To: Deus Ultionis mailing list
Date: Jun 7, 2005 12:10 PM
Subject: Re: [[deus] preliminary campaign setting and scheduling information
Hi everyone,
I am forwarding another lengthy answer about Deus Ultionis, this time about mystic magic and psionics.
Joey said: > I don’t know anything about the 3 types of mystic magic or > anything about how psionics work in your game.
A mystic has the ability to draw on external mystic energy (such as the omnipresent ambient energy that saturates the earth). Only 1 in 1000 humans possess this ability. The good news is that if your character is mystic, he can discover his powers intuitively over time, without formal training.
A psion is very similar in that he produces the same sort of effects as a mystic (they use the same ruleset), but he does it by drawing from an inner strength. Thus, the psionic character does not require an external source of mystic energy, and can utilize his power in space, for example. Psionics is extremely rare, however. It has been kept a closely guarded secret by the few who know it. You cannot just spontaneously develop psionics–you must be trained. There are people on earth who could have trained your character in psionics, but not many.
The three types of mystic magic are passion, empty and purity.
Passion magic is by far the most common. It is the everyday magic that people learn intuitively. It is laced with a torrent of conflicting emotions.
Empty magic is mystic energy channeled by someone who has cleared his mind of earthly desire. In order to wield empty magic, your character would require a special circumstance, such as being less vulnerable to emotion, or having achieved enlightenment. (For example: in Pax Artificium, Dr. Cid Arthur had had his soul transferred to a computer core, which significantly dulled his emotions. He mastered the ability to focus his thoughts and float in a void of emotionless, which resulted in his ability to wield empty magic.) Empty magic is structurally strong enough to withstand the unfocused emotional torrent of passion magic. (In a battle between two equal-strength mystics, one passion and one empty, the empty mage wins.)
Purity magic is perhaps even more rare than empty magic. It comes into existence when a mystic feels only a single, intense emotion. In order to wield purity magic, your resolve would have to be above and beyond that of a normal human being. (For example: in Pax Artificium, the Great Healer–Cid’s father–was corrupted by magical backlash, resulting in the creation of a being focused solely on death and destruction. His sole motivation became the elimination of his former son, and his magic became twisted by hatred.) Purity magic focuses a single emotion strongly enough to pierce the void of empty magic. (In a battle between two equal-strength mystics, one empty and one purity, the purity mage wins.) However, the concentration of a single emotion is vital to the functioning of purity magic–any other emotions dilute its strength. (In a battle between two equal-strength mystics, one purity and one passion, the passion mage wins.)
Like I said, 0.1% of humans wield mystic magic. About half the gnomes do (gnomes also love technology). The dwarves almost universally do not (although some of them have been trained in anti-magical "spellbreaker" techniques). All elves and halflings, and many creatures of Gaia (pixies, dryads, trolls, beholders, etc.) do, although they draw their power from Gaia’s spirit instead of from ambient mystic energy. The royals are also all mystics, and they favor technology as well.
More questions, anyone? Feel free to ask.
-Curtis