"Magical" Uplifted?

[Nyrufa]

So I haven't read much into Pugmire, and I'm not sure whether magic in this setting is actual magic, or just human technology that far surpasses canine understanding.

And I just had a thought about whether or not there might be any sort of Uplifted creatures who have a more magical significance. Or, failing that, if they used their technology on such a scale that the test subjects merely appear to be magical from an uneducated perspective?

Like, say for example... what if somebody attempted to recreate the Black Hounds of Baskerville?

[Willowfang]

Been awhile since I read the book, but some items are just technology, but I think there's really magic there too

Some items have limited uses, so those are or can certainly be tech items

But the spells and most items would be actual magic

I'd have to pour over the book again to get examples tho

[Nyrufa]

But awhile since I read the book, but some items are just technology, but I think there's really magic there too

Some items have limited uses, so those are or can certainly be tech items

But the spells and most items would be actual magic

I'd have to pour over the book again to get examples tho

Glowing Tablets containing the world's knowledge = Apple Ipad

[Willowfang]

Def a lot of tech, but I think there's real magic there too

[wyrdhamster]

Did not read Pugmire Corebook, per se, only Monarchies of Mau Early Access, but...

And I just had a thought about whether or not there might be any sort of Uplifted creatures who have a more magical significance. Or, failing that, if they used their technology on such a scale that the test subjects merely appear to be magical from an uneducated perspective?

You basically describe here Cats as Uplifted Race.

Dogs (from spoilers I read) are much more 'medieval England rationalists' - they believe in 'God' ( i.e. Man ), use some 'magical' ( i.e. technology ) things, but most of the time they are in medieval Europe mind frame. They have their Church of Man, they are Good Dogs, they plant seeds and rise the cows - and that's it.

On contrast, Cats are much more mystical inclined:

1. They 'see' the Unseen, i.e. 'demons'. And they treat it as real problem to their lives. Contrary to Dogs that are much more 'earth-bound' and obvious.
2. Cats believe in Nine Lives. They follow real reincarnation/karmic circle belief you will be reborn in others lives. This only points they think much more mystically, like: 'Is this action will affect my future Lives? Will it not?'
3. Cats have even 'bad' Necromancers and Monk-class equivalents archetypes from get go. It highlight they are much more interested in 'magic' and philosophies than your typical Dog.

[Nyrufa]

Did not read Pugmire Corebook, per se, only Monarchies of Mau Early Access, but...



You basically describe here Cats as Uplifted Race. Dogs (from spoilers I read) are much more 'medieval England rationalists' - they believe in 'God' ( i.e. Man ), use some 'magical' ( i.e. technology ) things, but most of the time they are in medieval Europe mind frame. They have their Church of Man, they are Good Dogs, they plant seeds and rise the cows - and that's it.

On contrast, Cats are much more mystical inclined:

1. They 'see' the Unseen, i.e. 'demons'. And they treat as real problem to their lives. Contrary to Dogs that are much more 'earth-bound' and obvious.
2. Cats believe in Nine Lives. They follow real reincarnation/karmic circle belief you will be reborn in others lives. This only points they think much more mystically, like: 'Is this action will affect my future Lives? Will it not?'
3. Cats have even 'bad' Necromancers and Monk-class equivalents from get go. It highlight they are much more interested in 'magic' and philosophies than your typical Dog.

Heh, and I thought they'd be more focused on material pursuits over spiritual matters.

I do like the 9 lives reincarnation angle, though!

[lightjammer]

Note that while they believe in nine lives it isn't actually true!

[wyrdhamster]

Note that while they believe in nine lives it isn't actually true!

Are you sure? Monarchies of Mau describes 'Demons' as real thing, Cats are fighting with. If Dogs do not percive 'Demons', they could also do not simply see Nine Lives cycle. Or that Nine Lives are only for Cats - as they are soooo mystical race.

[Willowfang]

Thought they had it that dogs could sense the unseen and when they bark at nothing now, in Pugmire, they were barking at demons

[Damian May]

Thought they had it that dogs could sense the unseen and when they bark at nothing now, in Pugmire, they were barking at demons

Dogs can definetely smell and hear the Unseen.....not sure if Cats can also see them as I haven't read my copy of MoM yet.

[Tim4488]

To my understanding, the tech-as-magic or real-magic line is deliberately fuzzy to allow GMs to adjust to their own tastes. It is very easy to run Pugmire as straight medieval fantasy with very little allusion to the leftover human tech, it would also not be hard to say that all magic is actually just Sufficiently Advanced Technology if you wanted to play it that way. My game was probably about 80% magic-is-magic with the super-advanced-tech-as-magic thing only coming in a few times.

In both cases the Unseen are a real threat to dogs and cats both.

[John Parker]

I am still working up to running my first game, but I am taking this angle for technology vs. magic. Pugmire is set in the distant future. So the human technology that they are discovering is well beyond what we have today. We can only imagine what that tech will be and it will likely function through means that we don't understand today - essentially functioning like magic. For example, the glowing tablet is essentially an iPad, but probably not the one we are using to comment on this forum. It is more likely the future equivalent of an iPad that doesn't require recharging in a 110 outlet - maybe it uses something mundane: solar cells or haptic input, or something more known, but unharnessed like gravity or boson fields, or maybe it uses something we haven't discovered yet. So the inhabitants of the Realms of Pugmire perceive the technology they encounter as magic, because they don't understand it, and that technology functions like magic to us since it hasn't been invented yet. This frees the Guide to claim all manner of magic as technology if they feel bound to a non-magical universe.

[wyrdhamster]

Note that while they believe in nine lives it isn't actually true!

After reading my Mau corebook on the matter - Main games line is that Cats belief in Nine Lives is only society construct. BUT corebook points in 'official' hacks section that Cats having real reincarnation is totally doable - simply next character get's at least one Secret ( with all refinements ) from previous life, for free. In my games, Cats Nine Lives are game fact.

Which rises question what happened to the soul of Trilliani Persian Von Mau, First Monarch of Unified Mau that died in last year...

[John Parker]

Which rises question what happened to the soul of Trilliani Persian Von Mau, First Monarch of Unified Mau that died in last year...

That sounds like a good reason to use the hack in your game - could provide a great story line.