*GODS* *DAMMIT* Dogbrain, stop *STEALING* *MY* *SCHTICK*.Dogbrain said:Any sufficiently convenient magic is indistinguishable from technology.
*HONG* "quoted by the stars" *OOI*
*GODS* *DAMMIT* Dogbrain, stop *STEALING* *MY* *SCHTICK*.Dogbrain said:Any sufficiently convenient magic is indistinguishable from technology.
Magus Coeruleus said:Clarke's Third Law
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Gregory Benford's Corollary to Clarke's Third Law
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
Taneel BrightBlade said:You could do things with magic that you can't with tech. Eg: make fireball out of thin air, no machines or other things needed.
Dogbrain said:You fixate on appearances in order to ignore the principle.
Doctor Bomb said:I agree completely!
That's the main reason I don't run my campaign in the Forgotten Realms - it's just too easy for someone with money (read: PC's) to get anything they need. After a few levels getting rich (compared to a commoner), you really have to wonder why anyone would continue to adventure when they can live in safety and comfort, with all the magical conveniences today's big cities have (international trade bringing goods from distant lands, well lit and patrolled streets, indoor and underground plumbing systems, etc).
Well, it's not really thin air, is it? You still need the material components. You could come up with a technological solution to the same thing, of course, with a little work.Taneel BrightBlade said:You could do things with magic that you can't with tech. Eg: make fireball out of thin air, no machines or other things needed. reason for adventuring: well that would be a dream job in my opinion like being an exporer or fighting dragons. sounds like the best life posible to me
Dogbrain said:You fixate on appearances in order to ignore the principle. A sufficiently convenient magic is socially and culturally indistinguishable from technology.
Henry said:In the surface veneer, this is true. It's when peeling that surface that it falls apart. I know, because when my players have in the past tried to assume that magic works predictably
Ah here we go again. Blame the setting not the DM.Doctor Bomb said:I agree completely!
That's the main reason I don't run my campaign in the Forgotten Realms - it's just too easy for someone with money (read: PC's) to get anything they need. After a few levels getting rich (compared to a commoner), you really have to wonder why anyone would continue to adventure when they can live in safety and comfort, with all the magical conveniences today's big cities have (international trade bringing goods from distant lands, well lit and patrolled streets, indoor and underground plumbing systems, etc).
An example of a slice of life outside the box.Fairly difficult to live in safety and comfort when things keep threatening that safety and comfort.
Darn fiends, vengeful emperors, and insane wizards always ruining your day or threatening your way of life somehow.