Crackpot science in fantasy

[RangerWickett]

So I'm reading Wikipedia, and I stumble upon: Powder of sympathy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The idea was that if you were injured by a weapon, and then a particular alchemical powder was placed on the weapon that injured you, you would recuperate faster. First off, that's a cool idea for a ritual, though sadly it doesn't work in a game where 5 minutes and some grunting heals you to full.

Secondly, though, it was part of a theory of how to determine your position at sea. If you wounded a dog, then brought the dog with you on a boat, and had an ally hold onto the dog's bandage, with instructions to do stuff to it every day at noon in order to make the dog yelp. That would let you know how far you'd traveled east or west by comparing the time of day where you were with the baseline of noon.

There are no recorded incidents of that ever actually working.

But imagine if it did? Seems like a nifty premise to work into a fantasy setting. Can you think of any other disproven theories that would be interesting for a game?

 

[adwyn]

We had a character in a Cthulhu by Gaslight game who was an amateur phrenologist. The GM allowed him to ID various personality issues as well as hideous creatures from beyond disguised as humans just by running his hands over their heads.

 

[Croesus]

Victorian gentry believed that if a man contracted venereal disease, he could cure it by having sex with a virgin.

Don't think I'm going to add that one my next campaign.

 

[Relique du Madde]

Some gamers believe that you can improve your die rolls by rolling the dice several times until you roll at least 3 numbers under 5. Does that count?

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Biodynamic agriculture (sounds sciency doesn't it) is rather crackpot and originated from even more crackpotism. Seems a perfect example of fantasy magical ritual.

Restoring depleted land by:
- Filling a cow horn with manure and burying in the field in autumn, retrieved in spring.
- Crush quartz, place it in a cow horn, bury it in spring and retrieve it in autumn.
- Stuff yarrow blossoms in a deer bladder, place it in the summer sun, bury it in winter and retrieve in spring.

And other interesting things . . .

Victorian gentry believed that if a man contracted venereal disease, he could cure it by having sex with a virgin.

They still believe it in parts of the world today.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've used weird science- sympathetic "magic" like the Powder listed above; dowsing; animal men; Tesla weapons (death rays, lightning guns and mechanical resonator mines; Orgone accumulators; ultra-powerful Babbage Engines; etc. - in a variety of settings.

Lots of fun, in the right setting.

And yes, I understand that things like mechanical resonance are real. They just don't work as quickly or as well as their weird science versions, within the context of the setting. After all, a Babbage Engine is just a primitive calculator/computer, and what is a laser but a death ray.

 

[Bullgrit]

Spontaneous Generation = monster generator

Bullgrit

 

[Wycen]

Alchemy and pre-modern medicine is full and stuff like this, but I'm sure you know that.

An alchemical gem: mix sperm and horse manure and you can grow your own homunculus.

Here's one more modern: Lysenkoism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia You'll just want to read the part about agriculture. Short version, if you freeze a seed before planting it improves yield.

Of course electricity to animate the dead. Frankenstein in real life, electricity was used on dead criminals before audiences. One famous case had the body bolt upright and shake his fist in anger.

But on electricity you'd probably find the quack who built a business around using electricity and magnets to improve fertility the funnest read. His name is escaping me know, but basically a couple would come into his office and use his bed, all decked out in lights and electrical displays, to make a baby.

Edit: Read the part about the Celestial Bed, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Graham_(sexologist)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

1. Someone who kills via spontaneous human combustion
2. Someone who recharges their mystical energy via Pyramid Power
3. Meditative Flying
4. Psychic Surgeons
5. Someone who can form objects from ectoplasm