Concept: a robot who is very, very obviously a powerful wizard, but always has some complicated explanation for why what they just did wasn’t magic, and frankly they’re shocked that you would be so credulously superstitious as to believe that it was.
Off the top of my head, there are at least two routes here.
First is “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. Our robot wizard isn’t using magic, they’re using advanced nanotechnology, energy field manipulation, or some other utterly fantastic technology and scientific knowledge to perform feats that are nigh magical to the rest of the party. Either this is the result of advanced technology performing feats that are very similar to magic spells but are fundamentally different (manipulation of natural phenomena instead of supernatural forces), or superscience and magic ultimately do the same thing but approach it from a different angle. The natural philosopher class from the Northern Crown campaign setting of 3rd edition D&D is an example of this.
The other route is “any sufficiently studied magic is indistinguishable from science”. In this scenario, magic is not supernatural but just another type of natural phenomena. It has rules and laws that can be observed, understood, replicated, and harnessed. This is where you will find mass-produced magitech. In such a scenario, discussions of what is science and what is mere magic and superstition quickly becomes an exercise in pedantry.
Of course, this is more of a spectrum. The robot wizard insisting that they are using science and not superstitious nonsense might be just as close-mindedly stubborn regarding the true nature of the world as the character they are arguing with who is convinced that they’re using supernatural magic.
Two other possibilities you’ve overlooked:
1. The robot is using perfectly explicable technological tricks; they merely like to wave a wooden staff and chant in Latin while they’re at it for the Aesthetic.
2. The robot really is an old school bell-book-and-candle wizard, no “sufficiently advanced magic” about it, and they’re just insisting that there’s a perfectly mundane explanation for everything they do in order to screw with people, like:
“Okay, I’m pretty sure you just summoned a demon there.”
“Nonsense – it was clearly a trained animal in a fanciful costume. I’m surprised you didn’t know that I dabble in exotic animal husbandry, I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before.“
“And the part where it popped out of a spontaneously manifesting ring of green fire?“
“Aurora borealis.”
“Wait. You just turned that person into a newt. Don’t tell me that wasn’t magic.”
“Indeed it wasn’t. It was retrograde evolution, induced by a simple dose of reverse RNA transcriptase surreptitiously administered via hypodermic dart – any schoolchild could explain the underlying mechanism.”
“That’s… that’s not. How evolution. Works.”
“Well, listen to Mister Science Guy here! Which one of us is a walking marvel of modern technology, again? I think I know a thing or two about your primitive meatbag biology!”
“I… you…“
Option 4: it’s magic and he’s incredibly embarrassed about it because he’s a robot and it feels like he’s letting down the team. This is closely related to 3, but he does not in ANY way try to explain it, and in fact desperately avoids any discussion about it. “It’s science, very scientific,” he insists as Prince Vassago fistbumps him and helps him find his keys.
Context: We’re all playing for the first time at our local game store, and one of the players is playing a Wizard, who believes it is wrong to use magic to hurt people.
Wizard: ‘Alright, and I’m gonna cast Web at the two pirates in front of me.’ DM: ‘Okay and they… *roll* both fail their reflex saves. They’re entangled in sticky web.’
*the rest of the round plays out.
Wizard: ‘Mmkay, I pull out my greatclub and approach the pirate nearest me. DM: ‘I’m sorry you pull out your what???’ Wizard: ‘My greatclub. My beatin’ stick.’ Me: ‘I thought your character was a pacifist!’ Wizard: ‘No, that’s not what I said. He thinks its wrong to use magic to hurt people. He does NOT think it’s wrong to use magic to hold people down while he beats them to death with a big stick.’
We all look at his character sheet, see the 18 strength score and see that he just wrote down ‘The Mageinator’ as his character’s name. He had the most confirmed kills for that campaign.
New form of joke: telling someone to roll an ability check for something that obviously doesn’t need that type of check
“I wanna see if this dead body is anyone we recognize” “Roll an acrobatics check”
You say joke, but I like to use it as an opportunity to genuinely fuck with players. “I want to see if the dead body is anyone we know.” “Roll acrobatics.” “11?” “The body seizes you by the wrists and lunges at your throat with its teeth, howling like a demon. You are grappled. Roll initiative.”
Or, “I want to check the chest for traps.” “Roll performance.” “Okay, uh. 17…?” “You start whistling quietly while you go about tapping, poking, and examining the sides of the chest. It’s a pretty catchy tune you picked up a couple days ago from the bard.” “Alright, neat, and the chest?” “The chest starts humming along.”
blackash26 