Magitech Levels
General levels of magical technology
Anthologica Universe Atlas / Universes / Archaeron / Magic and Magitech / Magitech Levels

TL 1 – Personal Magic:
Before a civilization develops any sort of artificial augmentation, it will rely on mages individually casting any spells it depends on. Most cultures at least develop personal foci before agriculture, so TL 1 civilizations are generally hunter-gatherer tribes. Low-TL 1 magic will be limited to faith and intuition casting, while more developed TL 1 magic involves knowledge casting. Personal foci are generally developed as knowledge casters establish a meaningful research base.

TL 2 – Personal Foci:
The simplest type of real magitech is the sympathetic foci mages develop to help them cast simple spells. Most civilizations use naturally sympathetic items as they discover the value of such resources. More advanced TL 2 societies create artificial foci for specific spells and effects, allowing their mages to specialize in useful magics. Knowledge casting tends to develop along with the principles of agriculture, so most TL 2 civilizations have moved on from the hunter-gatherer phase. However, naturally sympathetic foci can allow primitive hunter-gatherer cultures to progress more quickly.

TL 3 – Personal Storage:
The beginnings of this tech level sometimes overlap with the latter phases of TL 2. Once knowledge casters start to develop artificial foci, they build the infrastructure and science necessary to store mana in crystals. Much like TL 2, this level of magitech begins as mages start to use naturally-occurring stones and progresses to lab- and farm-grown crystals as more mages learn advanced binding techniques.

TL 4 – Inscription Foci:
One of the most fundamental developments in arcane science is the concept of inscribable magical languages, which allow spell effects to be stored. Once a culture develops functional inscriptions, spell foci only require a flow of mana to function. This allows mages to safely and reliably cast spells, allowing them to build a much stronger infrastructure. TL 4 devices progress from basic spell effects to advanced, complex spells and multiple interacting inscriptions within the same device.

TL 5 – Integrated Storage:
Once inscription devices become common and well-understood, mages can begin building crystals into them to provide an integrated power source. This marks a shift from magitech being a tool for mages to magitech putting magic power into the hands of those that would otherwise not be able to use it. The beginning of TL 5 marks the dawn of true ‘magic items’, tools with arcane effects built into them that allow mundane sophonts to achieve feats impossible without some measure of shaping. Early TL 5 devices are generally restricted to rare weapons for legendary warriors and community-supporting necessities like water purifiers, but later TL 5 devices are more widespread and designed for more mundane purposes.

TL 6 – Mechanical Inscription Shifting:
Once inscription languages grow more developed and modular, pieces of spells can be inscribed on mechanical components and moved into alignment with each other. This allows complex spells to interact more easily and conditional effects to be programmed with mechanical logic gates. Early TL 6 devices use this functionality to effect powerful magic with miniaturized shapers, but later devices make more use of processing and interlinking to allow multiple and conditional spells.

Note: The Imperium is currently a late-TL 6 civilization

TL 7 – IS (Information Space) Inscription:
As more complex TL 6 devices begin to use mechanical computing to build spells from components, information space becomes a more meaningful concept. TL 7 devices use small inscription anchors to produce pockets of information space, allowing devices to use much more complex code with less shaper surface. Early TL 7 devices simply use information space to store large spell code, but more advanced TL 7 devices use complex mechanical workings to link intricate code in ever-shifting patterns. This allows delicately interacting effects and relatively advanced computing.

TL 8 – IS Data Storage:
As a civilization’s mages grow more adept at dealing with information space, they begin to use it as arbitrary data storage. Storing information that does not directly interact with the inscription link is more difficult, but allows TL 8 cultures to build powerful golem minds and efficient, mass-producible data storage. Later TL 8 devices can even replicate the function of a broadcasting mage, allowing operators without any arcane power to easily communicate over long distances.

TL 9 – IS Inscription Shifting:
True mastery over information space allows the manipulation of inscriptions within information space itself. This makes mechanical inscription shifting largely obsolete, allowing solid devices to replicate the processing and spell interaction of TL 6-8 devices. Progress through TL 9 is largely marked by integration as solid-state magitech becomes commonplace and gradually replaces mechanically shifting devices.

TL 10 – Glyph-Link Anchoring:
Once kinetic spells grow precise enough and solid-state processing grows powerful enough to keep up with station-keeping, disconnected components can be physically locked in relation to each other. This allows devices to be built of parts that float in a fixed cluster. This method makes insulation much easier, greatly decreasing short-circuits between the various parts of a device. This level of advancement in glyph-linking also allows energy to be broadcast through such connections, meaning that a shaping device can be entirely removed from its power source. Basic TL 10 devices use anchoring effects for insulation and complex device design, while later TL 10 magitech uses large-scale anchor manipulation for advanced flight and intricate arrays of solid-state devices.

TL 11 – Unbound IS:
More advanced information space magitech allows devices to use information space without bulky realspace inscription links. This allows small devices to use incredibly complex processing and spell effects. Integrated computers quickly grow ubiquitous and become the basis of a much more interconnected society. Early TL 11 magitech uses unbound information space largely for data storage, while later TL 11 devices can interconnect every device and citizen into a massive network.

TL 12 – Extradimensional Component Linking:
As information space magic develops into advanced extraplanar space spells, interfaces between Material and extraplanar components becomes feasible on a large scale. Such linkages allow complex suites of magitech equipment to be shunted into void bubbles and accessed by a Material anchor device. Early TL 12 devices use scattered extradimensional components to build more intricate versions of earlier magitech. Advanced TL 12 magitech can use a ring or simple circlet to replicate the functions of siege-scale magitech and devices that are inconceivable on any scale to lower-TL societies.