Alternate Etheric Science

By Jimmy McKinney (vorlon@iglou.com)

Introduction

In discussions of the Sons/Children/Persons/Team of Ether, most people are at a loss to think of any other characterizations than the Mad Scientist stereotype. While there is nothing wrong with this sort of SoE (they are in fact, my favorite sort), I am probably not helping matters by posting all sorts of information and stories about this type. Therefore, whilst brainstorming just before bed last night, and about 10 minutes this morning, I wrote up a list of some alternate styles of ether Science, and came up with some interesting thoughts. A lot of these have been covered elsewhere (especially the SoE tradbook), but I'm making very little attempt to comply with these portrayals. After all, if they were the most memorable portrayals, I wouldn't need to write this. Note that none of this is set in stone -- no reason a pulp hero can't be a Victorian ethernaut too, for example -- but are meant as general guidelines to help those who are having trouble.

Ether mages may be divided into several broad categories. The most common of these mages -- the mad scientists -- would fall into the category of experimentalist or reasearcher. These guys may employ the entire gamut of Weird, Fringe, and Pseudo Sciences (see later for details) depending on temperament. There are, however, others that also fit next to them.

Radical Scientists

The first of these is the one I like to call the Radical Scientist. In a laboratory setting, Radical Scientists tend to look indistinguishable from their mundane or technocratic counterparts. They employ fringe science and radical science to explore the boundaries of Science. These are the men and women in the world's labs that can steer an average mundane experiment into the realm of Etheric Science. Typically, they specialize in some field like physics or chemistry, and work to further the goals of the SoE by proposing radical or fringe theories to do so. These guys are the opposite of technocratic scientists that sabotage SoE theories in the labs. They rarely if ever get vulgar, and rarely attract attention to themselves or their part in a radical new theory (if the theory itself attracts the world's attention, that's fine)

Abilities: Knowledges, especially medical or scientific knowledges of 4+, are a must, as with most SoEs. Computer is another typical aptitude in today's laboratory environment.

Spheres: Radical Scientists tend to have one highly developed sphere or two, and very little in anything else. These spheres are related to the area of specialization, of course.

Foci: Lots of high-tech equipment to test theories with. The theory itself may serve as a focus in most cases.

Examples: Cold Fusion, the film Chain Reaction, Nikola Tesla (though not lab oriented, and more visible than average), amateurs that explore helical coil field dynamics and the like.

Armchair Scientists

These are rather odd scientists; most don't experiment, and some rarely use their Scientific capabilities at all! Usually these scientists are purely theoretical, prefering to concentrate on ideas rather than testing or application. This is the most likely sort to be found in Victorian style men's clubs, discussing this or that new Scientist or Experiment over cognac and a pipe. Not always though, some are found in labs, indistinguishable from other types of Scientists. The best of them can so capture the world's imagination that they subvert the technocratic paradigm practically by opening their mouth.

Abilities: A broad knowledge of current theories in the whole scientific community is useful. Otherwise, it's painfully apparent to your colleagues that you are discussing something you know nothing about.

Spheres: These Scientists use their Magick so infrequently, it's hard to say what they have. The most likely choice is that they are strong in mind magicks, both to convince others of their validity, and to develop their theories and defend them by self-enhancement.

Foci: Who knows? If anything, these are the most likely mages to use a theory as a focus. Other possibilities might include published papers and roughly sketched diagrams to back up and illustrate your points.

Examples: Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, Quantum Physics, Dark Matter as the lost Ether, tachyons as a loophole in technocratic relativity.

Parapsychologists

Obsessed with exploring the supernatural, these mages experiment and research into paranormal activity and record their observations. They are the most likely to run into the other denizens of the WoD, and the most likely to be attacked by same. Less obviously, the more loose cannons among them often have close ties to such elements as the Cult of Ecstacy, for example for exploring the effects of LSD-type drugs upon ESP potentials of sleepers. These Scientists are also the most likely to turn Gung-Ho if they don't like what they find, and use their science to attack other races.

Abilities: Research, Technology, Investigation, and Science (usually psychology and parapsychology)

Spheres: Mind for ESP research, Spirit/Entropy for ghostly areas. Time is used in pre/post cognition, Forces for exploring PKE or telekinetic energies.

Foci: A wide array of technological devices, some mundane, some not. Such things as Kirlian lenses, infrared film, PKE valence meters, and deck of standard ESP testing cards.

The Educators

Besides the experimental and researcher Scientists, the tradition also includes those who have dedicated their careers to educating others. Though they run the entire spectrum from bizarre to mundane, there are two who work in tandem that I'd like to explore.

Wizards

At an early age, children are often fascinated by science. The wisest among the Sons of Ether recognize this as a crucial time: If the children are encouraged to develop and explore, they may hold this love for science their entire lives. If on the other hand they are given an image of science as "nerdy," they may turn away from it and propogate this view further the older they grow, becoming less and less likely to exceed the technocratic paradigm in any way...even mystickal ways.

Therefore, the Scientists commonly known as Wizards (after the television show Ask Mr. Wizard [Author: actually, I have a poor memory for names like this. It could be Mr. Wizard's World or some other such variation] that performed this function) teach children the wonders and joy of Science. Though they do throw in the occasionally borderline Etheric Theory, these Etherians are rather controversial in that they prefer to keep a low profile by staying within the sleeper (technocratic) paradigm.

Whether found in an elementary school, or on TV, Wizards are crucial to the Sons' efforts to alter the technocratic paradigm. Once they lay the foundation, promising students are taken note of and often exposed to the teachings of Radical Scientists and the next group in this category, to judge their reactions to the "better" sciences.

Abilities: Education, Science, Acting

Spheres: Any, really. Mind is highly useful simply for teaching, but Forces and Matter magicks are common too as these are the most dramatic (for younger children) yet explainable magicks.

Foci: Anything even vaguely resembling materials for a demonstration of scientific principles, like chemical reactions and electric energy devices.

Examples: Ask Mr. Wizard, Beakman's world, Bill Nye the Science Guy, 3-2-1 contact, occasional episodes of Nextstep and Beyond 2000, and "What will they think of NEXT?" (another old show I'm not sure about the name of)

Urban Mythologists

An Urban Myth is a legend that has grown up around some possibly fictional occurrence or device. They are paradigm shattering beliefs in things the technocracy would rather you did not think about. The Urban Mythologists are a group of Sons of Ether that create, propogate, debunk, dedebunk, redebunk, and defend these urban myths. The end result is that everyone knows about them and everyone is adamant about believing or disbelieving them. Regardless of which it is, not only does this inspire doubt in the average person, but it often inspires doubt in the minds of those on both sides. In any case, the Technocracy's paradigm is stretched just the tiniest bit for each one of these, and the Union is nearly helpless to counteract it. Anything they do simply makes the situation worse. Doubt and a perfectly predictable worldview are not especially compatible concepts. If these mages use their magick at all outside of coincidental mind magicks, it would be to provide some falsified (or perhaps real) evidence to more excitable sleepers, who then proceed to do their job for them.

Abilities: Subterfuge, Science, Occult, Urban Lore, Intuition, Research

Spheres: Mind (for convincing debates); Life, Matter, or Forces, plus Prime (to falsify or uncover evidence)

Foci: Highly variable

Examples: Alligators in the Sewers, Water burning or 100mpg cars, anything else from alt.folklore.urban

Heroes

This category of mages covers all those who champion the innocents, defend the world from invaders, or try to eliminate or contain supernatural threats. Spooooooon!

Pulp Heroes

These have been covered fairly well by the Sons of Ether tradbook. They are 50's comic style pulp heroes that use "oriental" mental disciplines, pop pseudoscience, and a limited array of personalized foci and talismans to fight some series of menaces and archvillains to champion the cause of right. Those that rely upon devices tend to be called Gadgeteers. More than anything else, these heroes rely upon their wits and intelligence to solve situations.

Abilities: Wits, Intelligence, Culture (for knowing obscure things to save your ass), Linguistic (for being diplomatic with primitive peoples and such), etc. Halfway decent attributes all around. Sidekicks come in handy too.

Spheres: Any. Normally does not use vulgar effects, except from talismans or weaponry.

Foci: Very personalized. Typical things to use are weapons, bizarre devices like antigravity belts, and laboratory computer analyzers.

Examples: Doc Eon, Batman, Indiana Jones

Superheroes

These heroes differ from Pulp heroes in that they rely on their magick and talismans more than they do their wits and other attributes. Often called by the nickname Spandex, Superheroes are the most likely Ethermages to go marauder or suffer huge Paradox backlashes. Their effects are flashy, usually vulgar, and always impressive. Exceptions are superheroes who gained their abilites (perhaps with permanent Paradox flaws, like The Thing from Fantastic Four) through accidents or Scientific Experiments. Although usually still vulgar, these are a lot less likely to simply explode from Paradox.

Abilities: Science (for expermimental mutations, etc), various others

Spheres: Any.

Foci: Usually some pseudoscientific explanation like cosmic rays or radioactive spider bites.

Examples: Spiderman, The Incredible Hulk, The Thing. (An interesting version of these guys could be made for the OoH or the CC....for example, Spawn, the Demon, and Avengelyne)

Gung-Ho Psycho Attack Scientists

(For lack of a better name) These are the scientists who dedicate their career toward the elimination or containment of some or all segments of the supernatural population. Motivations can include everything from revenge to profit and then some. They can be from any or several of the various subgroups of the Sons, and unless they are relatively good at what they do, tend to live short but effective lives. It's not unknown for these mages to work hand in hand with the Neutralization Specialists of the Void Engineers, and though this is officially frowned upon on both sides, is usually beneficial enough for both sides to be fairly common.

Abilities: Research, Occult, various Lores, Technology (to build weapons), Investigation.

Spheres: Forces and Prime are common, Spirit if you plan to deal with wraiths.

Foci: Weapons, weapons, weapons. Sensing devices of various sorts are also common.

Examples: Ghostbusters, MiB the comic or movie (well, it's hard to tell, really), The vampire hunter in the SoE tradbook that has a sunlight ray pistol.

Ethernauts

There are many explorers in the Sons of Ether. Some explore the Earth's core, some the oceans, others the umbra or Digital Web. This category deals with a subclass of explorers known as the Ethernauts, those who explore beyond the horizon. These scientists differ mainly in the methods they use to do so. I plan to write an article on the nature of the Ether for these guys, so keep an eye out. They are broken up into three main categories:

Starjammers

The mages that literally sail through space in literal space ships. These mages are barely Etherians at all, and have a lot of ties to the Void Engineers. The main distinguishing point is the belief in the breathable ether of space.

Abilities: Sailing, Astrogation, shipbuilding

Spheres: Any.

Foci: Nautical apparatus of various sorts: charts and compasses for correspondence, barometers and weather vanes for forces, etc.

Examples: The EtherJammer from the SoE tradbook. A lot of the stuff from the TSR supplement Spelljammer. From what I understand, also some material >from GDW's Sky Galleons of Mars (I think) which is related to the Space: 1889 material in some way.

Victorians (aka Industrial Victorian Etherism, or Steampunk)

These mages explore the universe in Jules Verne-esque Brass and ironclad vessels resembling nothing so much as giant zeppelins, ornithopters, bathyscapes and submarine-boats. Heavy looking bolted metal, segmented hulls, eye-like portholes, and odd finlike protrusions and scallops are the norm.

Abilities: Astrogation, technology (to repair the ship's propeller/whatever), metalworking (to make the darned things), etc.

Spheres: Matter is common for building. Entropy is useful to keep the ship in good order. Forces for defense mechanisms (see the Weirdseeker description for examples)

Foci: Variable Examples: The Nautilus from the film 20000 Leauges under the sea (any version, especially the original Disney adaptation), various sci-fi stories from the 60's, art from the SoE tradbook. Stories of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. Probably anything from Space:1889 (which I haven't read, but know some of the basics of)

Spaceboys (aka Art Deco)

Flying Saucers. Rocket Ships. These gleaming refugees from 50's comics vision of the future are the hallmark of the Spaceboys. These etherians are the most likely to need a space suit to breathe in a vacuum (though you'll run across an occasional Victorian with a old diving suit), and generally run around with ray pistols and bubble helmets.

Spheres: Variable

Foci: Wrist communicators, space helmets, antigravity belts, ultron vision plates (for correspondence sensing), blaster ray pistol.

Examples: Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers (the original novel version), Forbidden Planet (Robby is a SoE robot if I ever saw one), Lost in Space, Leather Goddesses of Phobos comic book (in amazing 3d! from Infocom) and game.

Others

I don't have time to go into any more right now, but I might later. I also intended to write up a description of the differences between weird science, fringe science, radical science, and pseudo science, as well as through some stuff like occult science (think Magitech or Torg's Occultech) into the mix. That will have to wait for another article.

For now, enjoy, and may the ether be with you.