Magitech Armor. How does it work?

lordnightmare · January 2018

Replaying through Resistance and taking a bit of time to see how all of the APs connect together and with the (New to me) story of the Warzone, I remembered that Shadow Destroyer was mentioned to be a technological and magical genius with his armor being a fusing of the two.

Both wear mighty armor, though Dr. Destroyer’s is purely technological and Shadow Destroyer’s is an odd fusion of enchantment and technology.

-Villains 1: Master Villains

Naturally his sheet has this represented as Shadow Armor but we never get any detail as to how this is created or feasible. Is it simply enchanted? Are there other examples of Magitech armor that could provide a baseline?

bulgarex · January 2018

Various Champions books point out that technology and sorcery are such radically different disciplines, most experts in one don't really comprehend the other. However, there are individuals, and even whole civilizations, who have or claim to have discovered some common principles between them, and can combine them in innovative ways. For example, the scientists of the dimension of Lythrum utilize a mystical "dark energy" in their technology. Some Earthly scientists theorize that Lythrum's dark matter is naturally suffused with magic, but don't truly grasp how Lythruman tech works. The Elder Worm have "sorcerer-engineers" on their starships, since it's unclear where science ends and magic begins with their tech. (The armored "humidity suits" worn by Worm on Earth probably function much the same.) It's also unclear whether the Worm even make a distinction between the two disciplines. (Such details as there are of Worm technology can be found in Champions Beyond, and that of Lythrum in Book Of The Empress.)

As the above suggests, the precise mechanics of how all this functions are rarely defined, and vary from example to example. In the case of the "technomancer" Gyre, a member of the Devil's Advocates villain team (Champions Villains Vol. II), she's both an accomplished magician and physicist. She utilizes talismans combining electrical and mechanical devices with gems and mystic sigils, and specializes in spells that redirect energy and warp space in circular or spiraling vortices. The master villain Professor Paradigm (CV Vol. 1) theorizes that magic is actually just a higher-order science which isn't rationally understood yet. Although having no skill with magic himself, through his studies he's created a powered-armor suit which appears to duplicate the effects of some well-known "supermagic" spells, through tech alone.

Some human scientists believe the sorcery of the Lemurians is actually a form of science, because the physical trappings of it superficially resemble technology. In fact it's wholly magical; but at least one Lemurian sorcerer, Baelrath (called "the Blasphemer" by his detractors) has fashioned a suit of enchanted armor incorporating some technology, although that's more a case of both working simultaneously rather than being fused in principle. It's possible that the same is true for Shadow Destroyer, since he has spell-casting ability separate from the powers in his armor. (Baelrath is in the section on the Lemurians in Hidden Lands.)

I hope that was of some help to you. If you want to discuss this further, feel free to post followups.

lordnightmare · January 2018

In other words, for many extraterrestrials it's less a fusion of both and more simply how things work and for the rest it's not exactly Magitech and is more close to the idea of enchanted or blessed armor/weapons which function relatively fine on their own and just have that extra kick from the magic side.

Only in this case instead of enchanting some iron armor worn by random paladin no. 413 we're enchanting Iron Man.

bulgarex · January 2018

Well, yes, and no. For some what you say applies, for others it really is a fusion. Like the aforementioned Gyre, who has indeed discovered commonalities between some elements of both disciplines. She believes studying that path will ultimately lead to her apprehending the fundamental principles governing Reality. Lythruman scientists and magicians both tap the dark energy native to their universe. Earthly scientists who have studied Lythruman technology don't understand why and how magic functions as part of it, but it is part of it. Elder Worm tech is very nearly as powerful as that of the Malvans, the most scientifically advanced civilization in the galaxy; but their forms and functions are radically different, due to the Qliphothic magic the Worm incorporate in it.

I guess the bottom line is, magic and science can be fused if one has the necessary insight. But that insight is extremely rare in practitioners of either discipline, unless their circumstances make it more likely or more common.

Unknown · January 2018

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bulgarex · February 2018

However, as I always say, this is a comic-book-based world. Rare and exceptional circumstances and coincidences are commonplace for supers. If you have a rationale for something that fits the genre, is logical, and most importantly, looks cool, then it works.

lordnightmare · February 2018

Oh totally I was just a little curious since there's not much mentioned outside of the few and rare examples. Might actually need to call on you for a little help in my boy's sheet.

markhawkman · February 2018

Even Tony Stark has gotten in on it in the comics. Though in his case it's a "backup mystical power supply" that he used.

Oooh... Gargoyles! In that TV show they used the (as stated by Puck) principle; "Energy is energy, whether created by magic or science." Which meant that forcefields created using Xanatos's tech could stop energy blasts from Oberon, and vice versa....

bulgarex · February 2018

In the old Rom: Spaceknight comic-book series, Rom's "Neutralizer" weapon could neutralize energy from any source, whether science or magic. There are many other precedents from comics over the years. But the real point is to advance an interesting, entertaining story. I know I'm repetitive, but IMO it's worth repeating that lore should be a springboard, not a strait jacket. If changing a precedent in the lore makes for a better story, the genre provides plenty of room for exceptions if there's logic behind them.

markhawkman · February 2018

I forget where I heard it but I remember someone doing a powered armor variant where it had been enchanted by a wizard to have a mystical barrier protecting it.

bulgarex · February 2018

If you want to look at Champions precedents for that kind of combination, Robert Caliburn is an outstanding example. Before he became Archmage, the "Magnum Mage" carried a Colt .45 semiautomatic pistol consecrated by the Angel of Death, Azrael; and an Uzi submachine gun blessed by Shiva, Hindu god of destruction. Both weapons were thus rendered more deadly than normal, and never ran out of ammo. Caliburn had also enchanted his Ka-Bar combat knife to function as an athame, a ceremonial blade used in spell casting, which could also "cut" ghosts and other spirits, and even magic spells. Caliburn could summon any of these weapons to himself at will.

Magitech Armor. How does it work?

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