Mahou, or Magic. In the Shogunate certain species are able to wield what would be considered paranormal, or supernatural powers, some call it Magic, or Psionics, or even Spirita, but in the end it is but a manipulation of Ki (気). Ki is defined literally as 'energy force'. Other cultures call it Mana, or Hin, or Chi. Those who can manipulate Ki are known as Nōryokusha, or 'Ability User'.
A broad term, Mahou. Within the Shogunate the term has come to mean any kind of ability one might traditionally term as magic regardless of how the power is manifested. In some form or another Mahou has always been in existence, and various species, either by trial and error, accidental discovery, being taught by outsiders, or just plain blind luck, have learned to manipulate it. In some cases, such as the Pyrtonian's, Invid, and Garudan's, this ability has survived the millennia relatively intact; in others, such as the Trow, it evolved into something indistinguishable from it's origins, wheres in others, such as Human's, the knowledge remained, in form of myth and legend, but the ability to wield it has been all but lost.
As mentioned before, Mahou has always existed, and Ki, it's power source, is the underpinning of life in the universe. Gaining access to that power source, and learning how to harness, manipulate, and then release it are the four (overly simplified in the broadest of terms) criteria need to be Nōryokusha. In order to access the Ki of the universe of course requires one to both believe it exists, and possess the ability to tap into it. Thus Ki, can be defined as not only 'energy force' but more specifically as an form of extra-dimensional energy that responds to the belief of sapient beings. For the Pyrtonias, as an example, belief in Mahou comes easy as it is manifest in everyday life and is thus undeniably real. For Human's the existence of magic has been purposefully diminished and marginalized over the centuries so much so that even in 2158 the average Human, even when bearing full witness to the manifested powers of another species, calmly explains it away as some form of unexplained science, or natural ability. For others, more tragically, such as full blooded Zentraedi (and by extension Meltrandi), lack the ability to manipulate Mahou by purposeful design. After all, the Puroto Kerlchuun did not wish their clone soldiers to learn to manipulate what they themselves could.
Within the Shogunate the manifestation of Mahou is tied to Shinto. Even forms of Mahou that originated on Pyerteon, Garuda, and Optera have over a century, evolved and been harmonized into the tenant's and aesthetic of Shinto.
Training
Mahou in the Shogunate is not what one would call integral, the Shoguante doesn't need Mahou to thrive, or even survive, but as the ever pragmatic polity the Shogunate realized very early on that incorporating Mahou into society, and more to the point, into the military's order of battle, would be a wise thing to do and a worthwhile investment in the Shogunate's future. To that end, most if not all of the schools and research institutions for Mahou are co-located with military service academies. This is because more often then not Mahou will manifest itself in an individual between the ages of 14 and 45. Thus, between the ages of 18 and 25, those that manifest Mahou are encouraged to join the military early and enter a curriculum that is tailored towards their unique and emerging skill set. Those that manifest their ability after the age of 25 fall within the military safety net as mandatory active service usually runs from age 25 to 31 followed by inactive reserve duty until age 60. For those that manifest their ability before the age of 18 and after the age of 60 non-military Academies exist.
Mahou campus Main Hall & Courtyard | Mahou campus interior |
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Aspects
Combat | Creation/Destruction | Knowledge | Light/Dark | Mental | Movement | Nature | Physiology | Spatial |
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Game Mechanics
Mahou functions like any other skill, but they are all hard skills. One must also beat a basic TN to beat to use the powers associated with that skill. Below is the List of Mahou skills and their various uses and powers. Resisting mahou is either a function of getting out of the way (as with evasion), or resisting the mental influence (usually willpower+concentration).- Biokinesis
- Cognition
- Electrokinesis
- ESP
- Photokinesis
- Telekinesis
- Teleportation
- Telepathy
- Thermokinesis
Biokinesis
Biokinesis is the ability to manipulate the body and life force of others.
Pain
TN: 14
Effect: The mahou user can negate penalties born of pain up to her [skill rating], or inflict a pain-based penalty up to her biokinesis level.
Heal/Harm
TN: 16
Effect: The target is healed or harmed by the [skill rating] in d6. Special effects such as blindness can be effected, GM determination how much healing/harming is required (removing the need for glasses require 2 hits of healing, for instance).
Reduce Fatigue
TN: 20
Effect: Can restore endurance by 2d6 for every one [skill rating].
Stabilize
TN: 24
Effect: Prevents some on the verge of death from dying.
Stasis
TN: 28
Effect: Stay in a state of bio-stasis for up to [skill rating] in days.
Age
TN: 32
Effect: Can reverse or add [skill rating] years to a person
Regeneration
TN: 36
Effect: Allows for the regrowth of limbs
Revive
TN: 40
Effect: Can make a person who died less than [skill rating x 12] hours ago alive again.