Guns for Hire Magical Mechanics

A page for the magical mechanics of Guns for Hire

Chakra

What the fuck is Chakra?

Chakras are an internal energy system, present in all ensouled living beings (and some that aren't) that is not naturally useful for many that have the capacity to use it, humans among them, and requires practice or intervention to render useable. Chakra is both the name of the energy itself, and the name of that which emits this energy-points within one's body that are linked to Soul, deriving an offshoot of soul energy from this connection.

There are seven Chakras in the body, largely synonymous with the Hindu belief of placement within the body, running from the top of the skull to the base of the spine. Each chakra produces energy that can be differentiated from that originating from any other individual chakra, but the difference is small enough it is not passively visible to students of chakra manipulation.

Chakras can be opened variable amounts, and it's ability to do so is commonly referred to dilation, in reference to the commonalities between how chakras 'focus' to different output levels, and how eyes 'focus' to differing environmental conditions.

How the fuck do you use Chakras

An arrangement of energy from one's Chakras into a cohesive, practically usable system, is called a Chakra Orientation. Orientations can be found in all sorts of forms-and even when someone learns another person's particular Orientation, will not perfectly replicate it. Each person's known Chakra Orientations are, in at least small ways, unique. It is through Chakra Orientations that one applies their knowledge and understanding of Chakra to themselves and the world around them. In general, the more complex an orientation and/or the more exaggerated it's effects, the more energy intensive it is to run.

It must be made clear that Chakra orientations are, in a way, self-perpetuating. That is, once you have entered an orientation, you can actually alter the degree of dilation or contraction of any chakras, and it will merely alter the performance of the Orientation. In effect, you are sliding between different but nearly identical versions of the same general form of Chakra Orientation, but as you are quite limited in the degree of change possible, this is commonly judged to simply be an example of how one can customize a given Orientation's performance.

Each Chakra Orientation has a 'natural' state, somewhat unique to each user. This is the precise amount of energy and chakra dilation involved in each of the seven chakras, and is something akin to a fingerprint for each given Orientation. Any use of chakra energy to push an Orientation ABOVE this default state through dilating one's chakras for increased output is called 'Overcharging'. Any use of chakra energy to lower an Orientation BELOW this default state through contracting one's chakras is called 'Undercharging'.

One is not limited to a single Chakra Orientation, and is able to freely switch between them. For most chakra practitioners, attempts to switch Orientation mid-battle would be doomed to failure, as the process is too time-consuming. One must have masterful skill in several fields of chakra use and/or have chakras capable of dilating to levels that take decades of training to reach.

Besides switching Orientations, one can attempt to run multiple Orientations at once-simply termed 'Multi-Orientation'. This is considered more-so unreachable for those that are not dedicated scholars of chakra, people that exhaustively study difficult problems rather than simple dabblers or beginning apprentices in their first handful of years. Running a Multi-Orientation consumes energy faster than the sum amount that would be consumed by each individual Orientation being used. That is, Multi-Orientation will always be more energy-demanding than attempting to do the same thing with a singular, flexible Orientation. Successfully running a stable Multi-Orientation for a period measured in something more than seconds is in many cultures and organizations considered one of the requisites to be given a title such as 'Master', insofar as Chakra Manipulation is concerned.

Okay-so how does Chakra manipulation actually work, then?

Chakra manipulation 'works' by one either forgoing learning the mechanics and simply being taught new Orientations by a suitable mentor as necessary, or by having sufficient knowledge of chakra's mechanics to construct new Orientations themselves. The following is critical information to such experimenters.

There are some common associations tied to these 'classes' of Chakra energy. In general, the two LOWER chakras in the body are more suited to stabilizing and defensive magics, the three chakras in the MIDDLE are more suited to offensive/mobility/flexibility/evasion/support magics, and the top two chakras are more suited to detection/illusions/mental magics. These are not hardline principles-one can fully use lower body chakras for a mental chakra application-these generalities are about what on average each chakra is most naturally suited to.

Just as all energy emitted from a specific chakra shares certain observable commonalities, so too does all energy emitted at the same degree of dilation share commonalities. It is these two sets of shared traits, those unique to each of the seven chakras, and those unique to each level of energy output, that are the basis of all in-depth chakra analysis.

Just as each chakra has varying affinities, each level of output, be it Overcharge or Underchage, share commonalities-and these commonalities manifest in their application. The more Overcharged a given chakra application is compared to it's user's 'default' state, the rougher the magic will feel. It will be less inclined to properly function where grace, restraint and precision is required while most certainly excelling where brute force it the primary goal. Undercharging, on the other hand, is largely the opposite-it has atrocious performance when forced to directly square against forces, but excels when applied to uses that rely in indirect application, and either evade or absorb offending attacks.

Chakra energy does not persist statically. However, it also does not fade rapidly. Once chakra energy has been invested in something, it will take between a few minutes to an hour for a given batch of chakra energy to fade, with energy invested in the environment, rather than in a body, fading much faster. This fading can be accelerated by performing something called a Chakra Flush. As the name implies, this means 'flushing' the chakra energy from one's body swiftly-and is considered a vital skill for any combat applications of chakra.

The reason one flushes Chakra energy is simple: While energy from a previous Orientation persists in the body, any further orientations will be hindered by the conflicting energy until it finishes dissipating. However as long as one's new orientation does not involve investing energy in the body, or the same parts of the body, there is no need in flush, as it would only result in the destruction of the lingering benefits of the prior orientation.

Chakra Progression

So what's it look like for a normal dude to learn how to manipulate Chakra, as presented on the following scale:

[Know-Nothing]<[Amateur-Dabbler]<[Apprentice]<[Cadet]<[Journeyman]<[Adept]<[Expert]<[Master]<[Grandmaster]<[Everyone-Step-Back-I-Got-This]

Assuming that this individual is spending six hours a day learning how to manipulate Chakra from someone that is trained in its use, they will learn, on average, like this. Please note it is assumed this training is never skipped, for the purposes of the example.

The first week or two will be occupied getting the person able to even enter an Orientation, and it will take them a day to do so the first few times. This can be considered an 'awakening' period, as growth does pick up after here... for a while.

The first month after a successful application of a Chakra Orientation will be occupied expanding one's familiarity with that first Orientation, and getting the user able to enter this Orientation more smoothly. In theory, by the end of this month, a normal person will be able to enter their initial Orientation in six to ten hours, and is expected able to sustain this Orientation stably for at least a day, barring directly disruptive influence. This would be considered the moment the student has learned enough they are no longer a dabbler, and are considered an [Apprentice.]

To reach the next level of understanding, [Cadet], usually takes between two and five months-and observes a reverse bell curve: Predominately people either learn it rather easily and finish in two to three months, or have trouble, and take four to five months. Very few fall between three and four months. At this point, the individual is assumed to know at least five Orientations, and be able to switch orientations within two hours. Further, the individual is expected to now have a grasp of the 'Overcharge' principle, if not anything resembling mastery. At this level, they are expected able to utilize their understanding of chakra in live combat, and not just in the less hectic conditions of a training environment. Such a student is still not considered versed enough to teach.

To become a [Journeyman] usually takes a year, and is largely a period of refining existing knowledge. A key trait of a Journeyman is the ability to perceive one's own chakratic energy as it flows through their body. To this end, it is rare to expect one to know more Chakra Orientations as a Journeyman than as a Cadet-however, it is perfectly reasonable to expect that Journeyman to more fully understand how to apply each of those known chakras. In particular, a Journeyman is expected able to accurately estimate and subsequently use only as much Overcharge on an Orientation as is necessary, as opposed to the clumsy attempts of a Cadet. A journeyman can switch Orientations in less than a half hour. Journeyman is the rank one normally would have to reach to be allowed to teach in any form.

[Adept]s are when one's knowledge of Chakra fundamentals is considered solid enough to prepare the student for learning of it's more esoteric and advanced uses. Adepts are able to switch chakra orientations in less than ten minutes. To this end, one spends nine months to a year and a half learning between five and ten new chakras-and learning how to use them with equal skill to those already known, and to do so with minimal direction from a mentor. At the same time, the student learns how to Undercharge chakras, a lesson purposefully omitted until now as without incredibly stable control of one's Orientation, an Undercharged Orientation becomes worthless. Once one has demonstrated the ability to accurately estimate how to properly use a new chakra, in terms of use in actual combat and applying overcharge and undercharge alike, they are considered to be an Adept.

To become an [Expert] is a long and arduous process. In point of fact, most students of Chakra without something driving them to push themselves will stay at the rank of Adept forever. It takes at least five years, usually closer to a decade for an Adept to have gained enough experience to become an Expert. At this point, they are assumed to know approximately fifty Chakra Orientations, and are expected to be able to switch chakras within five seconds. It is Experts and above who are able to switch Orientations swiftly enough to do so in battle. Experts are also expected to have learned how to differentiate between energy from each of the seven chakras, and assess what output level the chakra was at when making the energy-even when analyzing chakra energy in another person's body. The last trait expected in an Expert is the knowledge of how to perform a Multi-Orientation, if not the ability to apply it in combat.

[Masters] and those rare few above them are rare-it takes legitimate talent or considerable extenuating circumstances for an 'average' person to reach this rank. The single largest defining trait is that a Master can, if they choose, use Multi-Orientation with sufficient competence to apply it in battle if they so chose. A master can change chakra orientations in under a second, barely needs to think to render a given Orientation at precisely the desired Over or Undercharge level in a split instant, has learned how to perform all manner of Chakra Flushing, and is usually attained some twenty to thirty years after becoming an expert.

What are Grandmasters like? What of the final category you ask?

Well frankly humans don't enter either often enough for averages of any sort to even exist.