[DESIGN] the physcis of magic.

[Jeff Kesselman]

Okay,
This isone i find very interesting. I strated beign intrested in this back
in College when I was running a Champuions game.  I found players would
design the msot god-awful powerful stuff and then explain it aways as
"magic" or "PSI", so I defined how both worked in my woprld jus tso i coudl
tell them "no, you can't do that."  Sicne then, I've gonme further
particualrly with a world design ive been playign with for a nume fo years.

For me, this could better be termed by the 'metaphysics of magic'.  My
approach has been to start by definign what primal forces make the world
and then work down from thsi cosmic level to a physical level. I've heavily
been "inspired" (stolen) from such diverse sources as The Magic Goes Away
(Vance? I forget) which, as far as I know, is the origin of the idea of
"mana fields" as well as the Elric saga in the primalr order/chaos dichotomy.

If anyone is intrested I coudl lay out how this all breaks down.  i have
some docs actually on that particualr world design under "Wells World"
(long story for the name) off of my primitive hoem page (hey, i made it
when iw as still using lynx ;)) www.ten.net/~jeffk

JK