unmanifested touched cantrip?

[Zexalt]

Can an unmanifested touched do cantrips (e.g. snap their fingers to create a tiny flame to light a candle with an emote)?

The docs seem to imply that the skills they get from the subclass are from cantrips but I'd imagine that they still get those skills even if they are unmanifested which makes me think an unmanifested touched can still cantrip.

[Hauwke]

Unmanifested means that you do not have any kind of control or (in most cases, I imagine there are a few cases not being the case) even any knowledge of the connection to magick. The ability to snap fingers and light candles is an inherently magickal thing, indicating manifestation.

[Zexalt]

Oh, I see. So cantrips might "happen" to me but it's less of an intentional thing and more of things just happening that I might not understand and maybe even think everyone experiences.

[Grogerif]

Nobody believes more strongly in curses, then an unmanifested mage.  They see the effects all the time.   They are not a mage, so somebody must be doing all the weird stuff to them!

[Zexalt]

Oh I see. So cantrips just end up happening to you and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Maybe it happens based on your character's emotions. Maybe it happens because you really have to take a shit. You don't know but your player does and loves pulling your strings! Then one day you show up to the Gaj with a gem and all your old friends won't talk to you...

Sounds like fun can't wait until I can apply for karma in a few months

[Majikal]

Here's a couple of helpfiles on them that I dug up.

Cantrip
(Magick)
A cantrip is a minor magickal effect produced consciously or otherwise by an elementalist. They are expressions of the elementalist's element and deal exclusively in that element.

Some cantrips are overt - a Vivaduan exhaling mist, for example. Others are more subtle - such as a Rukkian always being dusty. Others are even subtler still - being barely, if at all, perceived by even the elementalist themselves: a Whiran's uncanny ability to read the wind or a Krathi's aptitude for managing a cook fire.

An inexperienced or manifesting elementalist often (but not always) cannot control their production of cantrips. With greater understanding and practice these spontaneous cantrips can be brought to heel. Some elementalists also struggle to control their powers when experiencing high emotion or stress - and this too can be controlled through a greater understanding of their elemental bond.

A minority of elementalists experience their bonds more wholly through cantrips - they find themselves possessing a greater attunement to the expressions of their element in the world around them. These 'touched' elementalists often find they have greater capacity in skills that their cantrips give them an edge in.

Cantrips are not a replacement for actual spells. If using a cantrip to replicate an actual spell, the spell itself should be used.

See Also:
magick, Cantrips and Emotes, touched, spell



Cantrips and Emotes
(Magick Roleplay)
What is a cantrip? For the purposes of Armageddon, it's a small spell or gimmick that is produced via emote, rather than through a coded effect.

Cantrips and similar magicky special effects can be employed to add significantly to the atmosphere of the game. In employing these devices, remember to use them to enhance the story, not to advance your character. Make the cantrips reflect your character's skill: someone new to their element would not be able to control it as easily or skillfully as someone who has been manipulating it for years.

Along the same lines, cantrips are usually related to the character's element. It would make no sense, for example, for a Vivaduan to emote something flame related. Be aware that emoted effects may have IC consequences. An Allanak templar, for example, might react to such an effect, if emoted in a way that makes it clear it is the result of deliberate effort, in much the same way as she or he might react to an actual "coded" cast.

It is possible to go over the top with cantrips, and sometimes the line is hard to tell. If you have doubts about whether something is okay to emote, feel free to check with the staff by submitting a Game Related: Question request. Using common sense is also urged. Avoid imposing too much on the people around you unless you know they will play along. Major special effects, such as setting someone on fire, summoning winds to tear down a tent, etc, are going too far and should be handled through regular spellcasting or wishes.

Examples:
An errant breeze ruffling a Whiran's hair when the air is still.

Sparks leaping from an Elkrosian's fingertips.

A Krathi igniting a torch by breathing on it.

A tremor moving through the ground, making bar bottles clink together, as a Rukkian gets angry.

[Hauwke]

I would like to restate, unmanifested means they only have the potential for a connection to an element, no actual connection.

[Zexalt]

Would there still be some affinity to the element? Like would an unmanifested krath-touched still "feel better" for some reason whenever they are in sunlight

[Riev]

Would there still be some affinity to the element? Like would an unmanifested krath-touched still "feel better" for some reason whenever they are in sunlight

Its been speculated (read: not documentation) that someone who is unmanifested may still be at the epicenter of weird magicky shit. Like a Krathi being in a bar and one of the candles lighting for no reason, or a whiran sitting there and all the candles go out with a quick wind.

Manifestation typically comes with a "Oh shit I have no control over these powers what is happening to me".

[th3kaiser]

I would like to restate, unmanifested means they only have the potential for a connection to an element, no actual connection.

I'm pretty sure I saw a staff member recently post that all elementalists are born with that connection, whether they're manifested or not.