[quote=Tony Stark]"There is no such thing as magic, just science I don't understand yet."[/quote]
 
My most effective retort is simple: if magic can be taught and has dependable cause-effect relationships, there is no reason it couldn't technically be labelled a "school of science." The Oxford Dictionary definition of science in its noun form is as follows: [i]"The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment"[/i] Although one might think that "magic" would be metaphysical, 'real' magic would actually be far from it. The definition of metaphysical is "Transcending physical matter or the laws of nature" to be be "based in the abstract", but if 'real' magic were to have tangible, repeatable results, would it not be physical? We cannot see magnetic forces, but does that mean that a metallic object floating is magic? Hundreds of years ago, chances are, yeah. If we postulate the existence of mana, chi, etc. - life energy - then at some point that energy has to be physical to some degree, thus making it a physical force. Think about it like this: look at the different fields of magic in the popular Warcraft Franchise. Druidism, Shamanism, the Arcane, Summoning, the Dark Arts, Fire, Ice, Healing, Holy, Light, Shadow -etc. If those are taught as "classes" with specialized knowledge, how are they any different from branches of physics such as nuclear, thermodynamic and kinetic? There isn't a whole lot of difference. Magic itself is not its mechanics. Magic is an atmosphere. Magic is a literary technique. It's an enigma that is meant to have few understand it, even fewer use it and have no one true master. So basically, no, the idea of magic being linked to genes and having a little scientific background doesn't defeat the whole purpose of it. As long as the IC doesn't provide a definitive answer to the 'strongest possible magic' or the 'best possible outcome', then there is no reason you can't have abstract methods of practitioners using odd and mysterious rituals and techniques to perform spells or even just recite incantations.

Anyway, I'm going to begin a real quick mock-up for the RP.