Why would having more mages to conduct a spell not make it faster?
up vote
14
down vote
favorite
Orgone is the measure of a person's connection with the cosmos. It is the conduit through which the power of the cosmos flows, focused through a sorcerer's will. Ritual practicioners must draw on this reserve of power to make a magic spell work. Spells require a constant infusion of Orgone through rituals. These rituals vary by time, and can last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours depending on the spell.
Due to these parameters, casting can be both physically and mentally taxing on an individual. Most of the stronger spells will require more Orgone than one person can provide. It is possible to make the success of the ritual more likely by investing more power into the spell. This power would come from assisting practicioners, who add their own Orgone to the spell.
Most rituals are made up of a primary caster, followed by assisting casters adding to the spell. It stands to reason that a ritual should be quicker due to the influx of power from various people. However, the time frame of a ritual stays the same regardless of how many casters there are. Why would this be the case?
magic balancing-magic-systems
add a comment |
up vote
14
down vote
favorite
Orgone is the measure of a person's connection with the cosmos. It is the conduit through which the power of the cosmos flows, focused through a sorcerer's will. Ritual practicioners must draw on this reserve of power to make a magic spell work. Spells require a constant infusion of Orgone through rituals. These rituals vary by time, and can last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours depending on the spell.
Due to these parameters, casting can be both physically and mentally taxing on an individual. Most of the stronger spells will require more Orgone than one person can provide. It is possible to make the success of the ritual more likely by investing more power into the spell. This power would come from assisting practicioners, who add their own Orgone to the spell.
Most rituals are made up of a primary caster, followed by assisting casters adding to the spell. It stands to reason that a ritual should be quicker due to the influx of power from various people. However, the time frame of a ritual stays the same regardless of how many casters there are. Why would this be the case?
magic balancing-magic-systems
4
Having several people trying to lockpick a lock won't unlock it faster, since only one person can work on it at a time.
– Clockwork
10 hours ago
1
Why would other Orgones that make the spell more likely to succeed remove any time from the primary spell? It seems to me like you don't necessarily need another reason. Your mechanics explain themselves. Adding more magic doesn't make it any quicker, because you've established that the extra magic is just to make the complicated spells even possible by a single practitioner.
– JMac
9 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
14
down vote
favorite
up vote
14
down vote
favorite
Orgone is the measure of a person's connection with the cosmos. It is the conduit through which the power of the cosmos flows, focused through a sorcerer's will. Ritual practicioners must draw on this reserve of power to make a magic spell work. Spells require a constant infusion of Orgone through rituals. These rituals vary by time, and can last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours depending on the spell.
Due to these parameters, casting can be both physically and mentally taxing on an individual. Most of the stronger spells will require more Orgone than one person can provide. It is possible to make the success of the ritual more likely by investing more power into the spell. This power would come from assisting practicioners, who add their own Orgone to the spell.
Most rituals are made up of a primary caster, followed by assisting casters adding to the spell. It stands to reason that a ritual should be quicker due to the influx of power from various people. However, the time frame of a ritual stays the same regardless of how many casters there are. Why would this be the case?
magic balancing-magic-systems
Orgone is the measure of a person's connection with the cosmos. It is the conduit through which the power of the cosmos flows, focused through a sorcerer's will. Ritual practicioners must draw on this reserve of power to make a magic spell work. Spells require a constant infusion of Orgone through rituals. These rituals vary by time, and can last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours depending on the spell.
Due to these parameters, casting can be both physically and mentally taxing on an individual. Most of the stronger spells will require more Orgone than one person can provide. It is possible to make the success of the ritual more likely by investing more power into the spell. This power would come from assisting practicioners, who add their own Orgone to the spell.
Most rituals are made up of a primary caster, followed by assisting casters adding to the spell. It stands to reason that a ritual should be quicker due to the influx of power from various people. However, the time frame of a ritual stays the same regardless of how many casters there are. Why would this be the case?
magic balancing-magic-systems
magic balancing-magic-systems
asked 14 hours ago
Incognito
4,55864165
4,55864165
4
Having several people trying to lockpick a lock won't unlock it faster, since only one person can work on it at a time.
– Clockwork
10 hours ago
1
Why would other Orgones that make the spell more likely to succeed remove any time from the primary spell? It seems to me like you don't necessarily need another reason. Your mechanics explain themselves. Adding more magic doesn't make it any quicker, because you've established that the extra magic is just to make the complicated spells even possible by a single practitioner.
– JMac
9 hours ago
add a comment |
4
Having several people trying to lockpick a lock won't unlock it faster, since only one person can work on it at a time.
– Clockwork
10 hours ago
1
Why would other Orgones that make the spell more likely to succeed remove any time from the primary spell? It seems to me like you don't necessarily need another reason. Your mechanics explain themselves. Adding more magic doesn't make it any quicker, because you've established that the extra magic is just to make the complicated spells even possible by a single practitioner.
– JMac
9 hours ago
4
4
Having several people trying to lockpick a lock won't unlock it faster, since only one person can work on it at a time.
– Clockwork
10 hours ago
Having several people trying to lockpick a lock won't unlock it faster, since only one person can work on it at a time.
– Clockwork
10 hours ago
1
1
Why would other Orgones that make the spell more likely to succeed remove any time from the primary spell? It seems to me like you don't necessarily need another reason. Your mechanics explain themselves. Adding more magic doesn't make it any quicker, because you've established that the extra magic is just to make the complicated spells even possible by a single practitioner.
– JMac
9 hours ago
Why would other Orgones that make the spell more likely to succeed remove any time from the primary spell? It seems to me like you don't necessarily need another reason. Your mechanics explain themselves. Adding more magic doesn't make it any quicker, because you've established that the extra magic is just to make the complicated spells even possible by a single practitioner.
– JMac
9 hours ago
add a comment |
13 Answers
13
active
oldest
votes
up vote
58
down vote
For the same reason nine women can't make a baby in one month.
The spells are full of components that simply can't be divided or done in parallel: each step requires a certain amount of time to complete and have to be done in a certain order.
Adding more resources can't make the steps go any faster, and more people may even cause it to take longer(which happens often in the world of software).
2
I was writing my answer as you posted this. +1 for the ninja'ing of that joke.
– Renan
13 hours ago
6
Similarly: If it takes 5 hours to cook a turkey at 180°C, it doesn't mean you can cook it in an hour and a half at 600°C
– Chronocidal
12 hours ago
4
@Chronocidal for a given value of cook, you mean.
– Renan
12 hours ago
7
@Gliter, I believe it was used in "The Mythical Man Month" by Fred Brooks, essential book for any project manager (or anyone who has to work with a project manager)
– Seth R
11 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
16
down vote
For much the same reason that nine pregnant women together are not going to bear a child in one month.
The speed of a ritual is not proportional to the amount of mana you put in. In cooking terms, mana is an ingredient, not the fire. In more scientific terms, mana is not a form of energy - you don't measure it in joules - but a field, measured in thaums.
So adding more people or magic materials to a spell is akin to adding more dough to a pizza. It will feed more people, but it will not cause the pizza to be ready faster; Might even take more time to get it ready.
If you want to accelerate a spell, change not the materials, but the setting. Go to a volcano for fire spells, or cast lunar-related spells under a full Moon.
5
“In cooking terms, mana is an ingredient, not the fire.” Or perhaps it is like the fire, but — as in cooking — doubling the heat will burn your food, not cook it how you wanted in half the time.
– Peter LeFanu Lumsdaine
7 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
12
down vote
If a ritual takes 30 minutes then it's going to take 30 minutes if one person does it or a hundred people.
If 100 people recite, for example, the Lord's Prayer, they won't recite it any faster than one person.
add a comment |
up vote
9
down vote
It's like a water hose. There is a maximum volume of water that will flow through the hose, regardless of how large you make the tank it is attached to. In this scenario your primary caster is the end of the hose and the secondary casters are adding water to the tank.
New contributor
4
to take it further increasing the tank will increase the flow of water up to a point but if the tank is too large the pressure ruptures the hose or causes cavitation which only ruptures the hose if your are lucky.
– John
13 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
4
down vote
More power requires more control of said power.
These rituals are already taxing on an individual, adding more people for more power only increases the pool of power available. The primary caster acts like the control unit and may or may not actually contribute power to the spell at this point. There can't be multiple people controlling the spell because they might step on each others toes and create feedback. Therefore, the spell can only be cast at the speed of the person shaping it no matter how much power is required.
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
The different mages perform different and concurrent parts of the spell, which are all needed together to make the spell effective.
Think of it like two pillars and a beam. The beam holds the pillars and the pillars support the beam. They can only work together, having one less will make the whole ensemble useless.
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
"If it takes an orchestra with 40 members 60 minutes to complete Beethoven's Ninth, how long will it take an orchestra with 60 members to complete the piece?"
Anyone vaguely familiar with how music works in even the most abstract sense should understand how absurd that question sounds, especially to a musician. Perhaps the question of adding more mages to speed up a ritual is equally absurd to a magician?
Rituals, like musical pieces, have a set tempo and duration to them. The tempo of the ritual may be altered, but not by adding or removing mages. Instead, additional mages might be added for a different reason altogether.
Taking again from musical practice, there is a thing that wind instruments will do called staggered breathing. When there is a particularly long note to be held, or when it is difficult to find a place to breathe without disrupting the rhythm, musicians will stagger when they breathe to make sure they don't breathe at the same time. If done well, the result is that no one hears any of them breathe, and the note and rhythm are never broken.
Perhaps your magicians make use of a similar staggered technique, where the additional participants are to ensure that the performance of the ritual is never broken, even if it would otherwise require an astounding and inhuman display of endurance.
New contributor
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
The above examples are great, and true, but here's an alternative way of thinking of it specifically related to power.
You make a device that broadcasts radio, and the device required 1 AA battery to run. A second generation of the device has more features, and requires 2 AA batteries to provide the necessary power (amperage) for the device to operate. It would not, however, play the radio broadcast faster. In fact, if you took the first radio and added a battery, it would still consume the same power, meaning you'd have doubled the reserve of power available (proper wiring permitted, and in an ideal environment), but it would still only perform the function for which it was intended.
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
There's a limit to the flow of Orgone into a spell. A certain amount of Orgone is needed for a given spell to work. Orgone flowing through an individual is taxing work, and can exhaust individual spellcasters. However, working together, multiple spellcasters can divide the flow amongst them
New contributor
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
... the time frame of a ritual stays the same regardless of how many
casters there are. Why would this be the case?
Because in any magic system that is studied and applied, there is always the same problem, for the measure of Orgone there is an equal and opposite measure that counteracts that power.
Adding more practitioners simply makes the "Shadow Orgone" increase in power in a way that's proportional - and creates forces of chaos thus preventing progress. Since no shared psychic-mind has been succesfully created for the length of time necessary to cast a spell, yet, then only a single mind will be able to steadily work it.
Until the lost "Legion Spell" is found, that enables all minds to act as one.
That's why magical practice is essentially a solitary thing - even if it's practitioners are team-players and sociable people.
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
The Orgone comes from a certain place in the astral plane, and has to travel to the site of the spell.
As a physical analogy, consider the spell "bring water". If I am on an island in a lake, a single caster can typically generate a small wave 1 metre tall bringing water from 10 metres out. Multiple casters can generate a wave that engulfs the island bringing water from 500 metres out. This requires more effort and (because the water comes from further out) it also requires more time.
It is possible to form a pond of water into a wave and magically cause it to roll over dry land carrying objects on top of it but this requires not only great power but also great skill. There is a legend of a Great One who can actually surf across land on a magical wave of their own creation.
Now consider these physical analogies involving water, and imagine that this is how the orgone flows to the site of the spell to be casted. For casting at a distance, the orgone may move directly from its resting place to the site of the spell or alternatively have to gather itself toward the caster then jet out towards the site of the spell. Clearly there will be a finite time for the orgone to travel there.
Orgone tends to collect in certain magical places such as caves and tends to evaporate in the city. There is a huge reservoir of it on the moon.
Now this leads to a problem: magical power without knowledge, wisdom, and good intent can be a dangerous thing. A powerful but unskilled individual is unlikely to do any damage, but a group of reckless young spellcasters can wreak havoc when they work together to wield powerful magic. They may for example send a tsunami of orgone toward a slowly approaching foe such as an army of trolls, only for it to backfire and engulf a village. For a sufficiently large spell there may even be time after the spell is cast to run and inform the villagers to evacuate before the spell hits.
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
Spells are a creative work.
The most difficult and time consuming part of creating a spell is thinking through how it is designed, how it's shape will affect the world.
A complex ritual would require the primary caster to think through an enormously complicated problem, like solving a 10x10 rubix cube in your mind. The extra casters can help provide more power, and more energy, but they can't make the spell any simpler.
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
If you need a flame at 300 ºC during an hour to cook a meal, a flame at 9,000 ºC won't cook it in 2 minutes.
An increase of heat (or power, mana, etc) doesn't necessarily increase the speed of the process.
Conduct a ritual isn't something that can be made in parallel, so it could be divided into small parts for each mage to cast.
It's like drawing, several artists (usually) can't work together in the same draw, their creative ideas are just different. Or like doctors, a surgeon can perform an operation in 4 hours, but 20 surgeons won't finish it in 12 minutes, even more, so many people will commit mistakes.
Spells and rituals are things that must be made in sequence, you can't just add more mages to divide the work. Each mage must perform a specific part of the ritual, so if a ritual was made to require 4 mages (one to channel the power, another to give it form, other to cast it and a last to supervise everything) you can't use 8 mages, there aren't enough jobs (or "magician slots") to perform, and these works can't be performed by several ritualists at the same time.
Even more, maybe magic is like a painting. Paint a wall can require a few hours to let it dry, several painters won't speed up the drying process. Mana or orgone needs time to acquire the shape of the spell, and that time can't speed up... not without suffering risk...
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["$", "$"], ["\\(","\\)"]]);
});
});
}, "mathjax-editing");
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "579"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworldbuilding.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f132795%2fwhy-would-having-more-mages-to-conduct-a-spell-not-make-it-faster%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
13 Answers
13
active
oldest
votes
13 Answers
13
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
58
down vote
For the same reason nine women can't make a baby in one month.
The spells are full of components that simply can't be divided or done in parallel: each step requires a certain amount of time to complete and have to be done in a certain order.
Adding more resources can't make the steps go any faster, and more people may even cause it to take longer(which happens often in the world of software).
2
I was writing my answer as you posted this. +1 for the ninja'ing of that joke.
– Renan
13 hours ago
6
Similarly: If it takes 5 hours to cook a turkey at 180°C, it doesn't mean you can cook it in an hour and a half at 600°C
– Chronocidal
12 hours ago
4
@Chronocidal for a given value of cook, you mean.
– Renan
12 hours ago
7
@Gliter, I believe it was used in "The Mythical Man Month" by Fred Brooks, essential book for any project manager (or anyone who has to work with a project manager)
– Seth R
11 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
58
down vote
For the same reason nine women can't make a baby in one month.
The spells are full of components that simply can't be divided or done in parallel: each step requires a certain amount of time to complete and have to be done in a certain order.
Adding more resources can't make the steps go any faster, and more people may even cause it to take longer(which happens often in the world of software).
2
I was writing my answer as you posted this. +1 for the ninja'ing of that joke.
– Renan
13 hours ago
6
Similarly: If it takes 5 hours to cook a turkey at 180°C, it doesn't mean you can cook it in an hour and a half at 600°C
– Chronocidal
12 hours ago
4
@Chronocidal for a given value of cook, you mean.
– Renan
12 hours ago
7
@Gliter, I believe it was used in "The Mythical Man Month" by Fred Brooks, essential book for any project manager (or anyone who has to work with a project manager)
– Seth R
11 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
58
down vote
up vote
58
down vote
For the same reason nine women can't make a baby in one month.
The spells are full of components that simply can't be divided or done in parallel: each step requires a certain amount of time to complete and have to be done in a certain order.
Adding more resources can't make the steps go any faster, and more people may even cause it to take longer(which happens often in the world of software).
For the same reason nine women can't make a baby in one month.
The spells are full of components that simply can't be divided or done in parallel: each step requires a certain amount of time to complete and have to be done in a certain order.
Adding more resources can't make the steps go any faster, and more people may even cause it to take longer(which happens often in the world of software).
edited 13 hours ago
answered 13 hours ago
Giter
11.9k43039
11.9k43039
2
I was writing my answer as you posted this. +1 for the ninja'ing of that joke.
– Renan
13 hours ago
6
Similarly: If it takes 5 hours to cook a turkey at 180°C, it doesn't mean you can cook it in an hour and a half at 600°C
– Chronocidal
12 hours ago
4
@Chronocidal for a given value of cook, you mean.
– Renan
12 hours ago
7
@Gliter, I believe it was used in "The Mythical Man Month" by Fred Brooks, essential book for any project manager (or anyone who has to work with a project manager)
– Seth R
11 hours ago
add a comment |
2
I was writing my answer as you posted this. +1 for the ninja'ing of that joke.
– Renan
13 hours ago
6
Similarly: If it takes 5 hours to cook a turkey at 180°C, it doesn't mean you can cook it in an hour and a half at 600°C
– Chronocidal
12 hours ago
4
@Chronocidal for a given value of cook, you mean.
– Renan
12 hours ago
7
@Gliter, I believe it was used in "The Mythical Man Month" by Fred Brooks, essential book for any project manager (or anyone who has to work with a project manager)
– Seth R
11 hours ago
2
2
I was writing my answer as you posted this. +1 for the ninja'ing of that joke.
– Renan
13 hours ago
I was writing my answer as you posted this. +1 for the ninja'ing of that joke.
– Renan
13 hours ago
6
6
Similarly: If it takes 5 hours to cook a turkey at 180°C, it doesn't mean you can cook it in an hour and a half at 600°C
– Chronocidal
12 hours ago
Similarly: If it takes 5 hours to cook a turkey at 180°C, it doesn't mean you can cook it in an hour and a half at 600°C
– Chronocidal
12 hours ago
4
4
@Chronocidal for a given value of cook, you mean.
– Renan
12 hours ago
@Chronocidal for a given value of cook, you mean.
– Renan
12 hours ago
7
7
@Gliter, I believe it was used in "The Mythical Man Month" by Fred Brooks, essential book for any project manager (or anyone who has to work with a project manager)
– Seth R
11 hours ago
@Gliter, I believe it was used in "The Mythical Man Month" by Fred Brooks, essential book for any project manager (or anyone who has to work with a project manager)
– Seth R
11 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
16
down vote
For much the same reason that nine pregnant women together are not going to bear a child in one month.
The speed of a ritual is not proportional to the amount of mana you put in. In cooking terms, mana is an ingredient, not the fire. In more scientific terms, mana is not a form of energy - you don't measure it in joules - but a field, measured in thaums.
So adding more people or magic materials to a spell is akin to adding more dough to a pizza. It will feed more people, but it will not cause the pizza to be ready faster; Might even take more time to get it ready.
If you want to accelerate a spell, change not the materials, but the setting. Go to a volcano for fire spells, or cast lunar-related spells under a full Moon.
5
“In cooking terms, mana is an ingredient, not the fire.” Or perhaps it is like the fire, but — as in cooking — doubling the heat will burn your food, not cook it how you wanted in half the time.
– Peter LeFanu Lumsdaine
7 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
16
down vote
For much the same reason that nine pregnant women together are not going to bear a child in one month.
The speed of a ritual is not proportional to the amount of mana you put in. In cooking terms, mana is an ingredient, not the fire. In more scientific terms, mana is not a form of energy - you don't measure it in joules - but a field, measured in thaums.
So adding more people or magic materials to a spell is akin to adding more dough to a pizza. It will feed more people, but it will not cause the pizza to be ready faster; Might even take more time to get it ready.
If you want to accelerate a spell, change not the materials, but the setting. Go to a volcano for fire spells, or cast lunar-related spells under a full Moon.
5
“In cooking terms, mana is an ingredient, not the fire.” Or perhaps it is like the fire, but — as in cooking — doubling the heat will burn your food, not cook it how you wanted in half the time.
– Peter LeFanu Lumsdaine
7 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
16
down vote
up vote
16
down vote
For much the same reason that nine pregnant women together are not going to bear a child in one month.
The speed of a ritual is not proportional to the amount of mana you put in. In cooking terms, mana is an ingredient, not the fire. In more scientific terms, mana is not a form of energy - you don't measure it in joules - but a field, measured in thaums.
So adding more people or magic materials to a spell is akin to adding more dough to a pizza. It will feed more people, but it will not cause the pizza to be ready faster; Might even take more time to get it ready.
If you want to accelerate a spell, change not the materials, but the setting. Go to a volcano for fire spells, or cast lunar-related spells under a full Moon.
For much the same reason that nine pregnant women together are not going to bear a child in one month.
The speed of a ritual is not proportional to the amount of mana you put in. In cooking terms, mana is an ingredient, not the fire. In more scientific terms, mana is not a form of energy - you don't measure it in joules - but a field, measured in thaums.
So adding more people or magic materials to a spell is akin to adding more dough to a pizza. It will feed more people, but it will not cause the pizza to be ready faster; Might even take more time to get it ready.
If you want to accelerate a spell, change not the materials, but the setting. Go to a volcano for fire spells, or cast lunar-related spells under a full Moon.
answered 13 hours ago
Renan
41.8k1195212
41.8k1195212
5
“In cooking terms, mana is an ingredient, not the fire.” Or perhaps it is like the fire, but — as in cooking — doubling the heat will burn your food, not cook it how you wanted in half the time.
– Peter LeFanu Lumsdaine
7 hours ago
add a comment |
5
“In cooking terms, mana is an ingredient, not the fire.” Or perhaps it is like the fire, but — as in cooking — doubling the heat will burn your food, not cook it how you wanted in half the time.
– Peter LeFanu Lumsdaine
7 hours ago
5
5
“In cooking terms, mana is an ingredient, not the fire.” Or perhaps it is like the fire, but — as in cooking — doubling the heat will burn your food, not cook it how you wanted in half the time.
– Peter LeFanu Lumsdaine
7 hours ago
“In cooking terms, mana is an ingredient, not the fire.” Or perhaps it is like the fire, but — as in cooking — doubling the heat will burn your food, not cook it how you wanted in half the time.
– Peter LeFanu Lumsdaine
7 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
12
down vote
If a ritual takes 30 minutes then it's going to take 30 minutes if one person does it or a hundred people.
If 100 people recite, for example, the Lord's Prayer, they won't recite it any faster than one person.
add a comment |
up vote
12
down vote
If a ritual takes 30 minutes then it's going to take 30 minutes if one person does it or a hundred people.
If 100 people recite, for example, the Lord's Prayer, they won't recite it any faster than one person.
add a comment |
up vote
12
down vote
up vote
12
down vote
If a ritual takes 30 minutes then it's going to take 30 minutes if one person does it or a hundred people.
If 100 people recite, for example, the Lord's Prayer, they won't recite it any faster than one person.
If a ritual takes 30 minutes then it's going to take 30 minutes if one person does it or a hundred people.
If 100 people recite, for example, the Lord's Prayer, they won't recite it any faster than one person.
answered 14 hours ago
chasly from UK
10.7k348103
10.7k348103
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
9
down vote
It's like a water hose. There is a maximum volume of water that will flow through the hose, regardless of how large you make the tank it is attached to. In this scenario your primary caster is the end of the hose and the secondary casters are adding water to the tank.
New contributor
4
to take it further increasing the tank will increase the flow of water up to a point but if the tank is too large the pressure ruptures the hose or causes cavitation which only ruptures the hose if your are lucky.
– John
13 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
9
down vote
It's like a water hose. There is a maximum volume of water that will flow through the hose, regardless of how large you make the tank it is attached to. In this scenario your primary caster is the end of the hose and the secondary casters are adding water to the tank.
New contributor
4
to take it further increasing the tank will increase the flow of water up to a point but if the tank is too large the pressure ruptures the hose or causes cavitation which only ruptures the hose if your are lucky.
– John
13 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
9
down vote
up vote
9
down vote
It's like a water hose. There is a maximum volume of water that will flow through the hose, regardless of how large you make the tank it is attached to. In this scenario your primary caster is the end of the hose and the secondary casters are adding water to the tank.
New contributor
It's like a water hose. There is a maximum volume of water that will flow through the hose, regardless of how large you make the tank it is attached to. In this scenario your primary caster is the end of the hose and the secondary casters are adding water to the tank.
New contributor
New contributor
answered 14 hours ago
Rekamanon
1964
1964
New contributor
New contributor
4
to take it further increasing the tank will increase the flow of water up to a point but if the tank is too large the pressure ruptures the hose or causes cavitation which only ruptures the hose if your are lucky.
– John
13 hours ago
add a comment |
4
to take it further increasing the tank will increase the flow of water up to a point but if the tank is too large the pressure ruptures the hose or causes cavitation which only ruptures the hose if your are lucky.
– John
13 hours ago
4
4
to take it further increasing the tank will increase the flow of water up to a point but if the tank is too large the pressure ruptures the hose or causes cavitation which only ruptures the hose if your are lucky.
– John
13 hours ago
to take it further increasing the tank will increase the flow of water up to a point but if the tank is too large the pressure ruptures the hose or causes cavitation which only ruptures the hose if your are lucky.
– John
13 hours ago
add a comment |
up vote
4
down vote
More power requires more control of said power.
These rituals are already taxing on an individual, adding more people for more power only increases the pool of power available. The primary caster acts like the control unit and may or may not actually contribute power to the spell at this point. There can't be multiple people controlling the spell because they might step on each others toes and create feedback. Therefore, the spell can only be cast at the speed of the person shaping it no matter how much power is required.
add a comment |
up vote
4
down vote
More power requires more control of said power.
These rituals are already taxing on an individual, adding more people for more power only increases the pool of power available. The primary caster acts like the control unit and may or may not actually contribute power to the spell at this point. There can't be multiple people controlling the spell because they might step on each others toes and create feedback. Therefore, the spell can only be cast at the speed of the person shaping it no matter how much power is required.
add a comment |
up vote
4
down vote
up vote
4
down vote
More power requires more control of said power.
These rituals are already taxing on an individual, adding more people for more power only increases the pool of power available. The primary caster acts like the control unit and may or may not actually contribute power to the spell at this point. There can't be multiple people controlling the spell because they might step on each others toes and create feedback. Therefore, the spell can only be cast at the speed of the person shaping it no matter how much power is required.
More power requires more control of said power.
These rituals are already taxing on an individual, adding more people for more power only increases the pool of power available. The primary caster acts like the control unit and may or may not actually contribute power to the spell at this point. There can't be multiple people controlling the spell because they might step on each others toes and create feedback. Therefore, the spell can only be cast at the speed of the person shaping it no matter how much power is required.
answered 14 hours ago
IT Alex
6788
6788
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
The different mages perform different and concurrent parts of the spell, which are all needed together to make the spell effective.
Think of it like two pillars and a beam. The beam holds the pillars and the pillars support the beam. They can only work together, having one less will make the whole ensemble useless.
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
The different mages perform different and concurrent parts of the spell, which are all needed together to make the spell effective.
Think of it like two pillars and a beam. The beam holds the pillars and the pillars support the beam. They can only work together, having one less will make the whole ensemble useless.
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
The different mages perform different and concurrent parts of the spell, which are all needed together to make the spell effective.
Think of it like two pillars and a beam. The beam holds the pillars and the pillars support the beam. They can only work together, having one less will make the whole ensemble useless.
The different mages perform different and concurrent parts of the spell, which are all needed together to make the spell effective.
Think of it like two pillars and a beam. The beam holds the pillars and the pillars support the beam. They can only work together, having one less will make the whole ensemble useless.
answered 13 hours ago
L.Dutch♦
73.7k24178356
73.7k24178356
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
"If it takes an orchestra with 40 members 60 minutes to complete Beethoven's Ninth, how long will it take an orchestra with 60 members to complete the piece?"
Anyone vaguely familiar with how music works in even the most abstract sense should understand how absurd that question sounds, especially to a musician. Perhaps the question of adding more mages to speed up a ritual is equally absurd to a magician?
Rituals, like musical pieces, have a set tempo and duration to them. The tempo of the ritual may be altered, but not by adding or removing mages. Instead, additional mages might be added for a different reason altogether.
Taking again from musical practice, there is a thing that wind instruments will do called staggered breathing. When there is a particularly long note to be held, or when it is difficult to find a place to breathe without disrupting the rhythm, musicians will stagger when they breathe to make sure they don't breathe at the same time. If done well, the result is that no one hears any of them breathe, and the note and rhythm are never broken.
Perhaps your magicians make use of a similar staggered technique, where the additional participants are to ensure that the performance of the ritual is never broken, even if it would otherwise require an astounding and inhuman display of endurance.
New contributor
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
"If it takes an orchestra with 40 members 60 minutes to complete Beethoven's Ninth, how long will it take an orchestra with 60 members to complete the piece?"
Anyone vaguely familiar with how music works in even the most abstract sense should understand how absurd that question sounds, especially to a musician. Perhaps the question of adding more mages to speed up a ritual is equally absurd to a magician?
Rituals, like musical pieces, have a set tempo and duration to them. The tempo of the ritual may be altered, but not by adding or removing mages. Instead, additional mages might be added for a different reason altogether.
Taking again from musical practice, there is a thing that wind instruments will do called staggered breathing. When there is a particularly long note to be held, or when it is difficult to find a place to breathe without disrupting the rhythm, musicians will stagger when they breathe to make sure they don't breathe at the same time. If done well, the result is that no one hears any of them breathe, and the note and rhythm are never broken.
Perhaps your magicians make use of a similar staggered technique, where the additional participants are to ensure that the performance of the ritual is never broken, even if it would otherwise require an astounding and inhuman display of endurance.
New contributor
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
"If it takes an orchestra with 40 members 60 minutes to complete Beethoven's Ninth, how long will it take an orchestra with 60 members to complete the piece?"
Anyone vaguely familiar with how music works in even the most abstract sense should understand how absurd that question sounds, especially to a musician. Perhaps the question of adding more mages to speed up a ritual is equally absurd to a magician?
Rituals, like musical pieces, have a set tempo and duration to them. The tempo of the ritual may be altered, but not by adding or removing mages. Instead, additional mages might be added for a different reason altogether.
Taking again from musical practice, there is a thing that wind instruments will do called staggered breathing. When there is a particularly long note to be held, or when it is difficult to find a place to breathe without disrupting the rhythm, musicians will stagger when they breathe to make sure they don't breathe at the same time. If done well, the result is that no one hears any of them breathe, and the note and rhythm are never broken.
Perhaps your magicians make use of a similar staggered technique, where the additional participants are to ensure that the performance of the ritual is never broken, even if it would otherwise require an astounding and inhuman display of endurance.
New contributor
"If it takes an orchestra with 40 members 60 minutes to complete Beethoven's Ninth, how long will it take an orchestra with 60 members to complete the piece?"
Anyone vaguely familiar with how music works in even the most abstract sense should understand how absurd that question sounds, especially to a musician. Perhaps the question of adding more mages to speed up a ritual is equally absurd to a magician?
Rituals, like musical pieces, have a set tempo and duration to them. The tempo of the ritual may be altered, but not by adding or removing mages. Instead, additional mages might be added for a different reason altogether.
Taking again from musical practice, there is a thing that wind instruments will do called staggered breathing. When there is a particularly long note to be held, or when it is difficult to find a place to breathe without disrupting the rhythm, musicians will stagger when they breathe to make sure they don't breathe at the same time. If done well, the result is that no one hears any of them breathe, and the note and rhythm are never broken.
Perhaps your magicians make use of a similar staggered technique, where the additional participants are to ensure that the performance of the ritual is never broken, even if it would otherwise require an astounding and inhuman display of endurance.
New contributor
New contributor
answered 6 hours ago
MrSpudtastic
311
311
New contributor
New contributor
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
The above examples are great, and true, but here's an alternative way of thinking of it specifically related to power.
You make a device that broadcasts radio, and the device required 1 AA battery to run. A second generation of the device has more features, and requires 2 AA batteries to provide the necessary power (amperage) for the device to operate. It would not, however, play the radio broadcast faster. In fact, if you took the first radio and added a battery, it would still consume the same power, meaning you'd have doubled the reserve of power available (proper wiring permitted, and in an ideal environment), but it would still only perform the function for which it was intended.
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
The above examples are great, and true, but here's an alternative way of thinking of it specifically related to power.
You make a device that broadcasts radio, and the device required 1 AA battery to run. A second generation of the device has more features, and requires 2 AA batteries to provide the necessary power (amperage) for the device to operate. It would not, however, play the radio broadcast faster. In fact, if you took the first radio and added a battery, it would still consume the same power, meaning you'd have doubled the reserve of power available (proper wiring permitted, and in an ideal environment), but it would still only perform the function for which it was intended.
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
The above examples are great, and true, but here's an alternative way of thinking of it specifically related to power.
You make a device that broadcasts radio, and the device required 1 AA battery to run. A second generation of the device has more features, and requires 2 AA batteries to provide the necessary power (amperage) for the device to operate. It would not, however, play the radio broadcast faster. In fact, if you took the first radio and added a battery, it would still consume the same power, meaning you'd have doubled the reserve of power available (proper wiring permitted, and in an ideal environment), but it would still only perform the function for which it was intended.
The above examples are great, and true, but here's an alternative way of thinking of it specifically related to power.
You make a device that broadcasts radio, and the device required 1 AA battery to run. A second generation of the device has more features, and requires 2 AA batteries to provide the necessary power (amperage) for the device to operate. It would not, however, play the radio broadcast faster. In fact, if you took the first radio and added a battery, it would still consume the same power, meaning you'd have doubled the reserve of power available (proper wiring permitted, and in an ideal environment), but it would still only perform the function for which it was intended.
answered 11 hours ago
Jesse Williams
788211
788211
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
There's a limit to the flow of Orgone into a spell. A certain amount of Orgone is needed for a given spell to work. Orgone flowing through an individual is taxing work, and can exhaust individual spellcasters. However, working together, multiple spellcasters can divide the flow amongst them
New contributor
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
There's a limit to the flow of Orgone into a spell. A certain amount of Orgone is needed for a given spell to work. Orgone flowing through an individual is taxing work, and can exhaust individual spellcasters. However, working together, multiple spellcasters can divide the flow amongst them
New contributor
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
There's a limit to the flow of Orgone into a spell. A certain amount of Orgone is needed for a given spell to work. Orgone flowing through an individual is taxing work, and can exhaust individual spellcasters. However, working together, multiple spellcasters can divide the flow amongst them
New contributor
There's a limit to the flow of Orgone into a spell. A certain amount of Orgone is needed for a given spell to work. Orgone flowing through an individual is taxing work, and can exhaust individual spellcasters. However, working together, multiple spellcasters can divide the flow amongst them
New contributor
New contributor
answered 6 hours ago
THiebert
1211
1211
New contributor
New contributor
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
... the time frame of a ritual stays the same regardless of how many
casters there are. Why would this be the case?
Because in any magic system that is studied and applied, there is always the same problem, for the measure of Orgone there is an equal and opposite measure that counteracts that power.
Adding more practitioners simply makes the "Shadow Orgone" increase in power in a way that's proportional - and creates forces of chaos thus preventing progress. Since no shared psychic-mind has been succesfully created for the length of time necessary to cast a spell, yet, then only a single mind will be able to steadily work it.
Until the lost "Legion Spell" is found, that enables all minds to act as one.
That's why magical practice is essentially a solitary thing - even if it's practitioners are team-players and sociable people.
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
... the time frame of a ritual stays the same regardless of how many
casters there are. Why would this be the case?
Because in any magic system that is studied and applied, there is always the same problem, for the measure of Orgone there is an equal and opposite measure that counteracts that power.
Adding more practitioners simply makes the "Shadow Orgone" increase in power in a way that's proportional - and creates forces of chaos thus preventing progress. Since no shared psychic-mind has been succesfully created for the length of time necessary to cast a spell, yet, then only a single mind will be able to steadily work it.
Until the lost "Legion Spell" is found, that enables all minds to act as one.
That's why magical practice is essentially a solitary thing - even if it's practitioners are team-players and sociable people.
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
... the time frame of a ritual stays the same regardless of how many
casters there are. Why would this be the case?
Because in any magic system that is studied and applied, there is always the same problem, for the measure of Orgone there is an equal and opposite measure that counteracts that power.
Adding more practitioners simply makes the "Shadow Orgone" increase in power in a way that's proportional - and creates forces of chaos thus preventing progress. Since no shared psychic-mind has been succesfully created for the length of time necessary to cast a spell, yet, then only a single mind will be able to steadily work it.
Until the lost "Legion Spell" is found, that enables all minds to act as one.
That's why magical practice is essentially a solitary thing - even if it's practitioners are team-players and sociable people.
... the time frame of a ritual stays the same regardless of how many
casters there are. Why would this be the case?
Because in any magic system that is studied and applied, there is always the same problem, for the measure of Orgone there is an equal and opposite measure that counteracts that power.
Adding more practitioners simply makes the "Shadow Orgone" increase in power in a way that's proportional - and creates forces of chaos thus preventing progress. Since no shared psychic-mind has been succesfully created for the length of time necessary to cast a spell, yet, then only a single mind will be able to steadily work it.
Until the lost "Legion Spell" is found, that enables all minds to act as one.
That's why magical practice is essentially a solitary thing - even if it's practitioners are team-players and sociable people.
edited 5 hours ago
answered 6 hours ago
Duckisaduckisaduck
1,082111
1,082111
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
The Orgone comes from a certain place in the astral plane, and has to travel to the site of the spell.
As a physical analogy, consider the spell "bring water". If I am on an island in a lake, a single caster can typically generate a small wave 1 metre tall bringing water from 10 metres out. Multiple casters can generate a wave that engulfs the island bringing water from 500 metres out. This requires more effort and (because the water comes from further out) it also requires more time.
It is possible to form a pond of water into a wave and magically cause it to roll over dry land carrying objects on top of it but this requires not only great power but also great skill. There is a legend of a Great One who can actually surf across land on a magical wave of their own creation.
Now consider these physical analogies involving water, and imagine that this is how the orgone flows to the site of the spell to be casted. For casting at a distance, the orgone may move directly from its resting place to the site of the spell or alternatively have to gather itself toward the caster then jet out towards the site of the spell. Clearly there will be a finite time for the orgone to travel there.
Orgone tends to collect in certain magical places such as caves and tends to evaporate in the city. There is a huge reservoir of it on the moon.
Now this leads to a problem: magical power without knowledge, wisdom, and good intent can be a dangerous thing. A powerful but unskilled individual is unlikely to do any damage, but a group of reckless young spellcasters can wreak havoc when they work together to wield powerful magic. They may for example send a tsunami of orgone toward a slowly approaching foe such as an army of trolls, only for it to backfire and engulf a village. For a sufficiently large spell there may even be time after the spell is cast to run and inform the villagers to evacuate before the spell hits.
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
The Orgone comes from a certain place in the astral plane, and has to travel to the site of the spell.
As a physical analogy, consider the spell "bring water". If I am on an island in a lake, a single caster can typically generate a small wave 1 metre tall bringing water from 10 metres out. Multiple casters can generate a wave that engulfs the island bringing water from 500 metres out. This requires more effort and (because the water comes from further out) it also requires more time.
It is possible to form a pond of water into a wave and magically cause it to roll over dry land carrying objects on top of it but this requires not only great power but also great skill. There is a legend of a Great One who can actually surf across land on a magical wave of their own creation.
Now consider these physical analogies involving water, and imagine that this is how the orgone flows to the site of the spell to be casted. For casting at a distance, the orgone may move directly from its resting place to the site of the spell or alternatively have to gather itself toward the caster then jet out towards the site of the spell. Clearly there will be a finite time for the orgone to travel there.
Orgone tends to collect in certain magical places such as caves and tends to evaporate in the city. There is a huge reservoir of it on the moon.
Now this leads to a problem: magical power without knowledge, wisdom, and good intent can be a dangerous thing. A powerful but unskilled individual is unlikely to do any damage, but a group of reckless young spellcasters can wreak havoc when they work together to wield powerful magic. They may for example send a tsunami of orgone toward a slowly approaching foe such as an army of trolls, only for it to backfire and engulf a village. For a sufficiently large spell there may even be time after the spell is cast to run and inform the villagers to evacuate before the spell hits.
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
The Orgone comes from a certain place in the astral plane, and has to travel to the site of the spell.
As a physical analogy, consider the spell "bring water". If I am on an island in a lake, a single caster can typically generate a small wave 1 metre tall bringing water from 10 metres out. Multiple casters can generate a wave that engulfs the island bringing water from 500 metres out. This requires more effort and (because the water comes from further out) it also requires more time.
It is possible to form a pond of water into a wave and magically cause it to roll over dry land carrying objects on top of it but this requires not only great power but also great skill. There is a legend of a Great One who can actually surf across land on a magical wave of their own creation.
Now consider these physical analogies involving water, and imagine that this is how the orgone flows to the site of the spell to be casted. For casting at a distance, the orgone may move directly from its resting place to the site of the spell or alternatively have to gather itself toward the caster then jet out towards the site of the spell. Clearly there will be a finite time for the orgone to travel there.
Orgone tends to collect in certain magical places such as caves and tends to evaporate in the city. There is a huge reservoir of it on the moon.
Now this leads to a problem: magical power without knowledge, wisdom, and good intent can be a dangerous thing. A powerful but unskilled individual is unlikely to do any damage, but a group of reckless young spellcasters can wreak havoc when they work together to wield powerful magic. They may for example send a tsunami of orgone toward a slowly approaching foe such as an army of trolls, only for it to backfire and engulf a village. For a sufficiently large spell there may even be time after the spell is cast to run and inform the villagers to evacuate before the spell hits.
The Orgone comes from a certain place in the astral plane, and has to travel to the site of the spell.
As a physical analogy, consider the spell "bring water". If I am on an island in a lake, a single caster can typically generate a small wave 1 metre tall bringing water from 10 metres out. Multiple casters can generate a wave that engulfs the island bringing water from 500 metres out. This requires more effort and (because the water comes from further out) it also requires more time.
It is possible to form a pond of water into a wave and magically cause it to roll over dry land carrying objects on top of it but this requires not only great power but also great skill. There is a legend of a Great One who can actually surf across land on a magical wave of their own creation.
Now consider these physical analogies involving water, and imagine that this is how the orgone flows to the site of the spell to be casted. For casting at a distance, the orgone may move directly from its resting place to the site of the spell or alternatively have to gather itself toward the caster then jet out towards the site of the spell. Clearly there will be a finite time for the orgone to travel there.
Orgone tends to collect in certain magical places such as caves and tends to evaporate in the city. There is a huge reservoir of it on the moon.
Now this leads to a problem: magical power without knowledge, wisdom, and good intent can be a dangerous thing. A powerful but unskilled individual is unlikely to do any damage, but a group of reckless young spellcasters can wreak havoc when they work together to wield powerful magic. They may for example send a tsunami of orgone toward a slowly approaching foe such as an army of trolls, only for it to backfire and engulf a village. For a sufficiently large spell there may even be time after the spell is cast to run and inform the villagers to evacuate before the spell hits.
edited 5 hours ago
answered 5 hours ago
Level River St
1,931614
1,931614
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
Spells are a creative work.
The most difficult and time consuming part of creating a spell is thinking through how it is designed, how it's shape will affect the world.
A complex ritual would require the primary caster to think through an enormously complicated problem, like solving a 10x10 rubix cube in your mind. The extra casters can help provide more power, and more energy, but they can't make the spell any simpler.
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
Spells are a creative work.
The most difficult and time consuming part of creating a spell is thinking through how it is designed, how it's shape will affect the world.
A complex ritual would require the primary caster to think through an enormously complicated problem, like solving a 10x10 rubix cube in your mind. The extra casters can help provide more power, and more energy, but they can't make the spell any simpler.
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
Spells are a creative work.
The most difficult and time consuming part of creating a spell is thinking through how it is designed, how it's shape will affect the world.
A complex ritual would require the primary caster to think through an enormously complicated problem, like solving a 10x10 rubix cube in your mind. The extra casters can help provide more power, and more energy, but they can't make the spell any simpler.
Spells are a creative work.
The most difficult and time consuming part of creating a spell is thinking through how it is designed, how it's shape will affect the world.
A complex ritual would require the primary caster to think through an enormously complicated problem, like solving a 10x10 rubix cube in your mind. The extra casters can help provide more power, and more energy, but they can't make the spell any simpler.
answered 7 hours ago
Iron Gremlin
6297
6297
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
If you need a flame at 300 ºC during an hour to cook a meal, a flame at 9,000 ºC won't cook it in 2 minutes.
An increase of heat (or power, mana, etc) doesn't necessarily increase the speed of the process.
Conduct a ritual isn't something that can be made in parallel, so it could be divided into small parts for each mage to cast.
It's like drawing, several artists (usually) can't work together in the same draw, their creative ideas are just different. Or like doctors, a surgeon can perform an operation in 4 hours, but 20 surgeons won't finish it in 12 minutes, even more, so many people will commit mistakes.
Spells and rituals are things that must be made in sequence, you can't just add more mages to divide the work. Each mage must perform a specific part of the ritual, so if a ritual was made to require 4 mages (one to channel the power, another to give it form, other to cast it and a last to supervise everything) you can't use 8 mages, there aren't enough jobs (or "magician slots") to perform, and these works can't be performed by several ritualists at the same time.
Even more, maybe magic is like a painting. Paint a wall can require a few hours to let it dry, several painters won't speed up the drying process. Mana or orgone needs time to acquire the shape of the spell, and that time can't speed up... not without suffering risk...
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
If you need a flame at 300 ºC during an hour to cook a meal, a flame at 9,000 ºC won't cook it in 2 minutes.
An increase of heat (or power, mana, etc) doesn't necessarily increase the speed of the process.
Conduct a ritual isn't something that can be made in parallel, so it could be divided into small parts for each mage to cast.
It's like drawing, several artists (usually) can't work together in the same draw, their creative ideas are just different. Or like doctors, a surgeon can perform an operation in 4 hours, but 20 surgeons won't finish it in 12 minutes, even more, so many people will commit mistakes.
Spells and rituals are things that must be made in sequence, you can't just add more mages to divide the work. Each mage must perform a specific part of the ritual, so if a ritual was made to require 4 mages (one to channel the power, another to give it form, other to cast it and a last to supervise everything) you can't use 8 mages, there aren't enough jobs (or "magician slots") to perform, and these works can't be performed by several ritualists at the same time.
Even more, maybe magic is like a painting. Paint a wall can require a few hours to let it dry, several painters won't speed up the drying process. Mana or orgone needs time to acquire the shape of the spell, and that time can't speed up... not without suffering risk...
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
If you need a flame at 300 ºC during an hour to cook a meal, a flame at 9,000 ºC won't cook it in 2 minutes.
An increase of heat (or power, mana, etc) doesn't necessarily increase the speed of the process.
Conduct a ritual isn't something that can be made in parallel, so it could be divided into small parts for each mage to cast.
It's like drawing, several artists (usually) can't work together in the same draw, their creative ideas are just different. Or like doctors, a surgeon can perform an operation in 4 hours, but 20 surgeons won't finish it in 12 minutes, even more, so many people will commit mistakes.
Spells and rituals are things that must be made in sequence, you can't just add more mages to divide the work. Each mage must perform a specific part of the ritual, so if a ritual was made to require 4 mages (one to channel the power, another to give it form, other to cast it and a last to supervise everything) you can't use 8 mages, there aren't enough jobs (or "magician slots") to perform, and these works can't be performed by several ritualists at the same time.
Even more, maybe magic is like a painting. Paint a wall can require a few hours to let it dry, several painters won't speed up the drying process. Mana or orgone needs time to acquire the shape of the spell, and that time can't speed up... not without suffering risk...
If you need a flame at 300 ºC during an hour to cook a meal, a flame at 9,000 ºC won't cook it in 2 minutes.
An increase of heat (or power, mana, etc) doesn't necessarily increase the speed of the process.
Conduct a ritual isn't something that can be made in parallel, so it could be divided into small parts for each mage to cast.
It's like drawing, several artists (usually) can't work together in the same draw, their creative ideas are just different. Or like doctors, a surgeon can perform an operation in 4 hours, but 20 surgeons won't finish it in 12 minutes, even more, so many people will commit mistakes.
Spells and rituals are things that must be made in sequence, you can't just add more mages to divide the work. Each mage must perform a specific part of the ritual, so if a ritual was made to require 4 mages (one to channel the power, another to give it form, other to cast it and a last to supervise everything) you can't use 8 mages, there aren't enough jobs (or "magician slots") to perform, and these works can't be performed by several ritualists at the same time.
Even more, maybe magic is like a painting. Paint a wall can require a few hours to let it dry, several painters won't speed up the drying process. Mana or orgone needs time to acquire the shape of the spell, and that time can't speed up... not without suffering risk...
answered 6 hours ago
Ender Look
4,99611243
4,99611243
add a comment |
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to Worldbuilding Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Some of your past answers have not been well-received, and you're in danger of being blocked from answering.
Please pay close attention to the following guidance:
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworldbuilding.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f132795%2fwhy-would-having-more-mages-to-conduct-a-spell-not-make-it-faster%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
4
Having several people trying to lockpick a lock won't unlock it faster, since only one person can work on it at a time.
– Clockwork
10 hours ago
1
Why would other Orgones that make the spell more likely to succeed remove any time from the primary spell? It seems to me like you don't necessarily need another reason. Your mechanics explain themselves. Adding more magic doesn't make it any quicker, because you've established that the extra magic is just to make the complicated spells even possible by a single practitioner.
– JMac
9 hours ago