This page endeavors to provide a basis for how magic, psionics, and such things work within the universe in more detail than on other pages. This deals with the theories of the energy known as Aether within game. The original post referring to such is on the forum. Most of the information here won't come directly into play, but will be useful to understand the ins and outs of magic, psionics, and the universe in general.
- Aether
- Aether is the name given to the energy is life, as explained in the Five Elements, it is binding energy created by all living things (similar in concept to the Force in Star Wars). The energy has two halves, split along the dividing line between the life energy one contains within the body and the life energy field around the body. The energy within the body is called psionic energy while the energy outside the body is called magical energy. They both respond much the same way to being used, the difference mainly comes from the different ways they can be used or how much can be used because of where the energy is located.
Psionics and Magic Manipulation
Just being alive does not grant a person the ability to control magic or psionics. These energies come from the same source, the Aether, but they are different in how they react. The energy that surrounds everyone (magical energy) is ambient, passive, it is just there since there is so much life in the universe that a generalized energy field is created. Inside the body the energy is tied up within a person by their act of living, it is concentrated and more active, it flows throughout a person and responds to the body but also feeds the body, thus it is focused and more vibrant than magical energy.
The ability to touch the Aether is 99.9% of the time the ability to touch just one side of it, either that which one has inside or the field around a person. Not everyone has the ability, a person either does or does not, though everyone can with effort and training become aware of Aether, touching it or using it is an innate skill that cannot be taught or given.
Balance of Energies
To live a person requires balance between what their body generates and what it gives off to the universe. This is setup as a dynamic where energy is both given off / bleed away like heat into the universe at large, making one part of the larger universe as a whole but also absorbs some from the universe, binding all living things together.
A person must maintain balance of these two forces, giving off too much into the universe (using psionic abilities) costs a physical toll on the body. Taking in too much (using magical abilities) has the same effect, both involve moving Aether in and out of the body to control and use as one wants to. Psionics have it easier as they can control the energy within their body and then expell it outward, this causes the balance to shift and their body then must absorb ambient Aether to stay in balance - thus causing a physical strain. Magic users have a more difficult time, they must pull Aether into them while forcing into the pattern they want before pushing the pattern of energy they wish out, this also disrupts the balance and the movement of Aether causes the same physical strain. The physical toll increases exponentially for the amount energy that is moving in and out of the body. Since magic users have to pull it in, pattern it, and expel it they will experience the physical toll faster than psionics.
Thaumaturgy & Circuits
Circuits are the pathways within the body and mind through which Aether flows within the body, this includes where energy is given off or drawn in. These circuits in a person can be wired differently, to extend the metaphor. So that some people cannot activate their circuits, some people can. These people are then wired to either pull energy from their own reserves, which would be a psionic while others are wired to activate their circuits and pull energy from outside the body. In either case, they are blind to the energy that they do not have access to. Thus, the study of both things as a “science” is thaumaturgy.
In either case, a person either balances out the energy in a sort of automatic way, that is nature abhors things out of balance and thus energy moves one to the other - without control of the person - to attempt to achieve balance, which moves energy in or out of the body depending on what happens. Thus, there is always a tole taken on the physical body.
Room For Martial Arts & Similar Talents of Focus
Those who cannot use Aether directly, specifically those trained in martial arts or monks who have studied doing such, are able to manipulate the Aether indirectly through balance and focus. Through the careful manipulation of the body, mind, and spirit they can have some say in how the energy around them takes shape and thus can pattern the Aether indirectly. This is not the same as using magic or psionics but rather it is manipulating the body to manipulate its energy and thus to manipulate the energy around a person. This is done without being able to directly touch the surrounding energies.
Impact of Imbalance
When things are out of balance there is a full concept of equivalent exchange. A person who uses an impressively large amount of Aether there will be a proportionally large imbalance of Aether to contend with. When a person uses magic, they pull energy into themselves manipulating its pattern and then it is expelled, this causes the surrounding magical energy field to be depleted and thus their body releases psionic energy (as an autonomic response) to even out the field and the body so that both are in balance. In the case of a psionic using their abilities, they create a void of energy within and the body will absorb magical energy and internalize it to achieve the same balance with the immediate surroundings.
The more energy moving between the body and the outside causes a greater toll to be taken on the body itself.
Toll of Energy Transference
This is also the idea of equivalent exchange. Similar to how in electronics there is no perfect system, wires have resistance and thus it takes more energy to move into a system than the system gains from the transfer. This resistance to transfer is quite high and proportional to the amount of energy in movement. In this case the system is the body itself and the energy it contains. Any time energy moves in and out of that system it takes a toll on the body, and that toll is exponentially proportional to the size of the flow. Thus in a nominal state the body stays roughly in balance with its surroundings, only minor energy flow in and out would have relatively minimal impact on the body. The impact on the body increases exponentially in proportion to the energy transferred and the first thing to go would be the nervous system, taking its toll on a person’s body in that way.
Progression of Bodily Damage
Damage is not permanent in most cases, and lasts a length of time proportional to the level of damage done, but the damage is a physically quantifiable damage. That is to say, nerves are actually damaged (increasing chemical imbalances, or lining of the nerve being stripped away, etc…), and other damage can be detected with sufficiently sophisticated equipment.
- Nerve problems
- Tingling or painful feeling in extremities.
- Loss of feeling in extremities, as it progresses will get closer and closer to the main body.
- Symptoms intensify to a point, but permanent nerve damage takes a significant amount of prolonged exposure to occur.
- Muscle problems
- Extreme muscle fatigue.
- Lack of strength.
- Lack of endurance.
- Damage here becomes more intense, but also tends not to be permanent until significant exposure has taken place.
- Illness
- The body’s ability to fight off infection decreases rapidly.
The person can become generally ill with enough of an energy transfer, though it is more common here when the body is losing energy (psionic energy moving to the outside of the body due to a lack of energy in the local field around the body). These symptoms will be flu-like in nature, generally raised white cell count without detectable root cause. Intensity of immediate sickness will increase from the intensity of the problem, however, at this level most of the damage is done by prolonged exposure of an intense energy drain. Low levels of drain should never reach this level. Low level draining, will result in something more along the lines of difficulty healing and perhaps an extra propensity with becoming ill or staying ill without any major effects or actual physical damage.
Aether and Technology
While there are allowed some items which can use both technology and Aether, for the most part those are special cases and would need to get staff approval prior to using. Most experiments to fuse Aether with technology fail entirely, sometimes spectacularly. In any case, the intention is to have magic, psionics, and technology incompatible without some unique feat of engineering and the use of such abilities - at the very least, technology cannot grant the user the ability to use magic or psionics and at most can suppress the areas of the brain technologically which allow the use of such abilities consciously. Technology cannot create a psionic shield, magical shield, or any such thing which would operate similarly.
Dark Implications
There are some dark, but appealing implications of this. Aether thus could be considered to use the energy of a persons soul, or rather the soul of the universe. Opening up to magic specifically designed to siphon off a persons life energy (Aether) and to use it to fuel magic. The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini comes close to this as well, saying that magic they use in that series is actually the life force of themselves - and can draw it from nature around them, which kills everything around them. A dark branch of magic would thus be something like Soul Magic, where rather than a 1970's soul singer would actually be the use of a persons soul as magical fuel or a person as some kind of magical battery. This is just an idea at this stage, however, and will be flushed out later.
Sexuality and Energy Exchange
This concept is really still evolving in my brain, however it was mentioned that a persons reproductive cells contain the essence of life in a metaphysical sense, rather than metaphorical sense. This has some implications that may need to get explored at some point in time. As such, sex could be sen as a powerful and natural release of Aether or even exchange of Aether between two people. In the sense of the real world (and certain interpretations of paganism), this is entirely something that gets a real-world seal of approval. Many believe that magic spells can be powerfully cast based on a culmination in actual orgasm. Here I am separating the dirty idea from the metaphysical idea that the coupling of two people is a powerful thing and I think should be explored.
Sex as being an intense (but natural) transfer of Aether that avoids many of the pitfalls of requiring to balance the system. Sex is a natural and life affirming act where as manipulating Aether (in either psionic or magical forms) is not as natural, but rather a loophole that people use to manipulate life energy. Similarly with use of the Force, which it is already specified that Jedi are supposed to be celibate. Further is gives a potential non-shitty reason for two people to perhaps have some requirement of sex in-game. The transfer of quintessential energy, and even beyond that goes to darker places, the mentioned idea of Soul Magic perhaps would use this concept. Put simply, sex and sexuality is part of the cycle of life and could be considered to be a kind of natural way to access and pull in Aether, and then master or consume / transfer that energy. This is pertaining less to the dirty side but more to nature and fertility as a beautiful thing rather than something to be avoided out of shame. Of course there is always a darker side, a person who uses rape or some other such coercive method to take or steal someone's life energy.
Again these concepts will be flushed out more as the game progresses.