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Reality Access


Perhaps the most weird type of magic outlined here, reality access comes from my own future fantasy campaign, Kelandra. Reality Access is really advanced technology disguised as magic, but not even the sorcerers themselves know this.

Kelandra is a fantasy world set inside a huge spaceship. This ship has been travelling for generations, and the culture inside has decayed to a sort of savage swords and sorcery barbarism. The managing artificial intelligence has broken down, but still grants random individuals access to certain functions. This can be functions designed for police and military use, such as lethal or incapacitating attacks, or maintenance functions like force fields or conjuration.

Magical ability is essentially random, but practicing your 'magical' abilities usually improves them, so a sorcerer who devotes himself to the art will grow in power, much as they do in other fantasy worlds.

Note that channelers also exist in Kelandra - though the real source of their power is the computer, not any gods.

Examples and References

The novel Titan by John Varley, my own Kelandra campaign.

Limitations

Geas A sorcerer with reality access may not use armor or heavy weapons (those doing more than Strength +3 damage). Why is unknown; this seems like a totally arbitrary decision by the computer.
Manifestation Reality Access magic has no effect whatsoever in areas where the technology of Kelandra do not exists - which is rarely a problem in this world.

Nor can they do things outside of what is possible at Kelandra's level of technology - which is not a problem, either, as this technology is beyond imagination.

Another limitation on Kelandra spells is that they are just that: spells. Reality access sorcerers can only invoke the standard effects described in the various schtick descriptions, or new effects that they take time in a lab to research and define beforehand. No spur of the moment invention of new effects is allowed.

Common Schticks

  • Blast
  • Forces
  • Gate

Rare or Prohibited Schticks

  • Healing

Summonables

Rather lame virtual constructs manifested through force fields and holograms.


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Copyright © 1998 and onwards, Carl Cramér. Page downloaded times. Last update Wed, Jul 3, 2002.