Post by Admin on Mar 16, 2012 15:35:43 GMT -5
When it comes to styles of magic, Time magic is a special case. On the one hand, this magic is subject to the most potential abuses - both between characters, and for the game in general. On the other hand, it is a unique and flavorful style of magic, and so we don't want to disbar it entirely from the site either. Therefore, there are certain rules that each player must take into account when using Time magic in this system.
1: Time magic is effectively "time and space" magic, and is limited in terms of both. It can affect areas, inanimate objects, and even living beings, but never all of time or all of space. Some individual effects can give the appearance that they affect all of reality though. How large the area of effect depends on how powerful and proficient the mage is.
2: Just like other uses of magic, Magic Pressure and PC rules still apply. A mage that is too strong to be directly affected could resist or outright ignore Time magic spells cast upon them or the area around them, or allow positive effects to go through on a case by case basis.
3: As with every other kind of magic, each of the Five Forms handles Time magic differently.
- Written magic still follows its own guidelines for enchanting. When an entire room is covered in a Time spell, the effect it generates is the strongest of all the Five Forms.
- Mental magic and some specializations of Physical magic still only last a short time as always, with such Time magic ending several times sooner as others.
- Spoken magic is much more limited in how long each use of Time magic can last than other Spoken spells, as are specializations of Physical magic that use a series of hand signs or other formulaic motions.
- All Material magic with Time-related powers would be Tier 5 materials at least, if they even exist, and would be practically impossible to come by.
- Examples of specific limitations are listed below each entry.
4: Time magic is incredibly hard to use. It is not only very draining - which goes double for Mental mages - but cannot even be performed at all by the vast majority of mages. They just lack the natural talent or proficiency for it.
- A player may choose for their character to specialize in Time magic, but this counts as a broad specialization. Each player may only have one such PC for every six characters they have. This is to keep a sense of rarity for the magic.
- A player may choose a single use of Time magic as a narrow specialization as many times, for as many characters, as the player wants. Some natural-born mages are instinctively able to use Haste or Quicken for example.
- A mage capable of casting at a Tier 5 proficiency or higher with an applicable broad specialization can use Time magic, but in a highly limited way: their proficiency with Time magic is equivalent to a Tier 1 Time magic. A Tier 6 proficiency with an applicable broad specialization would naturally lend itself to a Tier 2 Time mage's proficiency. If the mage's broad specialization is not applicable - that is, "Time" is not a viable use of a specialization like Necromancy, Enchantment, etc - then they cannot use Time magic in this way.
The abilities listed below represent the current total uses of Time magic we have set down for the game. These may be updated later, if someone suggests a good idea or a unique variation.
Please note that the listed examples are GUIDELINES, and not outright restrictions or demands on what your character can do. Maybe your character is better at one use of Time magic or worse in another. Someone who chooses only one use of Time as a narrow specialization might be better too.
Haste: the Time mage accelerates how fast something moves. If cast directly upon a person, then their reaction speed is accelerated just as fast and perfectly able to keep up with their new speed. Casting it solely upon their legs does not grant this benefit, but is easier. If cast upon an area, then everything in that area speeds up such that it gives the impression "more" time is happening inside the area than out.
Tier 1 Time magic can speed things up 1.5 times, for few seconds at a time.
Tier 2 Time magic can speed things up 2 times, for half a minute at a time.
Tier 3 Time magic can speed things up 3 times, for a minute at a time.
Tier 4 Time magic can speed things up 4 times, for a few minutes at a time.
Tier 5 Time magic can speed things up 5 times, for several minutes at a time.
Tier 6 Time magic can speed things up 6 times, for half an hour at a time.
Slow: the Time mage decelerates how fast something moves. This also slows any physical or magical effect - such as gravity or the pressure of a blast - from outside the area of effect. In other words, a person hit with a punch takes the full force of the strike, but reacts to it in slow motion. If an area is affected, it gives the impression "more" time is happening outside the area than in.
Tier 1 Time magic can slow things down 1.5 times, for few seconds at a time.
Tier 2 Time magic can slow things down 2 times, for half a minute at a time.
Tier 3 Time magic can slow things down 3 times, for a minute at a time.
Tier 4 Time magic can slow things down 4 times, for a few minutes at a time.
Tier 5 Time magic can slow things down 5 times, for several minutes at a time.
Tier 6 Time magic can slow things down 6 times, for half an hour at a time.
Stop: the Time mage freezes the motion of something entirely. This does not actually cause something to become cold or frozen - simply motionless. Anything caught in such a spell is unaffected by almost everything while stopped, since by the very nature of the spell, nothing is happening. A Time mage or a designated target can move through such an area by creating a localized "unstopped bubble" that moves with them. This is the most draining spell to perform and cannot be maintained for long - even by Written magic. At the same time, while it is maintained, the mage cannot use any further magic, except some magic items.
Tier 1 Time magic can stop things for a second.
Tier 2 Time magic can stop things for a few seconds.
Tier 3 Time magic can stop things for a half a minute.
Tier 4 Time magic can stop things for a minute.
Tier 5 Time magic can stop things for a few minutes.
Tier 6 Time magic can stop things for several minutes.
Rewind: the Time mage causes something to revert to the way it used to be in the past. How large or how far back something can be restored depends on the strength of the mage. If cast directly upon a person, they forget everything in the rewound time just as if it never happened. This ability can be used to heal recently-acquired wounds by targeting the specific area of the wound, and a powerful Time mage may even restore corpses to "life," but it cannot raise the dead unless their spirits have yet to move on.
Tier 1 Time magic can rewind things back by seconds at a time.
Tier 2 Time magic can rewind things back by minutes at a time.
Tier 3 Time magic can rewind things back by hours at a time.
Tier 4 Time magic can rewind things back by days at a time.
Tier 5 Time magic can rewind things back by months at a time.
Tier 6 Time magic can rewind things back by years at a time.
Shift: the Time mage instantly moves something - even themselves - from one place to another. This is similar to teleportation, but its effects can target areas instead of just the user, and there is no chance of a bad teleport. A Time mage can use this power to switch two areas, or to have the shifted area forcefully push away everything from its "landing zone." How large or how far something can be shifted depends on the strength of the mage, in contrast to teleportation, which can move people over vast distances even as an inexperienced mage. That said, this is the second most draining spell to perform and requires more intense concentration the further the mage is trying to send something.
Tier 1 magic can shift things a few feet.
Tier 2 magic can shift things a few hundred feet.
Tier 3 magic can shift things a mile.
Tier 4 magic can shift things a few miles.
Tier 5 magic can shift things a hundred miles.
Tier 6 magic can shift things a few hundred miles.
Quicken: the Time mage rapidly moves something - usually themselves - from one place to another. While this is much faster than Haste and requires less energy and concentration than Shift, it is not an "instant" transmission from one place to another. Whatever is moved actively travels through space at high speed, as a blur at worst and practically invisible at best. This is primarily a means of rapid transport for one designated thing to a designated place, as the subject is not protected from impacts with solid objects and could easily shatter their limbs - if not die outright - if they don't slow down first. An experienced Time mage who uses this on themselves can alter their path while moving, but anything else will crash if their path is obstructed. Like Stop, while it is used, the mage cannot use any further magic, except some magic items.
Tier 1 magic can quicken things a few feet.
Tier 2 magic can quicken things a few hundred feet.
Tier 3 magic can quicken things a mile.
Tier 4 magic can quicken things a few miles.
Tier 5 magic can quicken things a hundred miles.
Tier 6 magic can quicken things a few hundred miles.
Dilation: the Time mage alters the space of an area, such that "more" space fits in a smaller area, or "less" space fits in a larger area. Like Shift, this is functionally one of the spatial aspects of Time magic, altering the size of an area but not the momentum of an area. The offensive applications of this spell are limited, since exiting the space returns it to normal automatically, but many mages find its ability to enlarge the space of a room or a bag to be quite useful. For that reason, this use of magic is especially favored by Written Time mages, who can keep the effect going in perpetuity without continued effort.
Tier 1 Time magic can expand or shrink things 2 times.
Tier 2 Time magic can expand or shrink things 5 times.
Tier 3 Time magic can expand or shrink things 10 times.
Tier 4 Time magic can expand or shrink things 20 times.
Tier 5 Time magic can expand or shrink things 50 times.
Tier 6 Time magic can expand or shrink things 100 times.
1: Time magic is effectively "time and space" magic, and is limited in terms of both. It can affect areas, inanimate objects, and even living beings, but never all of time or all of space. Some individual effects can give the appearance that they affect all of reality though. How large the area of effect depends on how powerful and proficient the mage is.
2: Just like other uses of magic, Magic Pressure and PC rules still apply. A mage that is too strong to be directly affected could resist or outright ignore Time magic spells cast upon them or the area around them, or allow positive effects to go through on a case by case basis.
3: As with every other kind of magic, each of the Five Forms handles Time magic differently.
- Written magic still follows its own guidelines for enchanting. When an entire room is covered in a Time spell, the effect it generates is the strongest of all the Five Forms.
- Mental magic and some specializations of Physical magic still only last a short time as always, with such Time magic ending several times sooner as others.
- Spoken magic is much more limited in how long each use of Time magic can last than other Spoken spells, as are specializations of Physical magic that use a series of hand signs or other formulaic motions.
- All Material magic with Time-related powers would be Tier 5 materials at least, if they even exist, and would be practically impossible to come by.
- Examples of specific limitations are listed below each entry.
4: Time magic is incredibly hard to use. It is not only very draining - which goes double for Mental mages - but cannot even be performed at all by the vast majority of mages. They just lack the natural talent or proficiency for it.
- A player may choose for their character to specialize in Time magic, but this counts as a broad specialization. Each player may only have one such PC for every six characters they have. This is to keep a sense of rarity for the magic.
- A player may choose a single use of Time magic as a narrow specialization as many times, for as many characters, as the player wants. Some natural-born mages are instinctively able to use Haste or Quicken for example.
- A mage capable of casting at a Tier 5 proficiency or higher with an applicable broad specialization can use Time magic, but in a highly limited way: their proficiency with Time magic is equivalent to a Tier 1 Time magic. A Tier 6 proficiency with an applicable broad specialization would naturally lend itself to a Tier 2 Time mage's proficiency. If the mage's broad specialization is not applicable - that is, "Time" is not a viable use of a specialization like Necromancy, Enchantment, etc - then they cannot use Time magic in this way.
The abilities listed below represent the current total uses of Time magic we have set down for the game. These may be updated later, if someone suggests a good idea or a unique variation.
Please note that the listed examples are GUIDELINES, and not outright restrictions or demands on what your character can do. Maybe your character is better at one use of Time magic or worse in another. Someone who chooses only one use of Time as a narrow specialization might be better too.
Haste: the Time mage accelerates how fast something moves. If cast directly upon a person, then their reaction speed is accelerated just as fast and perfectly able to keep up with their new speed. Casting it solely upon their legs does not grant this benefit, but is easier. If cast upon an area, then everything in that area speeds up such that it gives the impression "more" time is happening inside the area than out.
Tier 1 Time magic can speed things up 1.5 times, for few seconds at a time.
Tier 2 Time magic can speed things up 2 times, for half a minute at a time.
Tier 3 Time magic can speed things up 3 times, for a minute at a time.
Tier 4 Time magic can speed things up 4 times, for a few minutes at a time.
Tier 5 Time magic can speed things up 5 times, for several minutes at a time.
Tier 6 Time magic can speed things up 6 times, for half an hour at a time.
Slow: the Time mage decelerates how fast something moves. This also slows any physical or magical effect - such as gravity or the pressure of a blast - from outside the area of effect. In other words, a person hit with a punch takes the full force of the strike, but reacts to it in slow motion. If an area is affected, it gives the impression "more" time is happening outside the area than in.
Tier 1 Time magic can slow things down 1.5 times, for few seconds at a time.
Tier 2 Time magic can slow things down 2 times, for half a minute at a time.
Tier 3 Time magic can slow things down 3 times, for a minute at a time.
Tier 4 Time magic can slow things down 4 times, for a few minutes at a time.
Tier 5 Time magic can slow things down 5 times, for several minutes at a time.
Tier 6 Time magic can slow things down 6 times, for half an hour at a time.
Stop: the Time mage freezes the motion of something entirely. This does not actually cause something to become cold or frozen - simply motionless. Anything caught in such a spell is unaffected by almost everything while stopped, since by the very nature of the spell, nothing is happening. A Time mage or a designated target can move through such an area by creating a localized "unstopped bubble" that moves with them. This is the most draining spell to perform and cannot be maintained for long - even by Written magic. At the same time, while it is maintained, the mage cannot use any further magic, except some magic items.
Tier 1 Time magic can stop things for a second.
Tier 2 Time magic can stop things for a few seconds.
Tier 3 Time magic can stop things for a half a minute.
Tier 4 Time magic can stop things for a minute.
Tier 5 Time magic can stop things for a few minutes.
Tier 6 Time magic can stop things for several minutes.
Rewind: the Time mage causes something to revert to the way it used to be in the past. How large or how far back something can be restored depends on the strength of the mage. If cast directly upon a person, they forget everything in the rewound time just as if it never happened. This ability can be used to heal recently-acquired wounds by targeting the specific area of the wound, and a powerful Time mage may even restore corpses to "life," but it cannot raise the dead unless their spirits have yet to move on.
Tier 1 Time magic can rewind things back by seconds at a time.
Tier 2 Time magic can rewind things back by minutes at a time.
Tier 3 Time magic can rewind things back by hours at a time.
Tier 4 Time magic can rewind things back by days at a time.
Tier 5 Time magic can rewind things back by months at a time.
Tier 6 Time magic can rewind things back by years at a time.
Shift: the Time mage instantly moves something - even themselves - from one place to another. This is similar to teleportation, but its effects can target areas instead of just the user, and there is no chance of a bad teleport. A Time mage can use this power to switch two areas, or to have the shifted area forcefully push away everything from its "landing zone." How large or how far something can be shifted depends on the strength of the mage, in contrast to teleportation, which can move people over vast distances even as an inexperienced mage. That said, this is the second most draining spell to perform and requires more intense concentration the further the mage is trying to send something.
Tier 1 magic can shift things a few feet.
Tier 2 magic can shift things a few hundred feet.
Tier 3 magic can shift things a mile.
Tier 4 magic can shift things a few miles.
Tier 5 magic can shift things a hundred miles.
Tier 6 magic can shift things a few hundred miles.
Quicken: the Time mage rapidly moves something - usually themselves - from one place to another. While this is much faster than Haste and requires less energy and concentration than Shift, it is not an "instant" transmission from one place to another. Whatever is moved actively travels through space at high speed, as a blur at worst and practically invisible at best. This is primarily a means of rapid transport for one designated thing to a designated place, as the subject is not protected from impacts with solid objects and could easily shatter their limbs - if not die outright - if they don't slow down first. An experienced Time mage who uses this on themselves can alter their path while moving, but anything else will crash if their path is obstructed. Like Stop, while it is used, the mage cannot use any further magic, except some magic items.
Tier 1 magic can quicken things a few feet.
Tier 2 magic can quicken things a few hundred feet.
Tier 3 magic can quicken things a mile.
Tier 4 magic can quicken things a few miles.
Tier 5 magic can quicken things a hundred miles.
Tier 6 magic can quicken things a few hundred miles.
Dilation: the Time mage alters the space of an area, such that "more" space fits in a smaller area, or "less" space fits in a larger area. Like Shift, this is functionally one of the spatial aspects of Time magic, altering the size of an area but not the momentum of an area. The offensive applications of this spell are limited, since exiting the space returns it to normal automatically, but many mages find its ability to enlarge the space of a room or a bag to be quite useful. For that reason, this use of magic is especially favored by Written Time mages, who can keep the effect going in perpetuity without continued effort.
Tier 1 Time magic can expand or shrink things 2 times.
Tier 2 Time magic can expand or shrink things 5 times.
Tier 3 Time magic can expand or shrink things 10 times.
Tier 4 Time magic can expand or shrink things 20 times.
Tier 5 Time magic can expand or shrink things 50 times.
Tier 6 Time magic can expand or shrink things 100 times.