@Lucidnonsense I like the sound of that! Would they be a mage themselves, or just a muggle with cybernetics?

@Lucidnonsense I like the sound of that! Would they be a mage themselves, or just a muggle with cybernetics?

Would a removable Mage implant be a thing? what allows mages to access magic?

@BCTheEntity
I'm interested, so does a chimera have to look like an anthro or does it just have to have noticable mutations?

@Lucidnonsense
@JohnSolaris and I actually discussed this, though not to the extent I'll go into it, and some of the undiscussed info may be reworked later. Essentially, the obligatory Background Magic Field "flows" in a way that's something like a river, with any given individual's magical power being akin to an offshoot stream - the bigger the stream, the more power flowing through them that they can channel into effects. The logical conclusion is that a fair number of people simply aren't connected to the river at all, and thus cannot use magic, and it's not always clear-cut as to which children receive the ability to use magic, though it is more likely for a mage to have mage offspring than not. For most of those who are mages, the metaphorical stream is relatively small and unlikely to widen all too much even with concentrated practice through their lifetime, as mentioned in the OP, and in any case doesn't "want" to be used for any other purpose than destroying things ("directing large amounts of energy in a way that tends toward damaging the target", if we want to give a more physical explanation) in a manner that's vaguely allegorical to how water doesn't "want" to flow uphill, thus magic tending toward being more low fantasy than high fantasy.

In other words, mages have innate access to magic basically because they got lucky, and there isn't any particularly convenient way for muggles to gain access to it automatically. "Wizardry Works Weirdly", is a saying that mages sometimes use.

@Ghost Queen John and I discussed this, and if you're talking about having things like catgirls and other Little Bit Beastly characters... well, let me put it this way: chimeras aren't exactly "oh look at me I am soooo hot now because I'm part animal" entities. Mutating one's DNA with animal DNA is going to make you look like a humanoid animal, including your head. A realistic dog head on a roughly humanoid body isn't my idea of an attractive person, though for beings that themselves have been modified with animal DNA, opinions may differ. Indeed, the more types of animal go into mutating yourself, the less human you're going to look and potentially act; beyond three distinct animals, there's a good chance that your sapience will cease to be, and that your physical form will just be... a mess. Since the human DNA gets drowned out by the other DNA, and all.

@Ghost Queen Uh, yeah, that ought to be fine. The snout would probably be more like an actual crocodile's or alligator's, but yes.

@Lucidnonsense
@JohnSolaris and I actually discussed this, though not to the extent I'll go into it, and some of the undiscussed info may be reworked later. Essentially, the obligatory Background Magic Field "flows" in a way that's something like a river, with any given individual's magical power being akin to an offshoot stream - the bigger the stream, the more power flowing through them that they can channel into effects. The logical conclusion is that a fair number of people simply aren't connected to the river at all, and thus cannot use magic, and it's not always clear-cut as to which children receive the ability to use magic, though it is more likely for a mage to have mage offspring than not. For most of those who are mages, the metaphorical stream is relatively small and unlikely to widen all too much even with concentrated practice through their lifetime, as mentioned in the OP, and in any case doesn't "want" to be used for any other purpose than destroying things ("directing large amounts of energy in a way that tends toward damaging the target", if we want to give a more physical explanation) in a manner that's vaguely allegorical to how water doesn't "want" to flow uphill, thus magic tending toward being more low fantasy than high fantasy.

In other words, mages have innate access to magic basically because they got lucky, and there isn't any particularly convenient way for muggles to gain access to it automatically. "Wizardry Works Weirdly", is a saying that mages sometimes use.

What all can magic flow through? can a rock be magical? can a tissue? can a cell?

One possibility is perhaps magic exists in some these things, though as rocks and such cant actually make decisions or understand they are just a part of the river, while an intelligent being can manipulate magic because unlike a rock they are not static unthinking things. so in order to be a mage one would have to be both intellectually capable and a conduit for magic.

Or magic by Proxy, what would happen if a wizard without any innate magical ability used some kind of neural interface with a "familiar" perhaps an animal that magic flows through, while the animal lacks the intellect to tap into the magic, the wizard can utilize the animal as a tool in spellcasting by controlling its actions or something.

So, I think I've decided on what my human character's main cybernetic enhancement will be. Basically this A back-mounted device with 4 incredibly sharp spider-like legs that can be used for transportation or self-defense in close quarters. Might also add some other features depending on how all inclusive I want it.

@Lucidnonsense No, no, and no. Sapient beings have the capacity to use magic actively as described above, and over the course of Earth's history, a very, VERY few beings could utilise it passively, e.g. dragons, but in the modern day, the only beings with that sort of passive magic are Draconids, who have acquired dragon DNA themselves, and who are more likely to be mages regardless. And, well... you could channel a fairly large amount of magic through an animal and probably destroy their brain and maybe their entire body in the process, but why would you? There's no particular benefit to it, since you probably have to be there to channel it through them anyway, and could just as readily blow the target up.

@Kafka Komedy Sounds good to me.

Oh, and just in case this wasn't made clear in the OP: the Ordo Obscurum that was keeping magic secret no longer exists, having disbanded when magic was revealed to the world. Unless somebody happens to have an interesting idea for working with a remnant of the group or something, it's not going to be a major part of the RP. Just so everybody knows. I think it was pointed out well enough, but whatever.

@Lucidnonsense No, no, and no. Sapient beings have the capacity to use magic actively as described above, and over the course of Earth's history, a very, VERY few beings could utilise it passively, e.g. dragons, but in the modern day, the only beings with that sort of passive magic are Draconids, who have acquired dragon DNA themselves, and who are more likely to be mages regardless. And, well... you could channel a fairly large amount of magic through an animal and probably destroy their brain and maybe their entire body in the process, but why would you? There's no particular benefit to it, since you probably have to be there to channel it through them anyway, and could just as readily blow the target up.

@Kafka Komedy Sounds good to me.

Oh, and just in case this wasn't made clear in the OP: the Ordo Obscurum that was keeping magic secret no longer exists, having disbanded when magic was revealed to the world. Unless somebody happens to have an interesting idea for working with a remnant of the group or something, it's not going to be a major part of the RP. Just so everybody knows. I think it was pointed out well enough, but whatever.

Ah damn, so I cant have a floating rock in my lab to puzzle over. Sorry for asking so many questions, just things I should probably consider if im playing a scientist.

Are "very very very minor" mages a thing? someone who is technically magical, but operating at orders of magnitude less power than the stereotypical mage.

@Lucidnonsense It's cool, don't worry. No floating rocks, unless they've been specifically enchanted to do so. As for your question... I'm tempted to say "no". Below a certain threshold, I'd imagine that the flow of magic through a person would get steadily weaker without almost constant practice, until it simply dried up entirely. Chances are, said drying up would occur before one was a toddler, since whether or not one can use magic is something determined at birth, and after that, they're just as powerless as the majority of people. So, no super-minor mages - if you're a minor mage, you probably have at least enough power to kill a person as though you had a gun on you.

Generally, what power level are you going for? Like, say someone has that Pak, and it can:

• Generate an electromagnetic field to deflect bullets
• Bonus to brain power- eidetic memory, reaction time, etc.
• Jetpack
• Weaponry of some kind (I.E. lasers, sawblades, whatever)
• Advanced AI and scanners.

Which of those would you cut out immediately? How many of these would one be allowed to keep?

@Kafka Komedy I'd say all of them are potentially feasible as far as tech goes, though the EM field's deflection probably wouldn't be too extreme, more like bending the bullets around the wearer (if they're not fast enough to hit the target before being deflected too much) than sending them flying off into the walls at each side of them, and we've already discussed the AI and scanners as being able to give accurate tips and strategies when fighting foreign enemies. The problem comes with fitting all of them into one relatively small device: at the very least, the jetpack and weaponry seem like they'd conflict with one another as far as moving parts go, but I'd suggest that the brain-altering aspects of the Pak could- and, since the back is not where the brain is located, arguably should- be moved to something mounted on the head, perhaps even within the brain tissue itself. There's also the argument that the EM field would disrupt the AI, but we have ways of protecting against EM interference in the modern age, so that's a moot point.

@BCTheEntity Wow, all of that is cool? The only issue is where to put it? Well in that case, assuming I use this guy:


The scanners, AI, and Brain Booster could all be part of that visor-earpiece thing on his head. Pak could have either the legs or the weapons come out of the top and the jetpack the bottom. Finally, the EM Field generator could be... I dunno the thing on his arm? Or a completely unrelated device whatever. Of course, all of his stuff being EM proof is a bit of a stretch and also doesn't protect him from direct physical confrontation, so I might think of another way to shield him.

And, of course, this is all speculation type stuff. All I really know is that I want the Pak.

@Kafka Komedy Uh, yeah, that all sounds reasonable enough, with just the weapons and jetpack in the Pak and everything else in other devices on his person. As far as protection goes, you could just have the suit be some high-tech armour substance by itself, since future developments and that. So that works out.

Interested.

I'm interested in this roleplay, however, is it possible to have other kinds of DNA besides animals? Since this roleplay is taken in a time where bioengineering has been perfected essentially, I would like my character to be a project of eugenics and have plant DNA placed into him. Specifically, Tree DNA spliced into them for... additional benefits that are an alternative of animal DNA.

I can list the benefits of having DNA of a tree being implanted in my character if you want me to.

Would our characters have to get along?

@bluetommy2 Excellent.

@LancerOfBlue Solaris and I discussed this, and we've come to the conclusion that it's definitely plausible. Feel free to go over what benefits you think might be gained from it.

@Jozarin Considering that there are four races to pick and choose from, and multiple factions within those races which may or may not have any particular reason to co-operate, there's no obligation to play nice with people from other factions, and no reason to do so against the other races, since they're all at war with one another and all.