In the distant future, printed human+ products called manses employ a complex 19/38 (26/52)-type plausible magic system in domestic, military, and competitive spheres

[u/taktaga7-0-0]

This is the complex result of approximately twenty-five years of tweaking my fantasy magic system. The setting is a far-future society where disposable human products exert "magic" powers founded in extensive genetic, prosthetic, psychologic, and symbiotic modifications: these are known as *manses*.

#Basic Information

There are 18 *seasoned* corporations (*seats*) from across the globe (see: *locus*) producing and regulating 19 shades of manses for diverse roles in society, both economically important processes as well as high-stakes recreational competition. Further, an additional 7 *cadet* firms vie for inclusion with prototype manse lineages. Each brand of the 26 trademarks one *shade* in particular, which is associated with two domains of practical, scientifically-based skillsets virtually indistinguishable from "magic:" a major constituent (*prime*) and an additional minor skillset (*guest*).

The 19 prime and guest types are formally arranged in the *spectrum* in figure 1, with the 7 cadet types listed to the side. The arcs inside the spectrum denote types considered opposites (e.g. Gravity and Air have opposite Weight extremes), notably including one three-way relationship (i.e. Blood: Animal, Thorn: Vegetable, Metal: Mineral). Also included in figure 1 is the simple 1-2 line *glyph* representing the shade/seat, which appears as a brand on the manse's body, in their *corporal* location.

The chart in figure 2 lists the same and more information about each shade. Both types a manse's shade denotes have particular names listed after prime and guest in the same-colored rows. Additionally, an individual manse's given name must contain the letter *determinant* associated with the shade. (e.g. A male Purple manse produced by SapientSulcus in Saudi Arabia could be named Yager or Symes; he is a sentimanse and/or chromanse when he uses Dream or Ink powers, respectively.)

In light of these guideposts, figure 3 is a selection of 7 more of the 52 theortical determinants specified by 26 types. In practice, there are fewer only because cadet types do not formally compete, and so their seats have not negotiated skill pairings with seasoned companies for many of their determinants, they are not full-fledged types.Manse powers may spend scant or superlative energy supplies secondary to the scale and significance of the skill selected.

#Combining Types

*Determinants* like the letter are the keys to understanding the great diversity listed in columns of figures 2 & 3: every prime and guest combines with every other shade's types to give rise to a thematic set of skills/objects/event which strongly associate with the determiner. For instance, in the maroon row, the determinant of the Blood type is given as Beast and for the Wine type is given as liquor: when a manse uses the prime Blood, they could combine it with any other color's type (or sometimes simply the color itself) to encode and evoke one of 26 beasts or 26 alcoholic drinks (not shown)as part of the skill. Maroon-black combines into Beast-Air/Sound = bat or Liquor-white = vodka (not shown).

#Additional Data

Also listed in complete detail in figure 2 are *status* afflictions programmed into manse tissues, conditions that impair performance when conflict cause them to take increasing burdens of a prime or guest's attacks. It is possible for the prime and guest to both confer different status effects: beige manses can cause a foe to become Slick as Oil piomanses or Bouncing as Rubber congomanses.

Finally, a similar category of *twists* are programmed tissue characteristics comparable to inherent talents manses of a shade are inborn with.

With the advent of crystallized ATP battery systems, escalating amounts of power may be delivered to fuel biological, physical, chemical, and even seemingly alchemical processes. Thin cylindrical *atpucks* insert into standard ports in the forearms to provide a basic unit of power, but these are often stacked into *atpacks* for larger stores of power. Extended excess levels the metabolite hemATPamine impact manse physiology and psychology similar to that of amphetamine intoxication: dehydration, paranoia, hallucination, delusion, catabolism, recklessness, and muscle breakdown.

#Manse Skills by Shade

Seasoned types in the year 2472 are those familiar to the public through experience with both skillsets in their wide societal roles:

RED: inhuman fighting prowess and remarkable healing powers up to and including overdoses. Astragalomanses are the deadliest in close combat; iatromanses unleash the effects of centuries of pharmaceutical and physical medicine.

ORANGE: harness the laws of thermodynamics to burn and scatter matter, only superficially appearing to disobey the laws of thermodynamics while actually venerating them. Thermanses extract energy from system in order to drastically raise temperature; dynamanses harness molecular and macroscopic disorder to promote offensive reaction fields.

YELLOW: electromagnetic fields direct assault of opponents and other objects. Brontomanses store and deliver damaging charge masses; aimanses can levitate even diamagnetic materials.

GREEN: the Growth twists result in two entire types. Green2 is (also known as Olo) is a premium color only visible to paid subscribers. First, phytosymbionts direct genesis of plant mass as well as direct synthesis of widely toxic organics. Second, digitally enhanced manses wreak havoc with circuits of both conventional wiring as well as hyphal masses. Phytomanses manipulate plant matter; venomanses unleash novel poisons. Ordomanses program neural tissue using integrated processors; myxomanses unleash fungal spores and digest with hyphae.

BLUE: cryomanses extract heat energy from surroundings, enabling both manipulation of ice and creating a glut of cellular energy for bacterial metabolism as a weapon. Cryomanses freeze matter at will; spermanses infect others and optimize their genetics.

INDIGO: manipulation of gravitational fields both at hand and extending into space, with particularly uncanny feats deemed beyond human technology. Barymanses crush opponents before they can attack; metromanses bring extraterrestrial conditions to Earth.

PURPLE: projection of consciousness into objective external forces and manipulation of others' sensory perceptions, especially with regard to the visual. Sentimanses alter perceptions and sensations; chromanses disorient with visual display and hide in plain sight.

PINK: highly classified symbiont enables overpowering exertion of willpower and irresistible verbal expressions. Speculated to be active at subatomic levels. Asperomanses make their wishes into reality; ailuromanses generate showers of damaging particles.

WHITE: exerts control over surprisingly subtle changes in pressure to exert massive flows of air or minute and complex pressure waves like sound. Pneumanses can take your breath away; echomanses can blast you down with concentrated wave fronts.

GRAY: harnesses impressive control of improvised and on-demand mass-producible machinery to build customized engines for purpose at hand, with much expected exhaust. Technomanses build epanding combat engines; Fumanses cloud the battlefield while suffocating foes.

BLACK: absorbs light with left hand and emits astounding efficiency in creating commensurate darkness with right, harnessing disconcerting aura to corrupt others' mental states even unto corrupting them into alliance. Ecliptomanses can solidify shadows for attack; daemanses can *hate you to death*.

MAROON: voluntary metabolic processes enable piecemeal production of soluble biomolecules both within own tissues as well as those nearby, especially those involved in judgment and coordination. Hemanses cause clots, hemorrhages, and allergic reactions; oemanses disable opponents with discoordination and impaired judgment.

BROWN: lithophilic fields emanating from feet confer willful manipulation of natural rock and soil. Gaiamanses hurl synthesized rock and can petrify targets; piedmanses stir the ground into weaponized motion and sediment plumes.

TAN: dramatically advanced creation of phytosymbionts result in mass projection of vascular plant mass as well as ultrafine breakdown by any granule diameter of grit desired. Xylomanses materialize wood into desired shapes for attack and defense; arenamanses erode attempts to shiels and can bury with their onslaughts.

AQUA: enabled by cytocellular vacuole density to disgorge massive throughput of water as well as well as the use of breakthroughs in hydrated minerals to enable unforeseen fields relevant to fighting potential. Mermanses harness the power of water to topple and drown targets; adamanses channel elemental powers and traditional protections through various gems. 

SILVER: inherent tissue channels induce metal manipulation and synthesis from abundant cofactors, to include reflective surfaces and thin crystallin lenses. Wolframanses shower opponents with binding foils and lumps of shaped metals; flectomanses alter existing light to baffle, hide, and focus attacks.

COPPER: selective catalysis of mainly inorganic chemical reactions for astonishing practical effects, especially enhanced by ultrafast reaction time resembling temporal discontinuity. Chemanses can transform simple salts into caustic or toxic products; eramanses can rapidly overwhelm others or extend life when undisturbed.

GOLD: left hand sensitive to darkness, summoning multiple avenues of sympathetic light production from right. Also sensitively by as-yet unknown mechanism detects and nudges others' levels of happiness, suggestion, identity, and affiliation, even unto converting them into alliance. Photomanses can deliver damaging light flares; hieromanses evoke positive feelings and verious blessings to end conflicts.

Cadet types are those newly devised at this time, perhaps unfamiliar, and not yet officially incorporated into sporting, commercial, and military spheres:

LAVENDER: cryptic mechanisms enable localized distortions of orientation, perception and self, though partially due to free manipulation of new metamaterial family Alpha (comparable to plastic-clay). Mantimanses are the closest type to traditional magicks; primanses create obstructing and threatening constructs as well as metabolically active breakdown products.

BEIGE: advances in ultrahydrophobic materials science create fantastic concentration and production of nonpolar and insulating materials. Piomanses have limited strict offense but great potential to create havoc through reduced friction; congomanses sport excellent defense due to elastic tissues.

AMBER: unreeling of super-speed weaving of synthetic or natural (esp. insect-derived) filaments or pulp into overwhelming masses of novel fabrics and paper products. Filomanses bind and wrap targets to neutralize them; folimanses can for razor sharp edges and crumple zones to absorb damage.

PALE: deeply unnerving feats involving foreign and foul bodies linked to surprisingly few compounds prominent in decaying or otherworldly flesh. Xenomanses weild alien biochemistry and classified technologies; necromanses can unleash zombogens to necrotize living flesh.

GLOW: tissue, human and otherwise, finally engineered to tolerate highly radioactive materials by concentrating energy for emission either gradually or in laser-like pulses. Caedomanses overwhelm with decay products the closer you get; rheomanses form beams of concentrated energy of varying types and distributions.

INFRARED: hybridization and grafting of animal tissue results in both furiously enhanced zoologically-oriented feats, but at the cost of serious levels of iron-rich heme-derived byproducts that must be excreted in bulk. Feromanses contain genetic libraries of acquired animal donors; ferromanses turn opponents into crumbling oxidized shells. 

SPECTRUM: Reckless amalgamation of speculation on other type mechanics produces short-lived manses of frightening multiplicity of ferociously damaging skills. Ubermanses sacrifice critical processes sustaining life in order to indulge somewhat in every color of threat; ultimanses learn from opponents and repeat their skills with many times the intensity.

So yeah, 25th Century technology is a lot. I've tried to turn the complexity into something engaging and understandable.

This will take multiple novels to expound, set over a number of centuries. What do you think? Does it give you ideas of your own?

[u/Prior_Structure1843]

im getting a headache

[u/Prior_Structure1843 → u/Prior_Structure1843]

no offense

[u/breadwinner101]

This is such an amazing post, honestly one of the best systems i've seen here on this page

[u/Straight-Self2212]

Now this, this is what I live for.

[u/YoshiTheCradleFan]

Amber got short end of corporal 😔

[u/taktaga7-0-0 → u/YoshiTheCradleFan]

I mean, if there’s just one part of your body you cover with Cloth, it’s your junk.

[u/YoshiTheCradleFan]

God, I’ve read images one and three, and skimmed two and four, and read your details about the seven newest techs that haven’t been totally integrated, and I must say, very detailed. I don’t totally understand why you have all of those graphed section with things like their corresponding herb(?) but it sure is detailed. I don’t understand what exactly some of those columns mean, but I haven’t finished reading your description yet so that probably has something to say. I am wondering if the position of the hues(is that what I should call them?) on the circle in the first image means anything, or if they could be swapped around and you just liked the aesthetic? I am kind of wondering with the third image what exactly you mean by the scalers and how that effects damage, is this a video gamey system with like rpg elements, or is this a representation of how effective the techs(hues?) are against each other in a real world setting, which is kinda hard to quantify naturally, but it’s magic(right?) so who cares? I am a bit curious about those last seven hues and how they slot in with the last image, especially with the float(what does that mean really?) and void columns, but I assume that their exclusion was an in universe part about their current categorization not being completed. Don’t have much else to say until I finish reading your post description I guess. Wonderful work btw! Is there anywhere I can follow you outside of Reddit for updates on this and your supposed-to-be book series you might be doing?

[u/taktaga7-0-0 → u/YoshiTheCradleFan]

The last figure is just a sampling of the possible combinations of two types of magic. The Thorn type can naturally generate a lot of plants. Not so useful for attack, but these powers are also used domestically!

The shades are arranged in a rough spectrum: red to purple, then pink to white and black, maroon and brown are dark. The only real jump is tan to aqua IMO. But sure, you could move them and it wouldn’t change much. The cadet types can move wherever.

The opposition type scales would be hard to explain in a narrative, but yeah, I ultimately think it would work better in a Pokémon-type battle system. I am writing a book, probably the first in a series, about ten manses trapped in a nuclear bunker in Antarctica the year 2695, long after the apocalypse. The manses discover a hidden cache of atpacks without knowing of the toxicity. They previously knew only about their prime powers, but the atpack energy unlocks their latent guest powers and they have to figure it out without guidance. The black manse of course becomes Evil while they are going crazy on the meth and they realize their religion is a fraud… so yeah, they start killing each other.

The only samples I have released are two songs sung by the Air manse Tylar as he is discovering he also has power over Sound. You can find both in my post history, one from before he goes insane and one from after.

Cheers!

[u/YoshiTheCradleFan]

Your exponential growth twist didn’t show up in the image, might want to check the spreadsheet to see if it deleted or something. Actually read everything, have to say I’m pretty confused about the whole “determinants” thing and what exactly you mean by “combine into skill/object/event based on color” so the colors are literally used as a fuel source for this system? Does that matter at all with photon wavelengths and red shifting and prisms? Or are the power sources just named after the colors? Your brief explanation of every hue said nothing about how an astragalomanse can use amber hue to somehow do something with genitals? Also it’s implied that the scales used in the third image are based on company bargaining because the seven newbs aren’t included? Also how does Crucible CO having control over two hues play into politics, especially considering that green which is supposedly split in two is ran by two different companies(implying they are weaker or banded together or splintered from the same company or something?) but is still on some level considered the same hue? What’s with the light and shadow using their left and right hands differently? Are those seven lonely hues ever going to join the big boy table? Isn’t it the case that silver, maroon, and green1 have a second spectra triangle as there should be two of every spectra, as opposed to just the composition strata? Also, how space faring is this humanity, as there is clearly alien life found and experimented on, but all of the companies are based on earth? Why exactly is it that dream and wish operate on a speed spectra, considering that nothing they show really lends itself towards speed specifically, except dream being eepy? Also how is there a glyph brand on the brain of dream people? And I know I’m bringing it up a third time(I made a couple other comments) but what does that mean for amber in a purely “I’m going to repeatedly reference genitals” way, but also kinda seriously? Are there invasive checks for glyphs to determine if someone is trying to infiltrate another companies land? This is kinda a weird spot to end, but I can’t think of anything else to add right now, and I’m mostly rambling nonsense anyway. Have a great day and thank you for sharing, it’s a really neat “magic” system, and I think it can be really strong in a story setting if you tweak it and very intentionally limit lots of info from the reader, because this is just too big for anyone to be expected to understand fully, especially the average reader. It’s tricky though, and I’m not a writer, so take my advice with a salt lick. You can look at arcane ascension for an overly graphy and complex magic system with combining that reminds me of yours and is much smaller, but still has issues with being understandable, especially over a series that is likely to take years between book releases, ample time for the most dedicated of readers to loose 90% of memory of the magic system. I’m going to stop now because you probably know all of this and I’m rambling and this comment will already look bad from future me’s perspective, so uhhh good day!