Author Topic: Magical monster - can this get pulled off?  (Read 1478 times)

Offline Rechan

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 654
    • View Profile
Magical monster - can this get pulled off?
« on: May 11, 2011, 11:42:29 PM »
This is sort of a monster I had an idea for independent of Dresden Files, and wondered how to pull it off. Because it relates to Magic, I'm wondering how it might work, let alone if the Council would get windo fit.

It's sort of like mortals making themselves into something like Red Court vampires, but not.

You have mortals who use blood for "Blood magic". This blood allows them to do things to themselves, typically using supernatural physical powers (strength, speed, etc). To do this, they invoke a Totem - not necessarily a Spirit, but they tap into the existing nature of certain blood drinking animals to get the ball rolling. Ticks, mosquitos, leeches, flies, that sort of thing. This slowly changes their appearances to mimic their totems.

So you might have a humanoid with wings and a probosis, or change its hand into a leech, able to take a beating. They can crank up their physical prowess by tapping into the power of the blood they store (like Red Courts and the blood in their stomach). So they very well would have a feeding dependency for their powers.

Offline EdgeOfDreams

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 332
    • View Profile
Re: Magical monster - can this get pulled off?
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2011, 12:03:07 AM »
Sounds like they'd be very likely to run afoul of the thou-shall-not-kill law of magic.  White Council would definitely see these guys as creepy weirdos if not outright warlocks who needed to be beheaded.

That said, an individual who stayed under the radar could get away with this for a long time.  Or, as a group, they could get organized and get other factions to recognize them as signatories to the Unseelie Accords, which would provide them with a measure of protection against the White Council.

Offline Rechan

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 654
    • View Profile
Re: Magical monster - can this get pulled off?
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2011, 12:15:45 AM »
My thinking is that they're not directly using magic to kill.

They kill someone, drain the corpse, and use the blood. When they start mutating, they just start sucking the blood out straight.

It would be the equivalent of a wizard using a knife, then mucking with the blood after the fact.

I don't think you can use Magic (Thamuturgy/Evocation) to give yourself Inhuman speed/etc. So I think it would almost be like using blood to use the Shapeshifting powers. Because for some reason I don't see these guys using Evocation/Thamuturgy. It's more directly biomancy/magic to effect their own bodies.

Offline Belial666

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 2389
    • View Profile
Re: Magical monster - can this get pulled off?
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2011, 12:17:51 AM »
Murdering someone to gain power from said death is a 1st Law violation. Even if you only use normal methods to kill them. Even if they willingly sacrifice themselves. It is pretty much the number 1 example of 1st Law violation in the books.

Offline Sanctaphrax

  • White Council
  • Seriously?
  • ****
  • Posts: 12402
    • View Profile
Re: Magical monster - can this get pulled off?
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2011, 12:25:18 AM »
I think that you have to gain power from the death through a spell. So if you kill 'em with a knife and use the blood for thaumaturgy, Lawbreaker. If you kill 'em with a knife and take over their former job as president, no Lawbreaker. Even though you killed them for power.

I like the idea, by the way. I'm thinking Feeding Dependency, Blood Drinker, Echoes Of The Beast, and physical powers.

Offline MorkaisChosen

  • Participant
  • *
  • Posts: 90
    • View Profile
Re: Magical monster - can this get pulled off?
« Reply #5 on: May 12, 2011, 09:55:11 AM »
Sounds good to me!

I, and likely anyone else who's read Shadows of the Apt, am thinking Mosquito-Kinden at this point...

Offline Haru

  • Posty McPostington
  • ***
  • Posts: 5520
  • Mentally unstable like a fox.
    • View Profile
Re: Magical monster - can this get pulled off?
« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2011, 01:25:10 PM »
Wasn't there something in... I want to say Backup, the one with the Hags. The Hags use magical energies to enhance themselves, but there was a mention about people that use parts of demons or anything they can find to replace parts of their own body to enhance it, pretty much like you described it.
“Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?”
― Terry Pratchett, Going Postal

Offline Rechan

  • Conversationalist
  • **
  • Posts: 654
    • View Profile
Re: Magical monster - can this get pulled off?
« Reply #7 on: May 12, 2011, 01:54:18 PM »
Wasn't there something in... I want to say Backup, the one with the Hags. The Hags use magical energies to enhance themselves, but there was a mention about people that use parts of demons or anything they can find to replace parts of their own body to enhance it, pretty much like you described it.
Hags are from Welcome to the Jungle.

The two groups in Backup basically stitch parts of things into themselves. Either physically, or (in the case of the villain of that book), mentally.

This is more like physical mutation powered by magic (which is fueled by vampirism), as opposed to making yourself a biological cyborg.

Now that I'm thinking about it, what it could be is basically using the Blood to channel the Totems. Bribing it with power. Invoking the totem or likeness of the animal lets them steal/channel a little of it conceptually.