If what you're asking is "would my monk character be able to learn to cast magick using thaumaturgy, arcanima, or conjury":
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If what you're asking is "would my monk character be able to use chakra techniques to throw fireballs at range [like Fire], heal people [like Cure], or cause maladies [like Bio]", then here's my take:
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SpoilerA given person's aptitude in magick is determined by their "aetheric potential"/"aetheric surplus". This is the amount of aether about their person which is "spare".
Every living thing has a certain amount of aether which makes up what I guess we'd call a soul. This is necessary to keep them alive, and cannot be used to, for example, cast a fireball; because to do so would strip the person doing the casting of something that's keeping them alive, and promptly kill them. It'd be like ripping your heart out and throwing it at someone as some kind of offensive missile.
Some living things have aether about their person which is "theirs", but which isn't strictly necessary to keep them, you know, alive. This is their aetheric surplus, and this is what is used to cast spells with.
Others don't have an aetheric surplus at all [THM quests cover one such individual]. A person's aetheric surplus can also be temporarily exhausted [CNJ quests show this happening], and trying to continue spellcasting past this barrier will cause death [a fairly major plot point in the CNJ quests].
Now... I've only done one part of the MNK quest chain, so I don't know much about chakra yet. But any form of aether manipulation is likely to require at least a small aetheric surplus on the part of the user.
My instinct is to say that most people who use chakra techniques would also be able to learn to cast spells, and if you wanted your character to be one of them then it wouldn't raise any eyebrows. The only thing is a matter of how long it takes to learn a new discipline, and the fact they'd have to carry a spell focus (like a sceptre) around with them to do it.
Every living thing has a certain amount of aether which makes up what I guess we'd call a soul. This is necessary to keep them alive, and cannot be used to, for example, cast a fireball; because to do so would strip the person doing the casting of something that's keeping them alive, and promptly kill them. It'd be like ripping your heart out and throwing it at someone as some kind of offensive missile.
Some living things have aether about their person which is "theirs", but which isn't strictly necessary to keep them, you know, alive. This is their aetheric surplus, and this is what is used to cast spells with.
Others don't have an aetheric surplus at all [THM quests cover one such individual]. A person's aetheric surplus can also be temporarily exhausted [CNJ quests show this happening], and trying to continue spellcasting past this barrier will cause death [a fairly major plot point in the CNJ quests].
Now... I've only done one part of the MNK quest chain, so I don't know much about chakra yet. But any form of aether manipulation is likely to require at least a small aetheric surplus on the part of the user.
My instinct is to say that most people who use chakra techniques would also be able to learn to cast spells, and if you wanted your character to be one of them then it wouldn't raise any eyebrows. The only thing is a matter of how long it takes to learn a new discipline, and the fact they'd have to carry a spell focus (like a sceptre) around with them to do it.
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If what you're asking is "would my monk character be able to use chakra techniques to throw fireballs at range [like Fire], heal people [like Cure], or cause maladies [like Bio]", then here's my take:
Show Content
SpoilerA given physical manifestation of aether comes about from a given recipe - e.g. using the Fire spell as an example for this post, it comes about from the following recipe:
And that's the recipe for safely doing that thing [producing a fireball and then throwing it].
I think if you tried to use chakra techniques to cast a fireball, it'd end up looking like standard magicks anyway by the time you managed to successfully and safely create a fireball outside of yourself and then throw it at someone.
Because chakra techniques are for chakra, and fireball techniques are for fireballs.
Either that or you'd end up blowing yourself up if you tried, because you fire-aspected the aether before it left your body?? Am I understanding any of this right???
a physical spell focus [like a staff, sceptre, or grimoire]
+
the spellcaster's concentration on expelling part of their own aetheric surplus into that spell focus
+
the spellcaster's concentration on fire-aspecting that aether
+
the physical motion to fling that fire-aspected aether at the enemy
+
the spellcaster's concentration on expelling part of their own aetheric surplus into that spell focus
+
the spellcaster's concentration on fire-aspecting that aether
+
the physical motion to fling that fire-aspected aether at the enemy
And that's the recipe for safely doing that thing [producing a fireball and then throwing it].
I think if you tried to use chakra techniques to cast a fireball, it'd end up looking like standard magicks anyway by the time you managed to successfully and safely create a fireball outside of yourself and then throw it at someone.
Because chakra techniques are for chakra, and fireball techniques are for fireballs.
Either that or you'd end up blowing yourself up if you tried, because you fire-aspected the aether before it left your body?? Am I understanding any of this right???
![[Image: tUzrT.png]](https://puu.sh/tUzrT.png)
