Magical technology

[Quasqueton]

I actually don't think the question is for a name for a magic/machine hybrid, but rather asking "Technology is to machines, as ________ is to magic".

Yes, this is exactly what I meant.

I told my Players that their help was needed for testing some new "magical technology", and that terminology just felt wrong. Sort of a contradiction of terms.

Quasqueton

 

[Mallus]

In my CITY campaign, a university professor NPC who teaches a 'theories of magic' course calls it "Ineffable Inquiry and Un-natural Philosophy". I think that sounds rather stylish. A fire-loving PC alchemist practices "Material Physicks", most recently on pirates and college students.

If you want a more generic term, "thaumaturgy" is probably best, or simply "philosophy".

 

[Sejs]

Yes, this is exactly what I meant.

I told my Players that their help was needed for testing some new "magical technology", and that terminology just felt wrong. Sort of a contradiction of terms.

In that case, yeah, I'd go with Arcana.

Or, if we want to integrate 'em with above:


Thaumaturgy: the body of material pertaining to magic.

Thaumatology: the study of the theory and science that defines the principles of magic.

Thaumatological: pertaining to academic thaumaturgy; a thaumatological formula.

Thaumaturge/Thaumatologist: one who is primarily concerned with the academic study of magic; a sage.

Arcana: the practical aplication of thaumaturgy; a spellbook is a book of arcana, a magic sword is a work of arcana.

Arcane: pertaining to the practical aplication of thaumaturgy; a spellbook is an arcane tome, a summoning circle is an arcane diagram.

Arcanist: one who primarily implements arcana; a wizard, sorcerer, artificer, etc.



Just off the top of my head.

 

[fusangite]

I don't think medievals had a general category for magic items because they wouldn't have conceptualized the category the same way we do. Because magic was an extension of natural law rather than a breach therein, many things have become magical only in hindsight.

About the biggest category I can think of is "charm," because it included both Christian and non-Christian magic items and did not specify the physical form or materials of the object. Another good term, although it crosses the magic-non-magic boundary the way Tolkien's elves do is "artifice." (Imagine a party of non-casters trying to distinguish between a masterwork and a +1 sword.) The boundary between something being very well made and being magic was quite permeable so something made with great skill/artifice could be implied to be magical.

 

[Gentlegamer]

You ought to look to the Renaissance for such a term: it was the real age of "magic."