RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes

Qhora Bajihri · **06-11-2015, 05:35 PM**

(06-11-2015, 04:00 PM)Verad Wrote: So that's my question: instead of "how could we make this work," what about "How could this go wrong in ways that are useful for roleplay?"

Yep, backfiring and interesting burn patterns were part of the story. Big Grin

Goodfellow · **06-11-2015, 05:38 PM**

This has only just occurred to me somehow, and maybe I overlooked it in the thread, but is there any evidence for being able to cast from pre-drawn geometries?Â The animations all seem to have the toon writing in the book and my assumption has been that the actual tracing of the symbol was a key part of the casting ritual, not simply having the symbol ready already and I don't recall if it's mentioned in quest text anywhere.Â

I don't know that I really have anything to base that on and even if it is the case, the tracing motion over enchanted ink could be a workaround instead of actually having to trace with the enchanted ink.

Just some thoughts and things to consider to flesh out the idea some more (and again, sorry if I'm being repetitive/redundant).

Warren Castille · **06-11-2015, 06:57 PM**

There's four pages of this thread, so if someone already brought this up I apologize.

My take on arcanima is that the drawing of the spell (literally, making the image and using special enchanted ink) "uses up" the power of the ink and the geometry. Once cast, the spell goes inert.

Could you use your arm as a basis? Sure, but you'd burn the spell as soon as you were done painting it and then you'd be left with just a tattoo (or an inky arm.)

Scorpio Shirica · **06-11-2015, 07:14 PM**

(06-11-2015, 06:57 PM)Warren Castille Wrote: There's four pages of this thread, so if someone already brought this up I apologize.

My take on arcanima is that the drawing of the spell (literally, making the image and using special enchanted ink) "uses up" the power of the ink and the geometry. Once cast, the spell goes inert.

Could you use your arm as a basis? Sure, but you'd burn the spell as soon as you were done painting it and then you'd be left with just a tattoo (or an inky arm.)

That doesn't make a lot of sense, does that mean that they constantly have to redraw every spell/ image in their grimoire and relearn every spell on new pages? Does their grimoire get constantly filled up with just a powerless image or inky page?

Warren Castille · **06-11-2015, 07:19 PM**

(06-11-2015, 07:14 PM)Scorpio Shirica Wrote: That doesn't make a lot of sense, does that mean that they constantly have to redraw every spell/ image in their grimoire and relearn every spell on new pages? Does their grimoire get constantly filled up with just a powerless image or inky page?

I'm probably way off, I didn't level ACN or SCH. I'm not sure where the idea came from, now that I think of it. They don't fight with quills, they just wave books at people and spells fall out like so many magazine subscription cards and forgotten bookmarks.

Can probably safely ignore me. I blame it on the large amount of arcanima RP I see being people writing out spells and such.

TheLastCandle · **06-11-2015, 07:41 PM**

I haven't done any arcanima RP, nor have I paid a ton of attention to the details provided about it, but I do know that, at least when summoning something, out come the quills and the furious scribbling for the cast animation.

***Nero*** · **06-11-2015, 08:47 PM**

(06-11-2015, 05:38 PM)Goodfellow Wrote: This has only just occurred to me somehow, and maybe I overlooked it in the thread, but is there any evidence for being able to cast from pre-drawn geometries?Â The animations all seem to have the toon writing in the book and my assumption has been that the actual tracing of the symbol was a key part of the casting ritual, not simply having the symbol ready already and I don't recall if it's mentioned in quest text anywhere.Â

I don't know that I really have anything to base that on and even if it is the case, the tracing motion over enchanted ink could be a workaround instead of actually having to trace with the enchanted ink.

Just some thoughts and things to consider to flesh out the idea some more (and again, sorry if I'm being repetitive/redundant).

Arcanima works primarily off of pre-drawn geometries, actually. It works like this: the arcanist channels aether through their body (their MP). They visualize the geometric shapes that form that aether into a specific kind of spell, say, Physick. The magic that is shaped by the geometries is then channeled through the grimoire through the ink that's used in its pages and the spell takes effect.

The important thing to note is that arcanima primarily works through the arcanist forming mental imagery. However, we're told that the geometries are complex; thus the designs within grimoires are like reference notes or cheat sheets, while the ink used to draw those designs are amplifiers. It's kind of like a traditional wizard's spellbook, only instead of magical phrases and words, it's pretty fractals and circles.

The only animations in which an arcanist writes in their grimoire is for summoning, as I recall. I don't remember the exact details behind it, but I'm fairly certain that summoning a carbuncle, and by extension Egis and fairies, does not require editing of a grimoire's contents or composition of arcane glyphs. I believe the initial idea you had is probably pretty accurate: tracing over an existing glyph in order to form a better mental image and thus enact the magic.

Scorpio Shirica · **06-11-2015, 09:33 PM**

(06-11-2015, 08:47 PM)Nero Wrote:
(06-11-2015, 05:38 PM)Goodfellow Wrote: This has only just occurred to me somehow, and maybe I overlooked it in the thread, but is there any evidence for being able to cast from pre-drawn geometries?Â The animations all seem to have the toon writing in the book and my assumption has been that the actual tracing of the symbol was a key part of the casting ritual, not simply having the symbol ready already and I don't recall if it's mentioned in quest text anywhere.Â

I don't know that I really have anything to base that on and even if it is the case, the tracing motion over enchanted ink could be a workaround instead of actually having to trace with the enchanted ink.

Just some thoughts and things to consider to flesh out the idea some more (and again, sorry if I'm being repetitive/redundant).

Arcanima works primarily off of pre-drawn geometries, actually. It works like this: the arcanist channels aether through their body (their MP). They visualize the geometric shapes that form that aether into a specific kind of spell, say, Physick. The magic that is shaped by the geometries is then channeled through the grimoire through the ink that's used in its pages and the spell takes effect.

The important thing to note is that arcanima primarily works through the arcanist forming mental imagery. However, we're told that the geometries are complex; thus the designs within grimoires are like reference notes or cheat sheets, while the ink used to draw those designs are amplifiers. It's kind of like a traditional wizard's spellbook, only instead of magical phrases and words, it's pretty fractals and circles.

The only animations in which an arcanist writes in their grimoire is for summoning, as I recall. I don't remember the exact details behind it, but I'm fairly certain that summoning a carbuncle, and by extension Egis and fairies, does not require editing of a grimoire's contents or composition of arcane glyphs. I believe the initial idea you had is probably pretty accurate: tracing over an existing glyph in order to form a better mental image and thus enact the magic.

Indeed, but that wouldn't render the original image powerless. So the original idea is half accurate.

A tattoo as a reference guide should still work okay, but it would require someone trained in those arts... if they are using Arcanum magic, because I doubt the average joe could create a detailed geometric image in their mind and funnel their aether through it with a tattoo that is bent over many folds of flesh and muscle.

***Nero*** · **06-11-2015, 09:43 PM**

(06-11-2015, 09:33 PM)Scorpio Shirica Wrote: A tattoo as a reference guide should still work okay, but it would require someone trained in those arts... if they are using Arcanum magic, because I doubt the average joe could create a detailed geometric image in their mind and funnel their aether through it with a tattoo that is bent over many folds of flesh and muscle.

Right, I think we established this earlier in the thread. A tattoo would still work just fine so long as it is visible because a grimoire works primarily as a reference and secondarily as an amplifier. The only problem with a tattoo is giving it enough power for it to have a tangible effect since it would lack the amplification of the inks.

Scorpio Shirica · **06-11-2015, 09:51 PM**

Tattoos aren't done with ink? I'm sure some alchemist could find an aetheric conductive metal based ink that won't poison those with the tattoo on them.

***Nero*** · **06-11-2015, 10:17 PM**

(06-11-2015, 09:51 PM)Scorpio Shirica Wrote: Tattoos aren't done with ink? I'm sure some alchemist could find an aetheric conductive metal based ink that won't poison those with the tattoo on them.

At this point it really depends on the writer and how much they want to bend their own plausibility, and what exactly they want to do with this magic tattoo. Shoot fireballs? Blinding flash of light? Most people probably won't care, but extra attention to detail never hurt anybody.

Real world tattoo inks do occasionally have metals in them such as cadmium or cobalt, depending on the colour that is desired. In FFXIV the metals that are conducive to the flow of aether are typically precious metals, so someone might be able to pick one of those materials or their alloys and make something not toxic, or at least reduce the harmful effects such that a magic tattoo has practical application. Only someone who's anally retentive on minor details like me would actually go to the trouble of finding out whether or not iridium-based tattoos are possible (they're not).

This is an interesting and totally doable concept, mind. I'm not saying it's not possible, quite the opposite in fact, I'm just contemplating the possible drawbacks and limits in such an idea.

EDIT: I believe Rochester posted a character spoiler or something about her character having access to large amounts of aether, in which case the ink not being conducive to aether flow wouldn't be a problem. Having metal-based inks would help amplify the spell but isn't necessary for the spell to work, the spell itself would simply have less power if you used an ordinary henna ink or something similar.

Scorpio Shirica · **06-11-2015, 10:41 PM**

And we honestly don't know what's toxic to Miqo'te, Elezen or any non-Hyur. We might not even know what's toxic to them, since physiology in a fantasy world can work differently, same with properties of metal being different. It kinda boils down to the author with the finer details.

But yeah, I think some of the largest limits will be in the number of spells as there is limited space on the body... the complexity of it and the mastery over the type of spell casting that the character has. I'm inclined towards limiting the spells to the character's own aether instead of providing an external source, because mana pools are finite and drawing from the sea of aether that all Hydaelyn exists in could lead to power playing.

Cailean Lockwood · **06-11-2015, 10:48 PM**

I quite like the idea. It's actually something I like to make part of my RPG characters. For example, in World of Warcraft, my Blood Elf Warlock was heavily poisoned by fel magic, and to be able to contain it, he had these fel runes tattooed into his skin which would keep it at bay, helping him channelling the fel within him and keep control of it.

I see no reason why something like this can't happen in FFXIV. Alot of the examples and info you guys provide definately makes it sound plausible.

And if someone comes up to you and asks about the tattoos, you can just say it's because you think it looks cool. There's no reason to explain what they truly are for to every single person you meet.

Goodfellow · **06-11-2015, 10:52 PM**

(06-11-2015, 10:41 PM)Scorpio Shirica Wrote: And we honestly don't know what's toxic to Miqo'te, Elezen or any non-Hyur. We might not even know what's toxic to them, since physiology in a fantasy world can work differently, same with properties of metal being different. It kinda boils down to the author with the finer details.

Mostly true.Â We know that Dunesfolk have a resistance to poison since they grow up ingesting a semi-toxic concoction (tea maybe?) for just such immunizing purposes.Â But ingestion and direct blood exposure are different things, so poison resistance may not have a lot to do with the topic at hand.

And thanks to Nero for helping clarify some of the ideas in my own response.Â And like him, I don't mean to discourage.Â I think we're all just having a good time with the speculation/thought experiment.

Viola · **06-12-2015, 12:25 AM**

My thoughts on this are that while Memenu may try it, as a Primal who's vessel is failing her (one of the lalafell who summoned her used their body as a focus to make sure her conciousness had a place to go. Think a lightning bolt hitting a lightning rod. it cost her follower their soul though), it most likely wouldn't work. The amount of Aether that makes up Memenu's strength is far too dangerous for her current body to maintain, and with fights against foes like Nael, Vishnap and Midgarsormr, the amount of strength needed to match and even overpower them is taking its toll.

Her body is physically starting to die from the amount of Aether needed. She's getting aches that weren't there before, she's getting noticeably slower. If she even ends up taking Bahamut, her physical vessel may most likely die or crippled.

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RP Idea: Is this too crazy? Feedback wanted!

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes