My Vision of A new Arcanum

Magick and technology have created a synergy. Technology powered by magick and magick powered by technology. Guns using crystallized mana that gives the weapon special abilities when equipped. Staffs welded by mages harness the natural magnetic fields around the wielder as a source of power to aid the mage. Swords and other melee weapons along with other projectiles infused with either mana cores or wave converters give them unique skills.

 

What's this about Magick requiring mana? To me it was always more a force-of-will thing that wore the practitioner out (by reducing fatigue - as did everything else).

I get what you're saying and yes it could make for a good story but magick and tech were so opposed in the original that I'm not sure how. It's a pretty massive plot hole not to explain...
The black-and-white nature of it was more of a necessary fundamental in order for the plot to work; Else Kerghan wouldn't have needed the BMC Dwarves for as long a period and hence returned long before the time of the living one despite their stalling.

I don't know, it just doesn't seem a very viable continuation of the setting.
What made you think of it, anyway?

 

Mana, fatigue, mp, it's all the same.

 

Not really, you don't use 'mana' running about in combat or overreaching yourself.

 

what I meant was that its a different name but same source. Wouldn't you enjoy enchanting your own weapons?

 

well its my vision so whatever. >.>

 

Worst vision ever.

 

purely a non-factual statement based of jealousy.

 

I heard Gnomeregan will be recaptured before Cataclysm.

 

You say two incompatible sides - Magic and Technology - to make synergy?
Well, something new would be required for this.
Some new element, that would determine whether the isolation between magic and technology would be strong enough, without taking the unwanted effect or some area of created circumstances, in which these could work proper, being together.

Something based on the principle that can mix oil and water together without being repelled by each other - such things exist, making a matrix for the two incompatible elements, being diffused in one another.

Say, was there in Arcanum any slightest means of isolation between the two elements of magic and technology so that they wouldn't affect each other or some circumstances to make their cooperation possible?

The name of the possibility that came into my mind is some: "Field nullification essence" or some "Field nullification material" FNE or FNM, - called by such term, because it would nullificate the opposite reactions of the magic and technology in the area they would be placed into - some devices or items, constructed from this material. It could be developed by someone - for example by Vendigrothians.

What do U think?

 

I know you want to participate in these discussions, but this thread is over a year old. Gravedigging is against the rules. If you want to have a discussion related to this topic, make a new thread.

 

Here's what I think: brace yourself for the lecture on grave digging.

More to the subject at hand, the Arcanum manual has described how magickal fields demonstrate an erratic influence over physical phenomena: they randomly disrupt the flow of electrons in a circuit and impede the effect of friction working on an object on an inclined plane.
My interpretation of these effects is that magickal fields generate some degree of interference with physical phenomena but I suspect that if this interference were studied and understood it could be controlled. I suggest that it could be controlled to such an extent that it could be used to enhance physical phenomena rather than impede them. I offer this as one possibility.

Building upon Gildorn's suggestion of a matrix in which to combine two opposed forces, I offer the concept of an Ether Veil. This concept is developed in the Etherscope world to make electronic devices feasible in a society that has not developed electronics. It also explains the existence of psychic phenomena, which could be the supernatural side of the matrix.