Editing Genius: The Transgression (section)

==Laws of Mad Science==
Much like how [[vampire]]s have [[Vampire: The Masquerade#The Camarilla Traditions|rules]] to maintain a [[Vampire: The Masquerade|Masquerade]], Geniuses have a series of laws in place. This is less of the self-serving nature of not being hunted by angry mobs (though that could still happen), but more to not drive the Genius in question even more insane than they already are. The Laws are rather straightforward, and most Geniuses are content with not horribly violating them. Most of them are more descriptions of fact, anyway. 
*'''The Law of Broken Theory''', aka ''Popper's Little Secret'', tells Geniuses that whatever it is they're doing, it isn't science by any traditional definition of the word. Wonders all essentially bend or break the laws of the known universe. Regardless of whatever (probably unfalsifiable) theory a Genius claims it's based on, any given Wonder simply should not work. And on top of that, Inspiration alters a Genius's perspective in ways that make non-mad science all but impossible to carry out. This also means the theories a Genius uses to explain how a Wonder works don't matter as long as they're self-consistent.
*'''The Science is Science Law''', aka ''the Anticlark Corollary'', states that while Clarke's Third Law might have a point and the Law of Broken Theory still applies, Wonders are not actual magic and don't get their power from Mania alone. Sure, they're derived from theories that circumvent or ignore physical laws, but a Wonder will ''never'' ignore the laws of physics entirely. Geniuses are not mages, and Wonders cannot be made out of thin air. A bird carved out of wood won't fly if a Genius dumps Mania into it and says it's "enchanted", but a flying machine built by a Taoist Genius who lived during Song Dynasty and believed in the five Taoist elements will still fly, and it will fly ''based on modern aerodynamic principles'' on top of other, less understood laws. 
*'''The Black Box Law''', aka ''Goldblum's Diatribe'', describes that while a Genius might know what their Wonders do, they do not know exactly ''how'' they do this. Building a Wonder deals with principles beyond human understanding, and these principles are inconsistent at best. Some Geniuses believe that the use of Mania allows one to use the path of least resistance to get a Wonder working, but nobody really knows how their Wonders work. Because if they did they would not be practicing mad science, just regular science.
*'''The Mere Mortal Law''', aka ''Gilligan's Rule'', warns that when a regular mortal gets their hands on a Wonder it will maim/kill/eat them, often in highly spectacular ways that tend to destroy the Wonder and everything near it- this phenomenon is called Havoc. Giving a Wonder to a mortal is like giving a gun to a chimpanzee: it will go wrong sooner or later, and as amusing as it might be to watch you should probably be very far away when that happens. This is even worse for actual scientists, who will inevitably be able to figure out exactly how to fiddle with a Wonder in the wrong way on top of knowing why it shouldn't be able to work. Obviously, this also rules out the possibility of a Genius striking it rich by selling Wonders to mere mortals- even when they can be mass-produced, each mortal that handles the Wonders will break them in a horrible new way each time. 
*'''The Obvious Truth Law''', aka ''Mulder's Lament'', distinguishes Geniuses from many of the other WoD games in that there's not some great conspiracy or masquerade in place to protect everyday people. Indeed, the closest thing to one (the Lemurians) would absolutely love to reveal themselves to the world, but nobody would believe them. Normal people can see and remember Wonders just fine, and unless specifically shielded in some way a Wonder will show up on camera footage just like any other physical object would. Those who do come into contact with a Wonder and don't either get killed by it or dismiss it as madness after it collapses into a useless piece of junk usually either become a Beholden (a ghoul equivalent, able to use Wonders without breaking them but who is essentially unable to maintain a coherent worldview and simply echoes that of the Genius- they might object to murder, but if asked why they'd be unable to answer) or might very well become part of the next generation of Geniuses themselves.

The actual equivalent to a legal code that the Peerage enforces is much more straightforward:
*'''Don't Hurt, Don't Steal, Don't Lie''':  The first two parts are just common sense when it comes to maintaining Obligation. The latter is more of a byproduct from the Peerage's early history, but many geniuses still appreciate truthfulness.
*'''Help Out, Chip In''': This used to be a formal tax, but now it's more of a sentiment that Peers should help each other out. Sharing of lab space, ensuring access to food, shelter, and access to the mad science news outlets- that sort of thing. It's not easy to uphold these days though, as quite a few Geniuses were dirt-poor even before Inspiration crippled their chances at getting work. It goes without saying that very few mortals want to hire someone as nutty as an Inspired. 
*'''Stay Low''': No robbing banks with giant robots or threatening the UN with a moon laser, because at best you'll only succeed at turning a bunch of people into Inspired (and that's more labs to feed). And at worst, Havoc disintegrates everyone in a ten mile radius of your dumb ass. Also, stay humble. You're not a revolutionary scientist, you're just a nutjob. 
*'''You Enlighten It, You Buy It''': While the details are obtuse, the simple version is that if your Wonder is somehow responsible for another's Breakthrough, it's up to you to educate them up to their first Thesis. Until then, any shenanigans they get into are your responsibility.
*'''Fuck Lemuria''': The Lemurians might not be openly at war with the Peerage these days, but that doesn't mean that any of the rules of courtesy extended to other Geniuses should be applied to them. Outright violence is discouraged (at least in public), but theft and deception of all types are free game and are expected from Lemuria in return. The only caveat is that when Lemuria fucks with you, you'll only have as much protection from them as you can buy.