Balance being an essential figure in most fantasy pieces, this works on many levels! While it can be fun to have wacky spells, wouldnt it be even cooler if you could reveal how your wacky spells all click together? Those who do contain their power are called Gluttons, based off of glutton for punishment (could someone help me with the names, im horrible at naming things). On the other hand, there could be a group of people allergic to the plant. In some magic systems, gods or other powerful beings are the source of all magic. If they need hand gestures to do magic, they cant do it while tied up. Bodily energies wouldn't make for a great choice as the body runs out of all types of energy, at least in real life and most works of fiction. The story is at a climax when emotions are always high? Ask yourself what kind of problems magic will cause your protagonists, and whether your antagonist will use magic to achieve their goals. Though after reading the Mythcreants article about the effects of high magic and how it might speed up industry, these two time periods might be much closer temporally. (Known collectively as the Nasuverse after their writer, Kinoko Nasu) Namely, by this articles definition of rational magic, would the magic in the Nasuverse count as an example of a rational magic system? Each ability corresponds with role in a gang of thieves. The key traits of a hard magic system are outlined in the graphic below. Angelic and demonic can stay, but dont over-simplify things. You should ensure that the conflict and resolutions in your story arent as fickle as the magic. We'll also throw some brainstorming questions your way to help get those magical creative juices flowing! You can certainly use that, even though information might sometimes not be easy to find. I also had the idea that there would be some very powerful, old spirits who have long-standing contracts with humanity as a whole. I have seen several people on StackExchange Worldbuilding, for instance, and commenters on the HPMOR fanfic, talk about how changing natural laws can cause problems and criticize many writers lack of thought about this. I just finished the entire creation story because of these questions as well as creating a more refined system of magic in my book! The readers should, after reading a bit of the story, develop an understanding for how people do magic. Nevertheless, you will always introduce something which, as far as we know, does not exist in reality. Now, its VERY early days for me with this thing, but Im wondering: If you are the child of a Given and you are born with magic, you are called a Twisted mage, and have the same powers as your Given parent. Heres how this system might break down: A long list of constraints will make it much easier to craft conflicts in your story. This was implemented to further refine (/complicate?) Ive been thinking about a system of magic that was born of 6 Tower, stationed at the poles and in each of the cardinal directions. Dispel | Spiritual | Fire | Creature 2. In actual weaving, warp threads keep tension during weaving and are the main structure of the fabric. But think about trying to hold water cupped in your hand; its still difficult. They arent all knowing like gods so you have to talk to them directly. And finally, I was thinking about a story involving space travel, so FTL would be convenient to explain how the aliens managed to meet each other in a relatively short amount of time. Why should I only have one source of magic? As far as the potions issue, again, these are based off historical ideas about magic and potions. While your categories wouldnt be any fun if they were identical, they do need consistency. If a mage has no limit to what they can do, why not simply find one who solves all the problems for your hero with the snap of a finger (or a well-conducted ritual)? I hope this is a reasonable explanation. Some extra stuff: There could be plots in which some would try to exploit/affect this source of energy but there could be a mental cost, such as suffering and being unable to think straight, for those who had to provide it. Motion/kinetic energy: you stop an object in its tracks. They're overall stregenth of that ability is average. So the way the world works is that this physical world we see and interact with is one of an infinite number, which exists on one of the 12 Planes of Existence. In time cities arise around these safe harbors, and ever so slowly life begins again. Thats because we know dragon glass can kill them and both weapons were forged by dragon flame. What do you think? 6 Key Questions To Ask When Creating A Magic System This could also link in nicely culture and tradition (festivals on summer or winter solace to celebrate the Mother). (For the record, though, strong emotion results in power use isnt actually a element I like in a system.). Kristen now works as a creative wellness coach and offers new resources through her personal website at kristenkieffer.co. Another thing you have to keep in mind is how strong the spells are and if they're overpowered. Mages connected to certain Primals are sometimes more common in parts of the world than others. That was exactly what i thought! In the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away, the entire spirit world operates under a soft magic system, from the magical bathhouse customers to the killer paper airplanes. Sometimes this is unavoidable, it happens a lot in games and long stories spanned over many seasons/novels, but for shorter stories it's best to think about what the power limit would be. Other than that, most answers are really just what do you want? However, I will say that if magic uses up energy in the environment putting out fires and stopping movement for instance that would probably create some interesting scenes. So I would greatly appreciate some constructive feedback back. donjon; Fantasy World Generator If you choose a framework that is broader and vaguer, youll need to add less obvious limitations to it. Your powers will be just as draining as a Bornes magic. The Given is normally in for 3-7 year. If youre working with leylines and the fabric of reality you should model the whole earth as a living thing(as it is)but not necessarily conscious, although that could add tension and the leylines and threads could be like vains in an interconnected system that gets clogged from the knots relating to all manner of natural and unnatural disasters/phenomenon and just like any living thing this system would naturally resemble a circulatory/lymphatic system with currents and nodes to regulate and cleanse said currents. And they were given this power, making them enhanced. 3. Im sorry. Originally I was going to go with energy, but thats way too vague. Harrys mother inadvertently casts a protective spell on him by dying for him. With so many spec fic books, its not unusual to have such coincidences. Im using the elements as chemical states and even nature transforms between them (ice to water, water to steam, or the other way around for water). They already have enough problems with inter-house violence. Weak to medium Hydro, very rare chance of getting weak Eco as well, Learns magic more easily than other races. This is one of the most exciting things about writing fantasy: getting to design your own magic system. When you look at all your categories together, you shouldnt find any large gaps where a category should be, and two categories shouldnt be unusually similar. It would also bring a limit, because the ley lines dont exist everywhere. Ive used term spell in a broad sense, I mean just an example of what you can do with such system So, basically, you mean just the same system as in Avatar (roughly, just moving the substances physically) plus transformations between substances (earth to water to air to fire and so on)? Though some have tried since the beginning, it has been deemed impossible for a human to harness and redistribute sunlight. When youre deciding which type of magic system to use, ask yourself: Do you want magic to solve conflict for your protagonist (hard magic) or to create conflict for your protagonist (soft magic)? Are there different types of magic, or did magic diversify over time? The machines were built in centralized factories embedded with instructions for their specific purpose and packaged up and sent out around the globe. Waving around a wand isnt as simple as you bang it out to be. Tell us about them in the comments below. Wizards cast spells by waving wands and saying incantations. LEARNED: obtain magic through studying. Group A (yet to be named) uses magic as soon as they feel it, even if they dont want to and are by far the rarest. However, a few benders can bend their element when its in a different form or less pure. Plus, itll make the villain look rightfully confident and in control, rather than stupidly arrogant for powering up his adversary, and itll build up their threat level when the hero at seemingly full power wasnt a match for him. You need to lay down rules and follow them (which is where both Rowlings use of magic in Harry Potter and Lucas use of the Force in the original trilogy fail). But thats not the way Rowling goes. Substances like these make it easy to put limits on the amount of magic used just limit the substance. Otherwise, the humans world will fall apart. Brings back memories of the magic system I was working on for a really trippy book not really super Lovecrafty per se, but set in modern day Maine among a world of dark magicks and secret cults, so in that sense an echo I lost track of back in my 30s and am just now remembering. What fuels the use of magic? Telekinesis, telepathy, and teleportation are not something people can really use in everyday life, so you will find it hard to justify their existence through science alone. Like it doesnt work on them or around them? (Storm God = sky domain = bird ? Mana manipulation is a basic form of magic (though anyone can learn this ability through time and training without doing magic at all. Pushing themselves past their limit can lead to exhaustion and have them pass out, or in extreme cases, using up too much mana can kill a person through over-exertion. Are humans the only species capable of doing so or are elves, trolls or even some or all animals able to do so as well? I remember a HP fan-fiction where Harry developed two spells into some kind of magical arms he could call up at will to help with magic or protect himself by picking up half a dozen objects he could throw into the path of a spell or weapon. His thoughts compiled into a fortified plan to use his skills to accomplish it, without leaving his comfortable chair. Can they simply stretch their arm, make a gesture with their hands and shoot out a ball of fire or do they need a wand do direct the magic? SO, strangely inspired by a Looney Tunes skit, staring Daffy Duck (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi_hcwB8i64 ), I came up with a system of Runes that could be strung together to create different spell effects that way, through their understanding of the Runes (and the underlying mechanics, which was NOT immediately revealed to the Player), Players could effectively reverse engineer opponent spells, Counter-spell and undertake other such wizardly endeavors. Though there is an international standard for magic spells, certain cultures practice magic in different ways pertaining to either their culture, beliefs or lifestyles. Yes, its arbitrary which items have magical powers (though many plants have historically been said to have magical powers and Rowling obviously researched these). In real history governments & monarchies & over influential groups typically only become so due to Power, which they get from either, Food, Armies, Technology or Money (and usually one of those can help get you any of the others)- but in a fantasy world Magic would be on that list (the extent of which would depend on its abilities but regardless a group of Mages would without a doubt. Thats not exactly what I mean Im talking about low-level How. And, by the way, you actually can use parts of wizards in potions, and theyre used in pivotal parts of at least 2 books: the Polyjuice Potion uses part of the person you want to transform into, and the potion used to give Voldemort a body has bone of the father flesh of the servant [and] blood of the enemy. If you can't combine spells you'll have to work together perfectly, time spells one after the after and make sure you're not in each other's way. I guess its similar in its outward effects to the Avatar magic system, but youll see that its actually quite different. Magic is a dominant trait, but rare in some races. Only one. In my example of magic that is acquired by consuming a plant, a clever alchemist might distill and concentrate the plant down to an elixir that is digested more quickly. That boar, the Twrch Trwyth? Anywhere there is festivity or drinking he might try to have some fun, which could make for an epic night or a lot of destruction; hes the bane of every tavern and bar. But, with the power of enough minds, things and beings could be transported to nearly any location instantly, as long as that location was also in the proximity of many minds (Minds were always at least somewhat tied to the physical world during life, so there would still be a range limit, but a vastly larger one for this teleportation, spanning many light-years). For example, your magic is powered by emotions, which also means that your emotions, if they dont get a new power source (more emotion), will disappear over time. air benders can also create a vacuum around the head to suffocate some one (same guy did this in season 3). Dont be intimated by the often academic bent to the discussion around theme. Im creating a story set in a dragon-people city, but humans do exists. I know its been a whole since you made this post, so I was just curious to how things have developed since then? Students learn all of the spells by memorization, because theres no logic underpinning how they operate. The person who got the powers is called the Given. In another world (a fantasy high-magic setting), I havent fleshed out quite as much, but I do know that magic is powered by your soul, which is also needed to run all brain activity. Brought to you by Campfire Levi Johnson is a writer and content creator at Campfire. This may or may not be an insuperable obstacle. While she does talk about how it adds limitations, that doesnt actually seem to be her primary focus. Apoglies if it comes off as confusing, Im not very good at conveying my thoughts and ideas, will explain in greater detail later. If spellcasters can run out of magic, itll be easy to put them in a tight spot when you need to. For Light and Darkness, Shade will be their name. People who practice this form of magic are called lucalurgists. Obviously this is another aspect which heavily depends on your story universe, but most methods can be twisted to fit. Plot-wise, yes. These terms, originally coined by Brandon Sanderson, are widely used by fantasy fiction writers today. But I dont necessarily want to read about rational magic systems. Its not uncommon for people to have phantom sensations or memories weeks later. When you suddenly decide to change the way magic works or it looks like it, because youre winging it with the system readers get unhappy. Know How Your Magic Works Here we discuss considerations outside the scope of this article, such as the effect magic has on society. In the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, magic (called bending) is embodied by the four elements of air, water, fire, and earth, plus spiritual energy. Because soft magic is often used by characters other than the protagonist, you should think about who the wielders will be. Maybe its impossible, and I dont know, although Ive tried to figure out. The random Magic Type Generator is a free online tool that lets you generate random Magic Type content for your fantasy or writing project with the click of a button. Fire born and living in constant motion, generating heat that is eventually extinguished, restoring the balance. Now paint may sound op but it has very risky limitations. As I said, I was also inspired by depictions of psychic powers in fiction, so I used this idea to explain telepathy (immaterial minds were the same substance, so they could have a way to directly communicate with each other) and telekinesis (if thoughts could generate energy, then maybe they could create enough energy to affect outside objects as well). Just because there are rules doesnt mean theyre rational. Mistakes as huge as that one turn people off reading your stories. In addition, there are no boundaries on what magic could theoretically do in the Potterverse. But Chaos is discovered to still exist and actually controls the inner workings of our universe (similar to a pusdeo quantum physics where laws arent followed and anything can happen at anytime) This (called the Ether) rarely affects our natural world but when it does the laws of physics are broken in the form of magic. I shall now splurge it out here If you like it, and you think you can bend it to fit your idea, then go for it!! If you go with that, I really hope youll have a scene where your mage character (or one of them) sees the empty shells that older mages have become, their very last memory bargained away in exchange for a little power. Disadvantages: it makes your paint harder to control, if your will is weak your contractor could go against you, your contractor gets to present you with the deals and if you dont like them there is nothing you can do about it, harm to your contractor results in harm to your soul. I dont like giving writers a formula for magic systems. Can spells and other forms of magic be combined and if so, how much does it increase per added person? That would certainly make them dangerous to magic users. Wand movements and spells serve to direct the magic, to tell it what to do. It takes many years to master. Not at all. This allows for more ready, flexible use of magic, but one has to be careful how much they use at once or risk damaging both the spirit and themselves. Magic isnt real, so it can be anything we want. Spell description generator. The more practiced & skilled to are then the less and less the Inspiration needs to be- if youre unskilled then youll need a person running by or a tree falling over to Inspire you. So then, my idea was that even though minds were separate from bodies, they were normally closely tied so they could interact, which was why telepathy and telekinesis had things such as limits based on physical distance. Magic does exist and it follows rules is the first rule of a rational system. Perhaps then these powers could actually be based on nanobots or even totally new forces and particles that are not visually detectable. You need to lay enough groundwork and hard rules and be consistent enough that it doesnt feel like a character getting angrier will suddenly allow them to start winning a climactic battle, at least not without significant buildup to such a thing happening. and much if not all this her non original content that she is taking from is founded in actual fairy tales with absolutely no magical or rational system. Hi there, I really like the sound of your magics (especially the high fantasy one)- I like the idea about the colours representing the power levels. The audience isnt sure if burning the leaches actually caused these deaths, making it mysterious despite having witnessed the magic ritual first-hand. World-Building, Prepare to Write, Revising for Publishing, As bestselling author Brandon Sanderson explains. What about Time? I would skip chemical energy though opens up too many things. Fifty years after the war ends the younger generation make massive breakthroughs. Who knows! In my plant-based system, there could be a lineage with the biological adaptation to absorb the magical substance directly, without using the plant as an intermediary. They cant use magic at all. Or does it speed up molecules/atoms to heat up an object (if we have mostly realistic world)? This is the name list Tolkien draws from at least for a couple of the Dwarven characters in The Hobbit. Hope I did well! Limits can come in all sorts of varieties, the ones we've covered are: how to wield it (being disarmed), how to gain power, power limit, limited power source, cost of powers, the ability to combine powers or not, racial differences and whether or not you're born with a specific amount of power and talent or not. The power can be anything reasonable, but behind its use is an action that they used to love. There are 7 types of energy that all link with one another (the first two I made up as a pseudo science which explains the workings of Life & Sentience in a pre-modern scientific age), Sentience :). Update/thoughts soon. Actually, one of the principles of old-time portions-making was that a plant which looks like a certain body part is good for curing that body part (actual results may vary). Then I really thought about the setting and that would breakwell, everything. To build this logic, start by thinking about three things: the effects, sources, and costs of magic. What are those with magical powers called within your story world? I was actually thinking of precursor aliens having set everything up, but that raises a lot more questions of motivation and the ability to remain undetected. In Game of Thrones, the red woman throws leaches into a fire, and later several lords die far away. I havent even gotten to the actual magic yet. I would start with some metaphysical idea about exactly what functions these threads are performing to hold the world together. If rational magic systems only had a basic framework, they might get dull. Youll need to set guidelines for how these beings operate so that you can explain why they do or dont answer prayers whenever theyre asked. If I were you, I would make sure every complication you have is something thats important to you. (The more kinetic energy in the object, the harder it is to stop, as remember, you are the cork and you are the one who must withstand the energy that you are withholding from the tendency towards balance. But, in general, all those energies are more-less equally distributed everywhere. Four Ways to Limit Magic & Technology Those limits are important! It is the rarest of the Primals to be connected to. Magical effects will make a bigger impact on your readers if you use all five senses. Its easy to get excited and bite off more than you can chew, but youll do better if you focus on fewer things. He focused his will and the energy that boiled in his mind, letting it out like smoothly flowing water into the air. Some people make a long-term contract with a particular spirit to channel its energy themselves, with the spirit becoming the casters familiar. Well, there is the Restricted Section, which includes books on the Dark Arts, I made a magical system right after I read this article and this is what I came up with: Magic is powered by emotion and certain emotions affect your environment in different ways. Create a crater-sized hole in the earth to later redistribute the soil, though, and you might have some problems. However, I am suspecting my response to it will be pretty long, and I have other things I need to work on. Your different factions have magic that feels very different, and thats hard to put into a rational system. Im finding that my worldbuilding and plotting inform each other more in this story than others Ive worked on. Magitech To create strange fusions of science and sorcery for your more unusual settings. If youre still reading, thanks for letting me ramble. One of them is how I believe that the tips given may not be universal. A puddle could be vaporized at will, only to have the water redistributed at a later time, again at the will of the one controlling the exchange. Now, to those who contain their power. (Note- it is a lot easier to learn the Other Methods of Create, Increase & Decrease of the same energy type than it is to learn how to use other Energies- but if you work hard enough it can be done) The expeditions that have come back tell of fantastical landscapes, filled with mystic flora and fauna. Side note, can anyone contact the spirits, or does it require a special gift.. Forms of Star magic include telepathy, telekinesis, mind control, astral projection, and precognition. First off, Id like to say that your idea is amazing! One or all could be part of the system and manipulation of the paper in . Thanks a million! First, the magical system is based off European history and mythology. While characters can invent some potions, it appears they only do it by trial and error, not through a formula that guides what goes into a potion to create specific effects. Like if in Harry Potter, wizards murdered all the muggles. Perhaps theyd have to choose two which are not opposites (fire/water or earth/air would be opposites). Mother wont take kindly to that. I really hope you go through with it! Characters ability to control/convert each type of energy goes from some skills which could be improved and basically limited by amount of energy which the character can control at any single spell. As long as your explanation isnt a slap in the face of physical laws we all know, theres no problem from that side. I just wanted to run a few things past eyes that arent mine any feedback/critique/comments would be hugely appreciated!! So it goes like this, everyone in the world can use magic though alot choose not to because they dont want to get caught up in the conflict with all that do use it. If youre curious about the source A lot of magical effects can only affect creatures that are magic, or affect them much more strongly. How does the energy reach an object (including a brain) without affecting and potentially being dissipated by everything in the way (including air)? A glove that gradually eats away at their flesh, or every spell they cast they have to pay a price to a demon, or something. Does the use of power exact a particular cost? When the spell is done, the deactivated knots simply float around, unattended. 2023 Mythcreants LLC, all articles, art, recordings, and stories are the copyright of their respective authors. If so, what differentiates them? Things holy magic can do include lighting incense, putting people to sleep, and pacifying demons. If they can do whatever they want with it, it sounds like conduits being a battery is the only real difference between them. Their eyes are blinded and their organs fail. When it comes to telepathy have you considered that connecting to another mind might simply mean making changes in their neural system (which runs on small amounts of electricity created by the body)? This is the first step in learning magic, for depending on what Primal theyre affiliated with, their magic may not be useful at all times (a Sun mages magic is severely weakened at night, and an Earth mage is practically useless out at sea) and they need to rely on their mana for defense and offense. If you use magic (or psychic powers) like a Deus Ex Machina, enabling your magic users (or psychics) to do whatever the story needs, without any understandable reason why they can do all this, you have something else. While the Harry Potter system certainly isnt perfectwill be checking out the linked article!I dont think the points raised in this article have much weight. To avoid adding a sense of arbitrariness, your choice of categories must feel natural. By adopting a specific mentality and pairing that with martial art forms, they can move and manipulate their element. Your patronage keeps this site running. Magic system generator the magic system's origin is (1d? For telepathy and telekinesis, you mention sources of energy. Conduits gather energy but dont cast spells with it, Interferers cant gather but they can cast, so the two types of magic users have to work together to cast spells. Spells that affect another persons soul are the strongest and are pretty much all purple level. So if you think multiple types would be cool, go for it, if you want to keep it simple, dont. Its easy to mix up rational magic with whats often referred to as hard magic. I was literally thinking How can I make a magic system thats as good as Avatar? and this article answered that question nicely. Do you guys have questions? To build this logic, start by thinking about three things: the effects, sources, and costs of magic. Thanks! As long as you dont change fundamental things in the universe, theres no problem with making enough changes to slip your magical or psychic powers in. On How Do I Portray Stupid Characters Respectfully? Mages draw energy from these Primals to cast spells, but are limited by the amount of Primal energy drawn, mainly from environmental factors. Because when you move, there is an accompanying sound? It sends a positive message to the reader when the magic being performed is a positive being paid for by a regrettable negative but sends the wrong message when its a cheat or lethal act that is only being rewarded or reinforced with a positive. Spirit? One more thing to keep in mind what if there is an underlying principle, but the characters dont know about it? If you are not creating a game, where you want a firemage be as powerful as a dark wizard for balancing sake, your magic doesnt need to be symmetrical.