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From: faustus@ucbcad.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Re: Limiting Magic
Message-ID: <176@ucbcad.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 9-Apr-85 01:45:05 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbcad.176
Posted: Tue Apr  9 01:45:05 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 12-Apr-85 00:00:51 EST
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Organization: UC Berkeley CAD Group, Berkeley, CA
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> Ok all you net.games.frp.physics experts, tell me this:
> Is mana conserved?  Does it go away because of entropy,
> or because it gets tied up in various mages' projects
> and never released (i.e. if you break the spell do you
> get mana back or is it gone forever)?

A better idea than to have manna be something having to do with the
surroundings is to make it internal to the magic user. Then you can
use it for spell points, and you have an easy excuse for not letting
people make a lot of magic -- ALL magic of any sort is really a form
of pschic energy, and thus must be somehow tied to a consciousness.
When a magic-user makes a magical item, he must put a bit of his
own consciousness (life force) into it, the more powerful items
requiring more life force. Thus the really powerful magical items
are generally self-conscious and have big egos, and the more magic you
make the more diffuse you become and thus weaker. Old magic-users
don't just die off or become gods in this system -- they get bored
with being humans and become +5 swords and things like that...

	Wayne