Magic

[Cordelia]

Hey all! We're toying with the idea of mages/sorcerers/wizard/witches etc. Should we add them to the theme? Yes or no and why?

Thank you for your opinions.

Cordelia

[Inari]

I don't mind the idea of magic, but I think free-form might be a problem unless it's very minor.

To me.... the La Push wolves are magic. Very specific, has a reason, a purpose, mechanics and even some unknown potential (Imprinting), etc.

Magic in any other form would have to be exceptionally rare, considering it's never mentioned in the books?

Maybe Mages do a very specific but useful thing. Or maybe it's just like &skills (powers) but enhanced beyond human normal because it's magic. For example..... Martial Arts, or something like that?

Just some thoughts...

[Ariel]

This could be fun, I think. Maybe restricted in some way (higher standards for applications, maybe?) in terms of who gets them, and only one wizard/mage/etc per person, maybe?

The way I imagine this is to have it element-based. When a mage goes into schooling or training or whatever, they always direct their energies to mastering one element (fire, air, water, earth, maaaybe spirit but that would be incredibly rare [only NPCs?]).

Each element would have different powers, like..

Earth: can make things grow, perhaps can heal things?
Fire: can warm things up, create light
Water: always knows when water is near, can control amounts of it
Air: can create wind, can also take all the air out of a room

And so on and so forth. Maybe occasionally some mages decide to split their focus and do two elements - they'd have powers that they wouldn't have otherwise (for instance, an air/water mage could have some power over the weather), but their control and knowledge would be less because they've had to split their energies into learning two different things.

Also, I'd say the older the mage, the more adept they are with their element.

That's all I can think of for now, but might have more later. I like this idea, Cordy!

[stasia]

Sorry, I have to vote "no" on this one. I'm pretty much a purist. There's nothing in the Twilight world that indicates other supernaturals exist. I really think we run the risk of making another "World of Darkness" game. `

If we're looking for a way to add something besides vampire or werewolf, I'd recommend going with humans with a kind of psychic talent. Or possibly something like a "shaman" among indigenous people.

Hate to be the "stick in the mud"! Sorry!

[Esme]

I'm with Stasia on this one. I'm highly against it in this case, on this game. Can't we just have humans, vampires and werewolves? Why do we need to add more supernatural to a game that's supposed to occur in the 'real world' so to speak?

[jasper]

I'm more prone to agree with Ariel. Nothing too major to draw attention away from the actual setting and tone of the books, but something different and new. There isn't any reason the Mush can't evolve and grow into something more. I'd imagine the admins would have to watch it closely but I think it's a good idea.

[jacob]

I voted no, not because I'm against the idea itself. Magic would be so much fun... I voted No simply because I feel Twilight's setting is 'in a real world, where supernatural things happen'

If we allow magic, that wouldn't be necessarily bad -- but it would change the world to a 'fantasy' one. A fantasy world where there happens to be werewolves and vampires, in addition to other fantastic creatures..

[rosalie]

I dunno. Maybe. I think if we do, it should be all natural magic. Like earth magic. Or the magic that changes the La Push wolves. Nothing sorcery or chemical changing or stuff like that. Even witch stuff can be considered natural. Gypsy magic. Indian magic. That kind of thing.

And YES...seriously restricted to superb apps.

[micah]

I voted maybe, but like others said that 'magic' should be kept to more natural magic than anything else. We see in the books that the Quileutes had lots of magic in the past, releasing their spirits into the world and transversing it in that state. A predisposition to magic might even explain some of the more strange powers, like Benjamin's which could have been latent elemental magic that changed when he was bitten.

If magic were allowed I could see it more along the lines of traditional magic with incantations, rituals, herbs, potions, etc or effects created by sheer willpower and not so much high fantasy like magic. Restricting the magic to one aspect though I am not sure of. I mean I can see age being a major factor, like it is with any character, when it comes to overall power and versatility. Also effect power based on the number of Magi working on the spell or effect as a combined effort.

Just because it was not shown in the books does not mean it does not exist. From the Volturi point of view the magic of the Quileute Shapeshifters was just a fantasy too until they saw the Pack. Maybe Magi are another type of immortal, their rebirth triggered by some event in their life, and they are sworn to hide and keep secret just like all other supernatural beings in the Twilight Universe. I am all for game evolution, but kept within reason.

So more Hermetic Magic...sure. No insane fantasy magic though. And ohhhh..can we have Faeries?!? It would so let me use my body glitter for something else ^^ j/k

[kylerkat]

My first inclination is to say that this could be a lot of fun, so long as the staff made sure it wasn't abused. I'm not too worried about that, though. From what I've seen of the player base, we have an exceptionally high standard of role-players, so the chances of things getting out of hand are pretty slim.

After some thought, I realized that it's not really the mechanics of it that worry me, or even what it would do to the game. Based on what I've read here, we're already well on our way to an agreement on both what sort of magic and its limitations. What I wonder is, do we have direct permission from the author to be running this game? If so, were we given carte blanche to do whatever we want with it? Somehow, I have to wonder how the author would feel about us messing with the theme.

This may not be an issue at all, since I don't really have all the information. I just thought I would throw that out there.

[stasia]

There are already precedents in the books for some kinds of "shaman" or "natural" magic. The Quileute elders are one. There's also the idea of some indigeneous peoples being aware of the existance of supernaturals.

I just don't want to make another World of Darkness, or Buffy the Vampire slayer, or Southern Vampires, kinda world where all sorts of supernatural creatures exist.

[emmett]

I am really, really not interested in the usual magics. Spells, incantations, old-school witchcraft, stuff like that? No. Noooooo, please, let's not do that.

However! Since vampirism and real lycanthropes are considered mutations (I consider shifters to be a mutation of necessity to control vampires), we could introduce other mutations. Think X-Men, but on a MUCH, MUCH smaller scale with some severe power limitations - it's kind of like vampire powers, except the person is still human. I think it would fit into the theme a lot better than spells and other typical magic-craft would, because it's not as much of a stretch of the imagination. I see it as a natural progression of evolution.

We could also delve into other were-species besides werewolves but that would probably delve into the Southern Vampires theme a bit unless a tight grip is kept on it.

The thing is, the game is already covered with the unique and special snowflakes to the point to where it's getting unbearable. I think the introduction of new aspects would only make that worse, but if it's decided that you DO want some kind of magic, I really hope it goes into the way of mutations instead of mystical powers.

[amaya]

In my opinion, maybe. However, it'd have to be tightly controlled.

Perhaps, not 'mages/sorcerers/wizard/witches etc'. Leave tribal-sort magic to the Quileutes, and have a sort of... Well, pre-vampiric ability, not well controlled, if at all, for a few select humans. Like Human-Bella's ability to block her mind. She couldn't control it, and as a human it wasn't much use to he, but still.

I have a feeling that I'm not making much sense, so I'll stop now.

[light]

Magic in any setting could work... the trick to it is, making it so if you use it to much, something bad happens.

Its called Paradox. Its a method used in World of Darkness (Hopefully hasn't been mentioned here) that keeps Mages from altering reality far to much, and keeps them down to using powers that seem more 'coincidental' around mortals then powers that simply say: "Look at meeeeeeee, I can alter reality!"

Lets face it... Magic isn't always based on the Elements (Fire, Water, Wind, Wood, Chi). Magic is simply a way to Alter reality. There are, of course, major aspects to magic, and instead of the elements you could theoretically use: Death, Fate, Forces, Life, Matter, Mind, Prime, Space, Spirit, Time.

Now, people are gonna go and assume that these things channel spells exactly as they are read. Wrong. Fate doesn't always have to pertain to telling the future. Fate could be a larger form of that inkling in your stomach when something is wrong. Death isn't just using spells to kill people. Death can be a way of sensing /when/ someone is going to die, or that someone has died.

Then there is the mighty Paradox. You cast a spell thats flashy and people notice? Paradox comes and strikes you down. And its not just death that hits you, sometimes your body gets horribly deformed or you get flung somewhere random in time. Paradox gives the GM a creative way to totally screw someone over...

That's my two cents. Some of it, or most of it, is taken from Mage: The Awakening. But I've managed to use it in other games, from D&D to BESM and everything in between.

Then theres...

May 15, 2009 16:53:46 GMT -5 @emmett said:

I am really, really not interested in the usual magics. Spells, incantations, old-school witchcraft, stuff like that? No. Noooooo, please, let's not do that.

However! Since vampirism and real lycanthropes are considered mutations (I consider shifters to be a mutation of necessity to control vampires), we could introduce other mutations. Think X-Men, but on a MUCH, MUCH smaller scale with some severe power limitations - it's kind of like vampire powers, except the person is still human. I think it would fit into the theme a lot better than spells and other typical magic-craft would, because it's not as much of a stretch of the imagination. I see it as a natural progression of evolution.

We could also delve into other were-species besides werewolves but that would probably delve into the Southern Vampires theme a bit unless a tight grip is kept on it.

The thing is, the game is already covered with the unique and special snowflakes to the point to where it's getting unbearable. I think the introduction of new aspects would only make that worse, but if it's decided that you DO want some kind of magic, I really hope it goes into the way of mutations instead of mystical powers.

I actually kinda agree with the above alot. If you don't use the type of system I discribed, this would work well for the Twlight 'verse. From what I've heard and read anyway.