Post:Magic Theory and Magic Resistance (long) - 2/10/2009 - 21:55:03
| Re: Magic Theory and Magic Resistance (long) · on 2/10/2009 9:55:03 PM | 10316 |
|---|---|
| >>For intelligent undead and constructs, assuming the lore supports mana manipulation as an aspect of intelligence OR life (many undead are intelligent but dead, and many magic-using creatures are alive but not intelligent) then this is no problem.
Mana is an independent force on Elanthia -- it is not spiritual, otherworldly, or otherwise a facet of the human experience. It can interact with anything that has the right fantastical qualities to do so, since it's really there and would continue to exist even if every magician on Elanthia dropped dead. For example, there's a lengthy list of minerals that react to mana in strange ways due to their composition. The PC races were created with (or evolved, what have you) the capacity to interact with mana through their nervous systems, expressed in structured psychic acts. This is the standard for all sentient species, but is not necessarily a universal truism. An intelligent species could exist that, while fully capable of thought and reason in every way, lack the physiological element of magic-use. An animal might have the ability to create a spell as part of its suite of instinctual abilities. Brain injuries or neurological flaws could conceivably have a wide array of funny consequences to magic that we don't cover mechanically. Most characters in the game simply wouldn't know the specifics of how the undead interact with mana. It's worth noting, however, that most sentient, corporeal undead still have their brains (...or a brain, at any rate). | |
| This message was originally posted in Abilities, Skills and Magic \ Magic - Suggestions, Discussions and Thoughts, by DR-ARMIFER on the play.net forums. | |