Designing the Demon Tribe and their Magic.

One of the crucial races of my setting are the Ma(from the Japanese Majin)Tribe. Their Invasion and near conquest of the Known Worlds is one the most important events in the back story.

The Ma tribe are powerful and predatory race with the vampiric ability to drain the life-force from other begins. Highly resilient with an incredible ability regenerate. Cable of surviving and adapting to a wide verity of conditions.

The Ma are also a fluid existence making them natural shape shifters lacking set a[[tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Otherworldly and Sexually Ambiguous appearance or gender]] . Their fluidity is also a vulnerability that was exploited in the last days of the war.

Aside from figuring out what the social dynamics of a race of vampiric hermaphrodites. My main Issue with Ma is developing their magic, the magic used by the Known Worlders Aether-Craft is standard Force based Functionalmagic.

I wanted the Ma in addition to their formidable natural abilities, to have a distinctive form of magic.

Idea

1.The Ma use Ether-Craft just like everybody else. maybe with a few quirks unique to their metaphysiology.

2.Lovecraftian Superpower. Ether somehow augments their natural shape shifting allowing the to create terrifying biological weapons.

3. Something that I haven't though of yet.

edited 31st Jan '15 11:52:41 AM by Fomar

Consider how these powers would influence the development of culture. Much of what we take for granted about civilization is based on things like the need for agriculture to feed our populations, or the need to adapt our environments to fit our needs. A species without these would likely develop in radically different directions.

For example, I could more easily see the Ma competing among each other for resources than banding together. As presented, they have little need for each other.

The Ma like people are social creatures and they do need craftsmen to make things. Going into their "evolution", they were not the apex species on their home world. In fact they were more like hyenas, clanish scavangers/hunters. Their home world was a deathworld, tumultuous weather, extreams of climate, abudant predators including many of the plants; some of which were motile would chase you down.

The Ma abandoned their home world, then split along religious lines. A great prophet rose up and said that they had been given a verdant land and all within that land would be theirs to dispence with as they pleased. This colonialism justified by religion is the cause of the war with the known worlds. Ma don't need to feed on sapient life, nor are people the biggest sources of life-energy; trees would make a far better food source.

Ether(magic) naturaly peremates the cosmos and souls generate their own ether. Ether-craft is common enough for it to have completely shaped civilization. Example: massed armies never developed because of ether-crafters being able to serve as artillery. Warfare on the known worlds has always been about commando style raides on strategic assets.

The most desirable resource were ether reasonent materials which nessacery for crafting of etherfacts(needs a better name) and are difficult to synthesis.

I had this idea for an urban fantasy where the hell dimension corrupted humans have magic based on increasing their natural aspects. For example, they can increase the natural toughness of their skin to be virtually bullet proof. More advanced techniques involve enhancing the heat of their breath to breath fire.

What kind of culture does the Ma have? What do they believe in?

The Government of the Ma was an outgrowth of their clannish nature. they used a form of feudalism. A high council or parliament who's members came from the most powerful and wealthiest of clans. at the head of the council was the Overlord or Maoh. Elected from the ranks of the counselors. The Ma who attacked the known worlds belied that a great deity would guide them on the path to their manifest destiny. this belief in their divine to the Known Worlds and all that would be found their. Is the lone reasons for their antagonism with the known worlders.