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Message no. 1
From: Andrew Freese <AFREESE@****.UMKC.EDU>
Subject: Extrateresrial Mages
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1993 19:08:08 -0500
Has anybody read or thought about magic on other worlds? Not in the vacuum of
space but in the comfort of your freindly neigboring planetary body.

I ran a campaign in space once but the mage (thankfully) declined to run that
character.

Drew
Message no. 2
From: "Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject: Re: Extrateresrial Mages
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1993 20:55:26 -0500
On Tue, 19 Oct 1993, Andrew Freese wrote:

> Has anybody read or thought about magic on other worlds? Not in the vacuum of
> space but in the comfort of your freindly neigboring planetary body.

IMHO, unless the planet has some indiginous (sp?) life [Terra], or
perhaps the potential for life [Europa and Titan are both known to have
organic compounds], magic is very tough to come by. Depending on the
distance from a bio-endowed body, I'd say AT LEAST double or triple the
drain.

For example, on Luna, double the drain. On Mars, triple it. On
Jupiter's moons, double it, on Europa, normal it.

IMHO, Astral space expands forever in all directions from all bodies
possessing life/organics. But there reaches a point where it becomes
more and more difficult to operate because at great distance the
Astral-parts-per-million becomes less and less.

Bumping drain up alleviates that some, although some consideration will
have to be made for astrally percieving and astrally projecting.

> I ran a campaign in space once but the mage (thankfully) declined to run that
> character.

Coulda been fun if he jumps into Astral space on Luna and never comes
back . . .

{[> Robert A. Hayden ____ <[} Question Authority
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Message no. 3
From: The Deb Decker <RJR96326@****.UTULSA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Extrateresrial Mages
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1993 22:26:07 GMT
>For example, on Luna, double the drain. On Mars, triple it. On
>Jupiter's moons, double it, on Europa, normal it.

This is absurd. The Moon has NO LIFE (unless the GM rules otherwise). You
cannot cast spells in orbit, because there is no practical Astral Space .
thre. So, you cannot cast spells on the moon, period. If there is life
on Mars, it will be EASIER, not HARDER than casting spells on the moon.

>IMHO, Astral space expands forever in all directions from all bodies
>possessing life/organics. But there reaches a point where it becomes
>more and more difficult to operate because at great distance the
Astral-parts-per-million becomes less and less.>

Which is why I said 'unless the GM rules other wise above. But your
definition does not jive with FASA's.

>Bumping drain up alleviates that some, although some consideration will
>have to be made for astrally percieving and astrally projecting.

Yes, it's kind of hard to perceive through what ain't there.

J Roberson
Message no. 4
From: "Robert A. Hayden" <hayden@*******.MANKATO.MSUS.EDU>
Subject: Re: Extrateresrial Mages
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1993 23:12:49 -0500
On Tue, 19 Oct 1993, The Deb Decker wrote:

> >For example, on Luna, double the drain. On Mars, triple it. On
> >Jupiter's moons, double it, on Europa, normal it.
>
> This is absurd. The Moon has NO LIFE (unless the GM rules otherwise). You
> cannot cast spells in orbit, because there is no practical Astral Space .
> thre. So, you cannot cast spells on the moon, period. If there is life
> on Mars, it will be EASIER, not HARDER than casting spells on the moon.

Define life. What if it isn't carbon-based? What if the life on the
moon are made of of tiny one-celled organizism that survive on atomic
oxygen and hyrdrogen?

Oganic material DOES exist on Luna, as does water in the form of a
sub-surface permafrost at the poles. All the building blocks of life are
there save a thick and juicy atmosphere.

Perhaps life is only 'life as we human-like beings know it'.

What happens if we land on a planet full of silicon beings that consider
us to be 'ugly bags of mostly water'?

Yes, life on the moon is pretty scarce as far as we know, but it is only
250,000 miles from Life-Central in the Sol system. Europa has millions
of times more potential for life than Luna does in terms of organic
compounds. Simply the dice of life-giving came up craps there _as far as
we know_. And on Titan, the world is based on methane. A gas here on
Terra, but on Titan, it forms lakes and rains and could become a building
block of life there.

Using magic outside of the Terran biosphere is tough. Magic is scarce
and perhaps even different, but minute traces must exist. Just as there
are interstellar atoms of hydrogen, helium or oxygen, so must there be
intersteller traces of magic. Faint, but alive.


> Which is why I said 'unless the GM rules other wise above. But your
> definition does not jive with FASA's.

<does best Beavis and Butthead impression>

Like, FASA can like kiss my butt, man. Those fartknockers can't even
keep their books consistent, and . . . like . . . that really sucks.

Hey man, burn the books. Fire! Fire! Fire!

Shut up, bunghole! This is my commentary.

Oh, yea. I forgot. Heh heh heh heh heh.

> Yes, it's kind of hard to perceive through what ain't there.

But what if there is astral there, it is just so different that the puny
human mind can't comprehend it.....


{[> Robert A. Hayden ____ <[} Question Authority
{[> \ /__ <]} -=-=-
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n-(---) h+(*) f+ g+ w++ t++ r++ y+(*)
Message no. 5
From: The Deb Decker <RJR96326@****.UTULSA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Extrateresrial Mages
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1993 00:50:14 GMT
>Define life. What if it isn't carbon-based? What if the life on the
>moon are made of of tiny one-celled organizism that survive on atomic
>oxygen and hyrdrogen?

What if life just doesn't existon the moon at all? Also, what if the life
there is so rare that astral space is just to 'thin' or 'weak' to allow
spellcasting? As I said, it's up to the GM.

>Oganic material DOES exist on Luna, as does water in the form of a
>sub-surface permafrost at the poles. All the building blocks of life are
>there save a thick and juicy atmosphere.

On Luna, or Mars? I am aware of dry ice at the martian poles, but not the
lunar poles. As far as I know, the moon is barren of life-forming fizzies.

Also, just because the compounds are there doesn't mean life is there. You
could put the right proportions of various chemicals that make up people
in a warm bath and you wouldn't have life. Heck, just look at my Documentary
class: proof positive that the chemicals may be there, but the life-force
(well, intelligence anyway) isn't there at all.

>Perhaps life is only 'life as we human-like beings know it'.

Perhaps. Maybe the 'Little Green Men' are actually viruses, ala the Andromeda
Strain.

>What happens if we land on a planet full of silicon beings that consider
>us to be 'ugly bags of mostly water'?

We shoot them with phasers and make computer chips of the remains. :)

>Using magic outside of the Terran biosphere is tough. Magic is scarce
>and perhaps even different, but minute traces must exist. Just as there

I would say 'can' rather than must. But I agree.

>are interstellar atoms of hydrogen, helium or oxygen, so must there be
>intersteller traces of magic. Faint, but alive.

So astronaut Gwen John, 25th-Grade Initiate, becomes the first person in
space to cast a Detox spell on the pilot (NASA investigates WHY this had to
be done).


> Like, FASA can like kiss my butt, man. Those fartknockers can't even
> keep their books consistent, and . . . like . . . that really sucks.

Too true.

> Hey man, burn the books. Fire! Fire! Fire!

Watch out, dude. Some 5-year old may read this list and flame himself with
bounced mail.

>But what if there is astral there, it is just so different that the puny
>human mind can't comprehend it.....

Then it may as well not be there. What good is a window if it's all bricked
up? Shoot, what good is Windows if it is all screwed up?

J Roberson
Spewing engaging non-sequitors and teaching cats the art of self-offense

Further Reading

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