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CyganAngel Away on the wind~ from Arcadia Since: Oct, 2010
Away on the wind~
#1: Apr 11th 2011 at 9:10:46 PM

An exercise for some people to help me out with my world >_>

The magic system:

Basically, there's small creatures knows as Valeniuns. They are, literally, made of magic.

You can make a contract with them.

In return for:

a) Agreeing to fight any creatures made of Bekein Magic that arise within 100 miles of them;

b) Keeping this knowledge hidden from the general populace.

They recieve:

a) General physical enhancements (Their bodies become stronger, faster and more durable; their minds become sharper; they heal faster.);

b) One random magical power;

c) Access to a compatible Weapons System.

What I need worked on:

  • A list of Bekein Magic monsters: These are monsters designed to be Nightmare Fuel.

  • A list of remote but somewhat hospitable regions, where groups of mages could live under the radar;

  • A list of awesome ways to enhance weapons >_>

So... Help would be appreciated >_>

There are too many toasters in my chimney!
Enkufka Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ from Bay of White fish Since: Dec, 2009
Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ
#2: Apr 11th 2011 at 9:18:32 PM

I can't help with monsters, but as for regions...

  • Chicago undecity
    • I know its not remote, but it is not well documented, dangerous but liveable, and easy to get lost in.

  • Outskirts of the Pripyat Exclusionary zone.
    • I would assume most tourists visit mainly the city of Pripyat and the surrounding area of the Chernobyl NPP
  • Adarondac(sp) mountains in New York State
    • So easy to get lost in. Thousands of acres of solitude, but definitely liveable.
  • Montana/Wyoming

That's all I can think of off the top of my head...

edited 11th Apr '11 9:20:28 PM by Enkufka

Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry
CyganAngel Away on the wind~ from Arcadia Since: Oct, 2010
Away on the wind~
#3: Apr 11th 2011 at 9:23:15 PM

Thanks! ~writes that down~

There are too many toasters in my chimney!
Noaqiyeum we must dissent (it/they) from across the gulf of space (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
we must dissent (it/they)
#4: Apr 11th 2011 at 9:28:32 PM

Regarding the Pripyat Zone - it is a Known Fact that at monuments and things, 90% of tourists never go more than 90 metres from a paved path or floor surface. Explorers are relatively few and far-between. :/

The first weapon enhancement that comes to mind is the Boring, but Practical reduction of mass, to make the weapons easier to lift, manipulate, and move... what kind of weapons are these, anyway?

ERROR: The current state of the world is unacceptable. Save anyway? YES/NO
SabresEdge Show an affirming flame from a defense-in-depth Since: Oct, 2010
Show an affirming flame
#5: Apr 11th 2011 at 9:29:06 PM

All right, there's the premise...I'm assuming you want to use the current world as your basis, correct?

It's going to acquire a somewhat Dresden-esque feel, I think. For magical powers, it doesn't have to be extreme, merely creative. For remoteness, deserts are always nice; a Bedouin tribe with water-related magic, for instance, or modern-day Mongols. Most of the Russian hinterland could be used for this. The Himalayas, Australian outback—all are options.

As for weapons enhancement, that's where things get fun. Even very minor changes can increase the effectiveness of a weapon exponentially—for instance, an automatic rifle with zero recoil would be a Game-Breaker.

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.
Enkufka Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ from Bay of White fish Since: Dec, 2009
Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ
#6: Apr 11th 2011 at 9:29:18 PM

I've an idea, but I'll wait until I know what you're looking for.

Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry
CyganAngel Away on the wind~ from Arcadia Since: Oct, 2010
Away on the wind~
#7: Apr 11th 2011 at 9:39:54 PM

The first weapon enhancement that comes to mind is the Boring But Practical reduction of mass, to make the weapons easier to lift, manipulate, and move... what kind of weapons are these, anyway?

They're usually heavy duty weapons- think claymores over swords, AK's over handguns. And they need to be a fair bit more destructive than the current usual fair.

All right, there's the premise...I'm assuming you want to use the current world as your basis, correct?

Yes, or maybe Five Minutes Into The Future.

As for weapons enhancement, that's where things get fun. Even very minor changes can increase the effectiveness of a weapon exponentially—for instance, an automatic rifle with zero recoil would be a Game Breaker.

Hmmm... But not all enemies are corporeal.

There are too many toasters in my chimney!
Enkufka Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ from Bay of White fish Since: Dec, 2009
Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ
#8: Apr 11th 2011 at 9:41:46 PM

Ok... one idea I had was that a sword would be impossibly light for the user, but twice as heavy as it should be for the rest of the world. it would increase cutting power and momentum, and would be devastating for anyone who got within reach.

Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry
Noaqiyeum we must dissent (it/they) from across the gulf of space (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
we must dissent (it/they)
#9: Apr 11th 2011 at 9:50:51 PM

But not all enemies are corporeal.
That's where Depleted Phlebotinum Shells come in! :D

Only half joking. Next question - what might your non-corporeal things be susceptible to?

ERROR: The current state of the world is unacceptable. Save anyway? YES/NO
CyganAngel Away on the wind~ from Arcadia Since: Oct, 2010
Away on the wind~
#10: Apr 11th 2011 at 9:51:02 PM

Hmmm... So the wielder would feel it as weighing next to nothing, while it would weigh nearly twice as much for anyone on the receiving end, as if that weight was being transferred?

I like it ;)

There are too many toasters in my chimney!
Enkufka Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ from Bay of White fish Since: Dec, 2009
Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ
#11: Apr 11th 2011 at 9:52:26 PM

If applied to baseball, it would be instant home runs, provided they hit at the right angle.

Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry
CyganAngel Away on the wind~ from Arcadia Since: Oct, 2010
Away on the wind~
#12: Apr 11th 2011 at 9:52:54 PM

Only half joking. Next question - what might your non-corporeal things be susceptible to?

It depends on the enemy.

Some are damaged by signs of faith- or rather, they're harmed by the innate magic channeled throuh the believer's belief.

Some are killed by exorcisms.

Some are killed by simple non-kinetic weapons- like fire, or napalm.

^ Hehehe

edited 11th Apr '11 9:53:26 PM by CyganAngel

There are too many toasters in my chimney!
SabresEdge Show an affirming flame from a defense-in-depth Since: Oct, 2010
Show an affirming flame
#13: Apr 11th 2011 at 10:02:35 PM

Of course, one big problem would be the temptation to abuse that power. Strife between different mages, some leading armies, would be as big a part of this world as the simple wars against the Bekein Magic.

Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.
CyganAngel Away on the wind~ from Arcadia Since: Oct, 2010
Away on the wind~
#14: Apr 11th 2011 at 10:10:35 PM

b) Keeping this knowledge hidden from the general populace.

Simply because the Valeniun are restricted in themselves.

If a person wants them there, they're summoned;

if they want to contract, they have to contract.

But a Valeniun can only handle so many contract a year- as many as 6, or as low as 2, but usually 4. If they make any more than they can handle, the magic warps them into a monster. And that is... Oh so dangerous. More than you can believe.

If a mage tells anyone not already in the know; they're instantly struck dead, along with everything in the immediate vicinity.

There are too many toasters in my chimney!
LoniJay from Australia Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
#15: Apr 11th 2011 at 11:43:16 PM

How about the Australian outback, Cygan? Write what you know wink It gets pretty remote out there.

As for a monster... I'm not so good at nightmare fuel, but did you ever read Northern Lights? There was this one monster described in there that was a human who'd had their lungs removed outside their body, and their daemons had to pump them by hand so as to keep them alive.

I don't know, first thing I could think of that scared the hell out of me.

edited 11th Apr '11 11:43:39 PM by LoniJay

Be not afraid...
CyganAngel Away on the wind~ from Arcadia Since: Oct, 2010
Away on the wind~
#16: Apr 12th 2011 at 12:20:43 AM

Ah, but Australia isn't densely populated enough to tell the story in.

Hmmm... No- how would that be threatening to humans? >_>

There are too many toasters in my chimney!
LoniJay from Australia Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
#17: Apr 12th 2011 at 12:33:13 AM

How densely populated do you need? The coastal cities are pretty dense...

I have no idea how that would be threatening to humans. *shrug*

Be not afraid...
Enkufka Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ from Bay of White fish Since: Dec, 2009
Wandering Student ಠ_ಠ
#18: Apr 12th 2011 at 12:33:39 AM

I would think something like the protagonist from Prototype would be at the very least Paranoia Fuel: He absorbs people into him, effectively eating them, and gains their memories, personality, abilities, and more. He can then change into their form, or any other form he can think of, and can survive ludicrous amounts of punishment.

Very big Daydream Believer. "That's not knowledge, that's a crapshoot!" -Al Murray "Welcome to QI" -Stephen Fry
CyganAngel Away on the wind~ from Arcadia Since: Oct, 2010
Away on the wind~
#19: Apr 12th 2011 at 12:40:09 AM

Densely populated as in... Theres about one for every million humans, respawning when they die. But there's only one to each large population centre. So I'd need 21 dense population centres (i.e. cities with at least 250,000 residents) to support this.

And I need at least 26 monsters :/

There are too many toasters in my chimney!
juancarlos11 Since: Aug, 2011
#20: Apr 12th 2011 at 5:55:40 PM

A list of awesome ways to enhance weapons

Whacha buyin', stranger?

Jokes aside, what do you have in mind?

It's not exactly naive. And it can happen. But it's tough. And definetly worthwhile.
CyganAngel Away on the wind~ from Arcadia Since: Oct, 2010
Away on the wind~
#21: Apr 14th 2011 at 7:37:35 AM

Not actually sure. They're just ways to make weapons better, because the monsters have adapted to regular weapons.

There are too many toasters in my chimney!
Temassasin Since: Dec, 1969
#22: Apr 14th 2011 at 3:54:25 PM

whats bekein magic? any way for nightmare fuel make one which literally keeps barfing it self up. a for weapon enhancements make one which just touching except for the handle with you bare skin causes you to be wracked with pain comparable to harry potter's cruciatus curse

juancarlos11 Since: Aug, 2011
#23: Apr 14th 2011 at 5:24:45 PM

OH, OK...so first, we gotta define the monsters properly, don't we?

It's not exactly naive. And it can happen. But it's tough. And definetly worthwhile.
CyganAngel Away on the wind~ from Arcadia Since: Oct, 2010
Away on the wind~
#24: Apr 14th 2011 at 6:14:01 PM

Bekein and Valeniun magics are the two types of magic in the series.

Bekein is easiest to use and the most powerful, but if you overload yourself with it, well... Where do you think the monsters come from?

Valeniun is the normal type of magic. Harder to use and less powerful, but a lot safer.

@ Juan: Yes.

There are too many toasters in my chimney!
juancarlos11 Since: Aug, 2011
#25: Apr 14th 2011 at 6:15:54 PM

Oh, OK, then. so where do they exactly come from. I know why they happen, but I don't know...how, you know what I mean?

It's not exactly naive. And it can happen. But it's tough. And definetly worthwhile.

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