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<blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 5367757" data-attributes="member: 58197">The main idea is that in the D&amp;D world, certain symbols (written and spoken) are not just arbitrary labels invented by humans for describing reality; they are reality. The true name of a thing is not just a descriptor, it is part of the essence of what that thing is. Therefore, if you know the true name, you have power over the thing.Try this analogy: Knowing a true name is like having someone's DNA sequence. The DNA sequence is not, itself, a person. It's just data. But with the proper tools, you can do a lot with that data--you can determine the person's parentage, find out their susceptibility to many diseases, clone them, make gene therapies or biological weapons tailored to their physiology, et cetera.An even better comparison might be the source code of software. The source code is not itself software--you can't just dump a bunch of C++ files on your computer and execute them--but it contains the essential definition of what the software is. Given the right development environment, you can use the source code to replicate and change the software in fundamental ways.As for how the sulfur and bat guano and other such implements factor into it... it's part of the &quot;physics&quot; of symbol-based magic. In some highly technical way that would likely take years of studying arcane theory to fully understand, these tools allow you to put true names to use, in the same way that the equipment in a genetics lab allows a geneticist to use a DNA sequence, or a development environment allows a software developer to use source code.(I will add that I'm not a huge fan of magic-as-science, and I prefer arcane magic to be primarily &quot;warlock magic&quot; with just a sprinkling of &quot;wizard magic&quot; elements. But this is how I see &quot;wizard magic&quot; working.)</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dausuul, post: 5367757, member: 58197"] The main idea is that in the D&D world, certain symbols (written and spoken) are not just arbitrary labels invented by humans for describing reality; they [i]are[/i] reality. The true name of a thing is not just a descriptor, it is part of the essence of what that thing is. Therefore, if you know the true name, you have power over the thing. Try this analogy: Knowing a true name is like having someone's DNA sequence. The DNA sequence is not, itself, a person. It's just data. But with the proper tools, you can do a lot with that data--you can determine the person's parentage, find out their susceptibility to many diseases, clone them, make gene therapies or biological weapons tailored to their physiology, et cetera. An even better comparison might be the source code of software. The source code is not itself software--you can't just dump a bunch of C++ files on your computer and execute them--but it contains the essential definition of what the software is. Given the right development environment, you can use the source code to replicate and change the software in fundamental ways. As for how the sulfur and bat guano and other such implements factor into it... it's part of the "physics" of symbol-based magic. In some highly technical way that would likely take years of studying arcane theory to fully understand, these tools allow you to put true names to use, in the same way that the equipment in a genetics lab allows a geneticist to use a DNA sequence, or a development environment allows a software developer to use source code. (I will add that I'm not a huge fan of magic-as-science, and I prefer arcane magic to be primarily "warlock magic" with just a sprinkling of "wizard magic" elements. But this is how I see "wizard magic" working.) [/QUOTE]

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