Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Into the Tides: Regeneration Magic

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Today is a little book-bonus! In posts such as these, I'll give you extra information from my novel that you won't find in the book itself.

In Into the Tides, people who have magic are called "Powers." Each type of magic has a different set of capabilities, which is based on genetics. And for each Power type, there are 6 different levels of ability, called classes, with 6th class being the weakest and 1st class having the most magic. How a person's class is determined is based on what they can do.

I've been working on creating descriptions that explain what each Power type can do, by class. (Okay, yes, I've probably been having too much fun with this... ;) If you're reading the book and wondering what the characters are capable of, and what they would be capable of if they were higher in class, you can find out!

Here's more about regeneration Powers, who are only briefly mentioned in the book:

A non-exhaustive list of some

Magic Types

Power

 Class

 Capabilities/Limitations

Regeneration 6- Although regeneration is listed as a single category, it's important to note that regenerative Powers are one of three types: skin, bone, OR vision. Healing terms apply to only one of these.
  • Passive: rapid healing (rate 1:1.5)
  • Active: can sense location of major damage (life-threatening injuries or broken bones) in another person within 5 feet without visual inspection
5
  •  Passive: rapid healing (rate 1:3)
  • Active: can sense location of moderate damage (serious cuts/cracked bones) in another person within 5 feet, or major damage within 10 feet
4
  • Passive: Rapid healing (rate 1:4)
  • Active: can sense location of moderate damage in another person within 10 feet, major within 20 feet. With physical contact (touching recipient; injury itself need not be touched) can cause faster rate of healing (1:2).
 3
  •  Passive: Rapid healing (1:5)
  • Active: can sense location of minor damage (scratches, bruising) in another person at 5 feet; moderate within 20 feet; major within 50 feet. With physical contact can cause faster rate of healing (1:3). Without physical contact can cause faster rate of healing within 5 feet (1:1.5)
2
  • Passive: Rapid healing (1:6). Can sense major physical damage within 20 feet.
  • Active: Can sense abnormalities (cancer, infection) with physical contact. Can sense location of minor damage within another at 15 feet; moderate at 40 feet; major damage up to 100 feet (within 20 feet is a passive ability that does not require pulling magic, only focusing). With physical contact can cause faster rate of healing (1:3). Without physical contact can cause faster rate of healing within 10 feet (1:1.75)
1+
  • Passive: Rapid healing (1:8). Can sense major physical damage within 40 feet, or moderate within 20 feet.
  • Active: Can sense abnormalities (cancer, infection) with physical contact. Can sense location of minor damage within another at 15 feet; moderate at 40 feet; major damage up to 200 feet (within 40 feet is a passive ability that does not require pulling magic, only focusing). With physical contact can cause faster rate of healing (up to 1:6--may heal faster than the body should, causing badly healed injuries or even causing harm by improper healing). Without physical contact can cause faster rate of healing within 20 feet (1:2).
While scientists believe more types of regeneration Powers may exist or be possible, only these three have been confirmed. Combinations of two types of regeneration Powers in one person are not generally believed to exist, although some religions, myths, and legends indicate figures with such abilities. There have been no verifiable documented cases, and such instances are considered superstition or exaggeration. "Skin" applies to epidermis and, to a limited extent, epithelial tissue. Epithelial tissue is affected  in the same ways as skin but at approximately 1/5 effectiveness when magic is used outside the body, or 1/2 effectiveness in cases of invasive surgery that allows magic user direct access to organs. Thus, epithelial tissue is far harder to sense or heal than epidermis. This appears to be the second-oldest type of Power, an offshoot of strength Power, with roots obscured in prehistory. "Bone" applies to osseous tissue and the blood vessels linked to it; and 1/2 effectiveness to cartilage and bone marrow. Magic users have only slightly improved effectiveness with direct exposure (1.15x more effective with invasive surgery or other direct bone exposure), as this form of magic tends to be penetrative in function anyway. First documented in the first century BCE. "Vision" applies to all parts of the eyes. It is currently the rarest and least understood, and has only emerged (or been revealed) in the last 200 years, particular to one line of descent in and from China (several vision Powers now live in the western US, London, southern India, and Japan). The strongest Power thus found has been 3rd class.

2 comments:

  1. That's a lot of world building you've done for a single novel. I'm assuming your planning to expand the series. I tend to not put things in stone until after they are in the fiction part of my universes simply because I might want to reverse them one day.

    Though I suppose you could always come back and change your post.

    Good luck.

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    Replies
    1. Don't worry; I have some big plans for this world. Why write one book, when I could write two? ;)

      I find knowing the rules helps me create consistency throughout. So if I want to reverse something, oops, gotta find a new way around--but while for many people that would be a roadblock, for me it's just part of my muse. Comes from many years of tabletop RPGs, I guess!

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