From: Neil Asato <[n--sa--o] at [wiliki.eng.hawaii.edu]> Subject: BTRC: campaign magic To: jerry (Jerry Stratton) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1993 14:54:43 -1000 (HST) Campaign Magic Use copyright 1993 by Neil Asato GM note: The following information is intended for campaigns where there has been the equivalent of TL 16 magic development. It is up to the individual GM which, if any, are applicable to their campaign. The direct use of Power to accomplish a desired effect is often used, but there are ways to use principles and techniques to get the most from a given amount of energy. This article primarily focuses on a few of the techniques used by NPC wizards to get some amazing effects. Some of this is more for campaign background than anything PCs will use. The base enchantment of an item increases the resistance of an item to the environment by strengthening its molecular bonds. "Rapidly decaying" shifts to "slowly decaying." "Slowly decaying" shifts to "will not decay." Enchantment Trick to Make an Item Last Forever 1) Use a designed spell of the School of Enchantment to "burn a template" of the item in the desired (current) condition into its structure. 2) Have a separate enchanted item with a variant of the Repair spell (designed to use the "template" to set the structure) constantly on the object of the first part to make it resist time and damage almost forever. The structure in the first part is usually designed to hermetically seal over the second part, providing mutual protection from the effects of wear-and-tear. This is often used for structures designed to last forever (for example: monuments, sewers, highways, and bridges). A variant use is to have the desired part of the first component detachable from the part that will hold the template. The second component would then make use of an Improved Repair spell to create a virtual object. This variant is used in the more sophisticated Magitech works like pocket knives/multi-tools (different virtual tool templates stored in the handle), powered armor (template stored on a thin suit; for ease of use and self-repair; the magical nature of the armor prevents detection and neutralization by anti- technological devices like the Orbs of Carnos), and materials processing equipment (for self-repair). Professional Wizards (Generic Magic and others) 1) They will generally spend time preparing their spells after waking up (if they need sleep) to get at least +10 bonus to their spells (held for work during business hours). 2) Lots of enchanted jewelry on their bodies designed with the spells that can "stack" base effects. Magitech has a number of advantages not previously noted. One is that it can be used to make items in a totally automated system. Another is that it can use directly use nuclear-type potential energies (the other magic systems do not function in a way to allow tapping those kind of energies). Of course, this requires that the device be pre-designed to convert the chosen energy into Power. Use the following table for the energies that can be obtained from a given fuel: Material Base effect per gram _______________________________________________________________ Chemical explosive 1 Fission fuel (U-238 oxide) 8.04 * 10^7 Fusion fuel ("heavy" water) 3.38 * 10^8 Anti-matter (for 1/2 matter and 1/2 a-m) 9.00 * 10^10 Chemical explosive, fusion. anti-matter based fuels may be considered as having a density of 1 g/cm^3. Fission-based fuels may be considered as having a density of 18 g/cm^3. In all cases, the fuel would have to placed in the part of the device that converts the energy. The waste is essentially inert (sort of like the resultant of the Denature spell, except with respect to the appropriate fuels (the anti-matter based fuel has no residue). There is a maximum physical upper limit to how much base effect that they can handle, assuming that they have enough energy to get that high. The limit is equal to the "enchanment space" in points of effect per second. This is the total base effect to be Spread among the sub-systems. For example, a Magitech powered armor With a 1000 point enchantment space can use up to 1000 base effect per second (for the computers, magic resistance, virtual armor, energy for virtual armor, spells, etc.). This is why Magitech civilizations can compete effectively against Generic magic using and Religious magic using (with deities) civilizations. For obvious reasons, the items sold on the general market normally have a limitation of "may not be using more than [some amount, usually 100] base effect" ( * 0.9 limitation). A technique for using Generic Magic to create a rocket 1) Use Electrical Manipulation "Water to Air" spell (electrolysis) to make hydrogen and oxygen. 2) As the first part is done, use transform spells (of sufficient sizes) to turn them into iron (and then compact them) so they can be carried in a small volume (the transform spells should be maintained by enchanted items). 3) Slowly change the location of the spell so that they turn back and be burned for fuel. If necessary, use Heat Manipulation spells to control the burning. Note that this may allow a practical rocket to function on world with Orbs of Carnos, since the combination of having an unbelievably compact fuel, magic supporting the reaction, and the resultant being mostly kinetic energy, would probably overcome the drain by the Orbs (it might even help keep the engine cool by unintentionally removing the excess heat). Some enchanters may use the above technique to create enchanted flame throwers (sort of, they would be be better used to do metal work if some spell is used to prevent hydrogen embrittlement), and advanced projectile weapons (a kind of binary-propellant steam gun). Similar ideas can be used to accomplish technological feats. A low level Transformation spell can used as a catalyst for creating desired substances or reactions (by using the spell indirectly to cause a permanent effect) like getting rid of pollutants (like the Denature spell, ventilation might be needed).