Fluffy Magic! (Schools!)

[Xar Zarath]

Hey playgrounders. So recently I've been looking at all the sciences out there and they explain it very well. How each can be studied into different disciplines like biology=marine biology etc.

So I was thinking how about we in the playground do that for magic as well specifically for the schools of magic. we can even assign real world scientific disciplines to the respective schools and fluff it up.

For example like Necromancy

Necromancy: associated skills biology/various life sciences. Necromancers study life and death and how both react to one another. Necromancy also studies the growth of living and decay of dead things and understands how they may be manipulated to better control both the living and the dead. Necromancers also tend to be skilled surgeons as surgery/general physicians etc skills are a byproduct of their studies into the body and life itself.

Conjuration: Physics (like string theory etc)

Conjurers study the underpinnings of creation itself and try to bend those laws and the creatures that dwell within such places to their side in order to master greater feats of magic. Not only do they uncover creation's secrets, sometimes they can bring about its end if they are careless.

So those are my examples, what about yours? You can even try other types of magic like shadow/incarnum etc (although how incarnum or truename can be related to maths or chemistry is beyond me.)

[Aleolus]

Truenaming - Quantum Mechanics

Truenamers study the ways that the universe work and attempt, through subtle manipulation of the most fundamental part of existence, to reshape and rework reality to their liking.

[ben-zayb]

Mix and match with appropriate magic school based on description/function (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?252794-She-Blinded-Me-with-Science!-(Magitek-That-Doesn-t-Make-Me-Cry-Myself-To-Sleep))

[Âmesang]

I did something like this once a decade or so ago for a Lord of the Rings online roleplay involving dark energy. Not necessarily magical-explanation-through-science, but just trying to "subtly" tie in the idea of black magic to the overall Middle Earth mythos:

Level I: Of the Fëa and Hröa
"Fëa: The indwelling spirit of an incarnate being." — The Peoples of Middle-earth

"Hröa: The body of an incarnate being." — The Peoples of Middle-earth

Our beings are composed of two factors: the Fëa, the spirit, which has it's source with the Flame Imperishable which lays at the heart of Arda, and the Hröa, the body in which this spirit is housed. In many cases the spirit acts no more than the force of life that drives our thoughts and actions, yet the Ainur, and many of the Eldar, can focus their spirit and do much with it, from the Valar's shaping of the world, to the artistry of the Eldar. The power derived from the spirit is mana, the power born from the Flame Imperishable and is interwoven with the fabric of the world around us. When one is able to harness the power of their spirit, to manipulate their mana, they find themselves open in new ways, and are able to see and feel and do more than what was originally perceived. In this way you become one with the world.

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Level II: The Lord of the Darkness and the Hröa of Arda
"Melkor 'incarnated' himself (as Morgoth) permanently. He did this so as to control the hröa, the 'flesh' or physical matter, of Arda. He attempted to identify himself with it. A vaster, and more perilous, procedure, though of similar sort to the operations of Sauron with the Rings. Thus, outside the Blessed Realm, all 'matter' was likely to have a 'Melkor ingredient', and those who had bodies, nourished by the hröa of Arda, had as it were a tendency, small or great, towards Melkor: they were none of them wholly free of him in their incarnate form, and their bodies had an effect upon their spirits." — Myths Transformed, Morgoth's Ring

"It was this Morgoth-element in matter, indeed, which was a prerequisite for such 'magic' and other evils as Sauron practiced with it and upon it." — Myths Transformed, Morgoth's Ring

"It does however seem best to view Melkor's corrupting power as always starting, at least, in the moral or theological level. Any creature that took him for Lord (and especially those who blasphemously called him Father and Creator) became soon corrupted in all parts of its being, the fëa dragging down the hröa in its descent into Morgothism: hate and destruction." — Myths Transformed, Morgoth's Ring

In the beginning, Melkor was the mightiest of the Valar, the most powerful being and alone was able to stand against them. Yet in His desire to control Arda, the earth, which had been shaped by all the Valar, He had passed much of His original being into the flesh or physical being of the world, resulting in, as the Eldar call it, "Arda Marred." This so-called marring of Arda allowed the influence of Melkor to find it's way into anything and everything, in some small portion. The Valar, and in their degree the Eldar, were able to heal the earth of this marring, yet even after His defeat in the War of Wrath, Arda remained marred and His power lay dormant within it's being. It is this power that allows us to have some mastery over the Darkness of the world, both in the influence of Melkor in the world itself and the influence hidden within ourselves; this leads to a second unification with a person and the world around them, for just as a being's spirit and the world were derived from and share together the Flame Imperishable, so, too, do they share a common bond in Melkor. Yet the desire to have this mastery is a journey that must be taken with care, for if one is not prepared one may fall down the same destructive path as Melkor Himself, and their spirit and will be utterly corrupted and open to stronger beings.

⁂
Level III: Calling forth the Shadows
"He took a step towards the hobbit, and he seemed to grow tall and menacing; his shadow filled the little room." — A Long-expected Party, The Lord of the Rings

"What it was could not be seen: it was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man-shape maybe, yet greater; and a power and terror seemed to be in it and to go before it." — The Bridge of Khazad-dûm, The Lord of the Rings

"His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings." — The Bridge of Khazad-dûm, The Lord of the Rings

Upon learning how to tap into one's dark side, the first significant ability one learns is the manipulation of shadow, mainly in the form of making one's shadow appear bigger than normal, and perhaps to make the practitioner themselves appear bigger as a result. This has no real application outside of fear and intimidation; it neither make you truly bigger in size, nor does it make you any more powerful. It is simply meant to scare the victim and weaken their will. However the shadows of the world have long been used as a weapon of the Dark Powers, and in great quantities shadows can instill fear upon many; such has been the reason why a dark forest or the shadows of the night have long been home to unseen terrors and were avoided by many of the good folk. As the manipulation of the shadows improves, one can learn how to manipulate the Darkness in and around them to disseminate light from their being and wreath themselves in shadow, until one can mask themselves completely in any dark corner.

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Level IV: The Unlight of Ungoliantë
"A cloak of darkness she wove about herself; an unlight, in which things seemed to be no more, and which eyes could not pierce, for it was void." — Of The Darkening of Valinor, Morgoth's Ring

"The Light went out; but the Darkness that followed was more than loss. In that hour the dwellers in Aman knew the Unlight, and it seemed not lack, but a thing with being of its own, that made by malice out of Light had the power to pierce the eye, to enter heart and mind and strangle the very will." — Of The Darkening of Valinor, Morgoth's Ring

The manipulation and formation of shadows reaches it's zenith with the creation of Unlight, a tool used by the great she-spider, Ungoliantë. As the name suggests, Unlight is the opposite of Light and formed directly from the Darkness; none can perceive through it's dark vale which counters the light, making all that appear seem to disappear. This is a perfect weapon against an enemy when one must move under cover of darkness, for although it can be successfully used during the waking hours such success is dependent upon the strength and focus of all who use this power; it is easier to harness the Darkness during the shadow of nightfall than the light of day.

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Level V: The Dæmonic Force
"The Witch-king, their leader, is more powerful in all ways than the others; but he must not yet be raised to the stature of Vol. III. There, put in command by Sauron, he is given an added demonic force. But even in the Battle of the Pelennor, the darkness had only just broken." — Letter 210

The manipulation of shadow may hold little sway against an adversary of particularly strong will and nature, yet against weaker foes it can cause dismay upon entire armies. However the ability to manipulate shadow serves as an exercise to manipulate the Darkness itself, both within and without and unify the two forces. When one's spirit is strengthened in this way and open to the Darkness of the world, one may drawin that Darkness into their own being, thus increasing the evil power within them. This added force from the very power of Melkor strengthens the abilities of one who's power is born of the Darkness; thus the shadows become easier to dominate, and their dark will being pitted against another may have greater potency. Yet the power of Melkor is not one to be underestimated, and must only be used under the most dire situations. He may no longer be in the world, but His power still has the ability to corrupt even the strongest of wills, breaking them, mind, body, and soul, until they are utterly an agent of His power and a slave to He and His mightiest servants. And when death inevitably comes, one may find their spirit lost in the Darkness forever more.

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Level VI: The Black Shadow of the Nazgûl
"But now their art and knowledge were baffled; for there were many sick of a malady that would not be healed; and they called it the Black Shadow, for it came from the Nazgûl. And those who were stricken with it fell slowly into an ever deeper dream, and then passed into silence and a deadly cold, and so died. And it seemed to the tenders of the sick that on the Halfling and on the Lady of Rohan this malady lay heavy. Still at whiles as the morning wore away they would speak, murmuring in their dreams; and the watchers listened to all that they said, hoping perhaps to learn something that would help them to understand their hurts. But soon they began to fall down into the darkness, and as the sun turned west a grey shadow crept over their faces." — The Houses of Healing, The Lord of the Rings

The highest caliber art of Dark Energy is the manipulation of the Darkness that lays at the heart of another being. It has been discussed in previous passages that if one does not take proper care in their quest to understand the nature of the Darkness, one may find themselves irreversibly cursed. The darkest and most evil of these powers forces the corruption of a being by holding sway over their inner Darkness, causing the weakness of their body and will and withering of their spirit until they are reduced to that of a wraith and all humanity is lost. This is not an easy power to wield, and only when one can contend against the Shadow Lord while retaining their own humanity and will can one begin the process of discovering this deadly force.

All beings possess some measure of Darkness left to them by Melkor, given to them upon birth and built upon by outside forces, however small this may seem. One can live a life of virtue without ever succumbing to the Darkness in even the smallest degree, yet always the nature of evil is there. One uses their mastery of the Darkness to find this evil in the hearts of men and build upon it further against the victim's will. It must be done so against their will for in such ways the body, and the spirit in it's end, will not be ready to combat against the intrusion, and thus become corrupted. Their body will weaken and their will and mind will be lost, until even the spirit is infected by the Darkness and become a shadow of it's former self. One cannot expect to force the Black Shadow upon all as soon as the power is learned, for even performing it against an already weak-willed victim can be taxing, and against one of strong will and hardy constitution may indeed be impossible.

[Xar Zarath]

Amesang: Seems less sciency stuff. Was hoping the playgrounders give their little take on it.

[Xar Zarath]

Mix and match with appropriate magic school based on description/function (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?252794-She-Blinded-Me-with-Science!-(Magitek-That-Doesn-t-Make-Me-Cry-Myself-To-Sleep))

This one is more appropriate but has anyone added more fluff to the existing system/schools of magic?

[avr]

Divination
Diviners are soothsayers, court magicians and advisors, and are generally very sure that what their magic tells them is true: in other words they're economists.

Enchantment
Enchanters on the other hand just want people to do what they tell them to. They're politicians. Some are very knowledgable about the psyche, some just brute force their results. It's not always easy to tell which is which.

[Xar Zarath]

...Enchantment
Enchanters on the other hand just want people to do what they tell them to. They're politicians. Some are very knowledgable about the psyche, some just brute force their results. It's not always easy to tell which is which.

One could also say that Enchanters are psychologists trained in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and are social animals. They seem very personable, keep many friends and are seemingly so understanding.

[Telonius]

Enchantment (Charm): Social Psychology
Enchantment (Compulsion): Neuropsychology

Transmutation: Condensed Matter Physics