Glyphwright
Guest
Every fantasy world, whether Tabletop, Video Game or Literature, has a different take on the magic rule system, but what most video games suffer from is a sharp disconnection between gameplay magic and in-universe lore. Additionally, virtually all video game magic systems are purely utilitarian (no real philosophy or symbolism behind its rules), lack mystery and versatility, and generally feel like an incoherent jumble of whatever unrelated magic-related stereotypes and tidbits the authors felt like inserting while snorting coke and calculating their paycheck. So I came up with the idea of taking the best aspects from some of the most interesting games out there, and using some creativity to fuse them into something comprehensive and internally consistent. Another concern is ensuring that each subdivision of magical practices is aligned with the culture and history of the civilization/organization it belongs to.
0. Source. If magic is defined as the power of a sentient being to alter the reality of the material realm at will, then the power must come from a source that transcends the material realm in some way. The source can be either a sentient being which knowingly grants power to its followers, or an impersonal energy which can be tapped in by those with the right talent/training.
2. Celestial magic, a.k.a. Thaumaturgy. Granted by angels and other celestial beings that dwell in heaven to those with deep faith and devotion to virtue. Thaumaturgy is the rarest type of magic, indeed, its practitioners do not think of their talent as 'magic' per se, but rather a natural extension of their belief, and a sign of a strong connection with the Powers Above. In this world, High Heavens is a realm which embodies virtue, inhabited by benevolent yet flawed beings that genuinely strive to help mortals, yet are capable of erroneous judgement, misplaced zealousness, or even naivete. God does not dwell in this realm, and the celestial realm is not the final destination for souls of the dead which led a virtuous life. Angels value the gift of free choice above all else, and strive to minimize their interference into the affairs of mortals, thus providing power to devout followers of Virtue only to alleviate the most extreme suffering, or to save those who most assuredly deserve saving. Thaumaturgy is also the most direct and personality-dependent type of magic - no spells, rituals, or complex actions are required to activate its power, merely the will to make necessary improvements happen, and faith that they will. Typical Thaumaturgists would be priests with the ability to heal lethal maladies, paladin/templar knights who augment their battle prowess by calling forth the aid of their revered Archangel, or an entire congregation of believers who ward their holy sanctuary against the attack of dark creatures who attacked their village. Thaumaturgy is neither utilitarian, nor regular - a priest who healed a hundred soldiers today may find himself unable to heal anyone tomorrow. The ability to recognize the appropriate time to call upon celestial power is an important part of educated faith.
3. Infernal magic, a.k.a. Infernalism, Diabolism, Black Arts. Designed to be the opposite of Celestial magic, and as such, does not require any sort of genuine faith or devotion from its practitioner. Infernalism is based on contracts drawn between a warlock and the dark entities he comes in contact with, and since both parties usually view each other as nothing but tools, the terms of the contract are intended to have loopholes or trick conditions that allow the sides to swindle each other one way or another. Demons would like nothing more than to wantonly play games with mortals, but the effects of using Infernalism are always detrimental to a mortal's physical and mental health, and the well-known treachery of demons precludes it from being adopted (openly) by large groups of people. Nonetheless, there are many times more warlocks in the world than there are thaumaturgists. The powers granted by demons include necromantic abilities, unnatural mutations of oneself/minions, spells that induce sickness or madness.
4. Fae magic. Fae are volatile and mysterious creatures that embody unrestrained emotion and a permanent state of childhood, capable of switching from light-hearted joy and benign frolicking to unstoppable rage and sadistic torture seemingly on a whim. Fae once ruled the entire land, in ancient times, when wilderness stretched from shore to shore, and civilization was in its infancy. Fae do not grant their magic to outsiders, but they have tribes of forest-dwelling savages who respect their ways, and may choose to impart their wisdom on select members of these tribes, making them shamans or witchdoctors. Each use of fae magic sips away a portion of the practitioner's humanity, both internally and physically, turning them fae-like. Effects can include bright inhuman eyes with enlarged and no whites, animalistic fangs or claws, abandonment of one's family members, preference to live apart from one's tribe in solitude. Witchdoctors have an arsenal that includes healing potions and lethal poisons, divination that reveals the path towards hidden truth or self-deception and lies, strange creatures that follow one's commands for a specific time after which they turn hostile.
5. Elven magic. The elves ruled the land as a one-world empire long before humans rose to prominence, and to them, their magic is neither supernatural, nor spectacular, but rather the manifestation of the elven spirit that separates them from mundane humans. Elves do not cast spells nor concoct potions, but rather they create items of great quality and beauty, gather information by talking to the elements, summon animals and even trees to their aid, have their senses and talents perfected to the extreme, and create dwellings of immortal bliss. Elves lost their empire to infighting and civil war which coincided with the dawn of man, and found their powers diminished. Today, elves may prosper only in select few of their traditional holds, and their powers and even immortality wane if they venture outside for too long. They do not worship or have religion the way humans do, and the souls of their dead are exempt from both heaven and hell.
6. Arcane magic. The most diverse set of magical traditions which is called arcane because of its inscrutable origins. Only humans can wield arcane magic (humans and elves are the only "mainstream" races in this world anyway - fuck dwarves), and theories on its origins cite the common "human spirit" as the counterpart of the elven spirit, or the energy of the material world itself which humans can tap into - however, these theories are not confirmed by experimentation or external sources. Of those listed above, arcane magic can only be combined with infernal magic - indeed, a mage's talents are often enhanced and twisted by demonic energy, and demons rarely grant powers to those without already established magical abilities, preferring to corrupt powerful mages to tutoring mundanes. Other types are incompatible, you can either wield the one, or the other - not both. Arcane magic is subdivided into numerous traditions which sometimes have so little to do with each other, they barely seem like they belong with each other.
6a. Glyphs. Usually, the most mainstream type of magic in a setting involves squishy mages in colorful dresses declaring strange words in pig Latin, pointing with staves and shooting their opponents with earth-fire-water. Let's ditch all that except for the colorful dresses.
Glyph magic is the most recent tradition that rose to prominence in our fantasy world civilization equivalent of Europe+America. Nonetheless, its unprecedented power and versatility forced other traditions into obscurity, and counts thousands of adepts and apprentices. Monopoly on glyphs has always been held by a single organization, let's say the Ivory Tower, based in the splendid city of, oh, Glyph Valley. Glyphwrights have always been brutally efficient in seeking out and catching rogue members, as well as stomping out rival mage organizations throughout the West, but in the recent years their influence has waned due to secret corruption within the organization, and a number of Southern countries entered a coalition that prohibits the Ivory Tower or its members from entering their territory under penalty of death. Unwilling to start a world war over this proclamation, the Ivory Tower was forced to abide by the ban in public, and continues to send its members undercover to undermine the anti-IT establishment in the South.
Glyph magic is done by inscribing symbols of power in a correct sequence, governed by rules that resemble mathematics and/or programming (which inspired it). There are two sets of symbols used by Glyphwrights - logograms which define a particular mono-syllabic quantum of information, and highly intricate hieroglyphs which stand for a particular concept. The characters are inscribed in a string which defines the area, type of effect, magnitude, direction, and other attributes/actions. If the sequence is correct, the glyph spell is activated and the logographic string (which can be as long as necessary, including pages upon pages of parchment) visibly morphs into a much shorter set of intricate symbols (usually only one, albeit this depends on the particular spell) that release the effect (think: successful code compilation). If the sequence is incorrect, usually nothing happens and the adept must seek and correct his/her error. In extreme cases, the glyph sequence either morphs into meaningless scribbles (ruining the effort), or releases some sort of backlash or explosion.
For instance, if I want to throw a fireball, I have to inscribe glyphs that specify the size, heat, color, 'explosiveness', direction, distance, and all other related attributes of the fireball I want to throw. If I make a crude error, the glyphs may explode and singe off my eyebrows.
Spells can be 'prepared' in advance, in this case, I use a system of notations that 'store' the spell in my mind, and allow me to determine necessary attributes (like direction) by mentally substituting the needed glyph. When I wish to release the spell, I visualize the glyph sequence, and the corresponding hieroglyph appears before me in the air, signifying success, and visible only to others trained in glyphs (not other arcane mages). Advanced masters of this tradition can cast entire spells by inscribing them only in their mind.
There is no 'mana' meter of any sort involved, but the process of glyphwriting is mentally exhausting, and an average adept can use only so many spells before requiring relaxing meditation/sleep. Overexerting yourself can lead to severe physical exhaustion, difficulty walking/talking/thinking properly, loss of consciousness, temporary mental disability, and even permanent dementia which may or may not be healable by other Glyphwrights.
Mixing glyphs with other arcane types of magic is extremely frowned upon, as is any contact with rival sects. Once an apprentice spends a sufficient amount of time studying glyphs, he/she becomes 'attuned' to glyphs, gaining the ability to cast glyph spells, and becoming incapable of learning other types of arcane magic. Allowing yourself to be, for example, healed by a rival practitioner can be a source of extreme marginalization and penalty in the IT, albeit it is not certain whether this taboo is purely cultural, or has basis in the way glyphs interact with other types of magic.
Glyph magic and the very organization of the Ivory Tower is divided into nine spheres (almost directly shanghaied from Mage the Ascension):
Life, Entropy, Dimension, Time, Energy, Matter, Mind, Spirit, Prime.
Any given adept is supposed to be well-versed in the works of all nine spheres, but may only activate glyphs from one sphere. The sphere is chosen during the first years of apprenticeship and cannot be changed after the apprentice becomes 'attuned', nor can one individual use more than one sphere. Chosen One protagonists who can break rules and do whatever the plot needs them to are not welcome here.
A. Life. Glyphs that affect the physical state of living organisms. Adepts of Life can learn spells that heal wounds, cure maladies, amplify one's strength, induce paralysis or pain, change a living creature's shape (albeit no turning people into frogs). The Ivory Tower is surrounded by a great garden, large enough to be a grove or small wood, filled with many species of animals. Glyphwrights of Life Sphere test their power by growing walking trees out of a seed in a matter of days, breeding species of two-headed ferrets creating winged rats. They also offer their healing services to those in need, especially nobles, garnering both revenue and political influence. Thanks to Glyphs of Life and Entropy, all adepts can extend their life long beyond its natural length, stall signs of aging, and susceptibility to disease.
B. Entropy. This sphere deals with death, decay, destruction, and Demi Moore. Adepts of Entropy are capable of the worst offensive spells that instantly rot a combatant's weapons, armor, and, if needed, their body. When they team up with adepts of Spirit, they possess a benign form of necromancy, where they call upon the residual spiritual energy within a corpse, and animate it without disturbing its departed soul. This is contrast to Infernal necromancy, which infests a corpse with a demonic spirit, turning it into a dangerous monster that causes severe discomfort to the departed soul in its afterlife (unless it departed for good). Corpses animated by glyphs are slower and less agile than the living (let alone infernal corpses) which makes them poor fighters. They are also entirely unintelligent, having the sentience of an automaton/robot, and are used for all kinds manual labor within the Tower. In fact, the Tower employs no regular servants aside from its own members, apprentices, failed apprentices, and animated workers. The bodies are supplied by deceased Glyphwrights themselves - aided by the Glyphs, adepts live much longer than regular humans, but they still die of old age, and practicality prevents their bodies from going to waste in the ground. Entropy glyphs can be used to stall decay as well as enhance it, they are used to eliminate putrefaction in a recently deceased body, which is then wrapped in reinforcing bandages like a mummy, dressed in protective clothes (all strengthened by the glyphs), and outfitted with a mask than protects the deceased members' identity and post-mortem dignity. The two types of necromancy are often confused by outsiders, leading to rumors of the Glyphwrights harboring armies of undead monsters.
C. Dimension. Glyphs of Dimension can open portals through space, help find the correct path towards an objective, communicate over distance, hasten one's way or lengthen it for an opponent. Together with adepts of Spirit, they can perform planar shifts into parallel realms, or bring in outsiders.
D. Time. Adepts of Time can look into the future or analyze the past, accelerate or decelerate the speed of time in a particular location, or even reverse events at the extremes of its power. Time travel has been attempted many times, both alone and together with Dimension, never to succeed, with a consistent history of detrimental glyph explosions.
F. Energy. The most numerous and most iconic subdivision, a dozen of its adepts can turn the tide of any war by throwing fireballs, shooting lightning, freezing lakes, or, together with Matter, creating earthquakes or erupting volcanoes. Outside of battle they use glyphs to light Tower halls/chambers in night-time, heating in winter, or, with glyphs of Matter, altering the climate, and erecting force-field barriers around Tower Walls.
G. Matter. Alter physical properties of substances, reinforcing walls against catapults, creating diamonds out of coal, swords that do not break or get blunt, armor that's light, agile, and extra-resilient. The entire Ivory Tower and much of Glyph Valley is interspersed with Glyphs of Matter and Energy, making it the only Western city with ubiquitous plumbing, night-time lighting, insurmountable walls, central heating in winter, best-equipped city guard and army. The Tower's main source of revenue, along with healers from the Sphere of Life.
H. Mind. Telepathy, mind-control, altering memories, healing or inducing dementia, creating illusions and phantasms. An illusion is a stand-alone semi-permanent bundle of mental energy that equally alters the perception of everyone not trained to resist it who comes within the line of sight/hearing/smelling/etc, whereas a phantasm exists solely in the mind of its specified target. Permanent networks of mind-control are used to keep the vast animal population of the Ivory Tower gardens from sneaking into the Tower or escaping into the city, critics of the IT insist that similar networks are being installed to condition common citizens into subservience.
I. Spirit. Spirit adepts are connected to the realms that lie outside the material realm, studying the creatures that inhabit them, and using their spiritual energy. Spirit glyphs can also alter the innate state of individuals, discouraging enemy combatants by inducing self-doubt and fear, or empowering allies through an aura of heroism and triumph. Spiritists have the most interest in Thaumaturgy, Infernalism, Fae and Elven magic, researching their properties and seeking ways in which they may be exploited.
J. Prime. The most introspective and theoretical discipline, the Sphere of Prime deals with the essence of Glyph magic itself. Much of the symbols and rule system of glyphwrighting were discovered by Prime adepts, they work with adepts from other Spheres to research and make further progress in all areas of Glyph magic, and on average spend the most time mentoring apprentices. Prime, being akin to abstract mathematics, demands the most diligence and mental labor of all Spheres, and has the fewest glyph spells that do not relate to research and experimentation, as well as lacking offensive spells. For this reason, Prime is by far the least numerous of all Spheres, and its adepts very rarely venture outside of Tower safety. One ability that is invaluable to the IT is a Primer's ability to make a glyph effect permanent upon its target. Another is the ability to link adepts into a circle, where Glyphwrights of other spheres can work in synergy and combine their powers. A circle with nine Glyphwrights that represent all nine spheres is called a full circle, and is used either to achieve the most remarkable effects, or to turn the tide of a fierce battle. Primers can also amplify the glyph abilities of other adepts, or to diminish, temporarily block, or even permanently cut off an adept from the Glyphs, a punishment used only in case of a hopeless apprentice, or a traitor within the Tower. All Primer's spells affect only the abilities of other Glyphwrights, they have no direct way of affecting the world by themselves.
6b. Elemental. Your standard wizard in a robe and pointy hat, wielding a staff and using earth/fire/air/lightning/ice/water-themed spells. Before the rise of the Ivory Tower, elementalists ruled the day in the West, their tendency to be power-hungry backstabbers contributed greatly to the West's highly fragmented state, as each wizard striven to carve a piece of land or a city-state for himself, and fight his rivals to extend his dominion. Wizards were not united by any formal organization, preferring to raise one or two apprentices in their solitary tower, and hated working together even when the sudden rise of Glyph magic began to threaten their positions. Today they are all but driven to extinction by Glyphwrights who do not tolerate non-Tower mages in the West.
6c. A Chinese-themed type of magic, focused on meditation, complex ritual, and martial arts. Chinese mages serve their Emperor with unquestioned loyalty, seeing their place in the rigid Eastern society society as elite soldiers and valuable advisers of worldly wisdom and proper etiquette. They abhor the tendency of Western mages to usurp power from rightful rulers, but will cooperate with Glyphwrights to best serve the needs of the Empire.
6d. African-themed type of magic base on voodoo, magic talismans, song and dance, consumption of mind-altering substances, and communion with nature spirits. African mages have a strict taboo against committing any kind of magic teaching to writing, believing that true wisdom is transmitted not through words, but directly through mind and spirit. According to them, whenever magical knowledge is inscribed upon a piece of paper, it escapes the mind of its practitioner and seizes control over him. As such, they consider the Ivory Tower an abomination and all its adepts to be slaves of their own glyphs, opposing and combating glyph mages whenever possible.
Well, those are just a few ideas that could work well in a fantasy setting. No need to reinvent the bicycle, but a few things need to make more sense than they usually do in popamole games/books/shows.
Sorry for making a double thread, but Workshop is dead, so that thread can be deleted.
0. Source. If magic is defined as the power of a sentient being to alter the reality of the material realm at will, then the power must come from a source that transcends the material realm in some way. The source can be either a sentient being which knowingly grants power to its followers, or an impersonal energy which can be tapped in by those with the right talent/training.
2. Celestial magic, a.k.a. Thaumaturgy. Granted by angels and other celestial beings that dwell in heaven to those with deep faith and devotion to virtue. Thaumaturgy is the rarest type of magic, indeed, its practitioners do not think of their talent as 'magic' per se, but rather a natural extension of their belief, and a sign of a strong connection with the Powers Above. In this world, High Heavens is a realm which embodies virtue, inhabited by benevolent yet flawed beings that genuinely strive to help mortals, yet are capable of erroneous judgement, misplaced zealousness, or even naivete. God does not dwell in this realm, and the celestial realm is not the final destination for souls of the dead which led a virtuous life. Angels value the gift of free choice above all else, and strive to minimize their interference into the affairs of mortals, thus providing power to devout followers of Virtue only to alleviate the most extreme suffering, or to save those who most assuredly deserve saving. Thaumaturgy is also the most direct and personality-dependent type of magic - no spells, rituals, or complex actions are required to activate its power, merely the will to make necessary improvements happen, and faith that they will. Typical Thaumaturgists would be priests with the ability to heal lethal maladies, paladin/templar knights who augment their battle prowess by calling forth the aid of their revered Archangel, or an entire congregation of believers who ward their holy sanctuary against the attack of dark creatures who attacked their village. Thaumaturgy is neither utilitarian, nor regular - a priest who healed a hundred soldiers today may find himself unable to heal anyone tomorrow. The ability to recognize the appropriate time to call upon celestial power is an important part of educated faith.
3. Infernal magic, a.k.a. Infernalism, Diabolism, Black Arts. Designed to be the opposite of Celestial magic, and as such, does not require any sort of genuine faith or devotion from its practitioner. Infernalism is based on contracts drawn between a warlock and the dark entities he comes in contact with, and since both parties usually view each other as nothing but tools, the terms of the contract are intended to have loopholes or trick conditions that allow the sides to swindle each other one way or another. Demons would like nothing more than to wantonly play games with mortals, but the effects of using Infernalism are always detrimental to a mortal's physical and mental health, and the well-known treachery of demons precludes it from being adopted (openly) by large groups of people. Nonetheless, there are many times more warlocks in the world than there are thaumaturgists. The powers granted by demons include necromantic abilities, unnatural mutations of oneself/minions, spells that induce sickness or madness.
4. Fae magic. Fae are volatile and mysterious creatures that embody unrestrained emotion and a permanent state of childhood, capable of switching from light-hearted joy and benign frolicking to unstoppable rage and sadistic torture seemingly on a whim. Fae once ruled the entire land, in ancient times, when wilderness stretched from shore to shore, and civilization was in its infancy. Fae do not grant their magic to outsiders, but they have tribes of forest-dwelling savages who respect their ways, and may choose to impart their wisdom on select members of these tribes, making them shamans or witchdoctors. Each use of fae magic sips away a portion of the practitioner's humanity, both internally and physically, turning them fae-like. Effects can include bright inhuman eyes with enlarged and no whites, animalistic fangs or claws, abandonment of one's family members, preference to live apart from one's tribe in solitude. Witchdoctors have an arsenal that includes healing potions and lethal poisons, divination that reveals the path towards hidden truth or self-deception and lies, strange creatures that follow one's commands for a specific time after which they turn hostile.
5. Elven magic. The elves ruled the land as a one-world empire long before humans rose to prominence, and to them, their magic is neither supernatural, nor spectacular, but rather the manifestation of the elven spirit that separates them from mundane humans. Elves do not cast spells nor concoct potions, but rather they create items of great quality and beauty, gather information by talking to the elements, summon animals and even trees to their aid, have their senses and talents perfected to the extreme, and create dwellings of immortal bliss. Elves lost their empire to infighting and civil war which coincided with the dawn of man, and found their powers diminished. Today, elves may prosper only in select few of their traditional holds, and their powers and even immortality wane if they venture outside for too long. They do not worship or have religion the way humans do, and the souls of their dead are exempt from both heaven and hell.
6. Arcane magic. The most diverse set of magical traditions which is called arcane because of its inscrutable origins. Only humans can wield arcane magic (humans and elves are the only "mainstream" races in this world anyway - fuck dwarves), and theories on its origins cite the common "human spirit" as the counterpart of the elven spirit, or the energy of the material world itself which humans can tap into - however, these theories are not confirmed by experimentation or external sources. Of those listed above, arcane magic can only be combined with infernal magic - indeed, a mage's talents are often enhanced and twisted by demonic energy, and demons rarely grant powers to those without already established magical abilities, preferring to corrupt powerful mages to tutoring mundanes. Other types are incompatible, you can either wield the one, or the other - not both. Arcane magic is subdivided into numerous traditions which sometimes have so little to do with each other, they barely seem like they belong with each other.
6a. Glyphs. Usually, the most mainstream type of magic in a setting involves squishy mages in colorful dresses declaring strange words in pig Latin, pointing with staves and shooting their opponents with earth-fire-water. Let's ditch all that except for the colorful dresses.
Glyph magic is the most recent tradition that rose to prominence in our fantasy world civilization equivalent of Europe+America. Nonetheless, its unprecedented power and versatility forced other traditions into obscurity, and counts thousands of adepts and apprentices. Monopoly on glyphs has always been held by a single organization, let's say the Ivory Tower, based in the splendid city of, oh, Glyph Valley. Glyphwrights have always been brutally efficient in seeking out and catching rogue members, as well as stomping out rival mage organizations throughout the West, but in the recent years their influence has waned due to secret corruption within the organization, and a number of Southern countries entered a coalition that prohibits the Ivory Tower or its members from entering their territory under penalty of death. Unwilling to start a world war over this proclamation, the Ivory Tower was forced to abide by the ban in public, and continues to send its members undercover to undermine the anti-IT establishment in the South.
Glyph magic is done by inscribing symbols of power in a correct sequence, governed by rules that resemble mathematics and/or programming (which inspired it). There are two sets of symbols used by Glyphwrights - logograms which define a particular mono-syllabic quantum of information, and highly intricate hieroglyphs which stand for a particular concept. The characters are inscribed in a string which defines the area, type of effect, magnitude, direction, and other attributes/actions. If the sequence is correct, the glyph spell is activated and the logographic string (which can be as long as necessary, including pages upon pages of parchment) visibly morphs into a much shorter set of intricate symbols (usually only one, albeit this depends on the particular spell) that release the effect (think: successful code compilation). If the sequence is incorrect, usually nothing happens and the adept must seek and correct his/her error. In extreme cases, the glyph sequence either morphs into meaningless scribbles (ruining the effort), or releases some sort of backlash or explosion.
For instance, if I want to throw a fireball, I have to inscribe glyphs that specify the size, heat, color, 'explosiveness', direction, distance, and all other related attributes of the fireball I want to throw. If I make a crude error, the glyphs may explode and singe off my eyebrows.
Spells can be 'prepared' in advance, in this case, I use a system of notations that 'store' the spell in my mind, and allow me to determine necessary attributes (like direction) by mentally substituting the needed glyph. When I wish to release the spell, I visualize the glyph sequence, and the corresponding hieroglyph appears before me in the air, signifying success, and visible only to others trained in glyphs (not other arcane mages). Advanced masters of this tradition can cast entire spells by inscribing them only in their mind.
There is no 'mana' meter of any sort involved, but the process of glyphwriting is mentally exhausting, and an average adept can use only so many spells before requiring relaxing meditation/sleep. Overexerting yourself can lead to severe physical exhaustion, difficulty walking/talking/thinking properly, loss of consciousness, temporary mental disability, and even permanent dementia which may or may not be healable by other Glyphwrights.
Mixing glyphs with other arcane types of magic is extremely frowned upon, as is any contact with rival sects. Once an apprentice spends a sufficient amount of time studying glyphs, he/she becomes 'attuned' to glyphs, gaining the ability to cast glyph spells, and becoming incapable of learning other types of arcane magic. Allowing yourself to be, for example, healed by a rival practitioner can be a source of extreme marginalization and penalty in the IT, albeit it is not certain whether this taboo is purely cultural, or has basis in the way glyphs interact with other types of magic.
Glyph magic and the very organization of the Ivory Tower is divided into nine spheres (almost directly shanghaied from Mage the Ascension):
Life, Entropy, Dimension, Time, Energy, Matter, Mind, Spirit, Prime.
Any given adept is supposed to be well-versed in the works of all nine spheres, but may only activate glyphs from one sphere. The sphere is chosen during the first years of apprenticeship and cannot be changed after the apprentice becomes 'attuned', nor can one individual use more than one sphere. Chosen One protagonists who can break rules and do whatever the plot needs them to are not welcome here.
A. Life. Glyphs that affect the physical state of living organisms. Adepts of Life can learn spells that heal wounds, cure maladies, amplify one's strength, induce paralysis or pain, change a living creature's shape (albeit no turning people into frogs). The Ivory Tower is surrounded by a great garden, large enough to be a grove or small wood, filled with many species of animals. Glyphwrights of Life Sphere test their power by growing walking trees out of a seed in a matter of days, breeding species of two-headed ferrets creating winged rats. They also offer their healing services to those in need, especially nobles, garnering both revenue and political influence. Thanks to Glyphs of Life and Entropy, all adepts can extend their life long beyond its natural length, stall signs of aging, and susceptibility to disease.
B. Entropy. This sphere deals with death, decay, destruction, and Demi Moore. Adepts of Entropy are capable of the worst offensive spells that instantly rot a combatant's weapons, armor, and, if needed, their body. When they team up with adepts of Spirit, they possess a benign form of necromancy, where they call upon the residual spiritual energy within a corpse, and animate it without disturbing its departed soul. This is contrast to Infernal necromancy, which infests a corpse with a demonic spirit, turning it into a dangerous monster that causes severe discomfort to the departed soul in its afterlife (unless it departed for good). Corpses animated by glyphs are slower and less agile than the living (let alone infernal corpses) which makes them poor fighters. They are also entirely unintelligent, having the sentience of an automaton/robot, and are used for all kinds manual labor within the Tower. In fact, the Tower employs no regular servants aside from its own members, apprentices, failed apprentices, and animated workers. The bodies are supplied by deceased Glyphwrights themselves - aided by the Glyphs, adepts live much longer than regular humans, but they still die of old age, and practicality prevents their bodies from going to waste in the ground. Entropy glyphs can be used to stall decay as well as enhance it, they are used to eliminate putrefaction in a recently deceased body, which is then wrapped in reinforcing bandages like a mummy, dressed in protective clothes (all strengthened by the glyphs), and outfitted with a mask than protects the deceased members' identity and post-mortem dignity. The two types of necromancy are often confused by outsiders, leading to rumors of the Glyphwrights harboring armies of undead monsters.
C. Dimension. Glyphs of Dimension can open portals through space, help find the correct path towards an objective, communicate over distance, hasten one's way or lengthen it for an opponent. Together with adepts of Spirit, they can perform planar shifts into parallel realms, or bring in outsiders.
D. Time. Adepts of Time can look into the future or analyze the past, accelerate or decelerate the speed of time in a particular location, or even reverse events at the extremes of its power. Time travel has been attempted many times, both alone and together with Dimension, never to succeed, with a consistent history of detrimental glyph explosions.
F. Energy. The most numerous and most iconic subdivision, a dozen of its adepts can turn the tide of any war by throwing fireballs, shooting lightning, freezing lakes, or, together with Matter, creating earthquakes or erupting volcanoes. Outside of battle they use glyphs to light Tower halls/chambers in night-time, heating in winter, or, with glyphs of Matter, altering the climate, and erecting force-field barriers around Tower Walls.
G. Matter. Alter physical properties of substances, reinforcing walls against catapults, creating diamonds out of coal, swords that do not break or get blunt, armor that's light, agile, and extra-resilient. The entire Ivory Tower and much of Glyph Valley is interspersed with Glyphs of Matter and Energy, making it the only Western city with ubiquitous plumbing, night-time lighting, insurmountable walls, central heating in winter, best-equipped city guard and army. The Tower's main source of revenue, along with healers from the Sphere of Life.
H. Mind. Telepathy, mind-control, altering memories, healing or inducing dementia, creating illusions and phantasms. An illusion is a stand-alone semi-permanent bundle of mental energy that equally alters the perception of everyone not trained to resist it who comes within the line of sight/hearing/smelling/etc, whereas a phantasm exists solely in the mind of its specified target. Permanent networks of mind-control are used to keep the vast animal population of the Ivory Tower gardens from sneaking into the Tower or escaping into the city, critics of the IT insist that similar networks are being installed to condition common citizens into subservience.
I. Spirit. Spirit adepts are connected to the realms that lie outside the material realm, studying the creatures that inhabit them, and using their spiritual energy. Spirit glyphs can also alter the innate state of individuals, discouraging enemy combatants by inducing self-doubt and fear, or empowering allies through an aura of heroism and triumph. Spiritists have the most interest in Thaumaturgy, Infernalism, Fae and Elven magic, researching their properties and seeking ways in which they may be exploited.
J. Prime. The most introspective and theoretical discipline, the Sphere of Prime deals with the essence of Glyph magic itself. Much of the symbols and rule system of glyphwrighting were discovered by Prime adepts, they work with adepts from other Spheres to research and make further progress in all areas of Glyph magic, and on average spend the most time mentoring apprentices. Prime, being akin to abstract mathematics, demands the most diligence and mental labor of all Spheres, and has the fewest glyph spells that do not relate to research and experimentation, as well as lacking offensive spells. For this reason, Prime is by far the least numerous of all Spheres, and its adepts very rarely venture outside of Tower safety. One ability that is invaluable to the IT is a Primer's ability to make a glyph effect permanent upon its target. Another is the ability to link adepts into a circle, where Glyphwrights of other spheres can work in synergy and combine their powers. A circle with nine Glyphwrights that represent all nine spheres is called a full circle, and is used either to achieve the most remarkable effects, or to turn the tide of a fierce battle. Primers can also amplify the glyph abilities of other adepts, or to diminish, temporarily block, or even permanently cut off an adept from the Glyphs, a punishment used only in case of a hopeless apprentice, or a traitor within the Tower. All Primer's spells affect only the abilities of other Glyphwrights, they have no direct way of affecting the world by themselves.
6b. Elemental. Your standard wizard in a robe and pointy hat, wielding a staff and using earth/fire/air/lightning/ice/water-themed spells. Before the rise of the Ivory Tower, elementalists ruled the day in the West, their tendency to be power-hungry backstabbers contributed greatly to the West's highly fragmented state, as each wizard striven to carve a piece of land or a city-state for himself, and fight his rivals to extend his dominion. Wizards were not united by any formal organization, preferring to raise one or two apprentices in their solitary tower, and hated working together even when the sudden rise of Glyph magic began to threaten their positions. Today they are all but driven to extinction by Glyphwrights who do not tolerate non-Tower mages in the West.
6c. A Chinese-themed type of magic, focused on meditation, complex ritual, and martial arts. Chinese mages serve their Emperor with unquestioned loyalty, seeing their place in the rigid Eastern society society as elite soldiers and valuable advisers of worldly wisdom and proper etiquette. They abhor the tendency of Western mages to usurp power from rightful rulers, but will cooperate with Glyphwrights to best serve the needs of the Empire.
6d. African-themed type of magic base on voodoo, magic talismans, song and dance, consumption of mind-altering substances, and communion with nature spirits. African mages have a strict taboo against committing any kind of magic teaching to writing, believing that true wisdom is transmitted not through words, but directly through mind and spirit. According to them, whenever magical knowledge is inscribed upon a piece of paper, it escapes the mind of its practitioner and seizes control over him. As such, they consider the Ivory Tower an abomination and all its adepts to be slaves of their own glyphs, opposing and combating glyph mages whenever possible.
Well, those are just a few ideas that could work well in a fantasy setting. No need to reinvent the bicycle, but a few things need to make more sense than they usually do in popamole games/books/shows.
Sorry for making a double thread, but Workshop is dead, so that thread can be deleted.
