Operation: Alchemy

Status
Not open for further replies.

Ruko

Professional Otaku
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per day
Writing Levels
  1. Elementary
  2. Intermediate
  3. Adept
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Female
Genres
Fantasy, Magical, Horror
PLOT:
At the beginning of the 21st​ century, technology appeared that changed the status of magic from fantasy to reality. Of course, through history, elite organisations have been known to use a crude but potent form of Ancient Magic, such as the Shinobi, and the Mayans. The issue with this magic though was that it was highly unpredictable and volatile and required decades of training to master. Magic was made possible to the general masses once it was discovered that magic works in a very mathematical way.

Each spell consists of 2 components – the Activation Sequence, and the Magic building Sequence. The Activation sequence defines most of the spell's base principles, while the Magic building Sequence constructs the spell and adds the more precise details. Previously, the Activation sequence was an incredibly complex step which only the greatest minds could master. Fortunately, the Activation sequence is a binary process, meaning it can be replicated by technology. The Magic building Sequence is dependent on the user's skill level, rather than mathematical ability.

With the exception of those wielding Ancient and Spirit magic, magicians use devices called CADs. These are small computers which store the Activation Sequences along with variables and can trigger these sequences through various means – pressing a button, typing in a code, occasionally even voice activation commands. They usually take the form of a bracelet-like device or a smartphone. Each CAD can usually store around 20 different activation sequences, meaning that if the user wishes to change their arsenal, they must re-program their CAD. Most CADs are generalised devices, so they are programmed to be used in multiple ways. The military generally use gun-like CADs which are specialised to 1 or 2 spells, but contain the code and variables necessary to provide incredible power to those 2 spells. A typical military device might look something like a semi-automatic machine gun with processing power capable of casting the same activation sequence 3 times in almost instant succession. These are usually combined with speed-type oscillation spells – essentially, bullets of energy that ignore armour and move at near sonic speed. A key thing to take note of is that only Activation Sequences can be run by machines – Magic building Sequences require a magician, meaning that many soldiers are still equipped with physical bullet weapons.

In the current day and age, 2210, the spellcasting world is dominated by speed-type spells, leaving Ancient Magic in the dust, used only as completely untraceable ambush and assassination spells. Even taking this into consideration however, most mages develop their own style by creating their own activation and magic sequences. 90% of humans are either unable to use magic all together or are weak in comparison to the 10%. Of these elite 5%, there are the level 1 mages who are recognised as being exceptionally talented, and the level 2 mages who, while still of phenomenal ability, possess less that a half of the skill of a Grade 1.


There are also 2 other devices. An incredibly rare mineral called Antinite that can only be found in very specific conditions, capable of negating spells by deconstructing the activation sequence as it's being run, and Sorcery Boosters, a highly illegal mechanism that is essentially a brain in a 2 foot cubic box that has the effect of increasing the potency of a spell. These 2 resources have caused World War 3 to break out in 2155, and lasting for 20 years, and many officials suspect that World War 4 will break out in the very near future. Additionally, many countries have turned to being dictatorships, forcing their countries into a state of dystopia in a power-crazed attempt to obtain ultimate control over the world.

It is rumoured that a third device may exist – a Relic named the Philosopher's Stone. In ages past, the stone acted as a catalyst for the conversion of base metals into gold, and it is suspected that this means that this item is capable of storing and creating Magic building Sequences. Such a resource if replicated would advance technology by several decades, and undeniably end all wars. Combining a specialised CAD, a Philosopher's Stone and a large number of Boosters, one would be quite capable of constructing machines of infinite potential. If, by using just 2 stones, a country can create a shield that can negate any attack, and a super weapon more destructive than a nuclear bomb, they would be unbeatable.

The race is on. Whoever can find and decode the stone first has essentially gained control over the entire world, perhaps even the universe. At the same time, all countries are under strong bombardment from enemy forces, trying to hinder their foe's investigations. These invasions demand the full attention of the police and the military, as well as the Master Clans (the ten clans who throughout history have supplied the most powerful magicians to their countries), leaving anti-magic terrorist organisations to run amock. Chaos has descended upon all nations, while students attending Magic Academies have been left to defend the inside of their lands and search for the Stone.

Rules:
1 - No going against Iwaku's own rules
2 - No Godmodding, Powergaming and Metagaming. Metagaming rule excludes psychic abilities, if explained well.
3 - No OP characters. You are a high school student. This means you are 15, 16, 17 or 18. You are in no way trained in high power magics.
4 - Please be accurate in your writings and think carefully. If you were a high school student who got forced to work as police and secret agents, how would you be feeling? Are you even still mentally stable?
5 - Inter-character relationship development is encouraged, but please take #4 into account while doing so.

Character Sheet:

Name: (Japanese style please. Foreign transfers would be regarded as spies, and therefore not permitted to enter the country)

Age: (Include grade - First year, Junior or Senior. That is, 15-16, 16-17 or 17-18.)

Magic Class: (Are you a level 1 or level 2? Note that discrimination does exist between levels.)

Appearance: (Anime image or written description only please. While non-anime artwork may be accepted, using a real life image will result in me simply ignoring your app altogether until the issue is resolved. If you have some kind of issue with anime, then write a description.)

Short Bio: (Include only things that would be released to the public, such as magical events won or scored highly in, or any other reason they may gain fame or infamy. Everything else should be roleplayed.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kreska
...I didn't realize this was a teenager/high school RP.
OH WELL.
Just bear in mind I may mess a few things up, having never gone to high school myself (I'm an unschooler, that is, all my studies are independent, and I take whatever misc classes for any sort of credit I need).
Also I hate Japanese names, but I'll cope.

Name: Kotone "Sapphire" Himura
Age: 17, Senior
Magic Class: Grade 1
Appearance: Kotone is several inches taller than average (five feet five and a half inches), standing almost a head taller than most girls her age. She has an athletic frame built for sprinting and long light-blue hair, usually tied in pigtails. Her eyes are dark green. She wears a loose, dark blue long sleeved shirt, dark blue slacks, and a long dark blue scarf. She wears a CAD on either wrist, both of them sleek, light blue bracers with streamlined designs and a touch screen on the top. Spells are triggered by certain patterns being drawn on the touch screen. They store ten spells each.
Biography: Kotone is known for her excellent performance in any magical endeavor related to combat, having won several mock tournaments (that had restrictions on the spells used so as to prevent injuries, of course). The stunt that granted her the most (unwanted) publicity was when she stopped a school-shooting in progress by shielding herself and disabling the aggressor with electricity. Details are under wraps, of course, and Kotone herself has refused to speak to any sort of interviewer, even though her involvement is public knowledge.

If two CADs aren't okay for whatever reason (I see no reason why you couldn't but...) I'll amend it to one.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It's only a high school RP up to the point that the players are high schoolers. This is purely for psychological effects as well, and to add authenticity to the world, since I will probably be adding more layers as time goes on. In actuality, you'll be working as an anti-terrorist unit and as an agent looking for the stone, leaving no time for actual study anyway. As for 2 CADs, there is a good reason why it's not possible.

Magic is a very chaotic thing and must be highly controlled. Every time a spell is cast, a huge amount of nanoparticles called "Psions" are released. These interact in catastrophic ways with other psions, though they have a low radius and duration. Basically, if 2 or more spells are cast simultaneously by the same person or a person standing directly next to the same person, especially if done in haste, chances are you'll damage yourself more than your target. Of course, 2 CADs are still used by some people, since if you store defensive spells in one and offensive spells in the other you can optimise the CAD software and specifications to each spell set, rather than holding 20 spells in a general purpose CAD.
 
Of course, 2 CADs are still used by some people, since if you store defensive spells in one and offensive spells in the other you can optimise the CAD software and specifications to each spell set, rather than holding 20 spells in a general purpose CAD.
This is exactly what I did, actually; earlier I wrote up a rough draft of a spell list (I wanted one set out beforehand so I didn't ass-pull a spell conveniently suited to my current situation).

Right:
1. Lightning Arc (Bolt of blue lightning that arcs across creatures nearby
the target)
2. Jolt (Close range burst of electricity that can incapacitate foes)
3. Fire Fan (Cone shaped gout of white fire)
4. Ward (Magical shield that blocks elemental attacks)
5. Ball Lightning (Long ranged orb that detonates into an area of effect
blast of electricity)
6. Lightningrod (Absorbs lightning magic, including self cast spells,
and uses it to strengthen a ward)
7. Push/Pull (Telekinetically pull or push an object, can be used as
attack magic)
8. Light Shield (Cloaks the user in extremely intense, bright light)
9. Endure (Strengthen willpower and allow caster to push through and
ignore pain)
10. Hemostasis (Stops open wounds from bleeding for about ten minutes)

Left:
1. Stitch Wounds (Mends skin, repairs open wounds)
2. Cleanse (Cleans objects, including wounds, preventing infection)
3. Wall of Force (Creates transparent wall unbreakable by nonmagical
means that lasts as long as caster concentrates)
4. Controlled Jolt (Infuses caster with electricity, allowing them to
direct it with extremely fine control at close range)
5. Cut (Cleaves through objects at short range)
6. Mark (Creates a glowing pinpoint on object that only caster can see,
visible through any sort of barrier as long as target is within a
thousand feet)
7. Sending (Sends a silent, telepathic message to anyone within several
miles, but caster must know their general location)
8. Lightning Bolt (Bog standard lightning projectile that inflicts
damage)
9. Sprint (Greatly increases caster's speed and stamina for two minutes)
10. Stop (Puts a target in stasis for about thirty seconds, relatively
close range)

Obviously this is a very rough draft, and the descriptions aren't very comprehensive. But I did make a point to put combat spells in the right one and utility spells in the left one.

If you want me to change it, I will, but I did think this through.

Also, the method of activation makes casting two spells at once impossible with these--she can't draw on both touch screens at once.
 
There's only one spell I have a problem with currently, which is the Controlled Jolt. With the exception of a tiny number of people, most mages can only stack 10 magic building sequences on top of each other without canceling the spell and building it up from scratch with a new activation sequence, so Controlled Jolt could only change it's target coordinates 9 times after it's original casting, so while you may be able to adjust it's course in very fine incriments, it'd be like having a beam from a laser printer, in that you set it's starting destination, which'd be Activation and first Magic sequences, and the bolt strikes that location, then you want to add a second location, so you create a second magic sequence with the new coordinates and overlay it on top of the activation and first magic sequences. Since variables in later sequences over ride those in earlier ones, the bolt would switch to targetting the new location. If it's a beam-like bolt, it would move to the new location like a laser at a speed determined in the activation sequence.
 
Name: Nira Koraln
Age: 15, Freshman
Magic Class: Ungraded, transfer
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 104 lbs
Eyes: Blue (Contacts make them grey)
Hair: Brown
Magic Element: Lightning

Biography: Less then social, this guy does well in physical academics and math. The worse part is his attention span. He seems to lack any patience at all for long winded speeches or for anything else that he does not want to hear. He comes from another town because his father's job had them move nearby. If he has to sit still for extended periods of time, he falls asleep.

He has only one CAD.

Spells:
  1. Lightning bolt
  2. Spark (Sends multiple tendrils of lightning out in a small cone in front of him)
  3. Barrier (Causes a static field to form to his defense)
  4. Magnetize (Turns an object into a magnet for a very short period of time)
  5. Blink (Short distance teleport or speed up)
  6. Lightning strike (Enhances either an item or the caster with lightning for added damage)
  7. Energize (Removes exhaustion at the cost of hunger)
  8. Call lightning (can only be used once per week in role play, as it calls actual lightning to a target location)
He only has eight spells so far, though I'm sure more can be gained during role play.
 
I hope I may join this is just something simple I made up
Name :Nanaimo samyoko
Age :16,junior
Magic class :1
Appearance : if the nurse doesn't have time to scan my drawings I hope my profile pic will work
Bio :miss Nanaimo does not really show promise in any particular type of magic particularly combat and tends to "cave in" with out a strong leader as was demonstrated in that horrendous event which I don't wish to put on record
Alternatively with a strong leader to guide her she excellent rather nicely every type of magic except combat which is kept at average

I really like the idea and I'll be willing to draw anime characters for other applicants​
 
@Krnon "actual lightning" is really underpowered in this. Even basic stealth type lightning spells are usually as strong as, if not stronger than a general lightning bolt. In comparison with current spells, it'd be the equivalent of firing a sonic attack with power capable of splitting a tree - something that most level 2 can do. As for exhaustion - since the magic in this is still very scientific, exhaustion is still based on availability of oxygen. The process is called "Oxygen debt" in the study of biology. Basically, the only limit on the physical stamina is how effective you are at taking in oxygen. You only start to feel pain and tiredness when your body isn't taking in enough oxygen. I imagine Energize would do something like artificially create oxygen, so "at the cost of hunger" wouldn't be necessary.

@Aristotle I'm guessing English isn't your first language, since you seem to be incapable of punctuation. I'm afraid as it is, your app and your demonstrated writing skills will not be enough to get you into this RP. On another note, did you draw your avatar image yourself? It looks great.
 
@Krnon "actual lightning" is really underpowered in this. Even basic stealth type lightning spells are usually as strong as, if not stronger than a general lightning bolt. In comparison with current spells, it'd be the equivalent of firing a sonic attack with power capable of splitting a tree - something that most level 2 can do. As for exhaustion - since the magic in this is still very scientific, exhaustion is still based on availability of oxygen. The process is called "Oxygen debt" in the study of biology. Basically, the only limit on the physical stamina is how effective you are at taking in oxygen. You only start to feel pain and tiredness when your body isn't taking in enough oxygen. I imagine Energize would do something like artificially create oxygen, so "at the cost of hunger" wouldn't be necessary.
I was meaning it revitalizes your energy reserves by speeding up your digestive and sub systems inside your body. So, you mean to say that actual lightning, not magical in nature, would be weak when most opponents would be expecting a magical attack?
 
"Actual lightning" is just a charge passing down a column of plasma, and since EMPs and other high charges can knock out electrical systems such as CADs, most CADs give off a charge reducing field of stable psions. This would reduce the power of the bolt to about that of most normal lightning spells. That being said, normal lightning spells, if unblocked, will still cause severe damage to organs and nervous systems, if not death. Perhaps alter the spell to call down a bolt that cuts through shields, since higher level shield spells can block most things. Also, as for the once per week thing, that's a bit strange. You can use it but it takes a week to cool down? I'd prefer it if it had some kind of serious effect on the user such as fainting, brain damage and memory loss, something like that, as a limiting factor.
 
Anyway, here's my character.

I've been wanting to use this character for ages so I dug her up from my old character bank and edited her to the appropriate setting.
Name: Hirasawa Kiyomi
Age: 17 - Senior
Magic Class: 1
Appearance:
Nidy-2d-anime-girl.jpg

her left eye is turquoise.
Short Bio:
Kiyomi is regarded as a prodigy, and displays almost unrivaled magical ability in her favoured magic types. She is most famous for being the test subject for biomechanical CAD devices. This would be in the form of her right eye and certain areas of her brain. This kind of engineering was being tested as a bypass to the use of the Stone, by using a portion of the unused brain area to store magic sequences and effectively reduce the cast time of the spells to only the length it takes to run the activation sequence. This, of course is top secret. It did not quite work as planned however, so it is limited to just one spell and cannot be retuned. She stores all her other spells (of which there are few) in a general CAD in the form of a bracelet. She almost always wears her headphones, reasoning that it's a pain having to put them on every time she uses her abilities. These headphones are specialised to filter out a single frequency of sound, no matter how intense. As such, she can usually hear speech fine, though occasional words may get distorted if they use that frequency.
 
And here I thought you said it would be under powered.
"actual lightning" is really underpowered in this
But then you say:
"Actual lightning" is just a charge passing down a column of plasma, and since EMPs and other high charges can knock out electrical systems such as CADs, most CADs give off a charge reducing field of stable psions. This would reduce the power of the bolt to about that of most normal lightning spells. That being said, normal lightning spells, if unblocked, will still cause severe damage to organs and nervous systems, if not death.
So, now that we comprehend what lightning is, do we understand why I said it had such a large restriction to using it? If it is not enough, let me know.
 
Yeah, I took the time to look up what "actual lightning" actually was and I realised it wouldn't be as underpowered as I thought it would be :P Either way though, a time restriction doesn't make any sense, and I'd much rather your character simply tried avoiding it's use as much as possible for whatever reason. Perhaps his mastery of it is crude and the unstable psions released can have catastrophic effects.
 
I was going to suggest that it tires him horribly and saps so much of of his own energy that he sleeps for a long time immediately afterwords.
 
That works.
 
There's only one spell I have a problem with currently, which is the Controlled Jolt. With the exception of a tiny number of people, most mages can only stack 10 magic building sequences on top of each other without canceling the spell and building it up from scratch with a new activation sequence, so Controlled Jolt could only change it's target coordinates 9 times after it's original casting, so while you may be able to adjust it's course in very fine incriments, it'd be like having a beam from a laser printer, in that you set it's starting destination, which'd be Activation and first Magic sequences, and the bolt strikes that location, then you want to add a second location, so you create a second magic sequence with the new coordinates and overlay it on top of the activation and first magic sequences. Since variables in later sequences over ride those in earlier ones, the bolt would switch to targetting the new location. If it's a beam-like bolt, it would move to the new location like a laser at a speed determined in the activation sequence.
Righto, I'll change that then. Time to delve into my D&D books for a suitable replacement.

...Actually, I missed a really basic utility spell I should have had from the start, so:

4. Light (Causes an object touched to glow brightly for roughly two minutes)
 
Question.

Currently, most of all peeps use CADs, and Activation Sequences serve to define what the spell does, while the Magic Building Sequence goes into detail. So...

Activation = this spell creates fire
Magic Building = this fire takes the form of a pillar and erupts at the range of fifty meters from the user, while rising to a height of thirty meters

In that case, does that mean there are no spells that 'last' or have a continuous effect? Such as a fire spell that continuously generates more flames over and over again, becoming more and more powerful the longer it's kept up? Sounds like they literally ARE bullets, outside of the exception of spells that are used for support.

Also, do you have any examples of Ancient Magic spells? Or is it literally just the same thing as CAD-based magic?
 
@ERode Its more that the Activation Sequence defines the spell in it's entirety, while the magic sequence builds upon it to add coordinates and variables, which is why changing a spell's variables doesnt always mean a new activation sequence needs to be run. It'd be more like:

Activation: This spell creates a pillar of fire 30 meters high of X temperature with maximum range of 50 meters
Magic: This spell is centred at location Y, has diameter Z. You could think of it a bit like this, in a layered pattern: (Descending order)

Activation Sequence - This spell causes the user to move to X location with Y acceleration
Magic Sequence - X = (location 1) y = (accel value 1)
Now they've reached this destination but they want to keep going, but move slower to take a corner
Magic Sequence - X = location 2, y = accel value 2
Now they've taken the corner, they want to accelerate to the end of the street
Magic Sequence - X = location 3, y = accel value 1
Now they want to slow down and stop
Magic Sequence - X = location 4, y = negative Accel value 1 (IE, decelerating)

They can do this without reactivating the activation sequence, since doing that would mean stopping and running a whole duration cast again

Let's say they weren't capable of mentally processing an extra layer, but they want to keep going. What I'd do is jump, then reactivate in mid air, and once i land, activate the magic sequence to go to a new x and y.
 
As for duration spells - they are possible, but changing anything would require a new magic sequence, so they're slow and unreliable. They're mainly used as like shields and things, where you dont have to change anything, you can just summon the block and have a second magic sequence make it weightless and let you push it around infront of you.
 
Hm...so is it possible for there to be a mixture of Ancient Magic incantations and CAD-usage then? Something along the lines of...

Activation Sequence is handled by CAD. Then, the user utilizes a chant, constantly updating/changing the magic sequence based off their subjective experience. Thus, instead of having to specify a coordinate, they can just say 'here', and have the fire or whatever go into the location that was specified in their brain, but not specified as coordinates for others.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.