HylianRose said
Would you mind explaining the Monks to me? I understand that they use Xi, I just want to know what sort of things they can do.
Monks, like their related RPG class, are
highly physical close combat oriented warriors
capable of manipulating Xi, and only Xi. It should be understood that Xi is quite literally the
energy of physicality. Generated from the metaphorical and literal core of the body, the heart, Xi in its purest form and purpose is
precisely what
empowers a living (or undead) creature to move, just like Sakra in its purest form is what enables a creature to have a psyche.
As for
what they can do, bear in mind that Xi is one of the primary Maians involved with
reinforcement magic involving the body. A monk will always be physically imposing, even if they might not appear that way at first glance, they are the types of people that can wrestle with a bear and win. Furthering their natural ability to manipulate Xi, they can
empower their body to achieve otherwise impossible feats of strength, agility, speed and durability. They can do all this reinforcement with
highly reduced risk for the ascribed side-effects of manipulating Xi, namely getting a heart attack or frying their nervous system and becoming a paraplegic.
Unlike Sykers that have a drawback of being naturally frail, Monks don't appear to have the drawback of being... well... stupid.
A more advanced Monk should also be capable of
ensconcing some of their reinforcement magic upon other people, augmenting their bodies. In truly RPG fashion, monks are also the types of combatants that can make use of Xi blasts, aka short ranged bursts of energy.
The difference between a Monk and a Magestravi skilled in Reinforcement Magic is three-fold. A Monk does not have to think about reinforcing this limb or strengthening this muscle, the monk simply
does. A Monk, as mentioned earlier, has reduced risk for the side-effects of manipulating Xi, because to them, manipulating Xi is completely natural as opposed to a Reinforcement Magestrava that is merely borrowing the powers. Lastly, a Monk would be somewhat hard-pressed to augment an inanimate/non-living object like a sword or some clothing, as that would require a degree of manipulation over Karma.
Coincidentally, one of my character's skills is in Reinforcement Magic, so I'll post an excerpt from her profile:
Aoife Halloran said
— Reinforcement Magic
Discovering her talent for reinforcement early, Aoife excels at augmenting the performance of her body and the bodies of others. Though weaker and in a less flexible capacity, she is also capable of reinforcing the structure of weapons and armor.
In regards to the body, Aoife can instill physical strength and speed and reinforce the durability of a human far exceeding that of their natural capacity, while skipping any dangers of side-effects or dependencies on her magic. She can, for example, allow herself to run 100 yards in under 5 seconds from a static start, outstripping the performance of even the fastest ground animals. More violently, she can reinforce her arms to the point that her elbows and fists can be compared to steel hammers; with the assistance of magic, Aoife can destroy a helmeted human's head, removing everything from the neck up or shatter a steel sword with a single strike.
More creatively, element manipulation can be combined into the reinforcement spells, weaving effects into the magic like creating literal explosive strikes, affixing push daggers made of ice or compressed stone to the knuckles, or adding pockets of wind to the legs to gift a lightness to the step where the reinforced can defy gravity on a small scale.
— Healing Magic
Nowhere nearing her ability to augment the body, Aoife's knowledge of how to magically increase a human's potential proved to be a boon in helping her understand how to heal injuries. Combined with an understanding of spell effects and structures, she is capable of reversing the damage dealt by spells and by physical implements to a level where a much more experienced and specialized healer can take-over.
Inversely, Aoife can utilize the healing class of magic to “incorrectly” heal an opponent in combat, going so far as to ossify joints or create vicious tumors. This is ironically easier for her to do than actual healing, possibly because it’s easier to destroy than to mend. As a Magestrava that respects life and wishes to be on the side of the law, Aoife is reluctant to use this ability.
That's right, I consider Healing Magic to be a slight subset of Reinforcement Magic. Oh, though do note that a Monk can't heal, since that'd require a bit of Karma :P.
Zombehs said
Is it just me/the wording, or is there actually a difference between what Magistraavii do and magic?
It is...
mostly the wording. One of the main inspirations for this RP is the Nasuverse, also known as Type-Moon's Unified Principles. In it, magecraft is the ability to utilize mana to affect the world in a way that adheres to the laws of physics, while magic is the ability to break physics, screw the rules, and pull out miracles.
However, in this RP, the distinction appears to be slightly different.
I believe that TheHangedMan meant that Magestrava are capable of creating spells using Maians in order to achieve a desired affect, while Sepcarim are capable of spontaneously tapping upon Maians without needing to weave them into a command.
In short:
- Magic = What Sepcarims do. Spontaneous "miracles" where their Maian completely bends to their will without effort on their part. Magic is... Magical! In a Sepcarim's influence, a Maian technically isn't given a purpose or direction, it is simply manipulated to the Sepcarim's bidding.
- Spellwork/Spellcraft/Spellcasting = What Magestravi do. Assembled programs that tap on Maians in the surrounding environment and within their bodies. The programs are then executed to achieve the desired effect or effects, this is through the use of giving the Maians a purpose to follow.
At least, that's what I think he's going for.
