1. Gammer

    Gammer Active Member

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    How advanced should the science be?

    Discussion in 'Research' started by Gammer, May 10, 2011.

    In my fantasy WIP, the world I am making is a world where magic (in the form of ki/chi) exists but science (alchemy) is pretty big as well.

    Ki is very limited to humans, only very devout can gain access to it and that's after proving their submission to the will of the Gods.

    So with magic all but cut off to them, humans have turned to science to power themselves.

    My question is, how advanced should the science be? The world is Feudal Japan based with aspects of tribal Africa and the Caribbean mixed in.

    I have my main character run into several people who have used alchemy to give themselves abilities. I.E. he runs to into a guy who is all but invulnerable because of a potion he took that makes his bones as hard as metal.

    Is something like that too advanced? Or is it fine as long I explain it properly and consistent with it?
     
  2. Melzaar the Almighty

    Melzaar the Almighty Contributor Contributor

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    Since it's a universe where magic exists things having magical properties should not be seen as too hard of a stretch. Presumably natural things have some sort of magical energy too and so you can explain potions with magical effects that way.
     
  3. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Your science should be at 14.7 on the Jasper-Wollensberg scale.
     
  4. Gammer

    Gammer Active Member

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    Forgive my ignorance but, the what?
     
  5. jonathan hernandez13

    jonathan hernandez13 Contributor Contributor

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    Lol, now I'm curious too!
     
  6. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Me too.

    Clearly, I pulled the term from a warm brown place.
     
  7. Earlychop

    Earlychop Member

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    You should look into Voodoo and the a-cult. That would explain away some of the things you are trying to do.
     
  8. Earlychop

    Earlychop Member

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    You don't bleach?
     
  9. Aeschylus

    Aeschylus Member

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    The existence of magic in your world would make science a lot more effective--new machines and scientific laws and methods could be created that could never exist in the real world. I'm sure magic is limited--but machines that USE a bit of magic could do all sorts of incredible things. And if you're using science AND magic, there must be science behind magic--so scientists could study magic to uncover the scientific laws of science and exploit them.
     
  10. Daydream

    Daydream Contributor Contributor

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    My exact words :p
     
  11. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Oh okay, I fess up. The Jasper-Wollensberg scale is from the studies performed by Drs. Christophe Jasper and Levina Wollensberg ca. 2341 AD. Their work has been criticized for its overly Terran biases in the assignment of weighting factors, yet it remained the principal scale for xenocultural ratings of technological advancement well into the 25th century.
     
  12. Earlychop

    Earlychop Member

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    I love X3 TC too.
     
  13. digitig

    digitig Contributor Contributor

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    It's clearly fantasy science, so there's no issue of advanced or not.
     
  14. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    I think this is something important for you to determine for yourself, as the writer. The level of advancement in science will have a big impact on the state of the world and would, I imagine, impact the story line as well. It should be wherever you want it to be in the course of your world building.
     

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