How do magic and technology work in Arcanum?
Magic and technology are opposites. Magic bends physical law to the will of the mage. Technology depends on physical law. And, in the fantasy world of Arcanum the use of technology reinforces physical law, countering the effect of magic. The spell Stone Missile works by summoning a small rock out of thin air (physically impossible!), and then accelerating the rock to high speed along a finely controlled trajectory, merely by force of will (also physically impossible). In contrast, a gun takes advantage of several physical laws to achieve the same ends. In Arcanum each use of magic weakens physical law, and each use of technology reinforces it. This dichotomy is directly built into the gameplay. To model this in a fun, and not overly complex manner, the state of physical law is tied to the people who change it. A practiced mage weakens the law, and that weakness of physical law becomes a part of the mage, following him wherever he goes. A studied technologist reinforces the law, and tha
