PlaneShift
Gameplay => Wish list => Topic started by: Toadhead on August 14, 2004, 12:11:06 am
-
Hey, what about \"Mind Power\" (or call it sometihng else)
There will be alot of types of it, when you use it you will lose energy. You can also become better in it etc.
As soon as you start they will learn you a the most common one: telepatic (I thought it was called that in English :/ (I\'m Dutch))
With telepatic you can call to other players, and they can hear you when they have also learned this. This one won\'t cost any energy! This will be you\'re buddy list that you can fill up with friends. Other things could be: look into the mind of other players (when you do this you\'ll see stats and skills and items of the target player), curse (you will curse the soul of target animal/ player, this could have several effects (there could be many curses, some will weaken the player, do him damage, invert walking or sometihng (when you walk forward you will walk backwards) etc. and many more things. The more powerfull the mindpowers are, the more time it cost to learn them! To learn them you will need to practice. To use them you must stand still, and concentrate yourself, it will cost some time before you can use the mind power.
-
This is basically describes Azure Spells if you choose the Azure way you can control minds & Illusionary stuff... :]
Azure\'s cool
-
hmmz i think that an friend list should be standard..so dont have to folow any ways for it..
and i think there should be something that when u click on another player u should get a screen..not necessarily with his stats..but just with the outfit of that player..thumbnails of the items he wears..what lvl they are..etc.
-
ya they were talking about just having it so you could only look @ a player\'s armor/weapons they have equiped, but you have to guess the stats on them...
I would personally like to be able to see other people stats however unrealistic this is...
-
well..u can allready see a bit what stats a person has by looking at the stuff he wears.. Because they should just put in what lvl weapon or armor it is and what stats u need to wield that kind of weapon/armor..so by that u can allready see what kind of stats that person has. Allthough u can only guess the minimum \'stats\' a person has then.
also a bit more realistic..not much but still :D
-
I\'d see mind powers as an alternative casting system, i.e. one that doesn\'t use glyphs but some other notion. There is no reason why the spells of both systems would even differ as you can do everything with both systems. There would, however, be the added RP element of different notions of magic in it.
-
you mean sort of like the \"Psynergy\" system they did in Golden Sun & Golden Sun Part2?
(by the way that\'s a fun GameboyAdvanced rpg :D)
-
Originally posted by Zeraph
you mean sort of like the \"Psynergy\" system they did in Golden Sun & Golden Sun Part2?
(by the way that\'s a fun GameboyAdvanced rpg :D)
I don\'t know about these, but probably. ADD has a psychic system as well (basically a mana system), which is in contrast to the ADD \"learn-forget\" magic system (which IMO is even more stupid than the mana approach).
I prefer fatique for both ways, but that obviously would make the two differ only in RP aspects. PS, however, having chosen the rune system for magic (which I need to use and examine in detail first to judge), could easily use fatique for mind powers.
-
the sytem of telepathy and telekeneti energies make up a branch of power known as \"Psionics\" its different form magic in that psionics are hm... real, so to speak, its hard to explain, technicaly psioincs can be scietifcy explained. however the idea of psionics is different from fantasy to fantasy
-
Originally posted by druke
the sytem of telepathy and telekeneti energies make up a branch of power known as \"Psionics\" its different form magic in that psionics are hm... real, so to speak, its hard to explain, technicaly psioincs can be scietifcy explained. however the idea of psionics is different from fantasy to fantasy
Well, magic in Yliakum can be scientifically explained as well (the crystal is the source of some energy that can be manipulated using glyphs). And most RPGs have pretty detailed explanations on magic. The common element of all magic is that there is some source of energy that you can manipulate. This energy has three major sources:
1) The environment. This is the most common notion. It is split into two main branches:
- the natural magic branch, in which the surrounding and nature itself is interwoven with magic power that, by being connected to everyone, can be manipulated by those who know and have access to it (like if you possess voice you can speak)
- the abstract magic branch, in which there is a magic plane from which energy can be drawn into the mundane plane by those who know how to and who can access it to affect the mundane plane. (In PS\'s case, the crystal)
2) The divine branch, in which the source of power is attributed to a godlike being (in fact any being of great power, including gods and devils and such) or a combination of beings (like spirits).
3) The blood magic branch, where the lifeforce of any being is the source of power. It can be found in voodoo and blood rites but also in notions where the magicdoer draws the power from itself, creating strain on itself that, when overused, leads to physical damage.
Psionics neatly fit in as a fourth branch IMO, because their source of power is the mind of the psychic. In this branch, unlike in branch 3), the psychics mind itself, not it\'s blood, contains or makes or is made of the power that is being tapped into. While conventional psychics tend to focus on the mental aspects (like telepathy and illusion), the common presence of teleportation and telekinesis proves that this power is not limited to affecting other minds.
All branches have one thing in common: each of them can be used in two basic ways: the academic way and the intuitive way. The classical wizard is a perfect example of the academic way while the shaman is the perfect example of the intuitive way, so are priest and witch. So are traind psychics and so-called \"wild talents\".
So I am inclined to say this: each of these branches is an equally valid approach to the same concept of magic, but neither of these actually understands it. They are models that give the magicdoer tools to understand and use magic, but they are just a model like the flat earth model or atom model. The question is: even if the source of magic could be \"traced\", would it really be the source? Or would it not just be that the actual source simply escapes the trace? After all, one can only sense what one has tools to, and these tools need to be sensitive enough to sense it. These are things we can only assume, but not prove. The only proof is if we can prove them wrong, something that should be welcomed and not feared, for the sake of increased knowledge and therefore power in the long run. In the short run it, of course, reduces the power of these who only know about the wrong thesis, thus these things are not readily embraced by the established forces, as we all know.
-
yeah GS1&2 were pretty fun..tho i played them on PC.
But doesn\'t Ps allready have 4ways for different sorts of magic? so shouldn\'t psyonic (or whatever u wanna call them) powers be paart with one of them..if not with all?
-
It does have six was of magic, and these are dedicated to specific aspects of magic (mind, necromancy, etc.). This is why I said that it would be an alternate casting system, not different effects. Technically, it wouldn\'t even require different spells, just a different representation of these. Just this is whyt I said that all systems are different approaches to the same thing.
-
you put my thoguhts into words hehe, yes anything else would be a completely different system
-
well good idea. But how powerful can mind power go? Are you going to be able to control monsters?
I know, mind power/illusion stuff is cool, I agree also. But there has to be a fine line between what\'s legit and logical according to the game and than what\'s just down right too powerful or cheap and cheap as in unfair or what gives you too much advantage over a monster or another player.
But again I do like mind stuff though...
-
I also thought about controlling monsters.. It would be pretty cool but I think too much ppl will use it, and the most important thing: alot of people will probably use these creatures as their second character that doesn\'t matter if it dies (you\'ll just take another one than).
This could work, but than it must be only for realy good people (it will cost alot of time to learn), and there must be a timer, like you can only control it for 1 minute and than you will go back to you\'re own person.
-
why not give it as a random bonous ? to all the races, save the krans
-
well since this will be an alternate system then..u have to make new rules of what races can use it..or what jobs u need to use it. Cause giving control over creatures as a random bonus seems to simple for me.
-
Also, as can be seen from my posts in this thread
http://www.planeshift3d.com/wbboard/thread.php?threadid=9793&boardid=11&styleid=3&sid=aede95ef3ac9bb9a7bfdecf6494eeb46
I\'m totally against any randomness and I strongly support equal opportunities for everyone. You should have the choice to pick it. If you want it, then you can have it, if not, then you don\'t have to.
-
I don\'t see why PS needs to be burdened by what is essentially a \"redundant\" system of magic - if it\'s the mental effects that count, there are azure way spells; if what you want is freedom from glyphs- well, even Laanx and Talad seemed to be hooked on \'em, I\'m guessing that\'s the way things work in the world of PS.
Additionally, I wouldn\'t consider psionics either a \"4th branch\" of magic (if there\'s any source of power, it\'s an exercising of the will and a self-draining activity) or some \"non-magical force\" (as that isn\'t really well defined in a world where magic is \"real\" and explainable)
Psionics would have impacts on all the backstory that they have, for no gain in originality. My opinion, of course, but that\'s what I think.
-
we all know the subject is dead, tis just discussion on the matter, btw, magic isn\'t quite explained in ps
-
@ druke: I\'d say it\'s as explained as quantum physics are IRL... there are models that describe the effects that have been observed, that can even predict new effects, but they are not a real explanation, just guesses and models. They could be proven wrong any day (and IMO they will be proven wrong within 20 years time). So magic in Yliakum is, in essence, a science.
@ dfryer: it of course doesn\'t need to be. It would add another option to RP, but what you can do in the world wouldn\'t differ. Like having a blue pen besides a black one. Doesn\'t really change anything, but is nice to have. I do agree to the glyph argument to a certain extent only, and I\'d say that psychic powers wouldn\'t be strong enough to create a race. However, because the gods used the power from the crystal, not their own, to create the races, and the rune magic of Yliakum AFAICS isn\'t very powerful, either (i.e. doesn\'t allow even the most powerful magician to create a new race), there wouldn\'t be any difference.
Also, on the settings page it is implied that runes aren\'t the only way to use the magic of the crystal.
Originally posted on the history page
Since Talad wanted to have mastery on glyphs, Laanx would control the pure and violent power of the Crystal.
So obviously, there is another way of using the magic of the crystal. Therefore, psionics wouldn\'t be ruled out by implication as well.
Anyway, I regard psionics as fourth branch of magic because it is so very similar to the other branches. It drains power by making the user tired. While this could be attributed to the sheer act of concentration this is unlikely the case because you need great concentration for any academic branch of magic, and even wild talents get drained despite them not actually concentrating hard. The conventional tiredness, however, usually doesn\'t even affect or limit you so it cannot be the same.
Therefore the source of power seems to be a self-draining effect, just as you said. Assuming this, there is no great difference between this and the blood magic branch that just draws upon another source, the life force, as opposed to the mind. Therefore, overusing psionics will IMO lead to madness because the mind is damaged permanently, just like overusing blood magic on your own life force will kill you.
Furthermore, it\'s not \"non-magical force\" but rather another magic force. If not, then any magic forces are \"non-magical forces\" by definition as well because all can be traced and all have different percieved origins. All can be manipulated using specific but different techniques. Therefore it is IMO only a matter of traditional nomenclature that differenciates between magic and psionics, just as divine magic often is not being seen as magic but as miracles as well.
If we now look at magic from a scientific point of view of todays physics, you would come to the conclusion that all magic, regardless of the percieved source of power, essentially manipulates the exact same energies and strutures. These are what is being tried to describe by quantum physics: the space-time-energy fabric itself. Any differences are differences in what you use to focus yourself to be able to manipulate it, a model that fits your way of thinking and of percieving the world, not what you actually do. Therefore, natural magic can be considered to be the most accurate model, because it defines the source of power to be interwoven with the surrounding, which is nearly precise: quantum structures make up everything.
Means of focusing:
Natural magic: concentration on the harmony of the surrounding, bringing yourself into this harmony and then changing the harmony. Diretly ccesses the fabric through the concept of \"harmony\".
Divine magic: concentration on the entity you believe in and catalysing your efforts through it because this being is supposedly connected to everything. Uses one level of indirection by relaying the power though an abstract entity (that might coincide with real entities).
Blood magic: concentration on the life force that essentially makes up everything and that can thus affect other life forces. Uses the concept of \"life force\" to directly access the fabric.
Psionics: concentration on what you want to achieve, connecting your mind to the target and affecting it this way. Uses the concept of \"will\" to directly access the fabric.
The different assumed sources of power therefore are what actually defines what is being drained, because the drain itself only takes place because the need to drain something is at the very heart of any of these theories. Therefore, with a theory that isn\'t based on drain, there would not be any drain (except the tiredness of concentrating).