PATHS TO POWER: 1 OF 5

[doomlimit]

On Battle Fantasia, gaining and growing in power are major components of the stories we tell. In most stories about supernatural powers, the rules about attaining power are a constant subtext, even if they don't always matter intensely. On Battle Fantasia, we're trying to stick to a key rule to the Magical Girl genre, which might seem a little

Comments

[shachihoko]

So for the Magic Knights, it'd be a Contract - with Clef? - to fulfill Emeraude's wish in exchange for returning to their own world ... ? (Although the order gets a little confused if they'll mostly be fighting on Earth.) And I gather the Artifact for each of them would be their glove-jewel?

Yuna Kagurazaka (from Galaxy Fraulein Yuna) is almost easier to pin down - her Artifact would be Elner, and the Contract is to be the Queen of Light's champion and battle against the forces of Darkness. (Enemy Frauleins would have a Contract as well, except it's to serve the Queen of Darkness in the first game, or defend the Eternal Princess in the second ...)

That actually brings up a question - what happens if the patron named in the Contract is taken out of the picture somehow?

[theeternalmind]

For MKR, I think the contract would be with Princess Emeraude, with Clef acting as a proxy, since Emeraude was the one who summoned them to fulfill her wish/save Cephiro and only Emeraude can send them back. Clef just gave them starter magic, guidance, and Mokona, which is a lot, but it's still not thanks to him that they're there and capable of learning magic in the first place. As far as Artifacts go, the Magic Knights would be swimming in them. The glove-jewels, the Escudo weapons, the Rune-Gods/Mashin, and arguably Mokona would all count, I think, even if they don't get all of those things right away.

Mind you, I'm not staff, so take this with a grain of salt; this is just my interpretation.

[doomlimit]

I'm gonna cover the MKR in the later file breaking down Contracts. Short form: Correct, their contract is with Emeraude.

For practical purposes their actual power-granting Artifact will be their glove jewels, since those are around all the time. Unless a player wants to make a particularly compelling argument otherwise, of course!

[theeternalmind]

Ohh, point, the other stuff would be more upgrade Artifacts, wouldn't it. That covers what I was saying in the second half of my Utena comment, too. Thanks!

[theeternalmind]

A note on Utena Tenjou: those who bear the Rose Signet/duelist ring are almost always contracted to Ends of the World to have the chance to participate in the duel game and potentially win the Power to Revolutionize the World. Utena is unique because she doesn't have that. One could reasonably argue that she's instead contracted to Prince Dios, although the particulars of that are a spoiler.

The current Champion of the Duels/One Engaged, no matter who that is, would also acquire Artifact (Sword of Dios) and Artifact (Rose Bride). Utena wouldn't like Anthy being treated or thought of as an artifact (read: object), but for all intents and purposes, that's what she is in the context of the duel games.

Otherwise, this was a very interesting and informative read! Thanks for posting it, Doom~ I'll look forward to the rest in the series.

[doomlimit]

Contracts interact with Utena a little weirdly because capital-C Contracts are more than just an agreement to do something with power; there's magic in them, a destiny conferred. I'm not sure the Duelists actually have something like that? Certainly they're in thrall.

Utena's deal is actually probably a contract with the Prince, though, yeah. You'll see more about Contracts in hopefully a couple days.

[theeternalmind]

Hmmm. I was about to agree with you, but then I remembered the Spirit Swords. Those don't become a thing until the Black Rose Saga, but once they're introduced they stay a thing for the rest of the series, and the Black Rose Saga shows very clearly that that's a thing you can only do once you've got a Rose Signet.

[shachihoko]

"... because capital-C Contracts are more than just an agreement ... there's magic in them, a destiny conferred."

Why on Earth does this make me think of the Dresden Files? Or is this just a shared trope?

[sachikokotobuki]

I think I already know the answer to the question, but would being a, so to speak, Manufactured Being count as Lineage?

An example based on the Superscience paradigm: The magical girl is actually an artificially bred warrior from a race of humanoids that have a warrior caste composed entirely of artificially bred MGs (With the occasional Freebirth that is despised for not being artificially bred. And yes, I'm shouting out the Clans. It was not intentional). Would that be an 'Sure, why not?' or a 'Hell no don't do that!'?

[doomlimit]

There's a couple themes with artificial life forms! Negima's got the homunculi, Nanoha has the Numbered Cyborgs and arguably the Materials...and of course, Fate.

Basically 'is an artificial being' is not necessarily automatically a Path to Power; certainly if Precia Testarossa had completed her homunculus-Alicia it would probably not be a doom weapon.

...maybe. Precia was kind of messed up by the end there.

BUT, I would count 'was created magically to be powerful' as a Lineage. However, that kind of magical technology is very rare, the providence of only a few especially batty and/or evil people.

It is also deeply forbidden, because of course you are making a living almost-human being to be a weapon and that's really not OK.

[sachikokotobuki]

Okay, so long answer short: It is possible, but it would not be a very morally correct thing to do.

Definitely out of the question, in that case! I'll take note of it. Needed that info for... Something I'm planning.

[doomlimit]

It wouldn't necessarily be Evil, in the 'take Power of Darkness, because congratulations you're a demon' sense of the word (although that is how a couple Dark Worlds operate). But yes, it is definitely at best morally unsound.

At worst you're like Jail and officially in the running for the title of The Worst Person In The World.