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[ed boy]

You are a mathematician, who has recently become a mathematician. A few days ago, you had an epiphany about the nature of reality. You realised that the physical universe is merely one possible way to interpret number systems. Any object can be considered a numerical object, albeit enormously complex ones. However, your understanding of the true nature of existence allows you to interpret and, to an extent, manipulate the numbers. This allows you to alter the universe, in ways that would be considered physically impossible by normal standards.

How you apply your abilities is as such:
-Interpret the number of the target of your abilities. Generally, the larger/more complex/further away your target, the harder this is.
-Work out what you want to do to target. The area affected is subject to some error. There are upper bounds on the magnitude, and generally, a larger magnitude is more difficult to apply. As the object gets further away, you are less able to do this accurately
-Apply to the target. This takes time, and the difficulty increases with the distance, the difficulty of the number and the difficulty of the task.

There are multiple skills that you possess, which represent your mathematical abilities. You have seven points to allocate among these abilties. More points will be awarded, and more abilities will be unlocked in the future.

Isolation techniques (allows you to better control the limits of the area over which you apply your powers)
Noise reduction (Allows you to interpret the numbers of objects through mediums)
Velocity matrices (Allows you to impart a velocity to objects)
Limit point control (Allows you to better specify the magnitude of your powers)
Supremum exclusion (Increases the maximum magnitude of your abilities)
Image Paramaterisation (Increases the range at which you can apply your abilities)
Calculation enhancement (Increases the speed at which you apply your abilities)
Remainder cancellation (Allows you to interpret objects without altering them. Also allows you apply your abilities to an object without applying them to the material inbetween
Base manipulation (Allows you to interpret larger numbers)
Multinomial factorisation (Allow you to interpret numbers faster)
Variance averaging (Increases the uniformity at which you can apply your powers over the target)

(Also, I'm not sure whether to set this present day or in the future. Setting ideas would be much appreciated).

[peglegpengeuin]

Hard to decide what to invest in without knowing how dangerous the world is. Are there giant space hamsters trying to gnaw our face off?

As for setting ideas...

I haven't read the article yet myself. I'll probably edit this to list my favorites.

Nope, none of them looked good at all. I love being useful. I really hope we can get this started because it sounds good.

[hachnslay]

seting: after the end after the next millenium - long ago the human race was almost wiped out. But we were human, so we did what we were best in and started to repopulate. While we did so we discovered the arcane arts. Some humans mutated, some became taller, their ears turned spiky,  we called them elves. Some grew smaller, their frame widened and even the females grew beards. They call themselves Dwarfs. Under the surface of the planet lie chromatic caves of treasures and death, relics from a long gone civilization rest there, never to awaken again. This is where we sent the  most deformed ones, both, in body and in mind, we called them .... Demons.

((is there any game that uses a setting like this already?))

[ed boy]

Nobody knows who cast the first stone, but they sure as weren't without sin.

There are stories of the time before the war. Before the great weapons were used. The stories tell of buildings that reached into the clouds, of great cities with millions of people in them, of vast factories that could churn out precious goods. You have a hard time believing most of them, but there is evidence to back them up. The charred husks of the major cities can be seen from miles away, the towering buildings beacons of the time that used to be. That's not all they represent. Scavengers duck in and out, frantically searching for whatever they can trade for a few marks. You haven't been there, and for good reason. There are no old scavengers. Stay in the cities too long, and you get sick. You die. That is what the weapons did. Destroy the cities, make them places of death. The only civilisation that remained were those too small and isolated to be worth destroying. These few are not the future of humanity.

There were more effects to the weapons, though. There were deformities. Children were born with terrible defects, many of them not surviving. Those that did survive were looked down upon, often abandoned. You were one of these children. As deformities go, you got off pretty light. A bulbous, malformed left forearm, with mismatched fingers on the end of it. It was still enough to mark you as a Deffie, though. You would have died, if it were not for the Arms of Christ. A deeply religous group, you were taken by one of their pastors and given to a foster family. They raised you. It during your early teens that you first realised your powers, though you kept quiet about it. The good book made it very clear about what such things meant, and you knew to keep what you could do to yourself. You would practice in secret, though after a few close calls you soon put that to rest.

A few days ago, that all changed. The Purification attacked. Early in the morning, vehicles were spotted approaching, the inhabitants armed. You, and the other Deffies were hidden - The Purification kills Deffies and those who harbour them. They searched the town, and found some of the others. There was a slaughter. The town was looted, and several buildings were burnt to the ground. Miraculously, you were not found. You emerged from your shelter on the evening of the day after the attack, driven out by your parched throat and painful stomach. You were able to scrabble among the ruins and find a few bottles of water and some food that were missed by the attackers. Standing among the ruins of the only homw you have ever known, you are at a loss as for what to do.

Spoiler: skills (7 points available to spend) (click to show/hide)

Isolation techniques (allows you to better control the limits of the area over which you apply your powers)
Noise reduction (Allows you to interpret the numbers of objects through mediums)
Velocity matrices (Allows you to impart a velocity to objects)
Limit point control (Allows you to better specify the magnitude of your powers)
Supremum exclusion (Increases the maximum magnitude of your abilities)
Image Paramaterisation (Increases the range at which you can apply your abilities)
Calculation enhancement (Increases the speed at which you apply your abilities)
Remainder cancellation (Allows you to interpret objects without altering them. Also allows you apply your abilities to an object without applying them to the material inbetween
Base manipulation (Allows you to interpret larger numbers)
Multinomial factorisation (Allow you to interpret numbers faster)
Variance averaging (Increases the uniformity at which you can apply your powers over the target)

[hachnslay]

heh, if you reorder the last skill to 'averaging of variance' you have an anagram - Crabs Nil Vim
anyway, i vote for
Isolation 1
Limit 1
Supreme 2
Image 1
Remainder 1
Multinomial 1

then nuke them.

[Grek]

Put 4 points in remainder cancellation and 3 in calculation enhancement. Call upon Harold Shea, the mathmagician, to be your spirit mentor.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Velocity matrices 7
Everything else 0

[BunnyBob77]

heh, if you reorder the last skill to 'averaging of variance' you have an anagram - Crabs Nil Vim
anyway, i vote for
Isolation 1
Limit 1
Supreme 2
Image 1
Remainder 1
Multinomial 1

then nuke them.

This.  Let's be balanced.

[ed boy]

You look around an examine the ruins of the town. Originally, it had a population of about a hundred and fifty, about a dozen of which were other Deffies. The buildings were mostly brick, with a few wood. It was build around the remains of a road from the old days. Even having falled into disrepair, the roads are still major thoroughfares, and provide the key links between the societies that still exist. As you survey it now, however, it feels strange and unfamiliar. The people and the animals are nowhere to be seen, though it is clear what happened to them. Dried blood, tinting the ground reddish-brown, indicates that they were dragged into the wooden buildings, which were then burnt to the ground. Smashed objects litter the ground, and the remaining buildings have been ransacked.

The purification thugs were pretty thorough in their looting, but they could not find everything. You lived here as long as you can remember, and they were in and out in thirty-six hours, so there's lots that you could get your hands on. You stay away from the burnt wooden buildings, though - you don't want to go rooting about in there.

You manage to get your hands on a few things. The ones of note are the water bottles and the marks.

Water bottles are a minor relic. Though pretty common in the cities, they are unparalleled in usefulness for transporting liquids. They are probably the most valuable items you own now.

The marks are the currency issued in Arlesey, though they would probably be accepted by people nearby. Further away, though, and they will become worthless.

You fill your water bottles at the well and take stock of the nearby area. You were never allowed to leave the settlement, so you don't know what lies beyond. All that you have heard is stories.

The road runs roughly from east to west. To the east is Arlesey, the nearest major settlement. It is one of the few that has electricity. However, Deffies are not welcomed there. Although they won't kill you on sight, you will not be allowed into the city proper. Furthermore, the Purification is based there. Although not endorsed by the city government, the militia tends to turn a blind eye to abuse of Deffies.

To the west lie other minor settlements. You have heard that Cranton and Harwood lie that way, though you know little of them other than their names.

Spoiler: inventory (click to show/hide)

21x marks
4x set of scruffy clothes (1 worn)
4.5x Day's worth of food (dried fruit, preserved meat, bread)
2x water bottles (full)
1x pair of shoes (worn)
1x pack

Spoiler: skills (click to show/hide)

Isolation techniques (allows you to better control the limits of the area over which you apply your powers)
     Level 2: You can keep your powers limited to simple areas with a few minor errors, but complex shapes are beyond you.
Noise reduction (Allows you to interpret the numbers of objects through mediums)
     Level 1: You cannot interpret objects at a distance. In order to interpret an object, you must be making physical contact with a large portion of it.
Velocity matrices (Allows you to impart a velocity to objects)
     Level 1: You impart velocity to an object. They may end up going at an angle of up to about 20 degrees off your intended path. They may also end up spinning while moving.
Limit point control (Allows you to better specify the magnitude of your powers)
     Level 2: You have a sense of the magnitude of your powers. You can keep a nudge to a nudge, and keep a heft to a heft.
Supremum exclusion (Increases the maximum magnitude of your abilities)
     Level 3: You can get a fair bit of heft behind your abilities.
Image Paramaterisation (Increases the range at which you can apply your abilities)
     Level 2: Once you have interpreted an object, you can affect it from about a foot away.
Calculation enhancement (Increases the speed at which you apply your abilities)
     Level 1: It takes you quite some time to concentrate and apply your abilities.
Remainder cancellation (Allows you to interpret objects without altering them. Also allows you apply your abilities to an object without applying them to the material inbetween)
     Level 2: When you interpret an object, there is normally slight deformation and some color change.
Base manipulation (Allows you to interpret larger numbers)
     Level 1: Anything larger than fist-sized is beyond you.
Multinomial factorisation (Allows you to interpret numbers faster)
     Level 2: Something fist-sized will take you about thirty seconds to interpret.
Variance averaging (Increases the uniformity at which you can apply your powers over the target)
     Level 1: You are pretty shoddy at keeping your abilities uniform.

[hachnslay]

manipulate your water bottles to be less likely to break, either by realigning their atomic structure to a more stable crystaline structure or by making them reflect incoming kinetic force better.
then work on approximating effects and changes. train with a local stone wall 2-3 foot away from your outstretched hand. guess how you need to manipulate it to turn it into sand and apply it.

[ed boy]

manipulate your water bottles to be less likely to break, either by realigning their atomic structure to a more stable crystaline structure or by making them reflect incoming kinetic force better.
then work on approximating effects and changes. train with a local stone wall 2-3 foot away from your outstretched hand. guess how you need to manipulate it to turn it into sand and apply it.

You're nowhere near being able to do that. In time, additional application of your abilities will be possible, but for now the only thing you can really do is give things a velocity.

[hachnslay]

what does the area around us look like? is there sand?

[ed boy]

The land nearby is mostly long grass, with some bushes. To the south is a field, with a lake byond that. To the north the grasslands continue, with sparse trees that eventually thicken into woodland. The road stretches from east to west, with weeds growing alongside and in some places poking through the surface.

EDIT: there is no sand, but there is a lot of debris lying around. If needs be, you could try to break up some of the remnants into small enough chunks to be considered vaguely powdery.

[hachnslay]

train using blades of grass . take one, then change it, so it drastically accelerates towards a tree. once the tree breaks you are ready to avenge the ones that sheltered you.

[ed boy]

You grab a few handfuls of grass and uproot them. One by one, you start firing them away. Each blade you pick up, run your fingers over a few times and place on the ground in front of you. Lying down, you concentrate on the blade of grass and, after about twenty seconds, if goes flying off in front of you.

You aim towards a nearby tree, and most of the blades go in that direction. A few go spinning off at an agle, especially when you really try to make the grass go flying. After several hours worth of practice, you are able to keep the direction of motion steady at high velocities, and can get the margin of error on the path pretty small.

None of the blades of grass actually make it to the tree, though. They don't have much momentum and they decelerate and stop pretty soon.

The physical laws that you have previously learned state that, in order to move the blades of grass, you must apply a force, so that they can accelerate while that force is applied. However, your observations seem to run counter to that. Instead of accelerating from stationary to their maximum speed, they instantly transition form one to the other, seemingly without undergoing any force due to this acceleration. Other forces still apply, though. After the blades of grass start moving, they decelerate as conventional physics would preduct.

After several hours worth of practice, you are interrupted by the arrival of dusk.

You have gained a skill point in Velocity Matrices.
You have a free skill point to spend.

Spoiler: inventory (click to show/hide)

21x marks
4x set of scruffy clothes (1 worn)
4x Day's worth of food (dried fruit, preserved meat, bread)
2x water bottles (full)
1x pair of shoes (worn)
1x pack

Spoiler: skills (click to show/hide)

Isolation techniques (allows you to better control the limits of the area over which you apply your powers)
     Level 2: You can keep your powers limited to simple areas with a few minor errors, but complex shapes are beyond you.
Noise reduction (Allows you to interpret the numbers of objects through mediums)
     Level 1: You cannot interpret objects at a distance. In order to interpret an object, you must be making physical contact with a large portion of it.
Velocity matrices (Allows you to impart a velocity to objects)
     Level 2: You impart velocity to an object. You can keep the veloicty to within a few degrees of what you intend, thoughthey often end up rotating unpredictably.
Limit point control (Allows you to better specify the magnitude of your powers)
     Level 2: You have a sense of the magnitude of your powers. You can keep a nudge to a nudge, and keep a heft to a heft.
Supremum exclusion (Increases the maximum magnitude of your abilities)
     Level 3: You can get a fair bit of heft behind your abilities.
Image Paramaterisation (Increases the range at which you can apply your abilities)
     Level 2: Once you have interpreted an object, you can affect it from about a foot away.
Calculation enhancement (Increases the speed at which you apply your abilities)
     Level 1: It takes you quite some time to concentrate and apply your abilities.
Remainder cancellation (Allows you to interpret objects without altering them. Also allows you apply your abilities to an object without applying them to the material inbetween)
     Level 2: When you interpret an object, there is normally slight deformation and some color change.
Base manipulation (Allows you to interpret larger numbers)
     Level 1: Anything larger than fist-sized is beyond you.
Multinomial factorisation (Allows you to interpret numbers faster)
     Level 2: Something fist-sized will take you about thirty seconds to interpret.
Variance averaging (Increases the uniformity at which you can apply your powers over the target)
     Level 1: You are pretty shoddy at keeping your abilities uniform.