Magic, Magic Items, & Magitech
Land of Norune
Magic is one of those things in roleplay which must be handled carefully. On the one hand, we do want to allow for fun capabilities. On the other, we have to retain and maintain the rulesets and ensure play is kept fair. There are three critical danger points we need to watch out for when dealing with any magic use in the sim. Any one of these is a rule violation and could carry consequences OOC:
- Power-gaming – this occurs when a player is playing their character as simply far too powerful. The types of characters that are predominantly designed to exist in an exclusively PVE environment as the main protagonist or antagonist, slaying opponents by the dozen or performing intense feats of magical prowess.Dodging every attack, shrugging off hits that would topple a building, slaying opponents in a single gaze.
- Meta-gaming – is the use of information or mechanics that your character would not be aware of to gain an edge in the roleplay. This can include things like scheduling a raid for a time when you know your opponents players are mostly offline. Using knowledge your character wouldn’t have known that you read on discord or heard from a friend oocly or outside of local chat. Or exploiting a game mechanic in a manner your character would never know to do.
- God-Moding – is a form of power-gaming that takes things to the extreme where you start to dictate outcomes. Anytime you are declaring how something affects another’s character, how their character reacts, or how the environment around reacts, you are slipping into this offense. You control your characters. Other people control theirs, and the Lore team and staff control the world at large.
What is considered Magic?
For the purposes of the Land of Norune sim, magic is defined as any type of ability which manifests from a non-biological, non-mechanical format. Supernatural abilities as they’re more commonly called. Any capability that is not performed through a naturally occurring organ. So a werewolf’s shapeshifting would be a magical ability. A dragon’s breath weapon (Presuming it is limited by the glands ability to produce the oil/toxin/etc…) would be natural. Winged flight, requiring flapping of wings and muscle structures to create that flapping, would be natural, wingless flight, would be a supernatural ability. In the mechanical sense, a pulley is not a natural thing, but can enhance one’s ability to lift/pull weight, but uses a mechanical device rather than supernatural power to accomplish it. Typical descriptors for things in other systems that would be considered magic here are: Arcane power, Divine power, Supernatural abilities, psionic abilities (though many of those will fail to pass the above limitations) along with things like blood magic (while it uses a biological component, the effects are not natural to the blood), void magic, or any other term not covered here that would fit the definition described at the start of this section.
Categorizing Magic
Given that it can be difficult to iron out every possible use of magic or magical abilities without creating a fixed list to pick from, we will instead break magic down into categorial types of magic. Not necessarily into the more classical types, but more into categories of what the magic does and thus, what you can do with it. How a spell is used MAY impact how it falls into the categories here. Keep in mind, this is just general categories. In any of these, there is a limit. And that limit depends on what you’re trying to do.
Fluff Magic
Fluff magic is any magic which conveys no real, practical benefit or hindrance to anyone in the course of the roleplay and is more just for fun. For a spell to be considered ‘fluff’ it cannot harm, heal, convey a benefit or hindrance of any kind. It cannot conceal identity, or serve any function beyond just being amusing. For example, a spell which creates a pretty effect, but does not serve any function beyond that, would be fluff. Rarely are there any limits to using fluff magic in RP.
Beneficial Magic
Beneficial magic is magic which conveys some benefit to the caster or recipient of the spell. This could be simple, or more complex. But the caster or the person it is being cast upon gains something from the magic. So long as what is being gained does not impact initiated Combat, and the gain is only beneficial for the duration of the scene it is being cast, this will usually be allowable, but there are limitations. Using a spell that allows you to create a smokescreen to flee before the initiation of combat for example, would be something beneficial. Meanwhile a spell that allows you to make illusory coins to try and pass for real, would not. (Not the least of which due to the fact that it would require special HUD systems to work which are not being considered at this time.)
Detrimental Magic
Detrimental magic is magic which conveys some detriment to the caster or recipient of the spell. This can be simple or more complex. Magic which impacts someone in a negative way would fall into this category. Again, spells falling into this nature may not impact initiated combat in any way to be permissible. A spell that causes a flash-bang like effect, very briefly blinding pursuers to avoid combat initiation and allow escape, would be considered detrimental magic, as it is imparting an effect, in this case, a brief blindness, onto someone.
Combat Magic
Combat magic is where most people will get themselves into trouble when trying to use magic. It is defined as any magic which would be utilized in combat. Attack spells, Buffs, Debuffs, Heals, etc… With rare exceptions, combat must be initiated before these can be used. And powers are limited by what HUD abilities grant you for your class/level. You /may/ style your abilities in your posts in whatever way you like, provided it aligns with the nature of the spell. (You cannot style a damage spell in your post as a heal or a healing spell as harmful, or a buff as a debuff or vice versa. It must always align with the nature of the ability used) But you can flavor a fire-bolt attack to instead cast dark necromantic power or as tentacles reaching out from a void to lash out at your commands. (This may change if damage types are implemented at a later date, but for the present, we only have ‘damage’ without it broken into type, and so flavoring it however you like is perfectly acceptable)
Enchant/Imbue Magic
Rather than impacting people, Enchanting or Imbue magic conveys magical power into an object typically to create an effect at a later time through use of the object. This is how magical items / Magitech are created. At the present time, magical items/magitech items are mostly for flavor. In the future, there will be an item system in the hud that has items which have a magical nature to them. These will, like with combat magic, be allowed to be flavored in your post to be different then what’s on the tin, and there may be means to craft such items. But full custom-created magical items are story-only and will not grant any benefits to combat outside of what is already available in the HUD.
Definitions of Magic Items and Magitech
Any magically imbued object can be considered a magical item. Magitech, refers to magically imbued technology, which is any non-natural object. So a wooden branch imbued to serve as a wizards staff would be a magical item, while an imbued steel blade would be a form of magitech. Both would still be considered Magical items.
Magical items and magitech do come with some limitations. These may not use powers that bypass era/tech restrictions. An example of a permissible object would be enchanting a hooded lantern with a light spell so it does not require oil. We do not have a mechanic to track the burning of oil in a lantern, nor do we need to get that granular with details, and so the magic does not exceed the limitations of what could be done by just presuming filling oil in a lantern. An example of a forbidden object would be a magitech flintlock that operates like a repeater, as that exceeds the intended tech level of the sim, and therefore would not be permitted. Many of these will be case by case and more stringent rules can be added should people abuse the leniency. Another limitation comes with effect. Using a ‘magitech’ device to replicate the explosive power of a barrel of gunpowder while being small enough to fit in your pocket, would not be permissible.
If you are ever in doubt, get permission ahead of time, as exceeding the limitations could result in roleplays being ret-conned (A ret-con is a retroactive continuity. Reversing a sequence of events as if they did not happen. In roleplay it is a rather extreme way to resolve issues that staff would rather not have to use).
Area Magic
Similar to Enchant/Imbue magic, Area magic is, as one might expect, spell effects cast upon an area. Wards on an area, Alarm spells, things of this nature would fall into this category. When it comes to area magic, the size of the area and power of the effect will have a major impact on the cost of the magic (See Cost of Magic section). Typically, magic of this sort is not cast by a singular individual, but by groups of casters working in unison to not place too great a cost on any singular caster.
Disallowed Magic
Anything that falls into the Power-gaming, Meta-gaming, or God-Moding as defined above is banned outright. Further, some more common types of magic are barred or barred with caveats as detailed below. This list will doubtless expand over time.
“Always on” Detection Magic
Detection magic spells, abilities, or items which allow you to discern details such as magic, disguise, or the nature of another player who is not openly presenting those details is not permitted. This will be treated as an attempt to circumvent the rules on meta-gaming. You may use spells/effects to detect individual traits during the course of a roleplay with the targeted character, but you cannot stroll around the sim always detecting things.
Scrying
Scrying and spying magic is fun in fantasy novels, but does not work in a roleplaying environment as it requires breaking several rules to accomplish. While means exist to do it properly in Roleplay, the infrequency in which this sort of thing is done in a fair manner means it is easier by far to simply disallow it.
Teleportation Magic
Teleportation magic is a potent magic within the lands of Norune, unable to be wielded by individuals. Teleportation or the creation of portals requires ritual casting through several potent spell-casters on expensively created teleportation circles. The ability for an individual to teleport outside these constraints does not presently exist in this realm. If your character comes from a world where such magics existed, once they wound up on this side, the structure of magic in this realm does not allow it to be reversed so easily. Can teleportation happen? Yes there are ways described earlier in this paragraph as to how it may happen. There is lore in the world as to why such things do not work.
Plane-shifting into another realm is fine, however, that plane will have no visibility, detectability, or communication with this one, and when you pop back into this plane, it would be right where you left from. So transitioning between planes of existence is possible, but it is not an ‘alternative’ form of teleportation magic to navigate the world.
Summoning
Summoning magic falls into a special sub-category. If the summoning is pulling a player character, it is treated the same as Teleportation magic, and requires extensive setup and multiple casters. If the summoning is pulling a TEMPORARY pet-like creature or object to serve from an extra-planar dimension, then it may be permissible in a few circumstances. At the present time, Summoning an NPC to stand-in for combat is not supported. So any summoned creature is merely flavor on your existing attacks and is returned to its realm at the end of combat. Summoned creatures may not be used to bypass any restrictions on other magic, such as scrying by sending the creature far from you to spy, or things of that nature.
Compulsion Magic
No matter what term this goes under, power word, command, suggestion, hypnosis, etc… Magic that compels another character to do something is a very, very dangerous magic to play properly, as it can entirely cross into God-Moding with almost no effort. This sort of magic may ONLY be used if the following conditions are ALL met:
- The other player has agreed OOCly to follow the command and take any consequences that may come of the command.
- The command is simple and limited in nature.
- The compulsion has a fixed and reasonable timer. The more complex the task is, and the more against the character’s nature it is, the shorter that timer should be.
- The compulsion triggers within that timer’s time frame. Otherwise the spell fizzles out and does nothing.
- Compulsions are one-time use spells, and not enchant/imbue abilities. To give a second command, another instance of the spell must be cast and all the applicable requirements met.
Cost of Magic
Wielding the powers of the universe comes at a cost. How that cost is paid, depends greatly on the style of magic being used. However there must always be a cost. Nothing is free in the world. In combat, the energy bar dictates the limits of your abilities. But being outside of combat does not mean you are suddenly unburdened by limitation. You should always be playing out this cost. Especially when dealing with magic of more potency than simple fluff magic. Examples of Magical costs could include:
- Monetary cost – spell components, candles, chalk, inks and other consumables have a cost. The more powerful the spell being cast, the more costly these components should be.
- Time cost – Rites and rituals take time, and these times should be appropriately reflected. Especially when dealing with lasting effects that will linger like Enchants or Area magic.
- Energy cost – Magic is draining, much like physical exertion can wear out a warrior, so too does spell-casting wear down a caster.
- Other costs – There can be other costs for different types of magic as well. But the general rule of thumb is it shouldn’t feel ‘free’ in the course of the RP.
Psionics
Psionic magic is still under administrative review and discussion, rules will be amended to include it once that discussion is completed.
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Land of Norune
Magic, Magic Items, Magitech Rules v1.1
Edit 1: Expanded language surrounding teleportation for clarity. August 1st, 2025
Original by Kiya Foxtrot July 29th, 2025