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[✗] [WIP, Go Away] Magic Lore - Hypnotic Illusion


Demotheus
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Due to various and valid excuses reasons this is still not completely finished. I KNOW everything that needs to go into it, I just need to write it so that it fits the format and requirements. After the time of posting this I will continue to work on it until a rough draft is completed. Ideally I can get it done in a couple hours but if I can’t it will be finished by this time tomorrow. Which is about 8AM EST for me. Perhaps apart from the Origin which will be finished last as it’s the least important and won’t diverge much if at all from the current existing origin. Probably. Then throughout the next month I can fix any issues brought up and make it prettier as well, as per the draft process. So please for the love of the four brothers look at this LAST if I can’t be granted the additional time I need. I never got an answer to that question in discord, after all! 


And make no mistake; I’ve done all the mental gymnastics and have a bunch of stuff jotted in notes and such. I don’t need to figure out any concepts or anything like that, I just need to write it properly. So refrain from feedback if you can until it’s done. I’ll post a reply below when that’s done.

 

Also, a lot of these beefy sections are getting TL;DR bare bones summary veeeery soon. I’ll be saving edits as I continue working on this fairly frequently. A lot of this stuff is just...extra explanation that I felt the ungodly need to hammer out and believe it or not, was way longer. I write through a stream of thought method which lends me to getting carried away with a specific thing. 

 

Spoiler

 

Update Log:

-Added that paragraph above the updated log. Also added the update log in case what I’ve written above is in doubt. When it’s all finished everything above the title “Illusion” below will be deleted.

-Finished summaries for 2 sections and put elaboration in spoilers. 

-Added a reading tip before “The study of psychology and perception” section. My partner won’t stop harassing me, however, and so this will continue at a faster pace later tonight. Stay tuned. 

-Stupid power went out. Starting way later on this than I meant to. Whatevers. it shall be done regardless.

-Spent a bunch of time figuring out how to spoiler in spoiler in spoiler without detonating everything I’ve written lol.

-Made things easier to navigate with spoilers and such as well as some minor content edits here and there.

-Been working on the lore on a separate document to ensure I don’t lose my work if some bullshite happens. however, added a sort of disclaimer to Spells/Abilities because Illusion is … complex.

-Added a bit more to previously mentioned disclaimer as well as adding in the same section the basics of a spell tier system and the reasoning behind it. It took longer than I intended as I realized I was putting far more information into it than I needed to for these purposes and made it seem far more complicated than it really was that stuff would be better placed in the guide. Parts of the original explanation for the tier system refer to some of what I’m talking about as well that needs to be edited later.

-Added one of the popular spells of Illusion. Still needs work, but the more I streamline the way I organize the information and what information I need to actually include the faster they’ll come out! Consider it a bit of a teaser. lol

-Added the beginning of the tier progression section. Basically summaries of each tier. Have been working on other parts outside of this thread to be added later!

-Added the first major step in simplifying a lot of this shite. See “The Hypnotist’s Boon” section under “Casting”. Will also be working on simplifying the tier system or merging it with something else or otherwise making it less...dumb and unwieldy. 

-Added Psychological Practical Use Summary. You’re welcome. Also fixed this wack-ass colour issue I’ve been having lol.

-Added more “Without the Fluff” sections to streamline a lot of the wordier things. Especially when they pertain to mechanics and such. Also did a bunch of formatting. All a WIP.

-Added the beginning of the simplification of the wacked out tier system I had before. Still missing some stuff, and needs to be organized better probably. Check it out. ?

-Added and reworked some stuff, removed some other stuff. Worked out the beginning summary of the Spell Point System, gutted the Illusory Disguise stuff because that’s going to change a bunch, and started on the Progression stuff. 

 

Updated Nov. 10, 2019 @04:30AM Eastern Standard Time.

Updated Nov. 10, 2019 @07:15AM Eastern Standard Time.

Updated Nov. 12, 2019 @06:15AM Eastern Standard Time.

Hypnotic Illusion

Origin

 

WIP

 

Magic Explanation

Hypnotic Illusion – often and historically referred to as Sensory Illusion – is the art of manipulating either what one perceives as reality, meddling with the way a person’s mind interprets their senses, or even meddling with their subconscious sense of self. Illusion is powerful and versatile and the possibilities of what this school of magic can accomplish are nearly - if not completely - limitless! An Illusionist draws their powers from the void as all Arcane magics do. Illusion does not create things on the physical plane the way that other magics tend to do and thus uses markedly less mana than most other magical studies. Illusion is very much a force of the Illusionists mental fortitude and in exchange for the lesser drain on the Casters magical energies an Illusionist is beholden to a greater requirement of focus. 

 

Where relevant you can easily read the “Without the Fluff” sections as their related spoiler contents are wordier explanation as well as general fluff.

The Study of Psychology and Perception

Hypnotic Illusion is not the study of the physical so much as it is the study of the cerebral. Whereas a Fire Evocationist must learn everything they can about the properties of fire, how it behaves, how it is made, so on and so forth; an aspiring Illusionist must learn the mechanisms of the mind in order to be successful in their craft. They must understand the nature of the subconscious, how living creatures and Descendants come to perceive reality, and the importance of expectations and believability with regards to forging a quality Illusion in the mind of another. 

 

For an Illusionist to truly master their craft they must, on a deep and intrinsic level, understand how an individual’s psychology influences how they perceive things. The illusionist must learn to master their knowledge and understanding of these complex concepts and use them against the minds of those they seek to manipulate if they ever hope to call themselves a true Master in their own right. It takes far more than mastering the ability to cast an Illusion to be able to fool anybody from a rodent to the wisest minds in all the realm. 

 

Spoiler

The Study of Psychology and Perception

Subconscious; The Dreaming Child

The subconscious mind dwarfs the conscious one in power by an unfathomable factor. Within the subconscious is where the vast majority of who we are lies and is responsible for controlling everything that our conscious mind doesn’t - which turns out to be almost everything. Possibly the most terrifying truth, however, is that the thing that can control everything from your ability to interpret your senses to the rate at which your heart beats and wields such incredible power over you is nothing more than a forever sleeping child, living in a perpetual dream with no ability to tell truth from lies, fact from fiction, reality from fantasy. And you have little to no ability to control your own, while others don’t even need magic power to do so for their own purposes. But, what if they also had magic to help?

 

Hypnotic Illusion is one of the answers to that very question.

 

Perception; the Grand Illusion

The primary target for hypnotic illusions is the perception of others. Contrary to what you may believe; you do not see with your eyes, but with your mind. Sensory processing happens in the mind - specifically the subconscious mind, as you have little to no control over the process apart from what you choose to look at or listen to. You can’t even imagine things consciously in any more than a symbolic way and it becomes obvious the more you pay attention. Every mind is unique and with that uniqueness there are differences in perception between every mind. There’s no telling whether the way your mind interprets the color red is how another mind would see the color green. Your subconscious is the very first illusionist you meet and it is the one responsible for constructing the waking dream you think you live in; the Grand Illusion. But nothing is perfect and this internal reality is merely an interpretation of information from external reality which is heavily influenced by one’s psychology and as a result it is prone to errors and manipulation. This perception does not start and end with external reality either, and also consists of your perception of self. Your emotions, thoughts, ideas, all of this is tied to perception and all of this can be manipulated by an Illusionist. 

 

Belief and Expectations

Your subconscious is the seat of belief as well as the author of your perception and your dreams. If you’ve any doubt in the power of your subconscious to affect how you perceive reality you need look no further than your dreams. There is a stark difference in strength between a conscious belief and a subconscious one and following the trend it’s obvious which one has the upper hand. For an Illusionist this is a wonderful thing as it means that you cannot simply consciously decide to shatter an illusion, but must instead convince your subconscious mind. This is no easy task for your subconscious is a dreamer and has little grasp of what is real and what is not and cares little for the distinction between the two. Generally, it’s far safer to assume something is real and continue to perceive than to believe it is false and remove it from perception only to realize too late that the fire you told yourself was a trick of the light was real as your soon to be charred body - and that is one belief you’ll never convince your subconscious is false.

 

The Placebo Effect

Rooted firmly to the subconscious’ belief in something; the placebo effect is a powerful force of the subconscious mind and as such is capable of influencing any aspect of one’s psychology and even causing physiological changes. One doesn’t need to use magic to create a placebo effect in someone. There’s no magic in the pain relieving capabilities of a mother kissing her child’s scraped knee better, and yet the child will stop crying as if the pain has faded by the act alone. It’s not the kiss, sugar pill, or anything outside the body but rather the belief that a particular outcome would come of a particular action that holds such power. It’s powerful and can have deeply profound effects - some may say nearly supernatural - but it is not magic and it cannot perform miracles. 

 

Through this mechanism illusions, especially hypnotic illusions, can easily be interacted with in casual ways without the illusionist having to worry about their fingers accidentally slipping through thin air and shattering the illusion. Even if they try to do so they’d find it nigh impossible as their subconscious overrides their conscious desires. The subconscious will do anything in its power to avoid pain, and realizing something is a trick is embarrassing - a form of pain. It even allows an illusion to carry the sensation of force believably to some extent by forcing a physical reaction that would make sense for the level of perceived force or power.  However it’s not all powerful, and cannot do things that the body is not capable of doing such as stopping powerful and violent actions such as stomping on an illusory object. If the illusion cannot react in a realistic way even the subconscious may no longer believe in the lie and it will shatter and be removed from perception. Similarly, it cannot cause the body to react to illusions of force in a way more significant than is possible from flinching, jumping, recoiling, or stumbling from being startled or the classic schoolyard “fake-punch” gag.

- – -

 

 

Psychological Stuff; Without the Fluff

-Hypnotic Illusion works directly in the subconscious mind, and that is also where perception occurs. One sees not with their eyes but with their mind. 

-Certain basic things in the magic work or are aided because of mechanisms of the mind and these mechanisms can be further exploited to certain degrees. 

-As long as it follows expectations, natural laws, and the range of plausible occurrences of the world in role play an illusion will be perceived. 

-With hypnotic illusions; it doesn’t matter if you consciously think or believe something is an illusion. The subconscious must be convinced. This means saying “I know that’s an illusion!” will do nothing to combat the illusion, unless perhaps if the illusionist laughs too hard at you for being ignorant and loses focus. Even if the illusionist tells you something is an illusion this is still not enough. The subconscious mind plays a “better safe than sorry” card each and every time unless the illusion is completely absurd, or doesn’t make sense. 

-Mechanisms of the mind such as the placebo effect allow interaction to various degrees such as being able to hold and manipulate an illusion without fingers passing through it, causing reactions to certain illusions that can simulate a certain degree of force such as being punched, shoved, or being hit by a projectile but can only do so to a limited degree and can’t cause you to be knocked over because of the illusion. Essentially, think the worst possible automatic reaction you can have to a jump scare. 

-For the placebo effect, more complicated effects can occur such as sleep, or passing out, weakness, vomiting, etc. However, a rule of thumb is that you can’t just snap your fingers and make it happen unless you’ve somehow made them swallow that belief hook, line and sinker. The more time spent building up the expectation and belief that something will happen, the more likely that thing is to actually happen.

Casting Illusion

The magical Illusionist and the mundane Hypnotist share much in common with each other: they possess some capability to alter the minds of one or more individuals, they use surprisingly similar methods to achieve this, they must possess a strong working knowledge of psychology as it pertains to those they are trying to influence, and most people are completely mystified by what they do! So, what are the key differences between the Illusionist and the Hypnotist? Chiefly; The Illusionist uses magic while the Hypnotist uses mundane methods. Secondly; the Hypnotist requires a certain degree of open mindedness and consent from their subjects while an Illusionist needs no such thing and utilizes the power of the Void and Mana to brute force their illusory suggestions into the perception and minds of their subjects who, more often than not, are either unwilling or unknowing of the Illusionist’s influence and are typically better described as victims.

 

To cast any illusion the caster must connect to the void, and then create mana threads, strengthen them if deemed necessary, and then connect them either indiscriminately through broadcasting or to specific people through targeting. Whenever the Illusionist decides what they wish to do they will take their idea and feed it into the mind of their target(s) in the form of illusory suggestions. If the Illusionist has made their illusions properly the mind’s of their target(s) will begin to perceive them, whether in the form of a simple and quick illusion, a more lengthy and dynamic combination of illusions, or anything in between. While it seems simple enough from this summary, there are many moving parts involved that must be understood. It should be noted that, in the context of Illusion, words such as “Dynamic” refers to the ability to change the characteristics of an illusion at will as well as an illusions ability to respond to things not directly in control of the illusionist which primarily include interactions with other players or player controlled objects/entities, but can include just about anything else that would require the illusion to “react” or otherwise change.

 

 

Illusory Suggestions

Spoiler

Illusory Suggestions

Much like the mundane Hypnotist; an Illusionist forges their deceptions through something very similar to hypnotic suggestions. The Illusionist may vaguely imagine in their mind’s eye that which they wish to push onto another in a symbolic sort of way as doing much more than that would be unreasonable. Then they feed the suggestions through the Mana Threads they have created to force these thoughts into the mind and perception of others. Once this is done they need only allow the subconscious of their target(s) to interpret this information and incorporate it into their internal reality(s). These suggestions must be crafted such that they make sense and are believable - see Belief and Expectations. 

 

While not nearly as intense and impossible sounding as the common notion of a mage being a living, breathing virtual reality CGI generator; the use of suggestions is far from a walk in the park. Many illusions require the Illusionist to maintain focus on these suggestions almost constantly and demand a higher level of focus as the content of the illusion becomes more complex and even more so if the illusion must be dynamic and respond to stimuli as well. 

 

 

Illusory Suggestions; Without The Fluff

-Basically an idea in the mind made for the purpose of creating an illusion. Tends to be symbolic - as if one were just imagining something - but can even be descriptive thoughts. 

-The mind of the person perceiving the suggestion generates their interpretation, the illusionist does not picture in realistic detail the illusion and then send that into the minds of others. That’d be ridiculous and nothing short of a deity is capable of that mental capacity. 

-This does not change how Illusion is role-played as far as focus requirement is concerned. It’s simply a more plausible and realistic explanation than being a human virtual reality CGI simulation machine.

 

Experience

Spoiler

Experience

For a long time there has been an assumption that an Illusionist creates their deceptions by recalling an experience they’ve had and more or less pushing that experience into the perception of one or more individuals. Even putting aside the previously established fact that consciously choosing to vividly imagine something to the same level that we perceive the world around us is close to - if not entirely - impossible we are still left with the fact that how one person perceived or experienced something is unlikely to match how someone else would experience or perceive the same thing. Thus; the belief that an Illusionist needs to have experienced the exact thing they are trying to forge into an illusion in order to cast it is false. That is not to say that experience holds no degree of importance - as that, too, would be an egregious falsehood! 

 

To successfully create any illusion the Illusionist must have some amount of first hand experience and knowledge with whatever they are trying to create such that they can form their suggestions accordingly in a similar fashion that an artist would to create the suspension of disbelief in the subconscious mind.  The core purpose of this is to inform the illusions such that they do not baffle belief, defy expectations, or break the well established laws of reality that all - if not most - conscious creatures observe and are bound by. By no means does that serve to stifle the creativity of the Illusionist as, much like the artist, the Illusionist can use their experiences in much the same way to create their vivid illusions of both that which does and does not exist!

   

An Illusionist must also be aware that experience goes both ways. Someone who is experienced with the subject matter of an illusion will be more able to spot certain problems with an illusion than someone who is not so well versed. This mostly applies to the illusory mimicry of other magics, but can extend to illusions pertaining to many other subjects as well. Whether or not a person can detect flaws in an illusion this way largely depends on how well versed they are in the subject matter versus the level of skill that the Illusionist possesses. A T3 Illusionist attempting to cast an illusory flame onto the perception of a T5 Fire Evocationist may find that flaws that would have gone unnoticed by the layman are more easily picked up by the learned Fire Evocationist. 

 

Experience; Without The Fluff

-Think how an artist uses experience to create works of art that aren’t real. Often complete fantasy, but as long as it follows some basic rules of reality there is no issues. In this way, an illusionist does not have to experience the specific thing they are trying to replicate. They can piece things together.

-An illusionist can stretch an experience, however the more intense an illusion is the more they have to draw on their own experience. Pain such as from stabbing or severe burns is not something that can be replicated through patchwork, and must have been experienced first hand. However, sight and sound is far easier to do this with. 

-Generally speaking, the more knowledge someone has about a specific illusion’s real counterpart; the more likely they are able to spot flaws with it.

Tethering and Mana Threads

Spoiler

Tethering and Mana Threads

This is the standard - and only known - method of casting illusions that Illusionists utilize to enact their visions of reality onto the minds of others. Tethering is more or less exactly how the name sounds; an Illusionist reaches out to one or more individuals and tethers something to them. From there the Illusionist sends their suggestions through the tether and into the subconscious and perception of those they’ve connected to. From the moment the Illusionist connects to someone in this way until such time that the connection is halted they can force their trickery onto their victims minds at the speed of thought and due to the presence of this constant connection these illusions are capable of being very dynamic and - when performed by a skillful Illusionist - are capable of responding realistically to all, if not most means of interaction so long as the Illusionist is prepared for such! So, what exactly is this ‘something’ that is tethered to the targets of an Illusionist? 

Mana Threads

Intangible, ethereal, and invisible; creating Mana Threads are responsible for the bulk of an Illusionist’s relatively low mana usage - of which a relatively small amount is used. Mana Threads serve as the means to connect an Illusionist’s mind to that of their unwitting targets. The Illusionist’s craft is not one involving the creation of physical things to be used in one way or another but rather it is primarily the creation and sending of information to other people that alters their perception. This information requires a means of transportation. Enter; Mana Threads.

 

The general rule of thumb is that the more information an Illusionist must send out to create their illusions; the stronger or thicker their threads must be. When creating these threads; many Illusionists often try to put as much time as they can into this crucial first step in order to maximize the possibilities for their spells. While they can be thickened after their initial formation even a master Illusionist will find that it’s quite a challenge to focus on their stream of suggestions while simultaneously increasing the power of their mana threads. During such a time and depending on the complexity of their existing illusions many masters may find it much more difficult to prevent flaws and glitches from appearing and so it is always a risk. Mana Threads can be utilized in two ways either by choosing specific targets to affect or by broadcasting them out in a radius around the Illusionist. 

 

Tethering and Mana Threads; Without the Fluff

-Tethering is the standard method of casting illusions.

-Tethering is done by reaching out with mana threads to connect to one or more people and serves as a one way connection for sending illusory suggestions.

-Mana threads are intangible, ethereal, and invisible, except in specific circumstances detailed later.

-Creating/strengthening mana threads serve as primary driving force behind determining emote counts.

-Mana threads do not require line of sight to create or connect to others and can pass through barriers to do this, though doing so comes with extra limitations detailed in the next sections. This never grants the caster knowledge of the existence of people, their actions/movements, or locations. The caster can connect to people without knowing they’re connected to them.

-Rule of Thumb is that the more powerful/high tier the illusion is; the stronger the mana thread must be to reliably pass such information along. Focus requirement scales directly with strength.

-Can be specifically targeted or broadcasted in a radius around the caster.

Targeted

Spoiler

Targeted

A straightforward process where the Illusionist creates their Mana Threads to their desired girth and connects them to however many specific targets they choose. Not including connecting to the void, this takes a minimum of 1 emote to form and may take more depending on the level and volume of the illusion(s) that one seeks to cast. It doesn’t matter how many people the Illusionist decides to target as the difference in mana consumption is negligible. Mechanically speaking one may use /msg to send their illusory emotes or specify who can see a given illusion in any of the role-play channels. One does not need to explicitly emote or describe the creation and connection of these Mana Threads nor should they do so as they are imperceptible to the vast majority of characters. Simply emoting the appropriate tells for casting magic and focusing would be sufficient. 

Targeted; Without the Fluff

-Initial line of sight required. Sustained line of sight not required. Can reach targets through things like bushes, transparent objects, other people, but not through walls or obstructions that would prevent you from a visual of the target(s). 

-Can target as many people as the caster wishes while excluding those they don’t wish to perceive the illusion. 

-If target was tethered already and steps behind a barrier of some kind the tether does not completely fail however the illusions follow the same rules as in Broadcasting and can no longer be directly affected by illusions as they could before.

Broadcasting: The Web of Lies

Spoiler

Broadcasting: The Web of Lies

The Web of Lies refers to what it would look like if the Mana Threads could be seen while casting in this method. It’s basic function is identical to Targeted Tethering in that it uses Mana Threads to connect to people. However, unlike Targeted Tethering, Broadcasting tethers Mana Threads to those around the Illusionist indiscriminately. The Illusionist must first cast out illusory threads to the individual(s) closest to them. From there the Mana Threads are further projected to all those around these individual(s) which quickly connects all those within range of the Illusionist to one another and ultimately to the Illusionist themselves who serves as the “center” of this “web”. A nuance to this method of casting is that it can connect Mana Threads to people without the explicit knowledge of the caster. Someone can be tethered outside of the Illusionist’s line of sight as well as through objects and barriers such as walls and terrain yet the Illusionist does not gain any knowledge through their magic of the existence of these individuals let alone their whereabouts and as such are limited in what they can cast to them. 

 

The illusionist has a choice of casting at medium range or long range in this case. Medium range is anything that can be encompassed in #rp (role-play) chat channels while long range includes anything within the range of #s (shout) chat channels. In order to cast at #s range the illusionist must spare an additional emote to form their mana threads than they would have to otherwise. In order for an Illusionist to directly influence someone through their casting they must be capable of establishing a direct line of sight with the individual(s), however they have no need to do so continuously. This means that something like an illusory blinding flash of light can blind someone standing behind the illusionist who would be able to see the flash directly. An Illusionist is unable to directly influence those they would be unable to establish a direct line of sight with such as those behind walls or creatures such as ghosts who can turn invisible. That is to say, the Illusionist cannot suggest direct interaction between their illusions and those they cannot possibly see at a given time and as such cannot cause effects of severity such as direct pain, blinding, deafening, or anything such as severe discomfort like the sensation of choking on smoke. The same example of a flash of blinding light perceived by someone that the illusionist cannot establish line of sight with would be perceived to a maximum degree of glare from the sun at worst, which can be squinted through, even if the individual were able to directly look upon this flash of light no matter the range they perceive themselves to be from it. 

 

TL;DR - If you can’t draw a straight line between yourself and the casting Illusionist, and vice-versa, their illusions are more limited in how they can affect you.

 

Broadcasting: The Web of Lies; Without the Fluff

-Line of sight not required, nor the ability to make line of sight. 

-Threads can pass through barriers of all kinds of barriers.

-Illusions are limited when unable to make line of sight such as through walls. 

-Illusionist does not need to have knowledge of a person’s existence or location in order to connect to them, however connecting to people through walls or that you cannot see does not grant you knowledge of the person, their location, what they’re doing, etc. 

-Works by forming a web, connecting people with mana threads.

-No extra emote time requirement for #RP chat range, but 1 added emote required for #S chat range. 

-If an illusionist can draw a straight line between themselves and a given person there are few limitations to their illusions save for its real life counter part. 

-If an illusionist cannot draw a straight line in this way Sight and Sound remain the most vivid, however lack intensity enough for blinding lights and deafening sounds. Touch, Scent, and Taste are primarily atmospheric in nature. Smell of smoke, rumbling earth, taste of blood in the air, etc. etc.

Backfiring and Shattered Illusions

Spoiler

 

Backfiring and Shattered Illusions

There will come a time for every Illusionist when they experience one of their Illusions being shattered. To truly shatter an illusion is rarely an easy task, especially when facing a master Illusionist. One must not only consciously realize the illusion is what it is - an illusion - but must also have their subconscious mind convinced that it is not real. If there’s a way to explain away some flaw in an illusion that doesn’t wholly defy belief then the subconscious will continue to believe in and thus perceive said illusion. It’s not uncommon for flaws to occur in various illusions for various reasons whether some failure or lapse of focus on the Illusionist’s part or some advanced expertise of sorts on the target’s part. That is to say that it’s inevitable. It will happen and acting as if it’s a particularly rare thing is futile as your illusions become more and more complex and intensive to focus on. However, these flaws and glitches can easily be passed off by the subconscious mind as a ‘trick of the light’ sort of thing and as such will continue to be perceived by the mind. However, say one was to try to cleave through an Illusory Decoy with their sword as hard as they could. The placebo effect cannot stop their muscles in a perfect fashion and their swing passes clear through the decoy. There’s little to suggest such a thing would be possible other than the notion that this thing they attacked does not truly exist, the conscious and subconscious are both in agreement and thus the Illusion shatters. So, what does this mean to the Illusionist? 

 

When an Illusion actually shatters a simple thing happens that could undermine all further attempts of the Illusionist to trick their targets. If a person shatters an illusion within their own perception they will see that, starting from their own person, the mana thread that is connected to them flashes in their vision and sends a small signal along the line through the Web of Lies and leading inevitably to the Illusionist who was manipulating them to begin with. All of this happens in the span of one emote and is to be done in private messages as only those who broke the illusion can see this effect that reveals the Illusionist. However, that’s not to say it’s impossible that multiple people cannot break the illusion at once. If others were watching when this occurred then the illusion would break for them as well. However it’s not so common for several people to shatter an illusion at the same time. What’s more likely is a chain reaction. 

 

The feedback that the target’s mind sends after shattering the illusion travels through the mana thread(s) and eventually reaches the Illusionist. This feedback can muddle their focus for a moment and as a result this may cause their remaining illusions to suddenly become flawed and, depending on how complex the shattered illusion was, may cause other illusions to be shattered as well. This all depends largely on the skill of the Illusionist. The flaws in at least a minor way would be unavoidable by most any illusionist, however an Illusionist who diverts their focus from their body to the magic they are casting can prevent most cases of a chain reaction of illusion shattering.

 

Backfiring and Shattered Illusions; Without the Fluff

-When a hypnotic illusion completely fails or “shatters” it will “backfire” on the caster. 

-To shatter an illusion one must convince their subconscious that it is false to remove it from their perception. 

-It takes more than conscious thought to shatter an illusion and must be tested. However, testing is not always so easy. As a rule of thumb the illusion must be tested in a way that causes it to violate certain natural and expected laws. 

-When an illusion does shatter it will send a short wave of feedback along the mana threads from the person(s) who shattered it to the illusionist, briefly revealing them for their trickery. 

-Depending on how many illusions or how high level their illusions are cast at when this occurs, this can cause flaws in their other illusions or - if they are casting at the edge of their focus limits - can cause one or more illusions to completely fail all together. 

-Note that an illusion that fails due to a break in focus of the caster or casters decision does not count as shattering.

 

The Hypnotist’s Boon

Spoiler

The Hypnotist’s Boon

With most practical uses of Illusion such as for the purposes of manipulation or deception Illusion is rarely considered an easy task. For example; a master Illusionist who has disguised themselves to be unrecognizable will find that while performing such magic it is a difficult – if not, impossible – task to carry out anything more than casual activity and will struggle to multicast other illusions beyond a mid-tier level. They can hold any level of conversation, move in a normal manner, or carry out any generally low to medium effort activity or action with little issue. However if the illusionist begins to cast other illusions or do more difficult activities that would require a medium to high level of focus or effort from the average person their illusions will progressively show flaws with more frequency as their focus or efforts become more and more divided from their casting and may completely fail all together as any other magic would in similar circumstances. However, there are a set of circumstances that deviate from this trend and that is called “The Hypnotist’s Boon”. 

 

In any non-combat situation where the illusions you are casting would be considered inconsequential by most average people the caster may find that they don’t need nearly the same strength of mana threads, mana use, focus requirements, or even need to follow the laws of believability and such as much as they would in any other circumstance. Essentially; the illusionist is showing their hand and casting in a way that is either inconsequential or otherwise is not trying to alter the truth. Usually this is for whimsy, jokes, illustration, art, story telling, performance, and other creative goals which make no attempt to pretend they are something they are not – Illusions. It’s called “The Hypnotist’s Boon” due to the similar concepts of open mindedness and consent that Hypnotists work with as a Hypnotist cannot hypnotize someone who isn’t of a mindset that would allow such. The moment these illusions are used in a way meant to convince others that they are not illusions or in a way that would harm someone such as blinding lights, pain, illness, etc. they immediately carry all the regular requirements of the magic and will often fail immediately primarily due to the mana threads not being strong enough to support the suggestion that something perceived is real when it is just an illusion. 

 

The Hypnotist’s Boon; Without the Fluff

-Allows hypnotic illusions to be far easier across the board. Redlines for belief and such barely apply. Effort required for even complicated illusions can be nearly negligible. Caster doesn’t need to worry about things like mana use and focus, or even believability all that much. This is for fun, or for illustration purposes. 

-Applies to illusions that are inconsequential. Is paying attention to this illusion a detriment in any meaningful way? Are you trying to pass the illusion off as anything more than an illusion? If the answer to either is yes, Hypnotist’s Boon doesn’t apply. 

-Can easily be ignored if someone doesn’t want to experience it. They will technically still perceive it, but it’ll be muffled. Sight becomes more transparent, less detailed. Sound becomes more akin to background noise - as if you’ve tuned something out. 

-When casting the caster must OOCly state that these are illusions under Hypnotist’s Boon and can be ignored in the above fashion if they choose so.

Spell Types

Most - if not all - illusions can be categorized into three types; Glamours, Figments, and Phantasms in order from least to most mana usage, focus requirement, and overall difficulty to cast or learn - assuming they’re cast at the same level. They’re usually learned in this order, though they can technically be learned in any order that’s desired. Glamours and Figments are fairly similar to each other in that they change what is being perceived while Phantasms alter perception in a far more invasive manner, delving into the subconscious and automatic mechanisms of the mind, to alter how things are perceived and even manipulating parts of the sense of self itself.

 

Spoiler

 

Spell Types

Glamours

Illusions which alter the perception of something that exists in the external reality. There are many uses for casting an illusion in this way from disguising oneself to reducing or eliminating the need to suggest one or more senses as the object that is being glamoured can provide any number of those properties on it’s own lest one wishes to alter them. While one can glamour something to appear of vastly different size and shape from the existing object the potential uses for doing so are limited and stretch the purpose of the Glamour towards Figments. As a rule; more mana is used the more one changes an object from its actual perception. Common examples of Glamours include; Illusory Disguise and Glamourous Deception.

 

Figments

Illusions which are not anchored to something that exists and so, in general, require more focus and mana than Glamours do depending on the level of complexity they are cast. The benefit is that nothing real is required which grants a high level of freedom and creativity which Glamours do not usually offer. Apart from this freedom Figments are much the same as Glamours. Common examples of Figments include; Decoy and Mimicry. 

 

Phantasms

A different breed of illusion as they do not alter what is being perceived as Glamours and Figments do but instead alter how things are perceived through manipulation of the automatic processes of the subconscious such as emotion, sensory information processing, and deceptive thoughts, ideas, and mental images. They are also set starkly apart from the other two by how difficult they are to cast successfully. In order to make consistently effective use of Phantasms one must have a keen working knowledge of how psychology, perception, and how they influence each other. A mid-level Phantasms can require more focus than any single Glamour or Figment, and as much mana as any mid-level evocation to create a mana thread strong enough to support its complexity. While Phantasms can insert deceptive thoughts, images, ideas, and false emotions into the mind it cannot ever alter the ones already in the person’s mind directly and must be believable and make sense relative to the target’s existing psychology, situation, and mental state else they may easily be ignored or even completely rejected and shattered. Furthermore, it requires by far the most mana and thread strength to significantly alter a mind’s sensory information processing, however the reward is worth the risk and effort as it’s possible for the Illusionist to radically alter how the mind perceives one or more senses and can even temporarily halt these processes all together. 

 

Spell Types; Without the Fluff

-Glamours alter perception of that which already exists and generally require the least mana/focus of all spell types.

-Glamours require an object as a perceptual “anchor”, though this object can be radically changed to be perceived as completely different from it’s original in all aspects.

-Figments are illusions which have/require no perceptual “anchor”. They can be single senses such as sound or sight or any combination of senses to create an illusory object of any sort.

-Figments generally require more mana/focus than Glamours of the same tier.

-Phantasms alter internal perception such as sense of self by inserting false emotions, feelings, thoughts, ideas, mental images, etc. as well as directly manipulating sensory processing.

-Phantasms generally require the most mana/focus of all spell types, though the range is wide depending on what is doing.

-Phantasms will require more mana/focus as the potency of the spell increases. Ie; A vague or light feeling vs a specific/strong one. A mild sensory processing manipulation vs inversions or complete shutdown of a sense.

-Phantasms of a mid-tier or higher level cannot be broadcasted and have a maximum limit of 3 different people at a time.

 

Spells/Abilities

Due to the nature of Illusion there is a virtually limitless number of spells that can be cast and as such it’s difficult to pin down each and every possibility. Furthermore, in combat or out of combat spells are also difficult to define in a concrete way as anything in reality can be used in a combative way and Illusion’s main focus is the alteration of the perception of reality. It can change the perception of the real as well as completely fabricate things that do not exist which means that pinning these things down into such categories becomes a herculean feat of mental gymnastics that over complicate things where the goal of the Lore Games is the opposite. Effectively, no spell in illusion will be made impossible to cast or continue casting due to “combat” being in effect. 

 

With that in mind, I will be treating many spells as spell archetypes and the mechanisms of that will be described in the Mechanics section of each listed spell. The redlines detailed previously for the three spell types will also be restated in the spoiler below as they will generally apply to all spells listed unless otherwise specified by either stating a particular redline does not apply or that additional redlines apply. Spells will be classified in their tags as either a Glamour, Figment, or Phantasm as well to avoid any confusion. 

 

I’m utilizing a “tier” system that spells can be cast at. As a rule; higher spell tiers will be more complex or powerful, require more focus and mana, and will be progressively have a higher chance for flaws. Certain spells will also be more prone to flaws under certain situations as well which will be detailed as needed. 

 

Spell Points System

For the purposes of Hypnotic Illusion a “Spell Points” system is implemented. This is to better gauge one’s own limits in casting, as well as having a general idea of how intensive any given illusion or combination of illusions can be as it is possible – and common – for an Illusionist to cast multiple illusions and illusion spells along side each other. It is meant first and foremost as a guideline, but should still be followed regardless to avoid possibly power-gaming. It’s meant to be used by the users of Illusion as well as those who are going up against Illusion. With this said, there are some key points to keep in mind as the details of this system are read.

 

-Spell point values and just about everything in this system has “wiggle” room and is open to interpretation, but generally should not deviate too far. 

-An Illusionist shouldn’t need to reference this every time they want to cast a spell, but only if they are unsure of whether what they’re doing may be considered power-gaming or performing past the limits of the magic. 

-Casting at or beyond your character’s limit does not mean the spells completely fail. However, the closer you are to meeting or exceeding your limit; the more you flawed your illusions will become, with more frequency as well as increasing the likely-hood of completely failing. 

-Spell Points System does not supersede the limits of whatever tier you are at. 

-Spell Points are not an expendable resource like mana, they are a measuring tool. 

-Use common sense. 

 

A “Spell Point” is just the first and simplest name that closest matches the overall function of what it is. It is a simplification of two main factors. 

  1. Mana thread strength
  2. Ability to focus. 

 

Essentially, mana thread strength and the requirement of focus for whatever you are doing scale linearly with each other. However, if your ability to focus is compromised it doesn’t matter how strong your mana threads are. Illusions will become flawed or weakened while focus is strained, and like any magic will completely fail if focus is lost. 

 

At the beginning of Tier 1 the student has a maximum of 1 Spell Point “slot”, and with each week of dedicated training in Illusion that passes the student gains 1 more spell point slot to a basic maximum of 25 after 24 weeks or 6 months. This means that it’s technically possible to reach Tier 5 in the shortest amount of time possible (19 weeks) and still not have 25 spell point slots. 

 

The below serves largely as a guideline. An illusionist should only need to have a general idea of what this is and doesn’t need to refer to it each and every time they want to cast something. It’s necessary due to the “multi-casting” abilities of Illusion. Essentially you can take any illusion and break it down into these general guidelines to know if you can cast that level of illusion, how many emotes it should take, and how many of that type of illusion you can cast. IE: You can classify something that takes 7-10 points as a “High tier” spell, and have an idea of how many you can cast at the same time.


Also note that it’s a work in progress, and there is a lot of contextual stuff missing such as guidelines for each tier of illusionist and their limits. That will be added soon.

 

Spoiler

Spell Point Guideline

No more than simple addition required. This is mostly a guideline which specific spells are based on, but also meant for people to gauge their own limits relative to what they’re doing. Note that Low and Mid tier stuff is largely subjective and can slip in between. That said, High Tier stuff is far more objective. Anything that deals with something that would debilitate the average immediately moves potency up one tier. A glamour that increases or decreases the perceived size of an object moves up one tier.

 

Spell Points: Refer to the requirement of mana thread strength. Tier 1 starts with 1 point and for every week of dedicated practicing Illusion up to 24 weeks (6 months) from day of starting another spell point is gained to a maximum of 25 points. 

Number of Senses:

Sight = 1 spell point

Sound = 1 spell point

Touch = 1 spell point

Scent/Taste = 1 spell point

Bodily/Internal = 1 spell point per effect

Bodily/internal stuff like proprioception, feelings of illness/weakness or wellness/strength, internal pain.

 

Potency: Level of complexity AND/OR degree of effect. Primarily with Figments in mind with some exceptions detailed later. 

Low = 1 spell point

Mid = 3 spell points

High = 5 spell points

Max = 7 spell points

While in combat the tier automatically moves up by one. 

 

Low potency are simple/basic. Think mundane/generic versions of things. 

Mid potency are more complex. Think detailed/personalized versions of things. Decoys. Mild to moderate effects such as pain or bodily/internal sensory effects. 

High potency are highly detailed or very specific things or versions of things. Includes high to extreme levels of pain or bodily/internal sensory effects, as well as intense sensory effects such as blinding light, deafening sound, etc. 

Max is only relevant in combat or potentially specific spells.  

 

Degree of Glamour: Refers to how much the original object is altered.

Low = 0 spell points

Mid = 2 spell points

High = 4 spell points

Max = 6 spell points

While in combat the tier automatically moves up by one.

 

Low degree is largely aesthetic changes. No change in size or shape, or the “identity” of an item. 

Mid degree is significant aesthetic changes and/or mild identity changes. 

High degree is total masking or altering of size/shape and dramatic change in identity/function. 

Max is only relevant in combat or potentially specific spells. 

 

 

Spell List

Illusory Disguise - Combat/Free-form/Glamour

Spoiler

 

- – -

RP Description

A coveted Glamour that every practitioner of Illusion strives to perfect to its maximum capabilities. Illusory Disguise can be utilized to change the perceived properties and characteristics of any creature or creature-shaped object or construct that the caster desires to make something appear to be a completely different animal or person than they truly are. From a simple change in eye color to completely changing the perceived size and appearance of oneself or others; Illusory Disguise has you covered. 

 

Mechanics
 

 

- – -

 

 

 

 

Learning Illusion/Tier Progression

Illusion has 5 “Tiers” as milestones to learning. To learn Illusion you must have a valid and accepted Magic Application for Illusion and be taught by someone who holds a valid and accepted Teaching Application and cannot be self taught. 

 

Through each tier a student must learn to create and progressively strengthen mana threads, learn each of the Illusion spell types and progressively master them, hone their minds to be able to maintain high levels of focus on multiple things at once, study the fundamentals of Illusion, and would do well to learn the properties of psychology and perception as they pertain to Illusion to make the best use of the magic as they grow more capable over time. 

 

Spell Point Slots will increase by one(1) slot with every week of dedicated practice and training in this magic to a basic maximum of 25 slots after 24 weeks or six months. Refer to the Spell Point System for more information regarding anything related to this. 

 

Tier Guidelines

Spoiler

 

Tiers

Tier 0 – Uninitiated

This tier is reserved for students who do know how to reliably connect to the void for the purposes of voidal magic and lasts 1 week. If the student has already learned to connect to the void they may skip this tier. 

 

Time: 1 week, if necessary. 

Learning Expectations: Connecting to the void, and maintaining said connection reliably. 

 

Tier 1 – Aspiring

Lasts 1 - 2 weeks. This tier is largely spent learning to create mana threads and connect them to others around them. It’s suggested that the student begins to learn the basic theory and concepts of Illusion such as what the different spell types are, their limits, as well as the mechanics that allow Illusion to function. Essentially Illusion 101. 

 

Time: 1 to 2 weeks. 

Starting Capabilities: Starts with 1 Spell Point Slot. 

Progression Requirements: Students should first learn to create mana threads and tether them through the targeting method of casting. Students should be taught the basic foundations of Illusion and must understand how it works in order to cast any form of spell, as well as a basic functional understanding of how Perception works in the mind much like how an elemental evocationist must understand the properties of their element and that it is cast in the physical plane outside the body. Near the end of Tier 1 they may begin to create small glamours and figments that are sustained for a very brief period of time before the student is exhausted, such as flickers of dim light or simple color changes of small objects. 

Available Spells: N/A

 

Tier 2 – Amateur 

Lasts 2 to 3 weeks. The student should expand upon all previous knowledge and skills and may begin to learn either Glamours/Figments or Phantasms. Keep in mind that if they choose to learn Phantasms first they will only be able to successfully cast one at the weakest level at about 3 weeks and will not be able to do so reliably or for very long as they require stronger mana threads at their weakest spell tier unlike Glamours and Figments. 

 

Time: 2 to 3 weeks. 

Learning Expectations: Building upon the previous knowledge and skills. Learning to reliably cast glamours and figments, and create more complex illusions. Student may begin to dabble in phantasms but will find little to no success apart from brief and weak mockeries of their true potential. They will also learn the broadcasting method of tethering. 

Capabilities: The student will be able to progressively create simple, though more progressively more complex, figments and glamours and hold them for longer. The student will be able to broadcast their threads up to RP chat distance, but not yet Shout chat distance. 

Starting Capabilities: Can use Mana Thread Tethering via “Targeting” method. Can start creating brief, simple and weak glamours and figments such as flashes of dim light, or changing the color of small, simple objects. 

Progression Requirements: Students must acquire a basic grasp of the underlining rules of Illusion, such as how Illusions in general must follow the rules and laws of reality in order to make sense, expectation setting, etc. 

 

Tier 3 – Adept

Lasts 4 to 8 weeks. The student will continue progressing their abilities and will begin to learn whichever type(s) of Illusion spell they did not start learning in Tier 2. By the end of this tier they should have a firm understanding of the fundamentals of Illusion and be able to reliably cast any spell type up to the spell tier they are capable of. 

 

Time: 4 to 8 weeks. 

Learning Expectations

Capabilities


Tier 4 – Skilled

Lasts 12 to 16 weeks. The student will progressively learn and increase their abilities in all facets of the magic. By the end of this tier they should learn all of the specific spells and will have developed the abilities of their own minds as well as their ability to strengthen their mana threads to the maximum degree. Regardless of whether they progress through the knowledge and spells in the minimum time they should not be able to cast maximum strength mana threads until about 4 months have passed in this tier. 

 

Time: 12 to 16 weeks. 

Learning Expectations

Capabilities

 

Tier 5 – Master

After three months in Tier 4 it’s possible to reach mastery of the knowledge and spell possibilities of Illusion and be considered Tier 5 but must have dedicated themselves to learning and practicing Illusion to a total of at least 5 and a half months in order to reach maximum capabilities in their spell casting with strength of their mana threads and focusing abilities. 


Capabilities

 

 

 

 

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First here, goob job. +1

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Awesome! B) +1

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Went to movies with my partner last night and lo and behold the god damned power went out while we were gone. Screaming.

Just absolutely ******* screaming, man!

 

No fear, no worries. I’ll just work on it through the day. Waited till like ******* midnight and decided it wasn’t coming back anytime soon and opted to go pass out. Which I suppose is not a total loss given my crippling sleep debt rivals my credit card debt....LOL

 

So, I’m pounding the keyboard now.

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Alright, lots of work done today. A lot of streamlining to my process of what information to include and where to put it as well as figuring out the god awful forum formatting ****. Gonna get some sleep for the next 5 hours and keep working ASAP. This is basically top priority for me right now. so fret not.

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If anyone is following this and wondering “Why hasn’t he made any updates!? WAS IT ALL A LIE!? HAS HE GIVEN UP!?” I have an answer. Also TL;DR read at the bottom...i’m bad at tl’dr’s though. sorry. 


The more I tried to organize the information in my head into written format that matches the criteria the more I realized it’d be a ridiculous thing to actually have to write out. So I’m coming up with a FAR SIMPLER system which sacrifices NONE or at least very very little of the freedom and creativity Illusion is known for...and perhaps buffing it in that regards in certain circumstances! It stems largely from having to detail combat stuff vs non combat stuff so specifically. However, I’ve done a LOT of thinking and am currently in the process of working out and writing out a system that will make this process far easier, far faster and far simpler for everyone involved. 

 

Right now people are probably raising their eyebrows at this tier system I have laid out. I don’t know if I’m going to completely remove it or not yet, but I might. And If it stays it will be far more simple. 

 

Currently Illusion is a very complicated and versatile magic when you think about it. It’s got all of these psychological aspects because at it’s core it is a psychological magic. However – apart from the intense vagueness of the currently accepted lore and lack of examples or instructions like emote times – it’s not particularly difficult to use on a practical level. 

 

So, at the very least this means that the draft will be finished a lot more quickly, will involve a lot less reading and volume of information, be able to be played just as or almost as easily as it currently plays, and headaches will not ensue from anyone, and if accepted I think will actually make Illusion a lot more fun for a lot of people.

 

The main thing I’m referring to right now is basically making it so that illusions cast with inconsequential intent will be granted a metric butt ton of freedom, require less thinking, be less limited in just about every aspect, etc. While illusions cast with a more obvious intent such as manipulation, deception, etc. will – while still being just as free as it is now – need to be thought about more carefully with regards to things like mana use, focusing, etc. This includes most applications of combat as well. However, certain spells will definitely be specifically combat spells. But overall this saves me from having to define **** the way I’ve defined it in the Illusory disguise spell I’ve written up. 

 

In other words; I’m definitely going to make Illusion “Great again”, @LorelessPuddleMancer ?

Edited by Demotheus
in other words at bottom
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This lore has been denied. 

Lore used by Johann with writer permission in accepted Illusion. If you would like to resubmit, under a non-WIP, let me know.

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