“Any sufficiently advanced technology…is indistinguishable from magic.”

— Arthur C. Clark, Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible

The designers of the AQ: Jaern (2016) manual included an overview on their design process for a magical system that is inspired from the physics of the real world. This chapter explores the scientific and technological knowledge of Jaern, and discusses Majykology — the term for the study of the nature of magic, and its application in customizing and creating new magic. We briefly explore the PFC's approach to magic, and discuss some considerations for the GM when it comes to adjudicating magical effects in unique and special circumstances.

The Purdue Fantasy Club uses a homemade magic system, inspired by other TTRPGs and fantasy media. The original creators noticed that magic was usually given arbitrary reasoning on its effects and capabilities, acting solely as a narrative tool that can explain away any inconsistencies. This has its advantages, allowing the narrative and plot to determine the limits of what magic can do, or offering creative and powerful solutions to conflicts through the application of magic. However this can also make magic inconsistent, unpredictable, and unbounded, which can hinder a gaming system that relies on a cohesive and self-consistent ruleset.

This led the creators to base the existence, interaction, and use of magic as an extended technology, a way of manipulating magical energies in familiar ways, similar to how we manipulate electricity, radio waves, magnetism, and gravity.

The original model of magic as based upon the electromagnetic spectrum, a way of classifying energies of different kinds in a continuous spectrum of different frequencies. However, this electromagnetic energy (light, electricity, magnetism, radiation, etc.) works according to consistent laws, and can manifests itself in very different ways.

The existence of magic is analogous to this spectrum, where magical energy is delineated according to its “frequency” or “color” as well as its amplitude or intensity.

This helps separate different types of magical energy onto the following types: Nomadic, Psionic, Elemental, Divine, and Magitech.

Spiritual or Nomadic magic is considered a type of “bound” magical energy, usually within another medium, such as a focal object, a tattoo, or even within a song or melody. This magic energy is considered analogous to a “standing wave.” This magic can take on discrete “harmonics” of energy, which manifest into the six ranks of nomadic incants¹⁾.

A nomad pulls magic from the Kurago (or similar spiritual font), accessible via their Guardian Spirit, which acts as a channeling conduit, similar to a “waveguide,” in order to store the magic within an incant on the Cefa'zisto. The amount of energy a nomad can safely transfer from the Kurago through their Guardian Spirit at once is called Spirit Charge. This is determined by their ability to withstand the magical energy flowing through them (Health) as well as their ability to connect to and perceive their Guardian Spirit (Perception).

Because this magic is in a bound state, most nomadic incants are limited in their range and scope, usually only affecting the holder and their immediate surroundings. However, since this magic can be bound within some sort of portable object, that allows others to hold and activate the bound magic.

Once an incant is activated, the magic held within the bound “standing wave” is released, which depletes the magic held within the object. For mechanical and record-keeping convenience, we count Spirit Charge as being spent when this happens, although in reality, the magical energy was already bound within the object when the incant was prepared.

The Secondary Effect of an incant is a manifestation of a nomad's skill in controlling the release of magic energy as an incant's bound state is broken. This requires a Skill: Specialization check, which will empower or modify the way an incant's bound magic is released. However, since the magic has already been bound within its medium, and therefore the “harmonic” and total energy of the incant has already been determined (thusly, its rank), a Secondary Effect skill check's difficulty cannot exceed the rank of the incant activated.