Friday, February 21, 2014

Math Again... But with Magic

This seems to be a recurring theme of mine. It's not like I intentionally set out to intertwine mathematics into my stories, but things sort of end up that way.
Anywho, this time we've got the formulas used by the ancient Mages of Quetl, a group of elves who arrived in the world of Sarant several thousands of years ago. Unfortunately for them, the actions of one enterprising young mage and her half-elf sons resulted in their extinction, though there are a few people in the modern age who still use their method of spell craft.
The basic formula: Life force of ingredients multiplied by Astral energy summoned by willpower equals the energy effect. My bright idea, thanks to pre-calculus homework the other night, was to use matrices for combining the values that go into an ingredient's life force.
                        [Ingredient Type
Astral energy (   Substance Grade    x    [Classification  Part  Amount] )
                         Freshness]

The values multiply into a 3 by 3 matrix, which is added to the matrices of any other ingredients, then multiplied by the coefficient of the astral energy. Then we take the determinant of that matrix, leaving us with a single number which, divided by 100, equals the lasting energy effect of the spell.

...

Awful lot of work for something I could just as easily do without, isn't it? Oh well, as long as I've got it, I'll find a use for it, in one of the twenty-odd books that will go into this series...
Good luck with your own musings,
-Triscribe

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