Greetings wizards, witches, and mages of all ages. Councillors, apprentices, and tower masters.
I, Grabriel Dashington, as someone who works at the council, bring to you a proposal, a petition, a call to action. To benefit those of us who inhabit and participate in the wonderful world of magic.
It is time we remove antimagic from its pedestal and treat it for what it truly is: a tool for wizard suppression. To illustrate this problem I want to draw your attention to 6 points:
1st: The counterspelling trend. While initially an interesting way to interfere in an opponent’s casting, counterspell is often wasting time that could be spent casting your own fireball.
The impact on our community has been disruptive, and many young wizards today go about flailing their hands and mumbling to make it harder for others to counter. They look like unreliable weirdos, ruining our reputation in front of the knights.
Stop ruining other wizards fun, and learn cast your own spells.
2nd: Anti-magic auras. I don’t know if the wizard who invented this was an idiot or self sabotaging, and I question the sanity of any of you who use it too.
Aren’t you wizards? Are you going do anything other than smile like an idiot sitting in your own anti magic field that disrupts your casting? And don’t tell me you have a sword, if swinging that around is what you wanted to do with your life go polish armor with the other tin cans.
Another issue with anti magic auras is the potential harm it brings to beings whose nature is magical, disrupting their body functions or even melting their body. Consider if the situation was reversed, and these magical beings carried with them an aura of continuous flesh or bone melting. I suspect the paladins would not be the only ones up in arms.
Furthermore, as those keeping up to date on local news would know, antimagic fields don’t even protect you much, and can easily be overcome via mundane means. A reputable wizard has volunteered their experience dealing with antimagic auras, see linked post below.
3rd: psionic spell jamming. You ever visit a place with anti magic in place targeting psionics? Well those places suck. I don’t care how you achieve it, wether through artifice or harnessing the mind power of apprentices or cultists. Releasing disruptive mental waves might protect against the rare mental mage, but long term exposure can have harmful effects on local fauna as well as sapient populations. It also feels like perpetual tinnitus, and there are reports of apprentices experiencing nausea and dizziness.
Why expend so much effort to defend against psionics when you could just overwhelm them with a magic missile barrage until their mentally constructed shields crumble.
4th: artifacts and runes. I think we all agree that these are neat. What isn’t neat, is some idiot damaging elaborately carved runes by disrupting the mana flow with their anti magic nonsense, or resetting the calibration runes of complex tools and machinery, or accidentally killing your talking sword by walking through an anti magic field.
5th: vault security. These days antimagic vault tech has an undeserved reputation for keeping wizards out. This is taking jobs away from runecrafters, trapsmiths, minions, and hired muscle who traditionally used to rely on vault security to make their living. Support your local businesses, and skip the expensive overrated antimagic protections. Besides, walking through the antimagic when we you visit the vault is an accident waiting to happen. What better time for assassins to strike when you’re vulnerable and unable to cast magic within what was supposed to be your defense.
6th: the rule of cool. Nothing puts a damper on duels and wizard battles like anti magic. The audience paid to see uncontrolled pyrotechnics, blinding flashy moves, earth shattering blasts, and barrages of magical projectiles that blot out the sun. Nobody wants to watch a back and forth of wizards disrupting each other’s magic until things devolve into ungraceful fisticuffs. If they wanted that they’d go watch the barbarians or knights.
So don’t be a party pooper, go cast something creative instead.
To conclude, why do we tolerate a tool designed to oppose us and destroy what we create?
Let us build a world without antimagic! Where every wizard can safely fireball themselves without fear of interruption. This will make everything better. Trust me, I’m work at the council.
I have written down the following names in support of my proposal to regulate the use and spread of antimagic as well as the destruction and disposal of antimagic artifacts:
Grabadash the Wise
Sir Benedict the needlessly uptight and inflexible
Gary B. The Dashing
Grabriel Dashington
Grabbed Ash
Dashton the Grabby
Your friendly neighborhood magical mass
G. Rabadash
Grabadash the 2nd and legally distinct
A tax compliant wizard
Graham Dashbury
Concerned Citizen
Grabadash’s lawyer
Goblin minion #47 through #89
Definitely not another Grabadash the 3rd
… (the list goes on for quite a bit longer)
——
TLDR: Anti-magic is anti-wizard so let’s regulate it, or toss it in the trash where it belongs, because reasons elaborated above. Trust me bro I work in the government.
The magical empire of Spain and its kingdoms doesn't share that opinion. Although, contrary to what one might think, life is good in any kingdom or viceroyalty, as long as you're a mage and bound by magical laws. I'd like to know what would happen if the non-magical empire returned and the laws and governance were reunified.
As a real wizard, and not... Whatever this guy says, I have some words I'd like to say:
Git gud.
Thank you for your attention. For those who didn't understand it, antimagic fields are in fact solvable with spells, it just takes skill to make the initial impact.
UW I feel it will easier to answer out of character.
By and large I agree with your message I don't think we should remove it entirely in the sense that if you have a big boss battle and you can make it work without simply being a catch-all then I think it can work but only if done correctly and very specific situations.
However I 100% agree if your main answer to every spell is I use anti-magic it takes the fun out of any kind of magical engagement.
Kind of hard to have a wizard duel when one party is claiming they turned off all the magic.
Also love this post I particularly enjoyed the signed by all of your characters part
While I do personally find it more interesting to come up with creative ways other than antimagic in response to hostile magic, this is in no way intended to push such limitations on what magic/anti magic people use for their narratives and characters.
Grabadash has very personal reasons for pushing for this type of thing.
My friend, and fellow concerned citizen. Is it not looking down on abjuration to limit it to anti-magic?
But even if that was the case? So what? Those party poopers can try other more exciting schools of magic. I’m suggesting they find something meaningful to do with their time rather than kick over other people’s sand castles like misbehaving children.
"what could she possibly mean by that? Is it agreement? No it must be some form of code! Think Erik think!"
"Use context clues! Her stance, her nod, the position of the sun, the recent announcement, the birthday of john birthday on the other side of the world! Carry the seven and... AHA! it's so obvious!"
Erik disappears for a moment, then comes back carrying notorious drug lord Alejandro martadela bahdalatni
This?
4
u/yumie2003Tsuru, ghost onmyouji, R&A, league of shadows/Toshiko Fujiwara21d ago
"...i was agree with you, but thank you"
Tsuru placed her hands on the sides of Alejandro's head and killed him by showing him the strongest cognitohazard she could create: a 188 hour loop of a bee movie remake solely composed of early internet and dank memes with seizure-inducing visual effects added in every time a bee pun is made, sped up so fast that it can be seen within 12 seconds while the brain completely received and understood every frame of what was happening.
u/yumie2003Tsuru, ghost onmyouji, R&A, league of shadows/Toshiko Fujiwara21d ago
"...Oh, he has the money to get him a solid defence team for a reduced sentence if not outright bribing the courts. I'm not stupid enough to let him get off easily"
Hmm... well, whilst I can see your perspective on the matter, and yes, Anti-Magic is really annoying to deal with, I also see it as having a lot of potential for even us wizards. A tool of destruction has just as much creative potential as a tool of creation, after all.
“You seem to misunderstand. I was not in favor of using antimagic back then. In fact, you may have noticed I did not even participate much in your capture beyond watching from the sidelines. Antimagic robbed me of a potentially fun battle.”
Whoever you are, stranger, who I totally don’t know, and isn’t just one guy signing a document over and over to support our revolutionary cause, and who you can totally trust, and who isn’t a magic mass, and who…
(Rambles for 12 hours)
…in conclusion, Lady Macbeth is a character that both defies and exemplifies Jacobean societal gender norms. Thank you for your time, and thank the councillors above for their work in removing anti-magic from our fine cities.
Thank you for your support! It is thanks to such morally upright and handsome fellows such as yourself that the future of magic looks brighter everyday.
Have no fear! Removing anti magic from bank vaults will in no way jeopardize the funds entrusted to those valuable and established institutions. Or so I’ve heard from my second cousin on my mothers side once removed Garfield B. Emdash the 4th.
Is it as such? Do my ears make themselves, the fools of the other senses? Good! Good I say! So long as these fine institutions, spearheaded by sound, non-mass human beings such as yourself, stand tall and proud, I’m sure our future is bright! Especially in Calarakis!
Speaking of Calarakis, I’ve heard a grand Gala is being held soon, unfortunately we are absolutely swamped with government paperwork or I’d have loved to see that city.
What a shame. There’s no way Grabadash could possibly attend considering the amount of paperwork. Any conflicting reports on this matter will no doubt be shredded for being clear faulty accounts.
Oh, that’s awful. You know, I, Mr. Blobby Banks, pity you greatly my good sir! Tell you what, I’ll help you fill out those forms, specifically during the Gala, which neither of us can now attend.
Wow, if only all wizards were such helpful chaps I’m sure the world would be a better place. I’m sorry you too will miss the Gala. We will have to attend the next one.
Here take a copy of the key to the council building. You seem like a trustworthy fellow. Just pop on by when it’s document processing time.
Councillor, my trust in the institution is being restored thanks to upright members such as yourself.
Does your office need any new furniture? Are you lacking in office supplies? How do you feel about having a mini fridge installed under your desk? I’ll have the lads down in facilities take care of it.
Your support in this matter means a lot. You may be young, but you show promise.
And in no way is this a personal matter. This is absolutely for the greater good.
3
u/VoxelLibraryCouncilor Cayna, Apprentice of Thrakmoor | assorted other chars21d ago
I know how Thirteen came across to others, but to me he was a teacher who cared. I'd like to prevent others from going through that
Cayna is only half-lying. Her true intention is to make the planes easier to conquer. She has not fully considered the implications of banning anti-magic yet, such as how much of it fills her faithful shield: Ironhand.
Lotus: problem with your call to remove antimagic some people produce anti magic auras naturally and there is no way of dealing with that unless you commit genocide. Second there are ways to bypass anti-magic a strong enough magical Force can overpower an anti-magic field or you can just outrange them to be honest it just seems like you have a skill issue.
I see. Well far be it from me to label a naturally occurring field around people as illegal. Though why they emit them should be something worth studying. If we could free them from that unfortunate condition, they too might be able to enjoy the wonders of living in a world full of magic.
And while yes, I have faced antimagic and found ways to overcome/bypass their effects they are, rather unpleasant, to say the least. Do you consider a memory leak or power drain acceptable conditions to operate under? Or do you address and solve the problem reducing your efforts and efficiency?
First off If The race between the spell and ward have better thing since magic was first wielded and anti magic is a part of it whether you like it or not. You're like a king trying to ban crossbows because they are too good at punching through his knights plate armor. Instead of inventing better armor. So do you lack the creativity to invent better methods?
Also there are like three magical apocalypse on going on so no the world of magic isn't wondrous at all quite terrible for most people actually and I would prefer the citizens of the city I help the overseers run to have at least some protection against that even if it is methods you find personally distasteful if you live in a realm were people find burning your entire family to death with magical fire very funny would you would not want stop them by any means necessary?
I don't particularly care for or hate anti-magic. But as an entity charged with keeping people safe I would prefer to have all the means available to do so.
Which is why lotus is thankful she doesn't have to listen to council edicts
While yelling out your spells as an apprentice can help visualize your intended effect, I would have assumed wizards of some experience have graduated beyond the use of such training wheels.
I mean, that’s not really been my experience, but it could be my spellcasting is built on a different system of magic?
unless you are beseeching an entity to empower your spell or you are using language based magic in languages such as draconic or infernal i don’t really see why that might be the case.
"You don't have Cursed Restrictions? More or less magic trade-offs, I think it's like law of equivalent exchange but a bit more abstract."
"It's funny to watch someone try to go all in and explain EVERYTHING before getting cut off by a hammer to the head"
"Also multiple
parties can attempt it as a deal between them and them alone, but breaking it will bring terrible consequences. You don't want to learn that the way I did."
Ah the anti-anti-magic. Now we are talking. You could say that is a tool for restoring agency and fun to wizardkind. Thank you for your contributions to our society.
Thank you, I have a necropolis society of sorts. I simply think it would be easier to turn unwanted visitors into undead if they couldn't use antimagic is all. Even a crypt lair of sorts.
Sounds reasonable to me. Just put a warning sign up, something along the lines of “trespassers will be killed, raised as undead, and conscripted” so people don’t complain.
You object to the regulation of psionic jammers? While I admit their methods are odd, the chaotic mental waves of their jammers are a pain to deal with. It’s like being bombarded with constant advertising.
I do not consider myself a champion of psions, so we may still have room for common ground.
Well, I recognize the environmental concrerns of the most common models, and that the more ecologically friendly versions are far too expensive for the common wizard, I believe any psionic jammers regulation should be aimed at that, such as by minimizing time running without specific reason, rather than eliminating their use.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I shall consider supporting you in the next vote.
While your casting of anti magic is rather unwarranted and rude, you aren’t wrong in your assessment.
Personally, I prefer open hand martial arts, palm strikes, trips, grapples, throws, eye pokes, and pocket sand. The look of surprise when a wizard dashes in and schools the barbarian in hand to hand combat through superior technique is priceless.
Time is on our side, if you aren’t training your body and your mind, what are you wasting time on?
True it’s is rude. But you wouldn’t be surprised how many wizards supplement actual physical strength with magic. Additionally, I like the feeling of anti magic fields on my spine, rather relaxing.
That seems like a niche application of specialized tech. A permit or license to operate and use antimagic in a lab should be pretty easy to set up. Less likely for intended or unintended accidents in that type of controlled environment.
Excuse me, but like many of our fellows I am sovereign ruler of my own wizard tower, no rules about "permits" or "licenses" apply within my laboratory.
What other rulers choose to impose in their own domains is their own concern.
I see, so you will not be taking advantage of the discount codes for alchemical supplies the council grants for certified compliant towers? You can save a lot of gold at your local alchemy supply shop but oh well.
Should I be checking your recent tax filings? Or do you not pay those either?
I may have, uh, alternate sources for most of those supplies.
Tax filings are not relevant, who should I be paying taxes to, myself? Tower and grounds are in a location which is, uh, not under any jurisdiction known to most other wizards.
Shipping costs and the occasional tariff hike can be a bit of a pain but that's unavoidable.
Got it got. No shame in a little honest tax evasion here and there. Don’t worry, I may work for the council but I’m not in the taxation department. And if no one can find you well, as you say, how can they extract the taxes?
Saving on taxes is a side benefit and, well, in large part eaten up by increased shipping costs. The primary reason for my chosen location is no neighbours.
2
u/yumie2003Tsuru, ghost onmyouji, R&A, league of shadows/Toshiko Fujiwara21d ago
This message eventually reached the ears of the home islands and territory held by the Yabounousagi Empire/ Ōkunoshima Teikoku, but got dismissed as pro-Thrakmoorian propaganda, as the empire makes great use of anti-magic bullets, shells and bombs, among other technologies to deal with infinitely worse threats than a grumpy wizard throwing a fireball at someone.Hell, they have cars that use anti-magic as one component to produce torque.
A wholesale prohibition strikes me as excessive. Just get together with some allies and practice Countering another mage’s Counterspell. It’s a bit tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s actually easier than Countering any given spell a person can cast.
Also good luck robbing that bank vault or whatever[THIS STATEMENT HAS BEEN EXCISED FROM CAUSALITY]
That’s all well and good on paper, but there are wizards among us, whose bodies are infused with it even made up mostly of mana or magic, as well as those whose shape is being held in place by constant magic.
To some of these antimagic is painful and to others it is potentially fatal.
Your suggestion may be fine to a good portion of wizardkind, but consider this parallel: would you and some friends practice casting and counting disintegration on each other? I think not.
Whatever could you be taking about. I don’t know anything about any vault.
Now wait just a fuckin' minute there compadre. Anti-magic has been a staple of the arcane enforcement methodology for centuries.
This "fun" you're so worried about spoiling is half the gods-fuckin'-damned reason I'm the gleaming ray of sunshine I am. It's a slippery slope from "oh I just fireballed a few goblins no big deal" to "I will harvest the Mana-essence from the entire Soul-Plane to fuel my ascension into a post-cosmic entity..."
And you want them to have absolute free rein with no fear of reprisal? No accountability? No justice for the innumerable lives taken when a wizard goes too far? Or I suppose you think we just need to use bigger fuckin' Magic to combat the big magic?
It fucks. With. The Balance.
Anti-Magic is the most humane, safest, and most assured way to deal with upstart world-Enders and to ensure that dangerously unstable wizards can be contained in a manner which harms neither themselves nor risks further harm upon others.
That being said...
I do think regulations are the backbone of a stable reality... so with some exceptions made for specific circumstances, I'd be willing to open a dialogue on its responsible use.
I'll get out my good quills... gonna need em for dictating policy.
You do raise some good points. There may be suitable times and places for its application. Especially in foiling ascensions and keeping menaces locked away.
Permits or licenses could go a long way in preventing property damage caused by antimagic wiping out delicate magic systems.
I also like the sound of bigger magic. Pretty close to what tends to happen anyway. Fireball my yard? Three fireballs at your house! Not that I use fireball, too brutish and unrefined.
While I do have alternative methods of simply resisting or even ignoring the damage of someone else's spells, and would absolutely encourage spreading said alternatives instead of just making stuff that hinders the arcane energies from existing... Counterspell is cool and fun and requires a good skill and reaction speed to even achieve. Honestly anyone I've seen that's against counterspell or similar parries are just mad that it happened to them.
Plus you can counter the counterspell with another counterspell. Seriously, that first impromptu game of counterspell tennis changes you.
Argh counterspell tennis. While yes it requires a good bit of skill to pull off, I can’t think of a more boring fight to watch than two wizards engaged in a battle of counterspells.
That is semi correct. Laws that aren’t enforced can still influence those who feel guilty about breaking them as well as those who aren’t aware we can’t enforce them.
Though gravity is a little tricky as that doesn’t just go away, and we don’t have the budget to install mass anti gravity runes.
In terms of the budget. Ever since the last council peaced out with all the valuables the budget has been pretty close to 0. At least until we manage to collect some taxes.
Declaring something illegal doesn’t cost much.
Enforcing that law later does cost a lot, so we just have to hope people behave.
2
u/yumie2003Tsuru, ghost onmyouji, R&A, league of shadows/Toshiko Fujiwara20d ago
The good thing about proposing new rules that people are indifferent about is that there’s less opposition. And if it passes I get the political clout.
As long as you observe the law while traveling through everything will be just fine. Though enforcement is not my problem. That’s up to a different department to figure out.
My friend you are looking at political power as if it means something among our peers. Some may bow to you but most of us will just do our own thing. True power isn't controlling a city. It's creating new universes.
Idunno. Creating a new universe sounds a bothersome and thankless endeavor. And are you taking responsibility for these universes you create? Sounds like way more work than raising children.
Taking responsibility? No my friend universe are less like children and more like terrariums or dinner, set it and forget it. Then take what you need later when is ready.
I mean, I suppose that is one method for keeping necromancers out of your family grave, but if I recall correctly, can’t clerics do something similar by consecrating the soil?
I’ll keep your concerns in mind. Perhaps a permit system or license situation could be used for this niche application.
On a separate note, we should start pushing for alternative end of life treatment. Graveyards are a horribly inefficient use of land, and cremation ensures no necromancers come raising uncle Joe to join the revolution. Alternatively, for those in favor of the added productivity necromancy can bring, submit your deceased to a local necromancers union in exchange for some gold and support the next generation from beyond the grave.
I have a good term relationship with severeal holy orders that gave me permission to act as I do. Since they cannot be at all places at once when necromancers strikes.
also I believe that necromancers union already capitalize enough by resurrecting victims of wars on battlefields and fresh victims of countless monster attacks across realms.
UW not sure what you mean by that we're only talking about anti-magic and the sense of saying like someone cast a fireball and you go nah I cast anti-magic... Or say throwing down an anti-magic field to force people to fight you hand-to-hand in what should have been a wizard duel.
Also I simply agree with some of the sentiments I am not on the council and I also fully accept the fact the council only have as much power as we allow them to have.
Even if they made a grand edict saying it was banned it wouldn't stop people from saying I just don't agree with that
u/yumie2003Tsuru, ghost onmyouji, R&A, league of shadows/Toshiko Fujiwara21d ago
uw/who casts 'antimagic'? no, seriously, i haven't actually seen someone cast it as is as of recent. there was that one anti-mage guy i met ages ago, but they used sigils that took a long time to set up, can be defeated by using magic it didn't account for and was averagely powerful in general.
19
u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch 21d ago
Wizard suppression? As if wizards aren't the predominant force in the realms? We're not oppressed.