Particulate Purification and Manipulation
The process of continual refinement of condensed canisters of magical particulate with the intent of attaining a purity level for any manner of use, generalized into two categories: industrial-grade and weaponized-grade. Industrial grade canisters are "safer" levels of particulate purity, usually occupying the lower end of the purity spectrum, whereas their weaponized kin are the exact opposite at the high end. Almost, if not all technologies within the Meridian utilize particulate manipulation as an energy source of some degree, be it as a fuel or augmentation to achieve "spell-like" outputs. All applications of particulate manipulation - while varied - follow the same general premise and principles. Whatever the desired end-result may be, platforms of magic always require a fuel catalyst to function, be it as a propellant for physical projectiles to the destabilization of elemental bonds. Said platforms are not exclusive to warfare though are most often associated to the same, either employed in the form of "guns" or as their more practical civilian technologies. Both implementations are identical in design in that they are powered by an evocation source to function, though this similarity also serves as the fine line between peaceful and hostile use. Evocation fuel, like any canister of particulate is divided into several "grades" of refinement detailing how pure a particular source of particulate is, measured as a percentage of primary particulate compared to other secondary "intrusive" particulate; the less secondary particulate within a canister, the more pure, potent, and unstable the canister becomes. Lower grade canisters are more stable and are often the preferred source of sustainable fuel for most day-to-day equipment, while higher unstable grades are reserved for applications that demand a more "explosive" output. The latter category of which is dominated by weapons to include "guns" that all require a high-energy output in a very short period of time for the desired effect. Any school of magic can serve the role of fuel should the purity grade be sufficient, though Evocation has been designated as the go-to power source. Not only is it by nature more unstable thus operating at the same output as higher grades of other magic schools, it is also fairly easy to come by being the byproduct of most manufacturing processes. If one were to utilize any school of magic other than Evocation as an energy source, they would require a purity of near-90% which is entirely unfeasible to sustain the extreme market demand for fuel; Evocation however can continue to output sufficient power so long as the purity is above 60%, a grade that is relatively easy to achieve. Evocation has such a potential for unsavory utilization because of its lower grade threshold to become "weaponized" that many restrictions and safety edicts were issued to severely limit its production, effectively making it so that only individuals possessing the correct licensure can purchase it: endorsements usually reserved for well-established Houses and Alchemists. Consequently, it is the most popular product on the black market, as the obscene open market fees and tariffs imposed on the sole manufacturer that is Autonon forces them to upmark their fuels beyond reason so that they can turn a profit.
In general, Particulate Purification is categorized into four levels of refinement: Grade 1, 2, 3, and Depleted "Grade 4". The percentages for each grade and common abbreviations are as follows:
Grade 1 = 81-100%
Grade 2 = 61-80%
Grade 3 = 41-60%
Depleted "Grade 4" = 0-40%
Evocation = Ev
Enchantment = En
Abjuration = A
Conjuration = C
Divination = D
Necromancy = N
Illusion = I
Transmutation = T
Examples: Ev-60 (Grade 3 Evocation at 60% purity), A-75 (Grade 2 Abjuration at 75% purity), T-40 (Grade 4 Transmutation at 40% purity)
Grades 1 through 3 are pure enough to be utilized for their desired school of magic, whereas Grade 4 is so diluted and unrefined that catalyzing a specific school of particulate is extremely difficult to nigh impossible and thus requires purification. Grade 1 is often used in weapons or high-functioning machinations, such as Intelligence Archives, Lensing Arrays, and Stratum Casting to name a few notable applications. Enchantment and Divination are the exception to this generalization, requiring Grade 1 for industrial uses as explained next. Grade 2 typically is the designated industrial grade for many of the schools with the exception of Transmutation, Enchantment, and Divination, utilized as an energy source for manufacturing processes, recyclers, or other "large" applications. It is also worth noting that Evocation is the only school that can function as a fuel source for high-functioning machines at this grade. Grade 3 is for all else, widely available at resale across the Meridian to power common household appliances and basic equipment. Transmutation is the exception to this rule, able to employ relatively unpure canisters for almost all of their basic industrial needs. Grade 4 is utterly useless to every school of magic and must be purified. Grades 1 and 2 must be refined outside of civilian centers as the risk of catastrophe and pollution is beyond tolerance, while Grade 3 can safely be purified within city walls. Many Houses are perfectly content with a modest supply of Grade 2 particulate, as the majority of energy comes from Evocation, making it the most widely refined particulate across the Meridian. For warfare, there are three categories of weapons with two subcategories each. As a general rule of thumb, most of these weapons require at least a Grade 2 Evocation Fuel source to function, incurring a base 5% purity loss for each use that only increases with the weapon's complexity by an additional 5% for each "level" higher. The weapons are as follow: Casters = Guns designed for pure magical output, be it through raw damage or the emulation of spells. They almost exclusively operate in the Grade 1 range, allowing any school of magic to be a fuel source so long as the purity is sufficient. -Magic Casters = Casters designed for intense particulate destabilization with the intent of expelling high amounts of magic damage. The gun's design dictates the damage type, damage output, and fuel required for use. Evocation casters will continue to operate in Grade 2, though at a degraded capacity (half damage). -Spell Casters = Casters designed to emulate the effects of spells. In this case, the fuel canister simply must be a Grade 1 match of the spell's school of magic to function properly. The gun's design dictates what spell is outputted, though the "level" of the spell cast is determines the fuel usage, with an additional 5% fuel used for every additional level higher than cantrip. Cantrip casters can use Grade 2 Evocation fuel regardless of the cantrip's native school of magic, whereas all other spells must use Grade 1 purity matching the spell's school of magic. These are the only guns subject to counterspells. Drivers = Guns designed for a balanced output of magic and physical damage. They require a fuel source to function like all weapons, but also must be equipped with the appropriate Glass Focus to determine the damage output, damage type, and fuel use. The physical damage and focus size limits however are dictated by the gun's design; as a general rule of thumb for Drivers, the damage dice of the focus and the damage dice of the gun must always match, lest one of the two breaks. Higher calibers of drivers contributes to the attack bonus starting from 10mm and increasing bonus by 2 for every 3mm increase. Due to the sensitive nature of the focus, any weapon failure could result in the focus shattering, thus requiring replacement (natural 1s). Drivers are further divided into two types: -Drivers = The same rules as above apply, except these guns cannot be readied for attack. -Predrivers = The same rules as above apply, except these guns must always be readied for attack. Locks = Guns designed for pure physical damage, requiring a fuel source like all others to function, but also must be equipped with a Metal Core to determine the damage output. Any core can be outfitted to any lock so long as the sizes match, though the lock itself is what dictates the damage. The core type does not contribute to any damage, but does add a special property to the attack depending on the material its made of. The size of the lock determines the fuel usage. Shotlocks - Single-cored guns that can use a reaction to re-roll an attack. If the second attack does not make it, the core will break. Blastlocks - Multi-cored guns that can chain multiple attacks dependent on the number of installed cores. Alternatively, the user can choose to poll all the attacks together into 1 roll for a massive attack. If the roll fails, roll a dice equal to the number of installed cores; the result is how many cores break.
Grade 2 = 61-80%
Grade 3 = 41-60%
Depleted "Grade 4" = 0-40%
Evocation = Ev
Enchantment = En
Abjuration = A
Conjuration = C
Divination = D
Necromancy = N
Illusion = I
Transmutation = T
Examples: Ev-60 (Grade 3 Evocation at 60% purity), A-75 (Grade 2 Abjuration at 75% purity), T-40 (Grade 4 Transmutation at 40% purity)
(From left to right, Conjurative (Green), Necromatic (Blue), Evocative (Red), Divine (White), Transmuted (Orange))
Grades 1 through 3 are pure enough to be utilized for their desired school of magic, whereas Grade 4 is so diluted and unrefined that catalyzing a specific school of particulate is extremely difficult to nigh impossible and thus requires purification. Grade 1 is often used in weapons or high-functioning machinations, such as Intelligence Archives, Lensing Arrays, and Stratum Casting to name a few notable applications. Enchantment and Divination are the exception to this generalization, requiring Grade 1 for industrial uses as explained next. Grade 2 typically is the designated industrial grade for many of the schools with the exception of Transmutation, Enchantment, and Divination, utilized as an energy source for manufacturing processes, recyclers, or other "large" applications. It is also worth noting that Evocation is the only school that can function as a fuel source for high-functioning machines at this grade. Grade 3 is for all else, widely available at resale across the Meridian to power common household appliances and basic equipment. Transmutation is the exception to this rule, able to employ relatively unpure canisters for almost all of their basic industrial needs. Grade 4 is utterly useless to every school of magic and must be purified. Grades 1 and 2 must be refined outside of civilian centers as the risk of catastrophe and pollution is beyond tolerance, while Grade 3 can safely be purified within city walls. Many Houses are perfectly content with a modest supply of Grade 2 particulate, as the majority of energy comes from Evocation, making it the most widely refined particulate across the Meridian. For warfare, there are three categories of weapons with two subcategories each. As a general rule of thumb, most of these weapons require at least a Grade 2 Evocation Fuel source to function, incurring a base 5% purity loss for each use that only increases with the weapon's complexity by an additional 5% for each "level" higher. The weapons are as follow: Casters = Guns designed for pure magical output, be it through raw damage or the emulation of spells. They almost exclusively operate in the Grade 1 range, allowing any school of magic to be a fuel source so long as the purity is sufficient. -Magic Casters = Casters designed for intense particulate destabilization with the intent of expelling high amounts of magic damage. The gun's design dictates the damage type, damage output, and fuel required for use. Evocation casters will continue to operate in Grade 2, though at a degraded capacity (half damage). -Spell Casters = Casters designed to emulate the effects of spells. In this case, the fuel canister simply must be a Grade 1 match of the spell's school of magic to function properly. The gun's design dictates what spell is outputted, though the "level" of the spell cast is determines the fuel usage, with an additional 5% fuel used for every additional level higher than cantrip. Cantrip casters can use Grade 2 Evocation fuel regardless of the cantrip's native school of magic, whereas all other spells must use Grade 1 purity matching the spell's school of magic. These are the only guns subject to counterspells. Drivers = Guns designed for a balanced output of magic and physical damage. They require a fuel source to function like all weapons, but also must be equipped with the appropriate Glass Focus to determine the damage output, damage type, and fuel use. The physical damage and focus size limits however are dictated by the gun's design; as a general rule of thumb for Drivers, the damage dice of the focus and the damage dice of the gun must always match, lest one of the two breaks. Higher calibers of drivers contributes to the attack bonus starting from 10mm and increasing bonus by 2 for every 3mm increase. Due to the sensitive nature of the focus, any weapon failure could result in the focus shattering, thus requiring replacement (natural 1s). Drivers are further divided into two types: -Drivers = The same rules as above apply, except these guns cannot be readied for attack. -Predrivers = The same rules as above apply, except these guns must always be readied for attack. Locks = Guns designed for pure physical damage, requiring a fuel source like all others to function, but also must be equipped with a Metal Core to determine the damage output. Any core can be outfitted to any lock so long as the sizes match, though the lock itself is what dictates the damage. The core type does not contribute to any damage, but does add a special property to the attack depending on the material its made of. The size of the lock determines the fuel usage. Shotlocks - Single-cored guns that can use a reaction to re-roll an attack. If the second attack does not make it, the core will break. Blastlocks - Multi-cored guns that can chain multiple attacks dependent on the number of installed cores. Alternatively, the user can choose to poll all the attacks together into 1 roll for a massive attack. If the roll fails, roll a dice equal to the number of installed cores; the result is how many cores break.
(A typical Magic Caster)
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