A World of Progressive Magic: The Magical Peace Corps
I. Intro
In the 2010s, the world seemed as though it was on the brink of disaster. The present crises threatened to bring the national order down, but in the end, the nations pulled themselves back from the precipice of apocalypse, and, in 2022, made an accord in Geneva. Mankind eventually clawed its way back to prosperity and relative peace, but spent the next few decades dealing with its obsessions and its prejudices. Scientists, Visionaries, and Activists, anyone can rule with the power of the pen.
Science, Technology, the infrastructure that created the Global Economy and Computer Technology was preserved, and advanced. The Age of Reason continued on. Humanity finally began to accept each other as family. In the 80 years after the Treaty of Geneva, the nations of Humanity began to cooperate and unite as never before, in order to conquer its own effects on the Earth. But, all wasn't well, for in the quest for peace, the quest to eliminate human trafficking was neglected. New ways were found to enslave humans, either in cyberspace or in the real world.
Then... something changed. In the laboratories of Pittsburgh, something extraordinary happened. A person only known as the Neuromancer accidentally tapped into a source of energy that can transcend the normal laws of the world. The Age of Reason may have survived, but the Age of Mystics was still approaching...but this time, it will be a World of Progressive Magic.
In 2087, the United States Government, under the urging of Arthur Winters, created a 'Magical Peace Corps', in order to improve the image of magic, as well as spread its 'gifts' throughout the world. The MPC's purpose is, simply, to help people, either by healing them with both Magical and Technological means, or replanting forests, or repairing infrastructure both in the US or abroad. Not merely that, but as reports of undead and hostile spirits increased, the MPC also acquired the role of exorcists, helping to destroy undead (Ironically with Death Magic) or calm down Spirits.
Armed with the best Magitech and Pure Tech, the MPC, even more than the Agency, helped in the improvement of Magic's image, even in the most Antimagical regions...
Basically, guys, this is a lighter and softer RP than its predecessor, A World of Progressive Magic: An Arcane 2100s. Instead of playing members of The Agency or various criminal factions, you get to play members of the Magical Peace Corps instead. You get to help people, plant trees, sing 'kumbaya' with each other...and fight zombies. Did I mention the Zombies?
Mods:
Letter Bee
Joshua Tamashii
Mass City
II. Magic
Magic can be learned from a mentor, or be received from a traumatic experience, but what doesn't change is that one can do things that are outside reality's laws with it. Bascially, you just describe what you can do under 'Magical Powers' (see below), and we'll see if it's too overpowered or not. Note, however, as a rule, that Magi from the Empire State University for Magi and Nonmagi use the Codified Magic System (See below).
Also, magic gained from traumatic experience varies in power: weak traumas produce weak powers, while strong traumas produce strong powers.
III. The Codified Magic System (Optional, Lore Only)
In New York, Magic is divided into several archetypes, or 'Schools': Life (Healing, Buffing, Controlling Plants and Animals), Energy (Control of Heat, Light, Gravity, Magnetism, etc...), Mentalism (Mind Control, Illusions), Timespace (Superspeed, Teleportation, and Scrying), Fate (Increasing or decreasing Luck), Death (Necromancy and Anti-Necromancy*), Otherness (communing with Spirits, Transformation into a Spirit Creature), Matter (conjuring non-organic, non-undead matter, turning solids into liquids) and Law (making Magic permanent; making Magitech).
The Codified Magic System is seen as a good thing because it grants consistency to the different systems of doing magic, as well as makes learning and categorizing it easier. However, you are not obliged to abide by it, unless you come from the ESU or live there.
*This doesn't seem to make sense, except that in AWPM, Death magic encompasses everything to do with death, including making sure that people die naturally instead of being turned into undead.
MPC Members can have Four Schools of Magic; my GMPC has Six because he's a carry-over from the previous RP; but both him and the other PCs are bound by rules of Technical Pacifsm (see below), making things balanced, somewhat.
Also, if you can find a plausible way to have your PC from the previous RP join the MPC, you can have Five Schools; due to the fact that your character is already an experienced Mage.
Sample: Raymond can change solids into liquids (Matter), teleport, do scrying, and use superspeed (Timespace), and make his items and buffs permanent, and make magitech (Law).
IV. Magitech and Technology
Here's a list of Magitech and Technology that members of the MPC have:
V. Places of Power
Demesnes: Places that, because they were special before the Awakening Surge, form a reservoir of magic that strengthens one's spells. Desmenes are attuned to one School, for example; the still-intact Statue of Liberty are a Fate Demesne, while the Isle of Corregidor in the Philippines is a Timespace Demesne. Demesnes, to be fully used, need Manses, which are structures that are equivalent to a House, Factory, Power Plant, and Hydroelectric Dam.
Shadowlands: Demesnes made by killing lots of people. Shadowlands cause the dead to rise, creatures to mutate, the air itself to be filled with horror, and its energies can only be used by the most depraved of Magi. Due to the peace, few Demesnes are Shadowlands.
VI. The Factions of The Philippines
The Magical Peace Corps: Just like the Regular Peace Corps, the Magical Peace Corps has an immense presence in the Philippines, dedicated to helping people through natural disasters, fighting undead and spirit incursions, and eradicating diseases. Oh, and helping the local construction companies build and repair infrastructure. However, local crime groups, such as drug lords and the Yakuza, don't like them that much, as well as mad scientists and cultists.
Gutierrez Corp: A Philippines-based Shipbuilding company that combines both Magic and Technology just like Arcana Unlimited, and strives for much of the same power, but through ethical (or semi-ethical) channels. What magical experiments they have are conducted with informed consent, their weapons, developed openly and legally (albeit in countries that have laxer laws on weapons development than the US). Their services focus on providing both quality and quantity, providing cheaper alternatives to Arcana Unlimited. Instead of hiring huge armies of mercenaries and war machines all over the world, they focus on maintaining a small security force in the Philippines, backed by the Philippine Armed Forces, which had been much 'modernized' by them.
However, this does not mean that they don't have power projection all across the world. Instead, they employ lone cells of mercenaries and adventurers to accomplish their global goals, attacking the enemy before they can strike at them. Their motto is: 'The Best Defense against conspiracy is not to be hated'.
They also fund the MPC, and provide much pretty Magitech and Pure Tech.
The Yakuza: Based in Japan , the Yakuza is centered on the Kobe based Yamaguchi-gumi. It is headed by the 15th Kumicho Shinobu Yamamoto. It is by far the largest criminal orginization on earth close to 75,000 members. The group traces it's history back to before the First World War. It gets money through the following means; extortion, sex trafficking, arms trafficking, drug trafficking and sales, real estate, construction kickbacks, major forms of income from internet porn and the Stock Market.
With recent events in the Phillipines, Kobe has sent a new Shatei to Manillia, Ryoko Fujiyama: the Dragon Lady. A mage with fire powers she is not one to mess with. She has burned people's limbs to ensure payments. Many people are on the Yakuza payroll.
The Immortals: The Chinese Democratic Republic, though better than its Communist predecessors, and generally a friend to the Philippines (it buys a lot of its exports), still wants the Spratlys (which are now owned by the Philippines) for itself. In the pursuit of this revanchist goal, it has sent Special Forces Operatives, called the Immortals, to the country in order to instill subversion.
VII. Rules:
1.) The RP is set in the Philippines, in the year 2102, just so you know.
2.) All players are part of the Magical Peace Corps.
3.) Technical Pacifism is enforced upon the PCs. No killing, no permanent harm, no mutilations, no torture, no outright mind control unless your life is in danger (mental suggestions are okay). Part of the fun is finding ways to fight without doing those things. It's okay to go all-out when fighting undead, though.
4.) No controlling another PC's actions unless you're the GM and the player is absent. Limited powergaming is permitted as long as you stick to the bounds of technical pacifism.
5.) Yes, this is the Anti-Shadowrun.
6.) Rules for Conjuration: With Matter, you can conjure up non-living, non-undead stuff, but it's only temporary unless you have Law, even then, you can only conjure as much as your own body weight.
7.) In OOC Chat, don't be a jerk.
I. Intro
In the 2010s, the world seemed as though it was on the brink of disaster. The present crises threatened to bring the national order down, but in the end, the nations pulled themselves back from the precipice of apocalypse, and, in 2022, made an accord in Geneva. Mankind eventually clawed its way back to prosperity and relative peace, but spent the next few decades dealing with its obsessions and its prejudices. Scientists, Visionaries, and Activists, anyone can rule with the power of the pen.
Science, Technology, the infrastructure that created the Global Economy and Computer Technology was preserved, and advanced. The Age of Reason continued on. Humanity finally began to accept each other as family. In the 80 years after the Treaty of Geneva, the nations of Humanity began to cooperate and unite as never before, in order to conquer its own effects on the Earth. But, all wasn't well, for in the quest for peace, the quest to eliminate human trafficking was neglected. New ways were found to enslave humans, either in cyberspace or in the real world.
Then... something changed. In the laboratories of Pittsburgh, something extraordinary happened. A person only known as the Neuromancer accidentally tapped into a source of energy that can transcend the normal laws of the world. The Age of Reason may have survived, but the Age of Mystics was still approaching...but this time, it will be a World of Progressive Magic.
In 2087, the United States Government, under the urging of Arthur Winters, created a 'Magical Peace Corps', in order to improve the image of magic, as well as spread its 'gifts' throughout the world. The MPC's purpose is, simply, to help people, either by healing them with both Magical and Technological means, or replanting forests, or repairing infrastructure both in the US or abroad. Not merely that, but as reports of undead and hostile spirits increased, the MPC also acquired the role of exorcists, helping to destroy undead (Ironically with Death Magic) or calm down Spirits.
Armed with the best Magitech and Pure Tech, the MPC, even more than the Agency, helped in the improvement of Magic's image, even in the most Antimagical regions...
Basically, guys, this is a lighter and softer RP than its predecessor, A World of Progressive Magic: An Arcane 2100s. Instead of playing members of The Agency or various criminal factions, you get to play members of the Magical Peace Corps instead. You get to help people, plant trees, sing 'kumbaya' with each other...and fight zombies. Did I mention the Zombies?
Mods:
Letter Bee
Joshua Tamashii
Mass City
II. Magic
Magic can be learned from a mentor, or be received from a traumatic experience, but what doesn't change is that one can do things that are outside reality's laws with it. Bascially, you just describe what you can do under 'Magical Powers' (see below), and we'll see if it's too overpowered or not. Note, however, as a rule, that Magi from the Empire State University for Magi and Nonmagi use the Codified Magic System (See below).
Also, magic gained from traumatic experience varies in power: weak traumas produce weak powers, while strong traumas produce strong powers.
III. The Codified Magic System (Optional, Lore Only)
In New York, Magic is divided into several archetypes, or 'Schools': Life (Healing, Buffing, Controlling Plants and Animals), Energy (Control of Heat, Light, Gravity, Magnetism, etc...), Mentalism (Mind Control, Illusions), Timespace (Superspeed, Teleportation, and Scrying), Fate (Increasing or decreasing Luck), Death (Necromancy and Anti-Necromancy*), Otherness (communing with Spirits, Transformation into a Spirit Creature), Matter (conjuring non-organic, non-undead matter, turning solids into liquids) and Law (making Magic permanent; making Magitech).
The Codified Magic System is seen as a good thing because it grants consistency to the different systems of doing magic, as well as makes learning and categorizing it easier. However, you are not obliged to abide by it, unless you come from the ESU or live there.
*This doesn't seem to make sense, except that in AWPM, Death magic encompasses everything to do with death, including making sure that people die naturally instead of being turned into undead.
MPC Members can have Four Schools of Magic; my GMPC has Six because he's a carry-over from the previous RP; but both him and the other PCs are bound by rules of Technical Pacifsm (see below), making things balanced, somewhat.
Also, if you can find a plausible way to have your PC from the previous RP join the MPC, you can have Five Schools; due to the fact that your character is already an experienced Mage.
Sample: Raymond can change solids into liquids (Matter), teleport, do scrying, and use superspeed (Timespace), and make his items and buffs permanent, and make magitech (Law).
IV. Magitech and Technology
Here's a list of Magitech and Technology that members of the MPC have:
V. Places of Power
Demesnes: Places that, because they were special before the Awakening Surge, form a reservoir of magic that strengthens one's spells. Desmenes are attuned to one School, for example; the still-intact Statue of Liberty are a Fate Demesne, while the Isle of Corregidor in the Philippines is a Timespace Demesne. Demesnes, to be fully used, need Manses, which are structures that are equivalent to a House, Factory, Power Plant, and Hydroelectric Dam.
Shadowlands: Demesnes made by killing lots of people. Shadowlands cause the dead to rise, creatures to mutate, the air itself to be filled with horror, and its energies can only be used by the most depraved of Magi. Due to the peace, few Demesnes are Shadowlands.
VI. The Factions of The Philippines
The Magical Peace Corps: Just like the Regular Peace Corps, the Magical Peace Corps has an immense presence in the Philippines, dedicated to helping people through natural disasters, fighting undead and spirit incursions, and eradicating diseases. Oh, and helping the local construction companies build and repair infrastructure. However, local crime groups, such as drug lords and the Yakuza, don't like them that much, as well as mad scientists and cultists.
Gutierrez Corp: A Philippines-based Shipbuilding company that combines both Magic and Technology just like Arcana Unlimited, and strives for much of the same power, but through ethical (or semi-ethical) channels. What magical experiments they have are conducted with informed consent, their weapons, developed openly and legally (albeit in countries that have laxer laws on weapons development than the US). Their services focus on providing both quality and quantity, providing cheaper alternatives to Arcana Unlimited. Instead of hiring huge armies of mercenaries and war machines all over the world, they focus on maintaining a small security force in the Philippines, backed by the Philippine Armed Forces, which had been much 'modernized' by them.
However, this does not mean that they don't have power projection all across the world. Instead, they employ lone cells of mercenaries and adventurers to accomplish their global goals, attacking the enemy before they can strike at them. Their motto is: 'The Best Defense against conspiracy is not to be hated'.
They also fund the MPC, and provide much pretty Magitech and Pure Tech.
The Yakuza: Based in Japan , the Yakuza is centered on the Kobe based Yamaguchi-gumi. It is headed by the 15th Kumicho Shinobu Yamamoto. It is by far the largest criminal orginization on earth close to 75,000 members. The group traces it's history back to before the First World War. It gets money through the following means; extortion, sex trafficking, arms trafficking, drug trafficking and sales, real estate, construction kickbacks, major forms of income from internet porn and the Stock Market.
With recent events in the Phillipines, Kobe has sent a new Shatei to Manillia, Ryoko Fujiyama: the Dragon Lady. A mage with fire powers she is not one to mess with. She has burned people's limbs to ensure payments. Many people are on the Yakuza payroll.
The Immortals: The Chinese Democratic Republic, though better than its Communist predecessors, and generally a friend to the Philippines (it buys a lot of its exports), still wants the Spratlys (which are now owned by the Philippines) for itself. In the pursuit of this revanchist goal, it has sent Special Forces Operatives, called the Immortals, to the country in order to instill subversion.
VII. Rules:
1.) The RP is set in the Philippines, in the year 2102, just so you know.
2.) All players are part of the Magical Peace Corps.
3.) Technical Pacifism is enforced upon the PCs. No killing, no permanent harm, no mutilations, no torture, no outright mind control unless your life is in danger (mental suggestions are okay). Part of the fun is finding ways to fight without doing those things. It's okay to go all-out when fighting undead, though.
4.) No controlling another PC's actions unless you're the GM and the player is absent. Limited powergaming is permitted as long as you stick to the bounds of technical pacifism.
5.) Yes, this is the Anti-Shadowrun.
6.) Rules for Conjuration: With Matter, you can conjure up non-living, non-undead stuff, but it's only temporary unless you have Law, even then, you can only conjure as much as your own body weight.
7.) In OOC Chat, don't be a jerk.
