Magic & Science Magic & Magicians How do various religions view magic? Do any religions forbid magic or require it? And if so, what’s their reasoning? Do any require or forbid priests to practise magic? How has the presence of magic and magicians affected law and government? Are wizards barred from certain kinds of government posts Do some positions require that their holder be a wizard? Are the laws of nature and physics actually different in this world or are they the same as in real life? If the laws of nature and physics are the same, then how does magic fit in? Which peoples, races, cultures, countries, or ethnicities are most magically advanced? Is magic legal? Is all magic legal, or only some types? Do laws about magic vary widely from country to country, or is the attitude generally similar? Are there magical artifacts? If so, who made them and how? Are magical effects permanent, or does the magic wear off after a while? What effect has magic had on law? On art? On technology? On entertainment? Where is magical research done? Are magicians a force in politics? Are there national politics that revolve around magic or wizards? How much as the presence of magic affected military strategy and tactics in general? Is healing usually a magical process? If so, how does the magical healing talent or spell work? Does a magical healer have to consciously direct the healing process, or does magical healing simply speed up the normal healing process in the patient? Is there more than one kind of magical healer and if so are they rivals or simply different specialities? Is forensic magic possible? Can forensic magic be used to investigate only certain types of crimes (and if so, which)? Are the results of forensic spells admissible in court as evidence? Can magic be used in the arts, and if so, how? How do “normal” artists feel about artists who use magic? How do magicians feel about non-magical people? Is there a specific name for those who cannot do magic? Are spells fast enough to be useful in hand-to-hand combat, or is magic useful only for long, slow things? Magic & Technology Are there magical means of transportation? How does magical transportation compare in speed, safety, and expense to non-magical means? Are magical weapons available? Can magic be used in warfare? In what ways? How has the presence of magic affected weapons technology? Do you have to do anything special to armour, weapons, walls, &c. to make them better able to resist spells? Can ordinary objects be enchanted to make them extremely lethal or will this work properly only on things that are already weapons? Can ordinary objects be enchanted to make them (or their user) much, much better at whatever they do? How common and useful are such enchanted objects? To what degree do magical objects and the presence of wizards and spells replace or duplicate technology? Rules of Magic What things can magic not do? what are the limits of magical power? Where does magic power come from? What is its source? Is magic an exhaustible resource? What does one need to do to cast a spell? How long does it take to cast a spell? Can spells be stored for later, instant use? Do spells take lots of long ritual, or is magic a point-and-shoot kind of thing? Can two or more wizards combine their power to cast a stronger spell? What makes one wizard more powerful than another? Does practising magic have any detrimental effect on the magician? If the effects can be detrimental, is there any way to prevent these them? Are detrimental effects inevitable in all magicians, or do they affect only those with some sort of predisposition? Do the effects progress at the same rate in everyone? How much is actually known in the world about the laws of magic? How much of that which is “knownÉD; is actually incorrect? What general varieties of magic are practised? Do any varieties of magic work better than others? Wizards Is there a numerical limit to the number of wizards in the world? Why? Are different races good at different kinds of magic? Is a magician’s lifetime normally longer or shorter than average? Why? How are illegal magicians apprehended and punished? Is the apprehension of illegal practitioners the responsibility of the magician’s guild, or do ordinary law enforcement agencies have to deal with it? How does a magician tap magical power? Does becoming a magician require some rite of passage or does it just happen naturally? Is magic a result of study or just part of growing up? Are there things (such as magical staves, wands, familiars, and crystal balls) that are necessary or useful to have before casting spells? Where and how do wizards get these things? Are certain kinds of magic practised solely or chiefly by one sex or another? By one race or culture or another? Does a magician’s magical ability or power change over time? Can a magician use up all of their magic, thus ceasing to be a magician? What do an ex-magicians do with themselves? Can the ability to do magic be lost? How? Can the ability to do magic be forcibly taken away? How and by whom? What is the price magicians pay in order to be magicians? Is magic a profession, an art, or just a job? What is the status accorded to magicians in society? Medicine At what level is medicine? Who are the healers? Do you have to have a talent to heal? Who trains healers, herbalists, apothecaries, surgeons, magical and non-magical? What customs surround death and burial? Is there a special class of people (doctors, priests, funeral directors, untouchables) who deal with dead bodies? How accurate is the diagnostic process? Do healers have ways of telling two diseases apart if they have similar symptoms? Do healers depend on standard physical medical tests (reflexes, temperature, dilated pupils) or do they normally use spells for diagnosis? How expensive are healers? How available are such services to ordinary people? How much is known about anatomy, physiology, pathology, psychology, and so on? Are treatments based on purely practical experience, or do healers understand at least some of what they are doing? Are there stories (true or false) about why certain remedies work or fail? How much training does a healer normally get? Is healing generally a magical process? Is there a reliable method of birth control? Who normally handles births? What is the maternal mortality rate> The infant mortality rate? Who can become a healer? Are there various kinds of healers (herbalists, wise-women, pharmacists, apothecaries, surgeons, doctors, nurses, witchdoctors)? If there are different kinds of healers, why are the distinctions made? What kinds of treatments are available and how effective are they? Is it possible to resurrect or resuscitate someone who has died? If revival is possible, how long is it before it becomes impossible, or before serious brain damage sets in? How is insanity treated? Are there asylums or treatment centres? How effective are treatments for insanity? How much do the physical differences between human and non-human races affect their medical treatment? Are there some diseases that only affect non-humans, or only humans? Are some treatments lethal to one species but effective in another? Do physicians have to specialize in non-human medicine in order to do a good job of it? Science & Technology Is the level of technology in this society comparable to that of ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution? What important inventions or advances have been made (the wheel, stirrups, gunpowder, printing, flush toilets)? Have any of them been produced in quantities sufficient to affect the daily lives of the average person, or are they a luxury for nobles only? What inventions or advances have not been made that one would expect to see at this stage of technological development? Why haven’t they eventuated? what advancers are about to be made? How much is known about the laws of nature, physics, and magic? How much of what is commonly known is factually wrong? Where is scientific research done? Universities, private labs, under the auspices of the government? In what areas might magic replace technology, and thus suppress its development? In what areas might magic cause more rapid technological or scientific development? How do the technology levels and scientific knowledge of non-human races compare to those of humans? Transportation & Communication What are the common domesticated animals used for transportation at various levels of society? Are there magical means of transportation? For travelling short distances within a city, what are the alternatives? How are messages sent when necessary? Is there a public or private postal system, or does everyone of importance have to send messengers? How fast can news get from one point to another? Are there magical means of communication? How common and reliable are they? How expensive? How available is water transportation? How common is travel (for any reason)? Does the concept of travelling just “to see the world” or for fun even exist? How dangerous is travel? How large a group is considered safe for travelling? How much traffic is there inside and outside the main cities? Which areas are the best and worst for travel? What is the fastest means of travelling long distances over land? Over water? What are the safest means of travel? What is transportation like? Are there good roads? Who builds them? Are there tolls? Are roads guarded or patrolled? Where would a traveller stay at night? Are there enough travellers to support inns, or do people have to stay at monasteries or others’ homes? Are some classes of people (slaves, peasants) who are not expected to travel at all? Are some (heralds, messengers) expected to travel constantly? How do people find out what is happening in the world? How slanted is the news they get this way, and in what direction? Is there freedom of the press? If not, who controls or censors it, by what means, and for what purpose? How are books produced? Are books common or are they valuable hand-written objects? Where are the great libraries and collections? Are the great libraries open to scholars, wizards, and/or the general public? Who supports the libraries?