u/Old-Maximum-50

Please :)

Cant edit cuz mobile :(

But the main thing is, I am working on a fantasy magic system, and a friend of mine said it kind of looked like Reverend Insanity's Gu Path system. So I went to take a look and.... its long :(

Can someone explain to me how do paths work? I kind of understand Gu Refinement from the Wiki, which does kind of resemble how my stuff works, but I haven't really found a good explanation for the overall path system, or how one makes a new path.

Edit: asked to explain the magic system, figured it might make sense.

Its a bit complicated and all over the place, so I'll sum it up.

So, there are kind of two magic systems: Apotheosis and Dragonic.

The apotheosic magic system is basically all about study, understanding and will. For example, if you study thermal dynamics, have a will to dominate fire and you know how to inject the concept of fire into your soul (usually you just eat a torch or smth), you become a Fire Mage... or you can be boring and try to find places where reality is weak and intersects with the Fire Plane, and then you eat magical gems that manifest from it till it works. Or, if you follow the first path to its full conclusion, you can straight up make an entrance to a new plane- that's how Shadow, Hunger and Mirror magic came to be.

The dragonic magic system is more akin to what I think the Gu are. Once, there was a cosmic dragon that ate the universe. A mage got strong enough to kill it before it digested everyone (thats why reality frays and ebbs in places), and in doing so, shattered the damn thing across reality. Since it was all reality for a bit, these fragments are quasi-sentient, and also embody a piece of reality. You gotta impose your will, but afterwards, you can basically wield whatever that piece represents as you please. The more pieces, the stronger you become. Of course, Dragonic Sorcerers tend to engage in a fair bit of cannibalism.

Also, the mage that killed the dragon became a God (thats why the Apotheosis Magic is called that) and if you pray hard enough, he might help. Its powerful, but he only lends power to those who deserve it (ie: are extremely good people) and have actual need of it.

I am making a discord-TTRPG thing, based on Wuxia. Right now im working on the methods, and while I feel I have gathered a considerable enough quantity, I'd like to pass it by the Poison Tasting Sect to determine if this is enough, or if there is a method that im possibly missing.

Just as a note, the setting will be the equivalent of the Opium Trade period of China, although the "english" would be more of a Artifact Crafters and Alchemists than proper cultivators, and the "Indians" are more so spiritualists.

Orthodox Methods

Orthodox cultivation methods are the oldest and most reliable paths to power. Developed over countless generations, they emphasize discipline, balance, and gradual refinement. While they rarely offer rapid advancement or bizarre abilities, they are exceptionally stable, allowing practitioners to cultivate safely and consistently throughout their lives. Most renowned sects practice one or more orthodox methods, producing accomplished warriors, wandering monks, diviners, healers, and spiritual masters.

Breathing Method

The foundation of nearly every orthodox school, and of almost all cultivation methods. Through disciplined breathing patterns, the practitioner draws both air and Qi into the body, circulating and refining them together. Because of its simplicity and balance, it readily accepts outside assistance, whether from medicinal elixirs, spirit herbs, rare Qi-rich locations, or the guidance of masters. While it lacks any outstanding specialty, its versatility makes it one of the safest and most reliable cultivation methods ever devised. The greatest masters are said to breathe so naturally that every breath, waking or sleeping, becomes cultivation.

Sword Method

Though commonly associated with the sword, this philosophy encompasses nearly every weapon. The cultivator devotes himself to a single armament until body, mind, and weapon become indistinguishable. Every strike refines both martial skill and Qi, steadily approaching absolute mastery. Mastery of this method allows the user to wield his Qi like he would the weapon, turning the blunt strength into a refined killing edge.

Weaver Method

The cultivator repeatedly circulates the same Qi through the meridians, refining them endlessly instead of constantly gathering more. Like a silkworm spinning an ever stronger cocoon, every cycle condenses the practitioner's Qi until even the smallest amount possesses extraordinary purity and strength, known as a Qi Thread. Cultivation advances slowly, and practitioners rarely possess vast reserves, but what Qi they command is exceptionally dense and efficient. Masters are said to weave strands of Qi so refined they can bind techniques, reinforce weapons, or cut like threads of silk.

Unorthodox Methods

Unorthodox cultivation methods reject convention in favor of experimentation, obsession, and specialization. Their practitioners willingly tread dangerous roads that most orthodox sects consider reckless or improper. These methods are not inherently evil, but they often demand sacrifices, unusual lifestyles, or constant risk. Those who master them become unpredictable fighters whose abilities are as strange as they are formidable.

Poison Method

The cultivator continuously exposes himself to carefully measured poisons, refining both toxin and Qi together. Over time, the body develops extraordinary resistance while the poisons themselves become integrated into the practitioner's cultivation. Veteran poison masters may imbue techniques, weapons, or even their own Qi with venomous properties. Yet every advancement risks crippling or killing the cultivator through a single mistake. At the height of the art, masters are said to poison an opponent's Qi without ever drawing blood.

Beast Method

Practitioners abandon civilized habits to imitate the instincts of beasts. By living among animals, adopting their movements, and embracing their mentality, they reshape both body and Qi to mirror the strengths of their chosen creature. This grants extraordinary instincts and physical prowess, but many gradually lose touch with ordinary human behavior. The greatest masters are said to possess such overwhelming presence that wild beasts instinctively acknowledge them as their king.

Shadow Method

This secretive art teaches the cultivator to refine concealment itself. Qi is compressed, hidden, and dispersed until even experienced cultivators struggle to perceive its presence. Practitioners become masters of infiltration, ambush, and silent killing, though their techniques lose much of their effectiveness in prolonged, direct combat. Legends claim the finest Shadow practitioners could walk through a crowded hall without a single person remembering they were ever there.

Heretical Cultivation

A heretic is considered one who uses foul methods to cultivate. Of course, one can still be branded a heretic by simply being evil or pissing off the wrong person, but the vast majority of them use heretical cultivation methods- they are far quicker, and can even be considered more effective, if one does not have morals. However, the risks associated with them are quite considerable- even assuming that whoever taught them to you ISN’T setting you up to fail so they can eat your cultivation, most heretical methods trade a quicker power spike for a lower power ceiling and a bigger chance of things going wrong. That being said, the fact they are still around at all is proof that the gamble is worth taking…

Blood Cultivation

Blood Cultivation is by far the most normal type of heretical cultivation. It is simplicity in itself- Kill people and steal their cultivation by consuming their body. There are two main methods for it, speaking of cultivation differences- the actual way of consuming the body has enough variety to fill a book.

The Eastern Method, also known as Refining Method, is the least common. It involves refining cultivators into pills and elixirs, which are then consumed. This method is still practiced among the heretics, but the knowledge and cost of it has seen it fall out of use among the vast majority of them, aside from the major heretic clans and organizations. That being said, this method has advantages- despite being slow, it is not any less efficient than the Western Method, and pills can be refined to induce certain effects, or even combine it to become stronger. It is also considerably safer than the Vampiric Method, if done correctly.

The Western Method, also known as the Vampiric Method, is somewhat simpler- the idea is to use Qi to induce a permanent internal mutation within the practitioner, which allows them to consume another cultivator as-is. The classical method is biting and draining their blood, but there are several that choose other ways- literally eating the target, or maybe even burning and snorting the ashes. Pound for pound, it is actually more effective than the Refiner Method in a baseline, and the fact that you do not need to study an heretical form of alchemy means a wider amount of heretics can use it. But unlike the Refiner, the vampire cannot really add anything to their meal- what they have is what they'll get.

The idea behind the Blood Cultivation is to cheat the long process of gathering energy by stealing others. The main risk with this is that the intake of other cultivation can either be incompatible, or simply too much. This can result in either Qi Deviation or straight up causing the consumer to explode in a bloody shower.

Gu Cultivation

Perhaps the most infamous Heretical Method. Some can even argue that the blood cultivators are simply getting by as they can, but Gu Cultivators are so evil, so ruthless, that even other heretics look upon them as one would a rapist.

First, let us understand what a Gu is. Gu are parasitical Mystic Beasts, and where being a Mystic Beast implies sentience and some form of inherent cultivation, Gu are unique in the way that they gain the traits of whatever they eat and, crucially, aren't any smarter than actual insects. That makes them tameable AND powerful.

Again, there are many Gu Cultivation methods, but they can all be explained in broad strokes as follows: First, get Gu eggs. Then, implant the Gu eggs within a living thing. Once the eggs hatch, the gu will eat their host, gaining several traces of the host’s cultivation as they go. And then, you put all the Gu in a pot, starve them enough so they eat each other, and the last remaining Gu will have most, if not all, the cultivation of the original host.

Then, there are a few “paths” that Gu Cultivators usually take:

The most common one is the Gu Master. In a way not too dissimilar with Beastmasters, the Gu Master tames the Gu, using a ritual to submit the Gu’s will to his own. This can be done repeatedly, although the mental load increases with each Gu, and their respective power. This allows the Gu Master to have a wide array of power and beings under his command, even if he himself doesn’t get stronger. This is the safest Gu Method, and the biggest drawback is that this method does not actually make the Gu Master stronger, and the Gu themselves are now more akin to robots than a living creature, as their minds have been thoroughly shattered. It is fully possible to sneakily kill all the Gu creatures without the Gu Master noticing.

The Hives are Gu cultivators that house Gu in their own bodies. The Gu, which are tamed (otherwise they’d eat the Gu cultivator), begin seeing the cultivator as a hive, and will move to protect it. The cultivator, in turn, will not have to spend as much mental energy on controlling the Gu, and he can actually channel the Gu’s power from within themselves. This allows them a somewhat neutral ground between the Hybrid and the Gu Master path. Needless to say, the Hive is a fragile being, since they’ve hollowed themselves out to house the Gu, and their power is mostly dependent on the Gu being alive… y'know, the small, tiny insects inside their body. Because they HAVE to be small to fit within a body.

The Hybrids are Gu Cultivators that cultivate one unique Gu, and then perform a ritual to literally fuse themselves with it. This can only be done by humans, and often results in them looking like an insectoid humanoid. But this also allows the Gu Cultivator to make full use of said Gu. You see, Gu are limited in the fact that their bodies, while containing the cultivation stolen, often aren't compatible with what they have. A centipede Gu will definitely struggle to make use of a punching-based cultivation, for example, even if it technically has the necessary spiritual preparation. The Hybrid, however, is humanoid, and thus can use the cultivation. The hybrid is also actually smart and sentient, so it can continue cultivating. And last but not least, the Hybrid can consume cultivators itself to further grow, although at a risk of suffering Deviations, not unlike Blood Cultivators. However, a Hybrid may only fuse with one Gu, and once it's done, it's permanent. This also makes the Hybrid cultivate like a Mystic Beast, and a sufficiently powerful Gu Master can break them down to tame them.

Corpse Method — Rather than cultivating life, these practitioners refine death itself. Corpses become both cultivation resources and raw materials, animated into tireless servants or stitched together into grotesque flesh constructs. Their techniques flourish in battlefields, graveyards, and places steeped in decay, while vibrant places rich in life naturally hinder them. The greatest Corpse Lords are whispered to command entire armies that neither breathe nor tire.

Soul Devouring Method — Rather than stealing Qi alone, practitioners consume the very souls of their victims, absorbing fragments of memory, talent, and experience alongside their cultivation. While this grants frightening insight and rapid advancement, every stolen soul leaves traces behind. Most practitioners eventually become a patchwork of countless personalities, unable to distinguish their own thoughts from those of the dead.

Basically title. I checked out Witchcraft U, which reminded me that being a magic man is very fun, and then I did the Stronghold series, which was peak (we love plants).

So I was wondering if there is any other notable "mage" games that I am not aware off? Can be WIP, obviously, but I prefer completed works if possible.