I’m now curious about servitors and if it’s a good idea or possible to use them as a test dummy of sorts for practicing or perfecting baneful Magik and curses. I’ve noticed how easy it is to get practice in for magiks that are not harmful like elemental, energy manipulation and healing because either it’s beneficial or harmless (relatively) but if you wanted to practice psionic attacks, curses, or manipulating death energy as a weapon, then you have less options. Since servitors are essentially a spiritual robot, I’d think they would make perfect candidates for Magikal Crash Test Dummies. I’d appreciate any insight you guys can provide
Well, you could trawl local papers for cut and dried cases of certain crimes you dislike. 
Servitors would need to mimic a real lifeform with a desire to self-protect before they would be useful samples, so you are basically creating a self-aware being which wants to live and expand its experience, and which can perceive being in danger, feel fear and the pain of being attacked, then killing it. People differ on whether this is ethical; I see it as simlar to having kids just so you have someone smaller to beat up at the end of a long day.
There are many human scumbags within miles of you, but servitors are life created anew, and innocent, and they do have feelings and develop a desperate desire to live and protect their own lives, and even seek happiness, very rapidly.
3 Likes
One of the theories behind what you are doing when creating a servitor is that you are actually budding off a part of your own consciousness, so…you would, in essence, be cursing yourself if you used it for target practice.
3 Likes
That I was not aware of, I only saw them compared to robots with no mention of a desire for self-preservation. In that case (at least for me personally) I’d consider that to be a case of karmic suicide. And as for the alternative you mentioned
I’m a tad bit concerned about practicing that way (although there are a few types of crimes that make that a tempting idea) out of worry for unintentional “collateral” or “area of affect” damage. Beyond small scope manipulation of death energy, (admittedly more for necromancy or experimentation) I’ve very little experience with baneful Magik. I’ve had a curiosity for a long time but lacked any space or stability to fully test my magikal scope. I’ve spent more time doing what could be done low key (healing, communicating with nature, understanding alchemy and work focusing on improving myself.) I’d be rather unhappy to find out my test at baneful magik missed the target by a few feet and took out a puppy or something (I’m being hyperbolic, but the sentiment is the same)
@DarkestKnight I feel like there’s a joke to be said here, but it keeps just slipping my mind. But yeah ouch, that would not be a good idea. Also information I didn’t know. Ty
1 Like
Maybe we can conclude this is NOT a good idea.
May I propose to change the topic into what would be a good idea?
The problem with what @Lady_Eva said is that the press can be misguided. I’m speaking here as a former journalist. There is a good chance, then, you could be cursing the wrong person.
1 Like
@Lady_Eva what about using one to test out theories of Magik, that have an inherent high risk with them? It seems like that would better suit their role, with self preservation they’d behave in the same situation much like any magician would, so if you had ideas you wanted to test, could they be kind of like a personal Igor?
Arguably that is a karmic grey area so I’m more inquiring about the actual efficacy of it
Sparring is a time honoured method of training in martial arts, so my advice would be to create a servitor with all the skills and abilities necessary to defend against magical attacks, program the necessary parameters into it to measure successful strikes and counter attacks, and, once you’ve brought it to life, treat it as a sparring partner, NOT a target to be destroyed.
If you really want a challenge, program it to adapt and evolve so that any successful technique you use against it, won’t be as effective the next time.
Since you have mentioned you are familiar with elemental magick, try creating what Donald Michael Kraig, in his book Modern Magick, called an “artificial elemental.” A being composed of Fire and Earth would make an excellent sparring partner.
2 Likes
Okay, this seems like the right answer. A training partner, both come out stronger from every session.
@DarkestKnight that’s actually a really good idea, that slipped my mind. I will have to try that, since this started as a hypothetical discussion on servitors, is there any particular places you’d recommend research on making and coding one?
1 Like
I definitely prefer where this is leading to, as opposed to the start, after seeing them described as robotic over and over, the concept of treating it with more care that I treat my phone hadn’t occurred to me. What I’m seeing, to revise my igor vein of thought earlier, it would be a better option to create a foil or a being that will inspire my growth as opposed to a lackey of sorts.
I just saw the other day a tutorial in this very same forum. Here you go:
2 Likes
Many thanks
1 Like
There are many books available on the subject. Damon Brand’s Magickal Servitors, John Kreiter’s Create a Servitor, and Creating Magical Entities by Taylor Ellwood and Michael Cunningham are a few I recommend.
However, you can probably find the basic technique with a Google search.
The way of creating servitors can be as simple or as complex as you like. The artificial elemental I mentioned above is a more complex technique than that described in Damon Brand’s book, for example.
1 Like
I actually appreciate the insight you all offered, I have a real interest in pushing myself, in magick, and this community is going to be a real asset I just hope I can repay the favor in time
1 Like