The Campaign Builder's Guild

For the "Haven't thought of a name"s i would perhaps go for less flames and more like infernal winds tearing things apart piece by piece. Also, instead of having them burn up, why not infect them with leprosy? Connecting themselves to the Primal Entropy (or whatever) makes them fall apart like the world, rotting their skin, disintegrating their fingers etc. Maybe a bit more "dry" than leprosy; so that they gradually erode away; growing more dessicated in tact with their falling apart.
If you wanted to go with a dream school, you could go with the world of dreams being the entire scape of wordly possibilities, so they look at possible futures, pasts, and presents while also getting glimpses into peoples' lives. But the Dreamworld is of course also breaking off in pieces, leaving them schizophrenic (unable to distinguish between reality/unreality, not multiple personalities) with shards of unreality stuck in their minds. So while they might be able to garner truth from the Dreamworld, they gradually lose contact with the real world: their memories are replaced, hallucinations replace what they see, definitions are twisted in their minds. I think this would be a bit cooler than generic insanity.
Athemancers could slowly induce a sensory deprivation on themselves: making the World nothingness. So they would sew their mouths shut, disoculate themselves, burn their skin, etc. This would grant them additional powers so they can see beyond the world that is falling apart into a static and "true" world. sewing their mouths ritually might grant them thought reading and telepathy and maybe the ability to stop sound (silencing). Removing their eyes would grant them some kind of colorless and undetailed yet powerful aura sight. Burning their skin, thus making them unable to feel, might give them unnatural toughness, allowing them to ignore wounds and heal quickly. If they gradually remove their identity as well, they might become semi-invisible: unnoticable until they want to be noticed. This could be done by forgetting their name and placing it in a small locket around their neck on a piece of paper, and by cutting off their fingertips. Maybe the "true" world could double as a spirit world, so they can communicate with the spirits of the dead (or the remains of them), and physically push the ruined spirits back into their now empty bodies if you wanted to go for a more necromantic feel.
Hmm, if you don't take these ideas i might do it myself...

Quote from: Cataclysmic CrowAthemancers could slowly induce a sensory deprivation on themselves: making the World nothingness. So they would sew their mouths shut, disoculate themselves, burn their skin, etc. This would grant them additional powers so they can see beyond the world that is falling apart into a static and "true" world. sewing their mouths ritually might grant them thought reading and telepathy and maybe the ability to stop sound (silencing). Removing their eyes would grant them some kind of colorless and undetailed yet powerful aura sight. Burning their skin, thus making them unable to feel, might give them unnatural toughness, allowing them to ignore wounds and heal quickly. If they gradually remove their identity as well, they might become semi-invisible: unnoticable until they want to be noticed. This could be done by forgetting their name and placing it in a small locket around their neck on a piece of paper, and by cutting off their fingertips. Maybe the "true" world could double as a spirit world, so they can communicate with the spirits of the dead (or the remains of them), and physically push the ruined spirits back into their now empty bodies if you wanted to go for a more necromantic feel.
Hmm, if you don't take these ideas i might do it myself...

That is pretty darn awesome. The whole idea of making themselves un-exist and the self-mutilation is exactly the kind of strange uniqueness I was going for (on a side note, this reminded me of the guy from Mystery Men who was invisible as long as no one was looking at him). Perhaps they could eventually will themselves out of existence for a short time once they grew powerful enough. Or even will others out of existence forever. I was thinking layers of black robes and strange, grotesque silver masks to further eliminate the idea of the "self".

And I think we are on the same page with the entropic magic users - their skin would be cracked and fissured like dried up mud. They would weaze and hack and always seem weak - at least until they started flinging fire and fury, but them quickly collapse into their frail state immediately after.

Thanks for the comments, keep it up yo.

Gamemaster Information
Far to the north, secluded within the cold bleak iron of the Hall of Hushed Screams, the Athemancers seek to remove themselves Arga - body and soul. Weavers of void and drinkers of dust, the Athemancers are feared, maligned, and misunderstood. At their core, they seek to remove themselves from what they see as a vicious and cruel cycle of life and to forever separate themselves from mortal restraints.

In their search for release, Athemancers first deprive themselves from what had defined them - forgetting of their names, of memories, of friends and family, and of emotions. They deny themselves any contact with the physical world - sewing shut of lips and cutting off of the tongue, the removal of eyes, the scarring of skin, the searing of ears. At last they seem as walking corpses - pale, leathery flesh, a horrible visage, the cold, tugging silence that only death seems to carry along, and an aura that dulls the world around them; smells are less potent, sounds are muffled, colors subdued.

Yet as the Athemancers remove themselves from the world, they are still in touch with it. They "speak" in raspy whispers that seem to come from nowhere and "see" the world through methods still unknown. And as there their sense of self is forgotten, their power increases. Hushed rumors are spoken of powerful Athemancers who can make themselves blink in and out of time and space, control the spirits of the lost, and even will the souls of others right out of existence.

It has been said to fear the man with nothing to lose, and in the case of the Athemancers, truer words have never been spoken.
[/ic]

I have this mental image of a gaunt entropist where the skin on the right side of his face has been torn off, leaving only muscle and bone clad in dust and rust from the wind. His left eye stares straight ahead with a eerie tenacity only matched by the dead, and he holds out a hand gray with some disease and with a digit of the index finger as well as the entire little finger missing. His dark and tattered robes and remaining few hairs billow in an unnatural and near-demonic wind from nowhere.
Pretty good writeup of the Athemancer :) Wouldn't the mask hide many of the mutilations though?
I think it would be interesting for them to create zones of "lack". The aforementioned lack of sound, or maybe remove the breath from a creature's lungs, slowly suffocating him. The purging of souls would also go in this category. If you have electrical equipment, they could probably also mess with that. And you could have fires dim when they approach. The teleport power is a little extravagant compared to some of the others, and therefore seems a little like the odd one out, but it does fit with the theme.  
You also seem to be good to come up with sensible quotes and oneliners like the last line. Practical skill :p
The unnoticability was mainly inspired by the urban magicians of "A Madness of Angels" who can hide in crowds and by exploiting anonymity, Qurabin from "Iron Council" who forgets things until he no longer can remember how he looks and turns invisible, and Philip Pullman's witches. I also used something similar in my Ecumenopolis setting recently.

Quote from: Cataclysmic CrowThe teleport power is a little extravagant compared to some of the others, and therefore seems a little like the odd one out, but it does fit with the theme.  

Well not really teleport, but more like a displacement of blink ability that works over short distances for a few seconds - just long enough to avoid things or get the drop on an opponent or something like that. I was thinking Kurt Wagner from the second X-Men, the impish guy who would pop in and out with whisps of greasy black smoke, but they would do it much slower and methodically instead of frantically being all over the place. Imagine one of these Athemancers slowly silently walking to you, but every arrow or bolt you loose misses as the displace themselves one foot to the left, one foot to right, until they are finally upon you.  

Quote from: Cataclysmic CrowThe teleport power is a little extravagant compared to some of the others, and therefore seems a little like the odd one out, but it does fit with the theme.  

Well not really teleport, but more like a displacement of blink ability that works over short distances for a few seconds - just long enough to avoid things or get the drop on an opponent or something like that. I was thinking Kurt Wagner from the second X-Men, the impish guy who would pop in and out with whisps of greasy black smoke, but they would do it much slower and methodically instead of frantically being all over the place. Imagine one of these Athemancers slowly silently walking to you, but every arrow or bolt you loose misses as they displace themselves one foot to the left, one foot to right, until they are finally upon you.  

here are a few more idea of "magic systems" that exist in Arga.

The KnifebirdsA nearly lost art and way of war (possible from the long extinct "elvish/feyan" race I still need to write up), the Knifebirds would fight with a single, long, slender knife that they would also use as something like a tuning fork. As they strike at their opponents, they would first hit their knifes on something like the floor, wall, anything really, to get a certain pitch. Certain pitches and vibrations would do certain things - some could shatter shields and crack armor, make enemies drop their weapons or feel sick to their stomach, wrack their head with noise, or making a single stab that would stop the heart. While they fight, they would twirl and dodge while striking and tuning their knifes, which make a bird-like whistle - hence the name.


MASTER OF PUPPETS(name is still in limbo, otherwise Metallica will probably sue me.) Maybe something to do with controlling burlap puppets that have blades for arms - that's actually really scary... eek.


Ugh, that's all I have at the moment.

'A nearly lost art and way of war (possible from the long extinct "elvish/feyan" race I still need to write up), the Knifebirds would fight with a single, long, slender knife that they would also use as something like a tuning fork. As they strike at their opponents, they would first hit their knifes on something like the floor, wall, anything really, to get a certain pitch. Certain pitches and vibrations would do certain things - some could shatter shields and crack armor, make enemies drop their weapons or feel sick to their stomach, wrack their head with noise, or making a single stab that would stop the heart. While they fight, they would twirl and dodge while striking and tuning their knifes, which make a bird-like whistle - hence the name.''

Interesting idea, but only people trained in certain ways can get these vibrations to work? Are there freelancers who know this magic? It sounds relatively easy to emulate.

The puppet-master also seems interesting as a concept, but I am not yet "feeling" the magical nature of it. How are puppets magical?

[ic=The Knifebirds]"It was a dirty, rowdy bar, so fights were to be expected I 'spose. This one man, he was a giant, had the arms of a Vorr and was well into his tankard. Anyhow, he starts a' pickin' on this skinny guy who was sittin' by his lonesome in a corner, mindin' his own, not botherin' nothing. At first he didn't even look at the drunkard, at least until that fool knocked over this skinny fella's pint.

He looked up from his seat and says to this brute "You have one chance to walk out of this bar alive." Now, this big fella' didn't take to kindly to that, and quicker than you'd expect he pulled out this rusty axe and swung straight towards this little fella's head. But before you ya' could be blink, the little guy rolled to 'is right and pulled out this funny lookin' knife - was 'bout a foot and half long and had this silvery sheen to it.

As he landed on 'is feet, he smacked this knife of his against the stone floor and it soon as he did that, it started to hum - was a strange feeling, this hum, I could feel it deep in m' chest, like I was outta breath or something. Well any how, he takes this knife and jabs this brutes thigh just like that, quick as a whistle.

And all of a sudden, the drunk was standing still like he was frozen or something. But just as quick as he rolled and stabbed, this little fella' sprang up, smacked his knife against his shoe and took off the others head like 'is neck was warm butter. The skinny guy tossed the barkeep a few coins, apologized for the mess, and walked right outta the door. Strangest thing I've ever seen

-Murl Opporu of Ib, personal account of the Bloody Bar Fight of '34.


Gamemaster Information
Practitioners of a nearly lost art, the Knifebirds, or quaesera as they were called in the the old Eldra tongue, fight with a long slender knife that they also use as something like tuning fork. These specials knifes, called quaelaths, can only be found, as even the most talented smiths cannot replicate the exact measurements, composition, and design of these near-perfect blades. They are believed to have been created by the long dead Eldra, but this is only speculation.

As Knifebirds strike at their opponents, they first hit their quaelaths on something - like a floor, wall, anything really - to tune their blades to a specific pitch. Even the most basic of quaelath tunes requires years of training - learning how to hold the handle with just the right touch, how to bring the blade through the air to continue the tune, what strikes to use to reach certain frequencies. For the untrained, the vibrations of a quaelath will just as easily effect its wielder as its target.

A myriad of pitches and vibrations each achieve a certain effect - some shatter shields and crack armor, others cause enemies to drop their weapons or feel sick to their stomach, another will slice right through an opponents weapon, and some will paralyze or suddenly and permanently stop the heart.

Training in the way of the quaesera is difficult to find. As it requires the possession of a quaelath, most Knifebirds come from a long familial line, with the blade and training being passed from generation to generation. But from time to time, the adventurous or lucky may come across a unclaimed quaelath, and in turn seek out a master Knifebird to train with, as self-taught Knifebirds are unheard of. Knifebirds fight in a smooth and elegant style, favoring finesse over brute strength as they alternate tuning strikes, quick stabs, elegant dodges, and long lunges - hence the name, as they resemble to many a fluttering bird whilst  in combat.

What is the point of wielding a hammer when a pin prick will do just fine?[/ic]

Nice idea. I have a magic discipline based on using tuning fork-like rods to change reality (okay, sounds silly when i write it like this...) and i did the same with the tunes taking a lot of training to create, maintain, and use so that somebody wouldn't be able to pick it up and become an instant mage...
The effects sound cool, and are even remotely plausible since subsonic sounds have been known to play tricks with the mind. Let us hope no one finds a way to hit the Brown Note though...

My magic system is based on the soul and blood. The heart is the headquarters of the soul and the soul has a regenerative cycle that can be exploited to push the soul out of the body, killing them. Blood can be used to boost one's magical power, since it contains the soul of another. I was thinking of music being related at least by the superficial similarity of a beat of a drum to the heart.

I do love the Athemancers, very cool and I'm jealous.

"Practitioners of a nearly lost art, the Knifebirds fight with a single, long, slender knife that they also use as something like tuning fork. These specials knifes, called quaelaths, can only be found, as even the most talented smiths cannot replicate the exact measurements, composition, and design of these near-perfect blades. When the blades are struck for a tune, the give of a sound similar to the whistling and warbling of birds - hence the name. They are believed to have been created by the long dead Eldra, but this is only speculation."

This is good. What happens if the tuning fork gets scratched or bent, though? Does it stop working?

"quaelath"

about how many of these are there?

It sounds like an interesting adventure seed- go questing to find these or keep a stash of them out of the hands of an evil order.

Quote from: Light DragonThis is good. What happens if the tuning fork gets scratched or bent, though? Does it stop working?

"quaelath"

about how many of these are there?

I'm just going to go with the easy way out and say that they are made so well and of such materials that they don't scratch or bend.

Oh, fair enough, but I'm certain you could think of some interesting consequences for an out of tune fork (in a very dystopian world, an out of tune fork might be very deadly indeed), or reforging a fork.

well, I suppose I could expand further, but never really planned on the Knifebirds playing a central role in the world - in fact, one of the things with Arga is that I want NO one group to play an overly central role - and have them in the background as rumors and conversations pieces to add flavor and depth to the world. I see most Knifebirds as "the lone wandering swordsmen" type character (unless they of course are master/apprentice) that are very secretive and, well, lonely. People know that Knifebirds exist, they just don't know who they are or what they are really all about.