Elements Question

[Ryowulf]

Outside the five elements in the book, how to you determine what other elements might cover?

I'm trying to put together one based on the seasons. I would think it would need to be less useful/powerful than Seelie/unseelie Summer/Winter, unless being able to tap a supernatural knowledge pool is worth that much more?

Spring - renewal, rain
Summer - heat, light, growth
Fall - wind, decay
Winter - cold, darkness, death

Or just rename the current ones with a more narrow purpose, so;

Spring - Water
Summer -Fire
Fall - Air
Winter - Earth

Thanks

[surarrin]

..I'm confused.

Are you asking for additional elements or are you trying to catagorize seelie sponsored magic? :s

[Ryowulf]

I'm trying to come up with magic based around the seasons without overshadowing un/Seelie sponsored magic.

[Tsunami]

The Elemental structure of Magic used in YS is just one way to model it. It's not really about elements, it's about what those elements represent.
Just like you could use the Asian Elements to structure your magic, you could come up with a totally new one.

You could base magic on different emotions just as easily. Maybe something like: Anger/Love/Hate/Fear/Serenity. Now you describe those fields of magic and assign different effects, and voila, a new form of magic.

So, I'd say you should feel free to build your own system, no need to cling to the "classical" 4+1 element structure.

As to how powerful it would be. It would need to be a full form of evocation/thaumaturgy, so basically it's just as powerful as any other mortal magic. It's just another way of describing it.

What it, in the case you have given here, would not do is act as Seelie/Unseelie magic in any way. It would not, for example, satisfy the catch for someone vulnerable to either of those forms of magic.

[Bubba Amon Hotep]

So "Corruption" could be a form of magic?  A practitioner would be strongest in a garbage dump, homeless shelter, or political event.  Least powerful in a scientific clean room, church, or well groomed park.

Hmmm.  Ponder Ponder.

[Deadmanwalking]

So "Corruption" could be a form of magic?  A practitioner would be strongest in a garbage dump, homeless shelter, or political event.  Least powerful in a scientific clean room, church, or well groomed park.

Not unless it's Sponsored Magic.

He could take Corruption as an Element for standard Evocation, but he wouldn't be limited in a well groomed park any more than a Water Mage is in a desert.

[Ryowulf]

"assign different effects" is the problem I am having.

I see your point about Sponsored Magic. There are a number of benefits that go beyond the effects.

[JustinS]

"assign different effects" is the problem I am having.

I see your point about Sponsored Magic. There are a number of benefits that go beyond the effects.

If you have trouble assigning different effects, then your way of looking at the world and splitting it up is not for you.

Evocation in general can do what evocation can do.

Initial themes, and some ideas for rotes are all you need. Everything else is figuring out how to pull off what you want with the theme you have. Different sets will work better or worse for different things.

Imagine defining the world under the framework of "Good, evil, law, chaos and balance". Different sets of spells, different look and feel and set of style constraints, same level of effects and limits.

[Biff Dyskolos]

Not unless it's Sponsored Magic.

He could take Corruption as an Element for standard Evocation, but he wouldn't be limited in a well groomed park any more than a Water Mage is in a desert.

I agree with you in principle; but if the dump has a scene aspect related to corruption that could be tagged when casting corruption magic. If the desert has an arid aspect then that could be tagged when defending against water based magic. And it might be within the scope of a stunt to give +1 to corruption evocations in an environment of corruption. So there are ways, other than Sponsored Magic, that Bubba might be able to gain an advantage from the environment if that was the effect he was trying to achieve.

[Bubba Amon Hotep]

to biff_dyskolos thanks.  That was indeed my point.

For instance someone using the element of Fire in a burning building.  They shouldn't have to invest so much personal energy to create a ball of fire.  The fire is already there.  they are not creating it from nothing.  You are simply reaching out and shaping a portion of the fire into a ball.  IE: more efficient ways for the effect to happen.

If the same fire mage is under water . . . he would need to create the fire from personal energy and well lets be honest it would take quite a bit more personal energy to generate the effect of a ball of fire.

True these are all points the GM must throw at the players with aspects on the scenes, etc.

Harry is always talking about drawing the energy in from around him to form the spells, and in the case where he was inside the huge ritual circle there was only so much magic to go around, so he started drawing and holding . . . something that made him dizzy and lightheaded from the power he felt.

[Biff Dyskolos]

to biff_dyskolos thanks.  That was indeed my point.

No problem. Happy corrupting!