Mages, or ‘induction troops’ in my world, are surgically and pharmaceutically augmented individuals that can manipulate elemental waves already present in the world via their ‘induction rig’. The mechanism / physics for this is explained by a fictional extension of Faraday's Law. Without getting too into the weeds, in OUR world, Faraday's Law states that closed-loop currents of electricity can generate magnetic fields and vice-versa. This is how wireless phone charger pedestals work, for example. In MY world, all elements exhibit waves that behave similarly to real-life magnetic waves. By this I mean that a 'current' of fire will generate an invisible, elemental 'fire wave', which can create, or 'induce' a current of fire elsewhere. Practically, this means that if one uses equipment that can make fire flow in a circle (like a hollow spiral tube), they can manipulate or even create fire at a distance.
tl;dr circular flow of any element can generate a flow in that same element at a distance. A mage uses their equipment to weaponize this.
An interesting idea. I can't honestly say I've seen anything like it. So, does that mean that there are connected elements in nature? Like twin fires or something?
You bring up a great point.
Typically, the elemental fields are extremely weak and are not strong enough to induce the element naturally. So one doesn’t see, say, a campfire ‘inducing’ new fire to appear around it, or a whirlpool in a stream generating other little eddies around it. A mage’s equipment only allows for the generation of strong enough waves via their amplifier, which essentially multiplies the current of fire through their coils by several orders of magnitude.
Theoretically, however, it is absolutely possible for such ‘twin’ elemental instances to exist in nature, provided there is enough current of the element in question. For example, there are accounts by maritime traders traveling near some of the world’s larger and stronger ocean currents of little whirlpools sometimes materializing in the barrels of water onboard.
Okay this is actually so damn cool. Is fire the only element that can be induced? If not how do the other elements work? Are they also manifested? And do they remain physical for a long time?
Thanks! I’ve only really fleshed out fire mages and arc mages, who can discharge powerful bolts of electricity. As I want it to be feasible in the physics of the world from a matter conservation sense, there aren’t mages that can shoot water, rock, or anything of actual material substance. I’ve been toying with the idea of radiation mages, for example, but I’m not sure what other elements I might choose. I’m also TOTALLY open to suggestions on what other ‘elements’ might be cool.
How about shockwave mages. They can generate powerful shockwaves that can cause mini earthquakes or shatter walls to collapse buildings. Also is the mage equipment only limited to the arms? And can a mage simply choose what type he becomes or is there some sort of requirement or training?
You’re making me very happy by encouraging me to info dump, haha, thank you!
The training/conditioning process for becoming a mage is mostly the same between mages, differing mainly in a tactical or martial sense.
All soldiers, regardless of role, go through basic training. Not only does this get them up to a suitable standard, but it acts as a means for observing recruits in-situ and comparing their fitness/abilities. Particularly fit individuals (with suitable VO2-max, heart rate, blood pressure, metabolic rate) are hand-chosen to undergo the first round of induction training following basic.
Preliminary induction training is essentially a set of grueling athletic trials designed to further weed out the ~90% that are not quite capable of the athleticism required for being a mage. So, following preliminaries, that ~90% gets cycled back into the rest of typical trainees, and we’re left with the few highly fit and suitably athletic individuals that were able to complete training.
These individuals then undergo a set of surgeries which amount to adding connections to their body for interfacing with their rig. There are two main surgical procedures:
1. Carotid Shunt: an ‘output port’ is embedded into the user’s carotid artery on their neck (as in the first picture), so that the rig can capture the mechanical input of their pulse.
2. Lateral Abdominal Subcutaneous Electrode Array (LASEA): bio-active ‘lipovoltaic electrodes’ are embedded just under the skin of the user’s torso, around the waist. This is to facilitate the fat-based power supply necessary to power the amplifier they use.
Surviving individuals then begin a mage’s pharmaceutical regimen, which basically amounts to a round of anabolic steroids, growth hormone, and thyroid hormones, all for the purpose of essentially ‘ramping up’ the user’s metabolic rate to roughly 5x-8x that of a typical adult male, necessary if they want to effectively use their rig. The steroids are temporary, but the thyroid hormones are taken indefinitely to maintain the high metabolic rate. When actually deployed in combat, induction troops are also given amphetamine salts to further ‘sharpen’ them.
Also, to achieve conscious control over their fight-or-flight response, individuals undergo what’s called ‘biofeedback training’, which amounts to hooking them up to a machine, similar to a polygraph, that measures/prints their physiological metrics (heart rate, blood pressure, adrenaline levels) in real time, so that they receive visual feedback of their arousal levels as they attempt to learn to control them.
I’m not sure where along the training process (before or after surgeries/meds) I’d want to place biofeedback training, but again, TOTALLY open to suggestions, whether they call for adding, removing, changing, whatever. I love having people poke holes in it!
BUT FINALLY, once a person has completed the standard induction conditioning/training common between all mages, they are assigned an element based on their tactical proficiencies and preferences. Training processes between different mages will diverge here. For example, whereas a fire mage will learn close-mid range martial arts and tactics for storming and clearing enemy trenches (since I pretty much based them on WWI flamethrower units), arc mages will either be trained as sappers/saboteurs or marksman, with comparatively less of a focus on actual combat.
As for your idea of shockwave mages, that sounds really cool. Like maybe a sort of ‘kinetic mage’ that can maybe induce pressure differences in the air amounting to shockwaves? Sick.
I won't lie as a pharmacy major I'm very much nerding out on your incorporation of drugs and just how thought out this actually is. It really gives off the feeling of messed up military bioengineering. Okay so since the troops are super ultra metabolizes the amphetamine salts given to them during combat would get metabolized quite quickly. Also I think the bio feedback training should be done before surgery so that those that can't control their fight or flight process automatically won't need to have undergone surgery for no reason
Bioengineering grad here! Cool to see other STEM-slaves interested in world building.
FUCK, that’s actually a really fantastic point about the amphetamine salts. Thanks for bringing that up. Do you think some kind of slow/extended release mechanism might work, or would it still just be metabolized way too quickly? It takes place in a world in a similar technological era to Edwardian (late 1800s - early 1900s), so I’m wary about anything like hydrogels or other cool modern drug release mechanisms. But your point about the amphetamines degrading quickly is pretty irrefutable. Maybe some black box type chemical engineering, like making an even slower-release type of lisdexamphetamine?
Yeah, I think you’re probably right about the placement of biofeedback training. It could maybe be another way to filter out initiates that exhibit inadequate levels of control over their physiology prior to augmentation. It could also be a cool mysterious narrative element.
Like, if we follow a particularly fit army recruit who is suddenly separated out from their fellow trainees one day and brought to a room with a bunch of men in lab coats, a chair, and a big hulking device next to it. Without explanation, they order him to sit down and connect him to several electrodes, sensors, and turn the device on. It starts spitting out paper with his biometrics graphed in real-time, and the researchers then tell him to raise his blood pressure and heart rate. He can’t initially, but gets progressively better at it as they start routinely pulling him aside for the same tests. But the whole time, he’s not aware of what the purpose is.
Omg I'm really really interested in bioengineering and genetic engineering. I'm even thinking of getting a master's in either if possible after my bachelor's.
But yeah honestly the world already seems so much more ahead of ours in terms of surgery and engineering so I don't see why they wouldn't have hacked the secrets to slow release formulations, although since it would still get metabolized rather quickly they would have to up the dosage significantly so it wouldn't be just "tiny amounts of amphetamine salts" it would have to be a lot more to keep the serum concentration high enough and stable enough to exert an effect over the desired time. Oh also what happens when a mage is about to retire? Do they get the induction rig removed from them or do they have to live with it forever? Also you forgot to answer if the rig is only limited to the arms and if it can be attached to several parts of the body
Do it! And if you’re thinking of pursuing research, I’d even recommend going straight to PhD if you feel confident with it. That’s what I’m doing, but mainly because I’ll be needing one anyways.
To answer your question about retiring, because of the physiological strain of induction conditioning and combat, most mages tend to have a median life expectancy of about 50-60 years, the most common cause of death being, unsurprisingly, cardiovascular or respiratory. But while not deployed, induction troops don’t typically wear their rig, and their connections are ‘capped’ so to speak.
And my bad, regarding the induction rig being limited to the arms, not necessarily. The vast majority of deployed mages wear the mass-produced rig which only has output coils around the forearms or bicep. However, some mages, such as the elite royal guard of the Szárnyak Margravate (a fictional nation based on Austro-Hungary) are equipped with far more expensive, better engineered rigs, which not only more efficiently transduce their metabolic fuel into their attacks, but have additional output coils wrapping their ankles, allowing them to utilize their legs and feet to attack as well. Naturally, the royal guard are comprised of only the most talented among mages, and are trained to make effective use of these additional coils through kicking-focused martial arts heavy in airborne techniques, similar to Capoeria or Taekwondo.
I am thinking of doing research! I'm really curious why you'll be needing a phD.
Ah I really like the idea that the rigs can be used in many other parts of the body as well. I don't know if you've thought about this as well but it would also be nice to see like tanks or machines that aren't exactly built to be covert but work on the exact same principle but they can be used for regular warfare. I assume they would have to be constantly operated and fueled on the battlefield which is definitely expensive but still would be quite useful.
Bioinformatics.
A bachelor’s usually just isn’t enough to cover the necessary biology and programming theory. I’m planning on probably going into the pharmaceutical industry, and they typically want their bioinformatics people at PhD level. All that a master’s would really do for me is give me the chance to explore more specialized subsets of bioinformatics, and help me be more competitive when applying to PhD programs. I already know what I’m interested in (structural proteomics), and I’m already doing research at a lab, so I’m skipping it on the suggestion of my PI.
As for other weaponry leveraging induction, that’s a great idea. Batteries DO exist in my world, but they’re a fairly new technology (look up ‘voltaic pile’ to see what I referenced for them). As of now, though, the only thing I’ve written for them to power are ‘mag-mortars’, which are essentially just mortars that use a railgun-like mechanism to propel artillery shells.
Totally, yeah! Like maybe a sort of ‘thermo-mage’ that can exhibit a degree of control over the flow of heat and temperature?
Kinda makes me wanna plagiarize Fullmetal Alchemist or MHA by designing a guy who can push heat into substance with one hand, and pull it out with the other.
I think para-scientific magic systems are awesome and I'm working on one very much inspired by outdated scientific theories. The problem being that I have both pretty shallow understanding of physics and very high standards for cohesion and realism 😅 I want to make a system based on different forms of energy being dissolved in mediums and interacting by means of pressure, density, refraction ect., with chemical energy being represented by phlogiston and light being carried by aether. I'm pretty early in the design phase and I'll need more inspiration to go forward. Do you know of any cool examples of such systems?
Fuck yeah, definitely love me a magic system based on outdated theories. I didn’t mention it here, but elemental waves in my world ALSO propagate through a field called the Ether, which I’m sure you know in real life was believed to be the source of magnetism before we learned about relativity and length contraction.
Although I’m no physicist or mathematician, my education was in bioengineering, which included a foundation of several fundamental physics courses. If you ever have any questions about anything relating to math or physics, or just want to bounce shit off of someone who has a cursory understanding of it, please feel free to DM me! I love talking about that stuff. It’s dope.
As for other, similar magic systems, the first work that comes to mind is Dune. Herbert does a great job of grounding what essentially seems like magic powers as stuff like superhuman control over one’s own nervous system as with the Bene Gesserit, or hyper-analytical abilities that allow the Guildsman or the Kwisatz Haderach to see different futures. Such a fucking dope universe.
Thanks a lot mate :) I don't have much time to work on my lore so I don't know when will I be able to take you up on your offer, but it's really awesome that you would propose it. I definitely need people to talk my ideas through.
No haha, just really inspired by the era of physics when the nature of electricity and magnetism were elucidated (mid-late 19th century) and thought it’d be cool to model the physics for my magic off of that of actual fields
Really??
Bro you said check out the video game infamous 2, the main character Cole's design looks EXACTLY like the art you drew.
Not only does he has electric powers, but also carries a metallic electricity channeling device around him.
I’ve played inFamous 2, yeah!
But I don’t really see the resemblance other than electricity powers and some device that helps channel them, and I feel like those are pretty vague concepts not really belonging to inFamous 2 exclusively.
I see your point, but I definitely encourage you to give my explanation a read and look up how electromagnetic induction works, because real life induction is cool as shit. It’s how pretty much all electricity generation and power plants work. My only idea was basically just to extend the law of induction to any element.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday%27s_law_of_induction
Mages, or ‘induction troops’ in my world, are surgically and pharmaceutically augmented individuals that can manipulate elemental waves already present in the world via their ‘induction rig’. The mechanism / physics for this is explained by a fictional extension of Faraday's Law. Without getting too into the weeds, in OUR world, Faraday's Law states that closed-loop currents of electricity can generate magnetic fields and vice-versa. This is how wireless phone charger pedestals work, for example. In MY world, all elements exhibit waves that behave similarly to real-life magnetic waves. By this I mean that a 'current' of fire will generate an invisible, elemental 'fire wave', which can create, or 'induce' a current of fire elsewhere. Practically, this means that if one uses equipment that can make fire flow in a circle (like a hollow spiral tube), they can manipulate or even create fire at a distance. tl;dr circular flow of any element can generate a flow in that same element at a distance. A mage uses their equipment to weaponize this.
An interesting idea. I can't honestly say I've seen anything like it. So, does that mean that there are connected elements in nature? Like twin fires or something?
You bring up a great point. Typically, the elemental fields are extremely weak and are not strong enough to induce the element naturally. So one doesn’t see, say, a campfire ‘inducing’ new fire to appear around it, or a whirlpool in a stream generating other little eddies around it. A mage’s equipment only allows for the generation of strong enough waves via their amplifier, which essentially multiplies the current of fire through their coils by several orders of magnitude. Theoretically, however, it is absolutely possible for such ‘twin’ elemental instances to exist in nature, provided there is enough current of the element in question. For example, there are accounts by maritime traders traveling near some of the world’s larger and stronger ocean currents of little whirlpools sometimes materializing in the barrels of water onboard.
Okay this is actually so damn cool. Is fire the only element that can be induced? If not how do the other elements work? Are they also manifested? And do they remain physical for a long time?
Thanks! I’ve only really fleshed out fire mages and arc mages, who can discharge powerful bolts of electricity. As I want it to be feasible in the physics of the world from a matter conservation sense, there aren’t mages that can shoot water, rock, or anything of actual material substance. I’ve been toying with the idea of radiation mages, for example, but I’m not sure what other elements I might choose. I’m also TOTALLY open to suggestions on what other ‘elements’ might be cool.
How about shockwave mages. They can generate powerful shockwaves that can cause mini earthquakes or shatter walls to collapse buildings. Also is the mage equipment only limited to the arms? And can a mage simply choose what type he becomes or is there some sort of requirement or training?
You’re making me very happy by encouraging me to info dump, haha, thank you! The training/conditioning process for becoming a mage is mostly the same between mages, differing mainly in a tactical or martial sense. All soldiers, regardless of role, go through basic training. Not only does this get them up to a suitable standard, but it acts as a means for observing recruits in-situ and comparing their fitness/abilities. Particularly fit individuals (with suitable VO2-max, heart rate, blood pressure, metabolic rate) are hand-chosen to undergo the first round of induction training following basic. Preliminary induction training is essentially a set of grueling athletic trials designed to further weed out the ~90% that are not quite capable of the athleticism required for being a mage. So, following preliminaries, that ~90% gets cycled back into the rest of typical trainees, and we’re left with the few highly fit and suitably athletic individuals that were able to complete training. These individuals then undergo a set of surgeries which amount to adding connections to their body for interfacing with their rig. There are two main surgical procedures: 1. Carotid Shunt: an ‘output port’ is embedded into the user’s carotid artery on their neck (as in the first picture), so that the rig can capture the mechanical input of their pulse. 2. Lateral Abdominal Subcutaneous Electrode Array (LASEA): bio-active ‘lipovoltaic electrodes’ are embedded just under the skin of the user’s torso, around the waist. This is to facilitate the fat-based power supply necessary to power the amplifier they use. Surviving individuals then begin a mage’s pharmaceutical regimen, which basically amounts to a round of anabolic steroids, growth hormone, and thyroid hormones, all for the purpose of essentially ‘ramping up’ the user’s metabolic rate to roughly 5x-8x that of a typical adult male, necessary if they want to effectively use their rig. The steroids are temporary, but the thyroid hormones are taken indefinitely to maintain the high metabolic rate. When actually deployed in combat, induction troops are also given amphetamine salts to further ‘sharpen’ them. Also, to achieve conscious control over their fight-or-flight response, individuals undergo what’s called ‘biofeedback training’, which amounts to hooking them up to a machine, similar to a polygraph, that measures/prints their physiological metrics (heart rate, blood pressure, adrenaline levels) in real time, so that they receive visual feedback of their arousal levels as they attempt to learn to control them. I’m not sure where along the training process (before or after surgeries/meds) I’d want to place biofeedback training, but again, TOTALLY open to suggestions, whether they call for adding, removing, changing, whatever. I love having people poke holes in it! BUT FINALLY, once a person has completed the standard induction conditioning/training common between all mages, they are assigned an element based on their tactical proficiencies and preferences. Training processes between different mages will diverge here. For example, whereas a fire mage will learn close-mid range martial arts and tactics for storming and clearing enemy trenches (since I pretty much based them on WWI flamethrower units), arc mages will either be trained as sappers/saboteurs or marksman, with comparatively less of a focus on actual combat. As for your idea of shockwave mages, that sounds really cool. Like maybe a sort of ‘kinetic mage’ that can maybe induce pressure differences in the air amounting to shockwaves? Sick.
I won't lie as a pharmacy major I'm very much nerding out on your incorporation of drugs and just how thought out this actually is. It really gives off the feeling of messed up military bioengineering. Okay so since the troops are super ultra metabolizes the amphetamine salts given to them during combat would get metabolized quite quickly. Also I think the bio feedback training should be done before surgery so that those that can't control their fight or flight process automatically won't need to have undergone surgery for no reason
Bioengineering grad here! Cool to see other STEM-slaves interested in world building. FUCK, that’s actually a really fantastic point about the amphetamine salts. Thanks for bringing that up. Do you think some kind of slow/extended release mechanism might work, or would it still just be metabolized way too quickly? It takes place in a world in a similar technological era to Edwardian (late 1800s - early 1900s), so I’m wary about anything like hydrogels or other cool modern drug release mechanisms. But your point about the amphetamines degrading quickly is pretty irrefutable. Maybe some black box type chemical engineering, like making an even slower-release type of lisdexamphetamine? Yeah, I think you’re probably right about the placement of biofeedback training. It could maybe be another way to filter out initiates that exhibit inadequate levels of control over their physiology prior to augmentation. It could also be a cool mysterious narrative element. Like, if we follow a particularly fit army recruit who is suddenly separated out from their fellow trainees one day and brought to a room with a bunch of men in lab coats, a chair, and a big hulking device next to it. Without explanation, they order him to sit down and connect him to several electrodes, sensors, and turn the device on. It starts spitting out paper with his biometrics graphed in real-time, and the researchers then tell him to raise his blood pressure and heart rate. He can’t initially, but gets progressively better at it as they start routinely pulling him aside for the same tests. But the whole time, he’s not aware of what the purpose is.
Omg I'm really really interested in bioengineering and genetic engineering. I'm even thinking of getting a master's in either if possible after my bachelor's. But yeah honestly the world already seems so much more ahead of ours in terms of surgery and engineering so I don't see why they wouldn't have hacked the secrets to slow release formulations, although since it would still get metabolized rather quickly they would have to up the dosage significantly so it wouldn't be just "tiny amounts of amphetamine salts" it would have to be a lot more to keep the serum concentration high enough and stable enough to exert an effect over the desired time. Oh also what happens when a mage is about to retire? Do they get the induction rig removed from them or do they have to live with it forever? Also you forgot to answer if the rig is only limited to the arms and if it can be attached to several parts of the body
Do it! And if you’re thinking of pursuing research, I’d even recommend going straight to PhD if you feel confident with it. That’s what I’m doing, but mainly because I’ll be needing one anyways. To answer your question about retiring, because of the physiological strain of induction conditioning and combat, most mages tend to have a median life expectancy of about 50-60 years, the most common cause of death being, unsurprisingly, cardiovascular or respiratory. But while not deployed, induction troops don’t typically wear their rig, and their connections are ‘capped’ so to speak. And my bad, regarding the induction rig being limited to the arms, not necessarily. The vast majority of deployed mages wear the mass-produced rig which only has output coils around the forearms or bicep. However, some mages, such as the elite royal guard of the Szárnyak Margravate (a fictional nation based on Austro-Hungary) are equipped with far more expensive, better engineered rigs, which not only more efficiently transduce their metabolic fuel into their attacks, but have additional output coils wrapping their ankles, allowing them to utilize their legs and feet to attack as well. Naturally, the royal guard are comprised of only the most talented among mages, and are trained to make effective use of these additional coils through kicking-focused martial arts heavy in airborne techniques, similar to Capoeria or Taekwondo.
I am thinking of doing research! I'm really curious why you'll be needing a phD. Ah I really like the idea that the rigs can be used in many other parts of the body as well. I don't know if you've thought about this as well but it would also be nice to see like tanks or machines that aren't exactly built to be covert but work on the exact same principle but they can be used for regular warfare. I assume they would have to be constantly operated and fueled on the battlefield which is definitely expensive but still would be quite useful.
Bioinformatics. A bachelor’s usually just isn’t enough to cover the necessary biology and programming theory. I’m planning on probably going into the pharmaceutical industry, and they typically want their bioinformatics people at PhD level. All that a master’s would really do for me is give me the chance to explore more specialized subsets of bioinformatics, and help me be more competitive when applying to PhD programs. I already know what I’m interested in (structural proteomics), and I’m already doing research at a lab, so I’m skipping it on the suggestion of my PI. As for other weaponry leveraging induction, that’s a great idea. Batteries DO exist in my world, but they’re a fairly new technology (look up ‘voltaic pile’ to see what I referenced for them). As of now, though, the only thing I’ve written for them to power are ‘mag-mortars’, which are essentially just mortars that use a railgun-like mechanism to propel artillery shells.
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Totally, yeah! Like maybe a sort of ‘thermo-mage’ that can exhibit a degree of control over the flow of heat and temperature? Kinda makes me wanna plagiarize Fullmetal Alchemist or MHA by designing a guy who can push heat into substance with one hand, and pull it out with the other.
I think para-scientific magic systems are awesome and I'm working on one very much inspired by outdated scientific theories. The problem being that I have both pretty shallow understanding of physics and very high standards for cohesion and realism 😅 I want to make a system based on different forms of energy being dissolved in mediums and interacting by means of pressure, density, refraction ect., with chemical energy being represented by phlogiston and light being carried by aether. I'm pretty early in the design phase and I'll need more inspiration to go forward. Do you know of any cool examples of such systems?
Fuck yeah, definitely love me a magic system based on outdated theories. I didn’t mention it here, but elemental waves in my world ALSO propagate through a field called the Ether, which I’m sure you know in real life was believed to be the source of magnetism before we learned about relativity and length contraction. Although I’m no physicist or mathematician, my education was in bioengineering, which included a foundation of several fundamental physics courses. If you ever have any questions about anything relating to math or physics, or just want to bounce shit off of someone who has a cursory understanding of it, please feel free to DM me! I love talking about that stuff. It’s dope. As for other, similar magic systems, the first work that comes to mind is Dune. Herbert does a great job of grounding what essentially seems like magic powers as stuff like superhuman control over one’s own nervous system as with the Bene Gesserit, or hyper-analytical abilities that allow the Guildsman or the Kwisatz Haderach to see different futures. Such a fucking dope universe.
Thanks a lot mate :) I don't have much time to work on my lore so I don't know when will I be able to take you up on your offer, but it's really awesome that you would propose it. I definitely need people to talk my ideas through.
Let me guess: have you been playing infamous 1 or 2 recently and wanted to create a power system based on Cole?
No haha, just really inspired by the era of physics when the nature of electricity and magnetism were elucidated (mid-late 19th century) and thought it’d be cool to model the physics for my magic off of that of actual fields
Really?? Bro you said check out the video game infamous 2, the main character Cole's design looks EXACTLY like the art you drew. Not only does he has electric powers, but also carries a metallic electricity channeling device around him.
I’ve played inFamous 2, yeah! But I don’t really see the resemblance other than electricity powers and some device that helps channel them, and I feel like those are pretty vague concepts not really belonging to inFamous 2 exclusively. I see your point, but I definitely encourage you to give my explanation a read and look up how electromagnetic induction works, because real life induction is cool as shit. It’s how pretty much all electricity generation and power plants work. My only idea was basically just to extend the law of induction to any element. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday%27s_law_of_induction