(TFT) unfinished Bendwyn

["Jay Carlisle" <Maou_Tsaou@charter.net>]

Magic

Clarke said that at a certain point, advanced technology is 
indistinguishable from magic.
I think this is a valid way to view spell use and, in a campaign or smaller 
time-unit for a game with a first through zero point sufficiently removed 
from the production chain of the technology in question, the magic can be 
described as cost/effect of each individual spell w/o reference to the how's/why's 
of the inner workings of magic.
In other words; if your campaign involves a single dungeon-crawl, or even a 
series of scenarios/modules separated by short to moderate travel distances 
then issues involving prolonged periods of downtime, like spell research, 
can basically be ignored.
The spells source can be attributed to an item, the i-pod ultimate for 
example, and the timing of spell casting as an Action is the gestures needed 
to find and start the "app".
Of course, this implies a number of issues (ready spells like ready weapon? 
Pickpocket a Wizards spell casting?) and doesn't really fit the TFT, D&D 
implications of how magic actually works.
Gandalf doesn't strike me as being an apple geek.

So magic can also be viewed as the shaping or manipulation of some 
mysterious cosmic force to the casters will.
Magic Fist (Hammertouch?), Fireball, Lightning and Wizards Wrath do 1-2, 
1-1, 1 or 1+1 die damage per fST spent by the Wizard @ IQ 8,12,14 or 18 
respectively as a missile on the TFT spell list.
Looking at those spells with a view toward inventing new spells and I've 
been thinking about the following.

I've been thinking of the "mysterious cosmic force" of magic as a kind of 
yin/yang that involves the positive/negative energy potential of the 
gameuniverse.
Negative charge is Yin, positive is Yang.
Silicon or germanium doped with arsenic, antimony, bismuth or phosphorous is 
Yin; doped with aluminum, indium, gallium or boron is Yang.
When fST is applied to a Yin subject, the movement is to Yang and vice versa 
meaning fST acts a lot like voltage when applied to spells. (forward for fST 
cost and reverse for dissolves?)

In the same manner that the science of electricity and electronics are both 
concerned with the flow of electric current, but each for different ends, 
magic item creation (also potions, scrolls.) and spells both are concerned 
with the flow of "cosmic energy" but for different applications.

Item Creation type spells are concerned with the powering of items that have 
had spell signals "fixed" into the structure of the item itself.
This is concerns of power supplies and, more specifically for magic items, I'll 
limit their power supplies to AC/DC converters.
Of course the assumption is that the "cosmic energy" is AC, constantly in 
flux between Yin & Yang, while actual spells describe the "circuitry" 
required to channel the energy into a given effect.

TFT spells involved in item creation are;
Staff (8)
Aid (9)
Ward (10)
Lock/Knock (10)
Destroy Creation (11)
Break Weapon (12)
Repair (12)
Spell Shield (14)
Remove Thrown Spell (14) ?
Weapon/Armor Enchantment (14)
Explosive Gem (14)
Pentagram (15)
Create Gate (15)
Write Scroll (16)
Staff of Power (16)
Dissolve Enchantment (17)
Remove Cursed Object (17)
Expunge Item (17)
Blast Trap (17)
Control Gate (18)
Lesser Magic Item Creation (18)
Greater Magic Item Creation (20)

The spells themselves seem to be focused around a small group of basic 
types.
Thrown, Missile, Creation and Special do not seem to do a good job of 
describing these types however.
The categories Thrown and Missile seem to be describing the actual physical 
gestures required to perform the spell.
The above is backed up by the discussion of Wizards with higher IQ's than 
the spell being cast.
An IQ of 5 higher than the spell can be cast w/o the Wizard appearing to 
move a muscle, etc.
I figure that this was SJ's way of addressing verbal and somatic spell 
components, and this works fine but what does that mean for creation and 
special types of spells?

I figure movement, control, illusion, information and possibly some sort of 
elemental manipulation besides item creation for the rest of the spell 
types.

Movement spells are;
Blur (8)
Slow Movement (8) ?
Avert (9) ?
Speed Movement (10)
Trailtwister (10) ?
Reverse Missles (11) ?
Silent Movement (11)
Freeze (12)
Flight (13) ?
Slippery Floor (13)
Stop (13)
Sticky Floor (13)
Open Tunnel (13) ?
Telekinesis (13)
Teleport (15)
Megahex Avert (15)
Insubstantiality (17)
Megahex Freeze (18)
Long-distance Teleport (19)

Control spells are;
Drop Weapon (8)
Clumsiness (9)
Confusion (9)
Summon Wolf (9)
Trip (10) ?
Summon Myrmidon (10)
Sleep (11)
Summon Bear (11)
Control Animal (11)
Persuasiveness (11)
Drain Strength (12)
Summon Gargoyle (13)
Control Person (13)
Stone Flesh (13)
Curse (13)
Summon Giant (14)
Telepathy (14) ?
Summon Lesser Demon (14)
Iron Flesh (15)
Summon Small Dragon (15)
Calling (15)
Unnoticeability (15)
Summon Dragon (16)
Megahex Sleep (16)
Summon Demon (17)
Geas (17)
The Little Death (17)
Revival (19)
Word of Command (20)
Possession (20)

Illusion spells are;
Image (8)
Light (8)
Darkness (9)
Dark Vision (9)
Dazzle (10) ?
Shadow (10)
Far Vision (10)
Illusion (11)
Invisibility (12)
3-hex Shadow (12)
Eyes Behind (12)
4-hex Image (13)
4-hex Illusion (14)
Dispel Illusion (14)
Glamor (14)
7-hex Shadow (15)
7-hex Image (15)
7-hex Illusion (16)

Information spells are;
Detect Magic (8)
Reveal Magic (9)
Detect Life (9)
Detect Enemies (10)
Reveal/Conceal (11) ?
Mage Sight (12)
Analyze Magic (12)
Astral Projection (15)
Trance (16)
Long-distance Telepathy (16)
Spellsniffer (17)

What I'll call the martial spells (separate out elemental spells (earth, 
fire, air, water)?) are;
Magic Fist (8) *
Fire (9)
Shock Shield (10)
Rope (11) *
Create Wall (11)
Staff to Snake (11) *
Fireball (12)
Blast (12)
3-hex Fire (12)
Magic Rainstorm (12)
3-hex Wall (13)
Fireproofing (13)
Open Tunnel (13)
Control Elemental (13)
Lightning (14)
Fresh Air (14)
Giant Rope (15)*
Hammertouch (15) *
Death Spell (16)
7-hex Fire (16)
7-hex Wall (16)
Create/Destroy Elemental (16)
Cleansing (17)
Shapeshifting (18) *
Wizard's Wrath (18)
Zombie (19) *

Movement root spell - Teleport (warp drive space tech)

Control root spell - Control Person (psychology)

Illusion root spell - Light (the rest of the senses should be involved for 
illusions to harm)

Information root spell - Reveal/Conceal (computers)

Martial {elemental manipulation} root spell - Magic Fist {Control 
Elemental} (weaponry)

Item Creation root spell - Aid (society)


Silicon or germanium doped with arsenic, antimony, bismuth or phosphorous is 
Yin.
Silicon or germanium doped with aluminum, indium, gallium or boron is Yang.
Also, by connecting Item Creation with AC/DC converters I note that 
transformers are copper winds around an iron core.
This speaks volumes for components as they can be matched to analogous 
circuit components.
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