Now Im sure that Ryzom was build with the idea of melting heroic fantasys magic with the sciences and technology, I have started thinking more about their clinging in game
Also, lets not forget that the roleplay in ryzom will be much more political than religion, with all species, guilds and other behavior.
Anyway as long as I love sci-fi (main reason I choose ryzom is because of the sci-fi part in a traditionnal heroic fantasy rpg)... here is a small almost-RP thought.
Kami and Karavan.
Everyone know that there is 4 kind of Homins who inhabit Atys. As long as we rewind history, it seems that the 4 main species ruling Atys come from some primitive tribes, Gibbaï, Frahar, Cutes and Momos.
But we have two factions, two non-Homing (?) being who are on Atys. Dont say they inhabit, I never spotted any cities, just mere outpost or ambassadors. Im talking about Kami and Karavan.
Karavan are the holder of the technology. They use physical mats as tools for their everydays life, tools, defense and building. To achieve requirement, they supply those mats with power. Mechanical powered tools cant hold a good amount of strengh or need an external device to supply them, so I suppose Karavan crafters use a trick.
The main energy vector of Atys is the Sap. Sap is naturally found as a kind of liquid (ever seen the sap river of prime roots?) liquid that can be stored in cristallin form. We can easily imagine that Karavan uses a kind of Sap battery in their equipment. Also, the tremendous power available from sap can be the fuel of their flying ships.
But dont forget that Karavan believe in their physical technologies. So people involved with Karavan should have special knowledge (or training) wielding those concrete tools.
Kami are the psychical linked beings of Atys. They can synchronize with every living creatures. The homins and every living stuff around are able to generate the Sap, and I think this is why Kami can locate them... We say that Kami uses magic.
Magic is a kind of pure energy wholl change the entropy of concrete or other pure energy sources/target. Im sure everybody knows the 2nd law of thermodynamic : summary is natural state of mats is getting more and more disordered.
So Offensive magic is a way to increase mats disorder, thats why the first spell you learn is offensive : making an acid cloud is about ionizing gas, very easy and not much power is needed. Elemental magic is quite the easier as long as there is no much creation of mats. Others spell who require mutation or harder : building (living cells building for heal...) consumes lots of sap. I cant imagine how much Sap/energy Kami uses when they recall a dead homin ! There is a solution anyway to reduce energy consuming when casting spell : the focus. Focus mats may be kind of convector who limits energy losses (joule effect ?) and so improve seriously effectiveness of energy manipulation.
As long as homins didnt possess the Kami knowledge, to reach a high level of efficiency they need those focus. But people who want to get involved with Kami will have a special training and acquire natural ability to focus their energy and convert sap efficiently without mars.
We can easily see the difference between those two, one believing in physics, other in psychics.
Since the history includes Kami and Karavan as major actors during Kitins War and Exodus, they are definitely involved in homin beings.
As holder of great power and knowledge, the 4 homin species devote some faith in them. Hope is to reach their knowledge, some want it for wisdom, others for power and ruling the world.
Refugee homins from Exodus can choose their way :
- Be a fellow homin, who believe in his race history. Developing skills and abilities accordingly with their origin and their land.
- Follow the Kami. Being a master of sap handling, using it as the common tool of everydays life.
- Follow the Karavan Guradians, wielding the finest technologies availble to make everydays life easier.
From this point of view, Ive seen some strange and interesting things :
- At early stage, you can use magic. As long as magic is the main tool of Kami, the more you use it, the more youll be overseen by Kami. Uses of magic to protect Atys should give you fame with Kami, and destruction will lower your karma.
- Only magician can heal at early stage, so there is a great amount of people who follows Kami path. What about Karavan believer ? Karavan can respawn dead homins, so they should have small devices able to heal (kindof medkit lol) also!
- Refugees use mainly mats to do everything. They dont have the knowledge to empower it, or maybe in the ranged weapon skill, with intelligent use of explosives.
Maybe at higher level well be able to use sap crystal as source of power. It should be much more powerful than explosives as long as sap is almost pure energy (you remember the e=mc2 formula
?), maybe plasma bolt instead of bullets.- We can imagine that Kamis follower will less and less use mats as long as their knowledge and wisdom about magic increases. Armor of powerful magicians will only be some clothes with lots of focus on it.
Advanced sap crystal will improve their ability to generate sap, and protections will be given by permanent auras (who drain sap constantly?).
- Karavans follower (or karavan fellow ?) will have enpowered mats, who increases strengh or dexterity with micro-engines inside armor and enhanced vision system in the helmet (hey, thats why we cant see Karavan members face ?)
- Only Kamis follower will have the ability of understand mobs, be able to pet them or mount others mobs than mektoub.
- Only Karavans follower will be able to drive vehicle or ships.
- Should normal homin be lower than a follower homin ? as long as followers cant reach the whole knowledge of their master, and normal homin can spy and steal knowledge from them, I dont think so.
it's a bit confused, there is no really point in this ..
well, I need remarks, suggestions and more ideas to keep it, err, growing?
