MagicalColleges – FaerieMUD – Trac

Context Navigation

Colleges of Magic

The following is a brief description of how to create a college of magic in FaerieMUD. Magic colleges differ from Genres in that they are covenant objects while Genres represent a particular philosophy of magic (namers, elementalists, illusionists, etc.). (Note that Genres may also be Cultural Covenants but we don't know for sure.) Colleges are based upon the oaths which their members are expected to uphold much like guilds or religious orders.

They differ from guilds in that their members a primarily {magic users). They differ from religious orders in the approach they take to preventing the dissipation of the magickal resources by OathBreaking. Members of religious orders (clerics, monks, nuns, etc.) try to convince those around them to keep their oaths.

Mages (members of Magical Colleges) try to avoid oath breakers. They often build their colleges in secluded areas, constructing fantastickal towers which further distance their inner sanctums from outsider OathBreaking. Such towers are often built on natural sources of manna, which powerful magical colleges may try to link with ley lines.

Creating the Function

Every magical college will be defined in part by a series of oaths. These oaths start out very simple: basic requirements needed to be welcome in their libraries and towers. They extend to the very profound: The most powerful colleges will require extremely restrictive oaths which will be very difficult for members to hold to.

Not all members will necessarily have sworn the most difficult oaths. As each member works her way through the college, each higher level will require a more restrictive oath.

So, the first thing you need to do in creating a new college is to decide what the various oaths will be. Some guidelines are outlined here:

Oath of Visitation

The first oath should be very general and very easy to adhere to. Think of it as what you would expect visitors to the vicinity of the college's towers to do. General rules of politeness as they apply to the college's specific mission.

Friend's Oath

The second oath should be a little more restrictive. Think of it as what you would expect of the employees and guests in order that they might be allowed inside the outer areas of the college. Anyone who fulfills these requirements would automatically be considered a good friend or welcome guest who supports the basic mission of the college (even though they may not have actually joined).

Oath of Initiation

The third oath is a fairly inflexible set of rules which all apprentices are required to swear (along with the first two oaths) in order to be allowed into the training programs of the college. While the restrictions are fairly inflexible, they are not too hard to maintain.

Membership Oath

The fourth oath should be more flexible, but more restrictive. Sworn by adepts as part of the process of moving to full membership in the college, it is the clearest statement of the main principles of the college.

Oath of Envoy

The fifth oath is very hard to maintain complete adherence to, given that it attempts to create a set of rules for most situations not specifically covered by the Membership Oath. Anyone who has sworn the Oath of Envoy is considered qualified to serve as the personal representative of the college in most affairs. Most colleges are governed by those who have sworn such an oath (since few colleges will ever reach the level required for the sixth oath).

The Intimate Oath

The sixth oath must be very hard to maintain full compliance with. It is rare that any college even creates an intimate oath (although many aspire to such an exalted status) because such an oath must fully and perfectly define the underlying principles on which the college is built. Few magical colleges reach a level which requires the Intimate Oath

Structure and Governance

The Order is the aspect of a magical college which defines the roles of its members, its organizational structure, its leadership and how that leadership is chose, as well as its rules of conduct.

Creating the Order

Every magical college will be defined in part by its structure and system of governance. This system starts out very simple in the early years of the college's existence: a basic structure needed to make decisions for the colege as a whole. They extend to the very sophisticated: The most powerful colleges will require extremely complex decision-making apparatuses.

Not all subunits of an college will use the system of governance of the highest level. For instance, some colleges may have a democratic process for choosing the head of the college, but require full obedience to a the leaders at the local level.

The Order is also where the stories which make up the history of the college reside. (See below)

So, one of the first things you need to do in creating a new college is to decide what the structure of governance will be. Who will decide what the college does and how it changes its policies? Some possible choices are outlined here:

Anarchy

An anarchy can only be used by a magical college which seldom has need for a decision-making aparatus.

Ad Hoc Rule

Ad hoc rule prevails in magical college which sometimes need a temporary leader or representation.

Pure Autocracy

A pure autocracy occurs when a single individual decides to set up a new college and acts as de-facto leader until some further system of governance can be established.

True Hierarchy

A true hierarchy occurs when a single hierophant heads a magical college, appointing the members of all levels in the tree-structured organization. The hierophant can consult lower-level hierarchs for their advice on still-lower-level appointments, but he or she always has final say. The hierophant is the only member of the hierarchy who is elected under a true hierarchy, and only those on the next-lower level of the hierarchy are eligible to vote in these papal elections.

Institutional Democracy

An institutional democracy's structure is clearly defined as a structure of sub-institutions which are governed by a set of by-laws which allow voting in a variety of areas by all members of the college. Even the novitiate may have some limited powers to express their will by voting. Elected rectors may not change the by-laws without the support of the membership, according to a methodology defined in the by-laws.

Free Counsel Heterarchy

An college governed by a free counsel (rare indeed) attempts to have a pure a democracy as is possible. Elected representatives have very limited powers, and all major decisions must be taken by a full vote of all members.

Spells and Nodes

The Form is the aspect of a magical college which defines its outward identity. It can also be thought of as the physical aspect of the college, especially as its spells are manifest in various kinds of physical plant.

Creating the Form

Every magical college will be defined in part by its physical manifestations: the spells it teaches and the physical plant. These manifestions start out very simply in the early years of the college's existence: a node to serve as the focus of college activity. They grow to the very sophisticated: The most powerful college will manifest physically in a wide variety of identities, spells, genres, nodes, towers, libraries, webs and labyrinths.

The spells will grow with the physical plant. Some possible choices are outlined here (note that the names of the physical buildings may not be used by a particular college):

Individual

At the most basic level, the identity of a magical college is carried only by its members because every member has witnessed the oaths sworn by every other member. Such a nascent college can teach only a limited number of spells known to the spellmasters within the group.

A Single Anchor

When the college has grown large enough that all members have not been witness to each others' oaths, a physical anchor for the magical college is needed. The anchor may be a password, a node, a kind of robe, a tattoo, or whatever.

If the college owns a single piece of real property (a loci which is also an area?), the traditional name for it is a "node," although each college can call them whatever they wish. A single node is the smallest physical manifestation of a magical college, requiring a single, simple magical identity which is expressible in a shared body of knowledge (usually a group of spells from the same Genre?).

A Node System

Once the magical college has grown large enough to distinguish between roles in its magical identity, it will require more than one level of node.

After a college has developed to the point where it requires multiple nodes, one of them may be selected as the focal area of the college. The prime node will contain the principal "library" of the college. The library's identity will be more complex, clearly differentiated from that found in the lesser nodes. Ley lines will connect the lesser nodes to the site of the main library. This library will house a varied body of spells, which may well be beyond what any one mage in the college could know. Lesser nodes will have simpler book collections, unlikely to extend beyond a single Genre.

An InterTower? Net

As the magical college grows, distinct sub-networks may arise, each connected to other sub-networks by a single ley line. Each of these sub-networks will require their own major library, whose contents will reflect the characteristics of that part of the network.

By the time this level network complexity has developed (generically known as "multi-network identity"), each sub-network needs an identity associated with its major library (known as a "tower" in many colleges) with the tower of the largest sub-net serving as the master identity for the entire college. Such an intertower network has the capability of dominating a particular Genre. Each of the major libraries may specialize in a different Genre.

Widespread TowerWebs?

Once a college becomes spread beyond the bounds of the area from which it began, it must have identities adapted to each area where it is found. Local TowerWebs? may actually have to be disconnected from each other. Such disconnection will likely result in individualized identities, but the imprint of the most prominent area will still be felt everywhere the TowerWebs? are founded. Each disconnected TowerWeb? may feature a different Genre, but at least one significant library dedicated to the spells of the Genre associated with the most prominant TowerWeb? will be found in every TowerWeb?. For this reason, multiple spires may emerge from the citadels of many node.

Local towers will help develop individualized libraries with different sets of spells.

Universal Labyrinths

By the time the physical manifestations of the order spread evenly throughout all of FaerieMUD (which is, of course, very rare), the libraries must be highly individualized and universally variant. Each independent citadel of learning will have grown to contain many libraries (probably with multiples towers as well) connected in such a complex manner as to suggest that each be considered a labyrinthine network unto itself.

Statistics

Function Statistics

The primary statistic of the Function is its Creed?. The secondary statistic is its Agenda?, which is a measure of the current activities and plans of the magical college as expressed by the upholding of members' oaths.

A Creed of 87-118 requires 85-116 members have taken the Oath of Visitation, 77-108 members have taken the Friends Oath, 69-100 have taken the Oath of Initiation, 51-82 have taken the Membership Oath, 33-63 have taken the Oath of the Envoy, and 1-31 have taken the Intimate Oath.

A Creed of 55-86 requires 53-84 members have taken the Oath of Visitation, 45-76 members have taken the Friends Oath, 37-68 have taken the Oath of Initiation, 19-50 have taken the Membership Oath, and 1-31 have taken the Oath of the Envoy.

A Creed of 37-54 requires 35-52 members have taken the Oath of Visitation, 27-44 members have taken the Friends Oath, 19-36 have taken the Oath of Initiation, and 1-18 have taken the Membership Oath.

A Creed of 19-36 requires 17-34 members have taken the Oath of Visitation, 9-26 members have taken the Friends Oath, and 1-18 have taken the Oath of Initiation.

A Creed of 11-18 requires 9-16 members have taken the Oath of Visitation, and 1-8 members have taken the Friends Oath; or a Creed of 3-10 requires 1-8 members have taken the Oath of Visitation.

(Not that these last two Creeds will produce anything which can really be said to be a magical college in the usual sense.)

Form Statistics

The primary statistic of the Formold is its Identity. The secondary statistic is its Assets? which represents the distinguishing physical assets which are considered owned or controlled by the magical college (buildings, areas, spells, artifacts).

An Identity of 87-118 means the spell list can support Universal Labyrinths as described above.

An Identity of 55-86 means the spell list can support Widespread TowerWebs? as described above.

An Identity of 37-54 means the spell list can support an InterTower? Net as described above.

An Identity of 19-36 means the spell list can support a Node System as described above.

An Identity of 11-18 means the spell list can support a Single Node as described above.

And Identity of 3-10 means the spell list can support an Individual as described above.

Order Statistics

The primary statistic of the Order is its Governance?. The secondary statistic is its Authority? which represents the degree to which the leadership structure is heeded by the entire membership, accepting the roles specified by the leaders and following rules established by the leaders.

A Governance of 87-118 implies a Heterarchy.

A Governance of 55-86 implies an Institutional Democracy.

A Governance of 37-54 implies a True Hierarchy.

A Governance of 19-36 implies a Pure Autocracy.

A Governance of 11-18 implies Ad Hoc Rule.

A Governance of 3-10 implies Pure Anarchy.

Traits

How Values Derived from the Statistics Define the Magical College

Traits for Magical College objects are:

Unary traits:
- wisdom (Order)
  - defined as the pseudointelligence of the emergent pseudo-entity
  - Character trait equivalent -- intelligence
- locations? (Form)
  - defined as everything from the nodes to the largest citadel owned by the college
  - Character trait equivalent -- strength
- commitment? (Function)
  - defined as the quality of the commitment as it will affect the ability to be creative
  - Character trait equivalent -- creativity
Binary traits:
- discipline? (Order over Form)
  - defined as a measure of the influence the college has on its individual members
  - Character trait equivalent -- dexterity
- artworks? (Form over Function)
  - defined as quality as well as quantity of the body of art and music associated directly with the magical college (in the case of the art, it actually owned by the college)
  - Character trait equivalent -- grace
- relevance? (Function over Order)
  - defined as the college's ability to understand the needs and concerns of ordinary people
  - Character trait equivalent -- empathy
- precepts? (Order over Function)
  - defined as the rules as they determine how the college as a whole will act in a consistent manner
  - Character trait equivalent -- perceptiveness
- possessions? (Form over Order)
  - defined as all physical objects (loci) which are owned by the covenant but which are not art, money or real property (areas)
  - Character trait equivalent -- resilience
- conduct? (Function over Form)
  - defined as the degree to which the activities currently being undertaken by the covenant promote the goals and purposes of its oaths and beliefs
  - Character trait equivalent -- glamour
Trinary traits:
- orthodoxy? (Order over Form over Function)
  - defined as resistance to change
  - Character trait equivalent -- willpower
- affluence? (Form over Function over Order)
  - defined as resistance to damage to the college due to the assets available in hard times
  - Character trait equivalent -- stamina
- faith? (Function over Order over Form)
  - defined as the resistance to the mundane which derives from the faithfulness of the community to the oaths of the college
  - Character trait equivalent -- magistry

Stories

How the "Mind" of the Covenant Thinks About Itself

The stories of the covenant influence how its members perceive the world. The same stories are also important for the AIs which control the non-player characters who are members. Those same NPCs may react in some conversations by telling the stories if they think they are appropriate to the discussion.

Download in other formats:

Plain Text