[✓] [Awaiting Mat Review] Cognitism

[PtahWithin 1318]

 

 

[Cognitism]

Cognitism is the magic of affecting the perceptions of the self to increase intellectual and imaginative power, making it a subtype of Arcane Illusionism. The Cognat specializes on using illusionary spells solely to assist in mental ability either by creating helpful intellectual illusions or directly affecting his mind itself.

But due to the nature of Illusion magic, if you want to cast an illusion on yourself you must find a way to trick yourself into believing something is there - while maintaining a part of your mind which realizes that it is false and is powering the illusion. This dissonance in the perceptions can indeed be achieved. Through intense meditation and practice a Cognat can create The Spectator Mind, a mental construct which the Cognat can immerse himself in and perceive his illusions. After initialization it keeps little concentration to maintain The Spectator Mind, but should the Cognat see something very disturbing, frightening or confusing, The Spectator Mind will be temporarily disabled, depending on the skill of the Cognat and the intensity of the disturbing stimuli. A state of silence and free-flowing of thought must be made through meditation before the Cognat can re-initialize it. In addition, The Spectator Mind can be dissipated by a learned Illusionist, or worse even tampered with by Master Illusionists to create a perception feedback loop and effectively killing the Cognat.

The magical abilities of any Cognat are also determined by the natural intelligence of the user. Being a Cognat in no way benefits the user in combat situations: indeed, during combat the Cognat may be less effective as he tries to maintain the concentration required to keep The Spectator Mind enabled all the while dodging thrusts of swords. Being a Cognat gives you none of the standard Illusionist abilities: it is a very specific form of the magic that can only be used to affect the self.


[Magical Capabilities]
The ways through which a Cognat can improve his intellectual and imaginative abilities are numerous:

 

• Creating helpful visual aids seen to the eyes, such as a ruler that can be used to measure an object.
• Composing a full and complete three-dimensional model of an object within the mind's eye.
• Creating illusions around an object which lists the various properties and data that the Cognat has available to him pertaining to the object.
  
• Using the mind's eye to visualize mathematical operations and hence complete them much faster than someone working with pen and paper.
• Directly converting short-term memories into long-term ones, and enhancing the capacity of both.

Lastly, Master Cognats can enter a state of hyper-thought after considerable meditation and concentration.

In the state of hyper-thought, the Cognat brings his actual mind 'closer' to The Spectator Mind while accelerating the speed of thought in both minds. The Cognat will bring them closer and closer to each other - then immediately separate them and carry both minds down through a long series of logical considerations about data the Cognat has before decided on in order to stabilize them both. Upon completion, several states are possible. The Cognat could be carried through a series of random and chaotic thoughts with no clear revealing pattern, and is forced to disable The Spectator Mind in order to stop the stream of random data. The Cognat could also have made an error in the process, such as allowing the two minds to make contact, causing a perception feedback loop and frying the Cognat's brain.

But there is also a slim possibility that the Cognat would succeed, and from the data he fed into both minds to stabilize them produce a Revelation.

A Revelation can be any sort of realization: realizing that the Cognat can save money by buying food in a different city; an imaginative solution to an engineering problem; or something even as great as delving into the patterns of the world to predict when and where some catastrophe will happen. ((Revelations must be pre-approved by MAT or LT members, and should they be in the same category as the last an Administrator must approve it, and possibly the Lore Team and/or Event Team must as well. The last possibility is included so that a Cognat can have the potential to be used as a plot device in an event, either predicting when some dire disaster will occur or finding a solution to some currently occurring cataclysm.))

 

[Resistance to Mental Magic]

The mind of a cognate is a rather unique thing. Torn asunder so one might make use of the Spectator Mind, a cognate’s thoughts are scattered and unclear, brought together by one’s own practiced cooperation between the two. Though a practitioner of cognatism may seem calm, collected and generally well put together, this is not an accurate depiction of what goes on within their minds, as thoughts are spread between the two minds.

 

The disorganization of their thoughts and minds inevitably has some effect on their behavior, yet the root source of this is their minds. This truly becomes a greater problem when others endeavor to view what lies within through the process of mental magic, or other means. To try and do so is to try and step through two doors at once, a process which even the most capable of mental mages would struggle with greatly. Those most capable in the art would barely be able to discern the most base of logical thought, receiving scattered flashes of images or words, if even that. Those less skilled would have a harder time, and find nothing at all.

 

Just as one mind cannot enter two, a cognate cannot get two minds to enter one. Mental magic is the extreme requiring precision of the mind, whereas cognitism creates a disorderly one. This is not to suggest that this magic makes one incapable of focus, but specifically creates difficulty when one seeks to explore another's mind with their own, as coordinating the regular and Spectator Minds is already a lofty feat which cannot be balanced with the attempt to also enter the mind of another. Unlike most void magics, these two are incompatible, and one cannot learn both.

[stages of Learning]
((To be added, I would like some assistance with this.))

[Jistuma 1995]

I believe this would be possible with what the illusionists do. Creating an image in the air that would facilitate the study of anything would be quite useful for those illusionists that are as well engineers or designers. On the other hand creating very complicated designs would make them tire themselves out quickly.

Text in the air that would change constantly would also be a huge help and it's possible. I believe if I didn't read it wrong, that this magic is to create such things and still let the one performing the magics to have thier mind thinking of other things besides the illusion, and to analise the illusion without having to keep the mind concentrated on it.

On the point of the mind working faster, I do not really know how it would work, but it could maybe be possible, as there are situations where the mind has to work faster, such as when in danger, maybe creating that illusion on himself his mind might work faster.

I would assume all this would be possible, unless maybe for the last part of the magic where the two 'minds' closer, and it would be hard to acomplish, requiring like stated a very meditative state where the concentration could be separated into two parts.

I like it.

[PtahWithin 1318]

Thank you.

I was told that a standard Illusionist could not use Illusions on himself for the reasons I explained above: how do you trick yourself into believing something while knowing it is false and powering the illusion?

A Cognat would use The Spectator Mind to do this, something other Illusionists do not have.

[Jistuma 1995]

Thank you.

I was told that a standard Illusionist could not use Illusions on himself for the reasons I explained above: how do you trick yourself into believing something while knowing it is false and powering the illusion?

A Cognat would use The Spectator Mind to do this, something other Illusionists do not have.

Illusionists are affected by the own illusions they create, so, if they create a strong light, they will infact see the light as well... I think... or else they wouldn't know it was being created.

I can't know for sure because I have received mixed responses. I don't know if they affect the minds of everyone around, or just of the selected people they chose. Example, creating a strong light in a crowded place to blind someone, would only that someone be affected or would everyone around also see the light? If it creates for everyone, then the illusionist creates something that affects even himself, if not, maybe the illusionist can't create illusions for himself.

[edit] On the other hand, even the ones being affected by illusions might know it's not real but still feel the illusion, and as so, the illusionist could create something that he himself knew was false but work with it. So he would not have to fool himself only create something for him to see but he would know it would be fake.

[PtahWithin 1318]

Illusionists are affected by the own illusions they create, so, if they create a strong light, they will infact see the light as well... I think... or else they wouldn't know it was being created.

I can't know for sure because I have received mixed responses. I don't know if they affect the minds of everyone around, or just of the selected people they chose. Example, creating a strong light in a crowded place to blind someone, would only that someone be affected or would everyone around also see the light? If it creates for everyone, then the illusionist creates something that affects even himself, if not, maybe the illusionist can't create illusions for himself.

Sagwort gave me my information regarding how an Illusionist would use illusions on himself. I agree with your reasoning, but it seems that is not the case.

[meg 1993]

While I truly like the idea of assisting in computations and scientific discoveries, there are a few things that worry me, like this line, for example-

Quote

Accelerating the internal speed of thought, allowing the Cognat to go through a great series of steps in logic to reach a concise conclusion within a relatively short period of time.

Now, take, for example, a character is an accomplished Cognat. They see someone of general importance (Mage, villain, king, etc. etc.) And using this process, 'Speed up' their character's 'thoughts' to come to a conclusion from 'things that they see/hear' to discern what/who this person is. I know this is not the intended use of the magic, but there are some meta possibilities, if people wish to twist it enough to that way.

As well as the revelations, I think it was smart to make it MAT approved, as that could lead to serious meta-gaming, if a person so wished. I like the lore overall, if used only for studies and science. Perhaps removing the 'Thought Speed Up' capability? Or editing it in a way of such that it could only be used for computations and the like, as I feel like that part is where this lore really hits its stride. Just my opinions on the matter.

[PtahWithin 1318]

While I truly like the idea of assisting in computations and scientific discoveries, there are a few things that worry me, like this line, for example-

 

 

 

Now, take, for example, a character is an accomplished Cognat. They see someone of general importance (Mage, villain, king, etc. etc.) And using this process, 'Speed up' their character's 'thoughts' to come to a conclusion from 'things that they see/hear' to discern what this person is. I know this is not the intended use of the magic, but there are some meta possibilities, if people wish to twist it enough to that way.

 

 

As well as the revelations, I truly think it was smart to make it MAT approved, as that could lead to serious meta-gaming, if a person so wished. I like the lore overall, if used only for studies and science. Perhaps removing the 'Thought Speed Up' capability? Or editing it in a way of such that it could only be used for computations and the like, as I feel like that part is where this lore really hits its stride. Just my opinions on the matter.

Thank you, I shall take that into full consideration as to how to fix that, or whether to remove it entirely.

[The Womping Wizard 400]

I quite enjoy this idea, it looks to be quite balanced and affecting another player completely so I don't see why someone else would complain if used on one self. I think the thought of it is quite nice as well as shown in the pictures that its pretty much helping you think easier and clearer with visual images and such. Also reminds me of the movie Limitless, so that on itself deserves a :D. +1

[Cappy 1599]

I am very impressed by this, it sounds very interesting because it's more of an intellectual magic than what is usually seen.

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck.

[Supremacy 3357]

Illusionists are affected by the own illusions they create, so, if they create a strong light, they will infact see the light as well... I think... or else they wouldn't know it was being created.

An illusionist may elect who sees their illusions.

 

I'd like to point out here illusion theoretically can not enhance any mental capabilities, only make one think that they can see sharper, think faster and so on. So I'm assuming that some special aspect of this magic involves being more capable of such normally impossible feats. 

[PtahWithin 1318]

An illusionist may elect who sees their illusions.

 

I'd like to point out here illusion theoretically can not enhance any mental capabilities, only make one think that they can see sharper, think faster and so on. So I'm assuming that some special aspect of this magic involves being more capable of such normally impossible feats.

Yes: thought this is a subset of Illusionary magic, it has its own unique properties. But most of it is simply the added intellectual help of visualization.

[Elindor 654]

The line in the sand is that illusion magic is at no point real. This is why it cannot affect anyone permanently and why it was said that someone's abilities cannot be improved by an illusion (seeing further, hearing better etc.)

 

I don't have anything against what this subtype, I just don't really see its purpose when it seems to only have one very specific use and for the most part an illusionist would already be able to do a lot of it.

[PtahWithin 1318]

The line in the sand is that illusion magic is at no point real. This is why it cannot affect anyone permanently and why it was said that someone's abilities cannot be improved by an illusion (seeing further, hearing better etc.)

 

I don't have anything against what this subtype, I just don't really see its purpose when it seems to only have one very specific use and for the most part an illusionist would already be able to do a lot of it.

It is designed to have one specific use: for scholarly and scientific and engineer characters. And again, Sagwort told me that you could not cast an illusion on yourself, so I am not certain that an Illusionist could do what I have presented here.

[Jistuma 1995]

I don't know how they can cast illusions on others without being able to see/hear/etc the illusion themselves.

[Guest Guest]

-Raises hand- "My turn!".

 

Alright, so I read through the lore and the replies people have gracefully presented. Let me start by explaining how illusion actually works, so you may all fully understand it. The paradox that we must keep in mind is "How does one trick them self to see something that they knows is not real." Alright, so illusions are fake and always fake. Nothing of it is real and could never permanently affect something that is within reality. That is the basic thing you need to know. An illusionist, when casting his illusion, doesn't truly see their illusion. As they exploit the connection they have with the void and imagine the illusion within their mind, it is seen by the desired victims. The caster technically doesn't see the illusion, but since he is imagining the situation in his head, he is kinda seeing everything happen, but he isn't truly seeing any of the illusions. Basically, you are casting a creation of your imagination into another mind. So, they see it as if it was real, the caster see's it as something in his head. 

 

Now, to this cognistism. From what I understood when it was explained to me, it is the act of breaking the paradox and convincing your own mind to see the actual illusion in a physical form. I see it as a imagination enhancing magic. Have you ever experienced that moment when you have a beautiful picture in your head and you go to draw it, then you can seem to get it on paper because your thoughts are so shady. I was thinking that maybe this magic could be a way of enhancing one's imagination and the spell would allow you to see this beautiful picture from your mind. It would be right in front of you as you can turn to it to perfectly draw it. This can also work in engineering, as mentioned in the main post. The only thing I don't agree with is the part that Meguzara brought up. I'd prefer for it to remain just an imagination enhancing magic and not a spell that would allow you to process your thoughts quicker. That would not make sense with the current lore, but otherwise, I am in full support for this subtype ^.^