Bay 12 Games Forum

Gremlins would likely pull levers for just for the lulz.

Goblins for similar reasons but likely with more intent and an attempt at tactics, 'Oy yew git stop yanken dat one, its choppen up all our boyz!"

Kobalds might if they get curious enough. I mean you covered it in all kinds of shiny so it must be 'special!'

At this point children would have to be manufactured instead of born to those who had severe or uncommon alterations. Now I doubt that baseline humanity would disappear assuming they weren't killed or or forced to ascend/integrate (the opinions of certain transhumanists on this matter frankly worry me at times.)

Also... yes we do need more good looking redheads, for greater genetic diversity! and stuff. I also suspect that natural blonds no longer have a selective edge due to preponderance of 'bottle blonds'. Hmm I wonder if japan will lead the way by just inventing blue haired people, along with catfolk, and robots.

Perhaps the goblins eventually and imperceptibly grow into trolls... or perhaps they are merely yet another, more ingrained conquest of their kidnapping enterprises?

So who's up for quantum computing? Seriously by that point it may become easier to invade other brane spaces or collapse them into our own.

For I have Tasted the Fungus!

I would assume that unless you choose to start the game in year 1 a great number of words will already have been conveniently collected and studied for you by NPC sages, wizards, ect... Questing for some of the more esoteric or unknown words would be an option I imagine but it would probably be more convenient to just find some great mage and convince him to teach you enough words to get by.

Besides its not like the mayor or king of some town is just going to give you a spell word for an ogre head or some predetermined number of wolf tails. If you are questing for spell words you would likely be doing your own research like exploring ancient ruins, climbing mountains to commune with gods and prophets, searching libraries and temples, or going on vision/dreamquests to unseen lands and higher planes.

The yellow god was not included in the game, every color magic has a corresponding Ancient. In an Escapist interveiw a fifth yellow god was confirmed:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_60/356-Theres-a-Lot-More-to-Tell.3

Besides Wikipedia spoiled me after I beat the campaign tonight and something felt... lacking. I looked it up and sure enough I've got more Darkness coming on. Just hope those Silicon Knights stop fooling around with Too Human and get sequential on this series.

Anyhow back on topic, The predictability of magic is a problem but this is why I suggested a randomized magic or rune language (perhaps the primal code of the universe.) Even without skill related failure (always a probability) there is that knowledge boundary to surpass. Not only must you discover and collect magic words but discovering their meaning through scientific trial and error could be hazardous to, well... everything.

Pargon Pargon Tier Chutigna Pargon

Indeed I like this idea. If we could combine it with a sanity system, magic flows (or winds of watever) an engraving system I would like this. However, like someone said it could be seen as too restrictive or formulaic, or cheep (seriously if you have enough magic power to pull a 17 word long spell sentence out your ass then you probable deserve it.)
I could see this becoming a programing problem with word combos becoming too complex for rational people. However that is why you use randomizers. Let the game decide what a particular word means in this world, attach spheres too it and then proceed to extrapolate out possible effects of the most likely combinations. Then comes the real fun as player characters and NPCs try to figure out what each word means without blowing themselves and the local landscape to hell, or summoning an elder god, or going mad, or drowning in pudding, or turning into a butterfly...