Remember you have to point the tool at a target to use it, so some things (telescope, vacuum, metronome) may seem a little odd as a weapon. Not that screwdriver isn't!

Okay, here is a full list of 6, based (mostly) on engineering tools and components. Obviously, some of the names suck, too...

I focused most of them on aeon and sticking aeon, because, well... we have a whole skillset devoted to aeon and I think it'd be beneficial to the class if we had a way to reliably stick it:

Slipstream Inhibitor: If you POINT INHIBITOR AT it gives a 10% chance that any passive healing tick that would cure aeon will do nothing instead. You may stack up to 8 inhibitor effects on a target. Inhibitors are removed by leaving the room.

Temporal Capacitor: Any time an enemy in room cures a time warp, the Temporal Capacitor has a 25% chance of capturing it. If you POINT CAPACITOR AT , it gives all stored time warps to the target. If the Capacitor reaches a certain amount of charges or if charges remain for too long, it discharges the time warps onto you.

Quantum Resistor: If you POINT RESISTOR AT , their mind will randomly resist actions for the next 5-7s. Gives amnesia on a tick for 5-7s, approximately once every .75 to 1s.

Vector Oscillator: If you POINT OSCILLATOR AT , it increases the delay between commands in aeon by .25s. You may stack up to 3 oscillations on a target. Oscillations are cured the next time aeon is cured.

Particle Resonator: If you POINT RESONATOR AT , it forces 1 herb or group of herbs to silently resonate back into their personal rift.

Relativistic Amplifier: If you POINT AMPLIFIER AT , it amplifies any time warps that they currently have... possibly like a toned down time warp relapsing?

How would they correspond to 'paths' or 'schools' in the Institute?

Yeah... the names are not that great, they would need to be reworked to fit thematically. I don't feel like I know quite enough in-game about the Institute yet to really comment on or design things thematically around their schools.

I'm more of a mechanics guy. =(

My main point and goal was just to add things that had synergy with our unique skillset, Aeonics, and created more coherent strategies by allowing us a few ways to stick aeon for a bit longer or stack timewarps a bit more effectively.

You've got a very obvious approach to a "path" system there, in having a separation between theoretical scientists, experimental scientists, and engineers. They can all hang out together, but not-so-secretly each look down on the others. For kicks throw in a fourth group, the mathematicians.

Gosh, if I do dabble in an Institute alt, it's going to be hard not to make xkcd and Big Bang Theory allusions.

Psychology / neuroscience, too, plz.

Psychology is just a special case of biology is just a special case of chemistry is just a special case of physics.

Except... in Lusternia, I think that argument wouldn't hold nearly as much water.

Anyway, I think those four "paths" would be enough to start, and then people within them would subdivide as they saw fit from there. What would be seriously cool is if, like Transmology, they got slightly different skills. Perhaps those tools Estarra's talking about could be subdivided based on those kinds of specializations.

Line of sight aeon would be awesome:

Superstring Amplifier: POINT AMPLIFIER AT , afflicts the target with aeon as long as they are in your line of sight.

I created an alt in the Institute several days ago, and I can't begin to describe how much this thread has completely made me lose interest in it.

Seriously, folks, this has just gotten weird.

As the Aeromancers are also called the Centre for Aeromantic Engineering I thought they would have more of the engineer feel/focus.

Sorry, I like weird.

One of the reasons I like Lusternia so far is because it takes the basic skeleton of traditional fantasy tropes and themes, then fleshes that out with nontraditional ideas and otherwise disparate concepts.

There's "nontraditional" ideas and there's "why are we even doing this" ideas, and I think this discussion has boarded that second boat and set out at flank speed. Just my opinion of course.

But then again, I thought the basic presentation of the Researchers was cool as it was, understanding of course that something so new is going to be followed by a barrage of tweaks, rebalances, etc.

If having a swiss army knife of piezoelectric can openers shooting out your eyes or wherever we're at right now is the key to filling in some desperately needed RP and flavor gaps, I guess I wasn't really after the same things others might have been, guildwise.

...is just a special case of applied mathematics.

/xkcd

I really liked Estarra's original ideas... they were easier to make sense of :shrug: As mentioned going to any extremes isn't a good thing.

I think those categories (theoretical, experimental, engineer, mathematics) are too obtuse.

I'd rather the classifications be more simple or at least direct in energies/vibrations that may pass through the Matrix which the Institute taps into:

• Sonic - My least favorite really. Yes, I love the sonic screwdriver as an homage to Dr. Who but really sonic isn't a big theme with the Institute. Can we think of something else?
• Temporal - Obviously this makes a great deal of sense for the Institute.
• Dimensional - I think this also makes sense being that the Matrix exists in multiple dimensions.
• Spatial - I'm kind of meh on that but space is the partner to time. Can we think of something else?
• Void - I rather like the idea of negative energy.
• Positronic - I also think we need an opposition to negative energy. However, positronic is an Asmovian reference which may not be a direction we want to go and really is it how we want to reference 'positive energy' (positrons may have a 'positive' charge but are we going to get into positrons, electrons and photons?).

I don't think we want to specifically reference quantum, tachyon, gama rays, etc. into the Institute.

WRONG! We're philosophers.

Apparently...

What do you guys think of the "paths" representing some major division in the scientific thought of the institute. Perhaps the model which they use to view physical/magical phenomena could be this difference-- Something like (I'm not married to the names),

Vibrational theory - View the world as a result of different vibrational modes and intensities resulting from slight ripples in space-time. Tend to be "big-picture" people, as any change can result in larger disturbances. (Primarily Leaders)

Field theory - View existence in terms of conflicting force fields, containing various charges and intensities. Tend to be more confrontational, viewing undesirable occurrences as a result of unregulated fields. (Primarily fighters)

Particle theory - All matter is the result of small particles, and the interaction between the particles gives rise to all phenomena. Tend to micromanage, continuously seeking to understand and correct all matters. (Primarily doctors)

Fluid theory - The presence and intermixing of various aetheric fluids give the illusion of all phenomena we observe. Tend to be arbitrators, always seeking to ensure laminar flow of existence. (Primarily Ambassadors)

State theory - Strip all sensory shortcuts from their worldview, leaving only the pure data -- view things in objective terms, simply seeing the state of a thing before and after events occur. (Primarily Researchers)

Each of these could be tied to the "tool" they use (I'm not clever enough to think of any, at the moment). I think these theories give a bit more RP leeway, while staying in purely scientific territory.

Ileein and I came up with an idea to do a system of Colleges in the institute as advancement paths. For example:

College of Natural Sciences
College of Temporal Continuum
College of Arcane Metaphysics
College of Metaplanar and Transdimensional Physics

This is probably what we will end up doing for paths because they are broad enough that you can fit pretty much any topic of study under one of the colleges (medicine, planes, time, magic, whatever), and we already have the labs in the guild hall to support any RP you want to do in those areas. I think that is easier than trying to fit the guild to a set of tool themes (Estarra is continuing the brain storm, so it looks like we're probably going through with that), which I suppose is fine by me, though I much prefer wands. Just don't feel like you need to define that guild "paths" by the skill, which should give you all a lot more creative freedom.

I always picture Aeromancers as sort of architects/engineers. Much like the druids of the communes are responsible more for the physical aspects of the forests, the aeromancers govern the physical forces that make the impossible construction of Hallifax, possible.

The institute always struck me as more of the theorists and thinkers. They have big ideas, but they aren't necessarily practical or have any direct implications on the state of things- like Stephen Hawkings. The Aeromancers, conversely, would be more concerned with the application of things into physical reality.

This also plays to Aeromancers being more the artists. They would create works of precise beauty and functionality, bringing ideas into actual existence.

I don't think the philosophy involved in the Aeromancers was ever mean to be the focus of the Aeromancers, I think it was to be the method on how the Aeromancers approached science and engineering.