The Priorities of Magic

If you haven’t noticed, we’re hip deep in working on world building where magic makes sense.  In many ways this then results in what we call “magitech” or magic used to recreate something technological in the fantasy era.  But what should be done?

We think the question comes down to, what’s most important when it comes to tech?  These are game worlds where adventurers are most often the most important people in the world so is it higher tech weapons?  Higher tech defenses?  No, it is higher tech tools!  By enhancing the abilities of the tools, it becomes easier to make everything else, including better tools.  So by advancing the way tools are produced, you are at least increasing the efficiency by which the products that those tools make are produced.

So better tools may not make a better sword, but they will likely make them much faster, thus cheaper, thus available to more people.  What kind of people?  Well, soldiers of course.  How many times has an advantage in technology driven an army to win battles that everyone assumed they would lose?  Well, being an American, the American Revolution comes to mind.  Anyone who tells you that the USA won their independence because of anything other than the Kentucky long rifle (as compared to the musket) is either lying or ill-informed.

It’s a big deal!  And the same thing needs to be considered with magic.  In our book, The Alchemist’s Lab, we got into a lot of the tools of the trade of alchemy, not just the various different potions that might be used in combat.  We did that too, but the focus was on the lab equipment.  Why?  Well, because of this premise - better tools yield better product, better product may lead to better tools, and so the cycle goes.  That’s how technological advancement works.

Obviously, this takes a little more world building than determining how powerful a magic weapon you are going to allow in a particular campaign.  But it is worth it.  We’re not suggesting that you figure out exactly how the alchemist makes his healing potions and then determine tech advances that will help him.  We are suggesting that you know there are tech advances that will help him and that he just might want those advances.  OK, we know he wants them!  The question is how much is he going to pay the party to go get them for him?  How about a case of healing potions delivered two months after they do the mission?

This is what we’re driving at.  Instead of the kingdom being thrilled at the idea of some recovered artifact weapon, especially if it is a melee weapon, they should be vastly more thrilled about the new manufacturing process that will equip each one of their soldiers with a minor magical item.  Which is the priority, one major sword or a thousand minor magical shields?  Two rival countries seeing this differently could lead to some really cool adventures, including combat, strategy, and even diplomacy.

This post was written as part of the upcoming The Circuitry of Magic aka All About Magitech, the latest in our Small Bites editions.  Each Small Bites book looks deeply at one subject, a character archetype, a race/monster, a style of questing, or some other role-playing/world building subject.  This one is showcasing all sorts of ways to use magic in different ways, including some that might resemble technology and/or machinery.

We hope we’re getting you interested.  If you want to see the World Walker edition for FREE!! click the link here.  If we’ve hooked you and you want to get the full 62 pages of content in the Game Masters’ edition, click here.