.e. if that was lower-energy, yes
<@Agamemnon> And which one happens, strictly speaking, is almost out of their control.
<@Gulliver> So it's procedural versus declarative casting
<@Eluvatar> So such a practitioner would prefer making a Skeleton Key
<@Eluvatar> to directly trying to unlock doors
<@Eluvatar> even though making a Skeleton Key would take them a considerable investment of effort and possibly carry a permanent cost
* Agamemnon hms and thinks
<@Agamemnon> So give me an example of how this might work should the Eluvataran be forced into a combat situation.
<@Eluvatar> With what sort of threat?
<@Agamemnon> I like the old vampire standby.
<@Agamemnon> Say a vampire is threatening to rip your throat out.
<@Sak> o-o
<@Eluvatar> So they would prefer to use an enchanted object, i.e. a sanctified token, to ward it away
<@Eluvatar> Or some sort of phial of sanctified light
<@Eluvatar> But in the absence of something that would be applicable, a sufficiently potent practitioner would perhaps seek to designate their immediate surroundings as sanctified against Vampires.
<@Agamemnon> But the token would still be subject to True Belief, yes?
<@Agamemnon> Oh, a magical sanctification
<@Eluvatar> Ye-es
<@Eluvatar> It's a little subtle in that case
<@Eluvatar> The Eluvataran religion gets a little vague in some ways
<@Agamemnon> Because the belief is more in the sanctification than the token itself?
<@Eluvatar> The token need not be a holy symbol in this example
<@Eluvatar> They would have had to specifically imbue the item with their intent for it to be sanctified, as part of its crafting
<@Eluvatar> with possibly some special ingredients to make it stick
* Agamemnon nods
<@Agamemnon> I think I understand.
<@Agamemnon> How would he fight a faerie creature, like.. a troll.
<@Eluvatar> Generally speaking the overall strategy would be to use nature against it (if it has a natural weakness of some kind)
<@Eluvatar> i.e. petrifying sunlight if it's that kind of troll
<@Eluvatar> or an iron rod if that's the appropriate thing
<@Agamemnon> With a faerie troll would be weak to iron (and extreme heat if it's a Winter Court troll)
<@Eluvatar> But if a supernatural enemy has no natural weaknesses, as such, a sufficiently potent practitioner would prefer to craft a weapon which is this-enemy-bane
<@Agamemnon> I think it'd work fine, Elu. There's sufficient balance built into your system, plus I don't think it contradicts at all the system I've proposed.
<@Agamemnon> The basic of it is still the same: using will power to control magic to a specific end, though you go about it a slightly different way than normal.
<@Eluvatar> Yeah I was hoping there was enough in common for it to be in the same realm of possibility
<@Agamemnon> (With the potential for some hilarity to ensue.)
<@Eluvatar> -- If lacking that opportunity, they would have more limited options, such as the direct imposition of luck manipulation through brute application of willpower, or using something that can start fires to try to make more aggressive fire (with again, brute application of willpower).
<@Agamemnon> I just had this vision of an Eluvataran practitioner and a Wizard trying to be stealthy in a siege and offers to unlock the door with magic and subsequently blows the entire operation with the ensuing result.
<@Eluvatar> Something like a fireball or a lighting bolt would be /exceedingly/ uncommon coming from Eluvataran practitioners
<@Eluvatar> That would be quite the muck-up
I think I'll go for a more conan-style mentality of Wolfsea but with magic-enhanced technology (e.g. thunder-elemental energy/crystals used to power machines instead of batteries) but normal magic is extremely uncommon. Was also thinking Magitech wouldn't suffer losing it's potency in other lands but instead it drains the crystals far quicker (e.g. a Thunder Cannon has the same destructive power but instead of getting 15 shots per crystal it's reduce to about 4 or a mech-golem which has a 16 hour charge only lasts about 3 hours)
I think I'll go for a more conan-style mentality of Wolfsea but with magic-powered technology (e.g. thunder-elemental energy/crystals used to power machines instead of batteries) but people who can actually use normal magic are extremely uncommon. Was also thinking Magitech wouldn't suffer losing it's potency in other lands but instead it drains the crystals far quicker (e.g. a Thunder Cannon has the same destructive power but instead of getting 15 shots per crystal it's reduce to about 4 or a mech-golem which has a 16 hour charge only lasts about 3 hours)
Also we dabble with the undead so we do have Ghouls, basically I'm planning to be a bit of a bad guy in this world.
Also we dabble with the undead so we do have Ghouls, basically I'm planning to be a bit of a bad guy in this world.
I was wondering if I could get some clarification. Is this a straight up parallel universe where magic exists? Is magic well-known with magic being commonplace and not unusual or does it hide in the shadows in this setting? Could I, for example, be a people where the vast majority of the population practices minor magic openly and as part of their society and teachings?
Grimalkin
TNPer
Either way. You could play a magical population in your established nation that exists in the shadows, or they could be open, or you could make a nation unto itself. Its parallel in that it exists the main universe, but magic and the supernatural, as a whole, is secret to the world at large.
Great! I'd also still love to know the answer to this:
SillyString:
Land of the Frozen Wraiths? Game of Thrones much?
- Pronouns
- He/Him, They/Them
So it seems like we're going for a new fantasy map for this, which is cool and stuff. I'd like to propose an alternative to Syrixia's map, and that is this.
I'd also like to point out a potentially alternative route to us each just rping our nations 'but with magic and ting' (or we could do it alongside our own nations) and that's by having some or even just a few pre-set nations on the map. For example, the map I've linked already has a claim on it, which in my imagining is the remnants of a former human Empire that held much of the three landmasses it currently has land on, but gradually declined. It is violently xenophobic against other species, which leads to frequent clashes to a nation of dwarves which dwells in the mountain range the Remnant holds part of.
Just an idea, and obviously I'm welcome to feedback and suggestions.
I'd also like to point out a potentially alternative route to us each just rping our nations 'but with magic and ting' (or we could do it alongside our own nations) and that's by having some or even just a few pre-set nations on the map. For example, the map I've linked already has a claim on it, which in my imagining is the remnants of a former human Empire that held much of the three landmasses it currently has land on, but gradually declined. It is violently xenophobic against other species, which leads to frequent clashes to a nation of dwarves which dwells in the mountain range the Remnant holds part of.
Just an idea, and obviously I'm welcome to feedback and suggestions.
I think we don't need NPC nations. We should be able to choose which races we play as and include. For example, I could just as easily have a nation of dwarves as I could have a yogi swami Indian empire thing.
Also, I'd like to suggest that we RP this in a true fantasy setting. I find that it's easier to write, and plus modern tech + fantasy world = a bit of a conflict of interest.
Also, I'd like to suggest that we RP this in a true fantasy setting. I find that it's easier to write, and plus modern tech + fantasy world = a bit of a conflict of interest.
- TNP Nation
- Floresque
- Discord
- DivaythFyr
We could strike a balance between the two camps by having a magical universe only accessible by travel from the main universe, where the magical community there exists behind a masquerade.
Personally, a modern fantasy setting would jive better with my preferences for the Mycorrhizal Union.
Personally, a modern fantasy setting would jive better with my preferences for the Mycorrhizal Union.
MacSalterson
TNPer
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Syrixia:
Grimalkin
TNPer
Half the intrigue of the urban fantasy genre is the fact that the modern tech and fantasy mash-up seems at first glance out of place, but works very well together if done right. Urban Fantasy presents many opportunities that just don't really exist in a true fantasy setting.Syrixia:
That brings back the topic of Siren City. I just had an idea for an RP. Say a group of characters from different nations all hear about the mysterious Siren City and decide to investigate, winding up in the Urban Fantasy World?
MacSalterson
TNPer
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I think that having the technology around the 1930's would honestly be the coolest, because that means STEAMPUNK. Everyone loves STEAMPUNK