A rational magic system follows rules, thats what makes it a rational system. There are medieval books detailing how to pluck a mandrake from the ground because it was thought that they screamed when unearthed and could kill everyone who heard the scream. Or it could indeed be a matter of merely thinking things into existence specific ability necessary. I understand your point. Though there is an international standard for magic spells, certain cultures practice magic in different ways pertaining to either their culture, beliefs or lifestyles. You wouldnt add that fire is good for creative thinking, because that wouldnt fit. The Taran movie also would provide examples for limits through the source with both the magic kettle (stops working when a living thing is sacrificed) and the crystal ball which doesnt work for the villain for some reason, although its owner does well with it. In the first book, Ron doesnt know any troll-slaying spells, so he uses the Levitating Spell to knock out a mountain troll instead. And it would explain the marked as an equal thing, too. WESTERN VOLCANO, based off of western dragons in design, very likely chance of getting weak to strong Combustial magic, very rare chance of getting another type of magic as well. There are a few keys differences, in that the forces that determine a Vibration are its Wavelength, Frequency, Harmony, Color, and Ripple(subject to change). What I really dont like about this article is the formula on how to create a magic system. Alrighty, its late and Im tired. Forms of Sky magic include air magic, lightning magic, and weather magic. They could solve all problems with a snap of their fingers. So, in my story world theres a plague spreading among the populace known as the Grey Death (somewhat analogous to the Bubonic Plague). Without this action, the person is consumed by the power, turning into a brute beast, only wanting to destroy those with more power then themselves. Why you should create a rational magic system as a writer? how would you define the users magical abilities)? The list includes a thug who burns pewter and becomes stronger; a tineye who burns tin and enhances their senses; a soother who burns brass and can calm others emotions; a seeker that burns bronze and can identify other magic works; and a smoker that blocks a seeker within a certain radius. Feats of telekinesis should leave your characters a little exhausted the more energy needed, the higher the exhaustion. Thelema, Goetia, Gematria, Thaumaturgy, Alchemy, Hermeticism? Bit of background on the names, also random worldbuilding you can skip: Conduits were though to be channeling the energy of the gods, as when they are full they glow slightly but Conduits cant do anything with their energy by themselves. Once you've figured out who can wield it it's time to figure out how they can wield it. Your story may also include a chosen one thats extra special. Hell make it rain if your rain dance impresses him, but he wont strike someone with lightning no matter how impressive your dance is. One might be cost, but only if your magic source is limited. The tricky thing about powering magic with emotions is that it generally leads to magics power being as fickle and arbitrary as emotions, which often makes problems and solutions stemming from its use feel arbitrary. If they are limited, its usually not by some universal magical law, but rather a handicap in their source of power. Basically the spirits want more knowledge of the human world, to experience it through human eyes. Ill have to remember I can do that if necessary. Technically, you could link influencing the elements (moving earth to create a wall for instance) to the way Avatar handles it. But you can use pretty much anything you wish, whether it's a magic absorbing rock, special water or perhaps a type of wood. The law of magic that makes it so you cant summon food out of thin air feels like something invented by JK Rowling for plot purposes, not the logical result of a different set of physics like in Avatar the last Air bender. Since the universe as a whole tends towards entropy, where this world uniquely tends towards balance, fire doesnt always behave as expected), Water in its various forms (liquid, gaseous, solid; in redistribution it will always revert to its most common form in nature, that of liquid. Its a very complex mathematical theorem, but the really basic idea I understand is that conservation laws and symmetries are connected. the interactions between spells of opposing Wizards. A damned if you do, damned if you dont scenario. A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. I think natural disaster can be explained in this world as terrifying manifestation of the imbalances in nature, things that the Mother wants to avoid by seeking to restore balance always. Hi there, I know this blog was posted a while ago but Ive only just found it and its exactly the kind of thing Ive been looking for, plus Ive seen more recent comments here so hopefully theyll be some people still interested. Your powers will be just as draining as a Bornes magic. Hard vs. soft magic is a spectrum, not a binary. Yeah, I think your fabric metaphor works great. If I use strength to push a boulder, that boulder gets the amount of energy while moving (with a little bit of entropy when it comes to friction, of course). Some kind of energy tentacles, if you want a picture. People who practice this form of magic are called lucalurgists. 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. You can also read his books to see his systems in action; personally I recommend Elantris. It could also be from astral radiation or human emotion. These Tower appeared out of thin air, bringing with them a curse. How might someone with an unusual background or extraordinary dedication take magic either a step further or a step in a new direction? Ask yourself what kind of problems magic will cause your protagonists, and whether your antagonist will use magic to achieve their goals. She might exchange one persons hand for anothers, but she might not deem two lives equal. And this is why I post my ideas on places like this someone will ask the really obvious questions I forgot to ask myself. However, certainly Interferers might be rewriting history to make themselves look better. Mystical Paths A slightly humorous generator that produces new mystical practices for characters. I was literally thinking How can I make a magic system thats as good as Avatar? and this article answered that question nicely. However, a few benders can bend their element when its in a different form or less pure. There are, of course, drawbacks. These expeditions have all been disaster, as the concentration of Ghoul (better then Specters at least) is much higher in those areas. See the LessWrong articles Universal Fire and Universal Law for one explanation of how all physical laws are tied together. What can your high fantasy magic do as in abilities and cant do like limitations? Im only using that as a place holder name because mostly priests use it but priest carries its own connotation thats probably also misleading. This would mean that they are naturally mostly hidden from beings of normal matter, but perhaps they could find ways to interact. This was long enough ago to be remembered as an advanced society falling, but its manner of advancement being conflated with the magic that exists now, and most specific knowledge of it lost. If you don't combine spells you'll have 2 (or more) people fighting together, but not as one being. Your approach may vary wildly from other fantasy authors, and thats okay. Is magic inherited, gifted, obtained, or learned? Directing magic can involve a range of activities, but it commonly includes these aspects: The more elaborate your direction method is, the harder youll need to work to make it feel rational. Conduits take magic energy from their surroundings, and Interferers take energy from Conduits to do magic by adding a bit of energy to the system (making a gust blow harder than it would, for example). The protagonists wording must be airtight, because the djinni will look for loopholes. Dont be afraid to try something novel. Building Your Own Hard Magic System. 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. You could add the principle of ley lines to that, meaning a mage would have to gather power from his or her element(s) first to use them. 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? Magic systems can even serve as a vehicle for theme, exploring topics such as power, privilege, oppression, and greed. In Dune, those who are exposed to spice develop powers over time. Demigods have partial powers, which they inherit from their Olympian parents. mental enhancements, the nanites acting as auxiliary brains. Is magic (or the source that fuels it) a limited resource in your story world? And the Aether is born from our Thoughts and Actions, more specifically, our Souls. magic system. For example, your universe might not have demons or gods which can grant more magical powers, but there could be plenty of other magical beings who can. His thoughts compiled into a fortified plan to use his skills to accomplish it, without leaving his comfortable chair. Or does it speed up molecules/atoms to heat up an object (if we have mostly realistic world)? Now the magic is tied directly to ones own life force, the more magic they use the weaker their magic becomes and the weaker they become, with rest their strength will come back but their magic will not and if they run out means they used up their entire life force so they die and the only known way to regain all their magic and life force is to take the life of another completely consuming their victims life force\magic. To the audience it will feel like every part fits together, even if theyre not precisely sure how. As an example, look at the Force the way its used in the first few Star Wars movies (episodes 4-6 nowadays). So far, the types of energy that can be manipulated in this way are: Air/wind (although due to its constant motion and near-intangibility, air cannot in most cases be held, but is almost always instantaneously redirected. There are plenty of sources you can use, like bodily energies, energies in the air, power bestowed by the gods, powers within blood, pools of magic in the world, a worldwide life force, magical artifacts and so on. Vindictive/less scrupulous ones will take the opportunity to ask for more than youd normally give. 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. If your mage has a limit on their powers (and having a human with unlimited powers is probably going to break a story, at least with that human being the hero), the limit must always be the same or you need to give a reason why it is different (the character is exhausted and thus cant muster as much magic or the character took a specific potion which boosted their powers, for instance). Different for the TV series, of course. If they need to rely on chanted rituals, they cant do something in a few seconds and they cant start a ritual while the enemy is looking for them, because the voice would lead the enemy to the hiding spot. The Soft-Hard magic divide is much more useful for writers and if you listen to Sanderson, he is much more careful not to state hard magic is inherently better than soft magic. However, I think vital your point about how a magic feels. Tolkiens magic confuses people who are looking for rules because no one sits down and says what the rules areto really understand whats going on that one has to delve into all his works (including letters and unfinished stories). This then leads to the problems with conservation of energy and relativity I mentioned earlier of course, were working with magic, so these may not be insurmountable issues, but they need to be considered, as I want this universe to be mostly like ours in situations in which magic is not involved. Imagine your body is a magnet and the paint in your body is evenly spread out making it weaker, well stimulating your power can make your magnet stronger resulting in a finer concentration of paint. man to machine interfaces, nanites cluster on nerve ending allowed some individuals to easily interact with ancient tech, or even graft it into their bodies. 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. A water line would provide energy for a water mage, an earth line for an earth mage, and so on. However, some fear that all is unraveling. Each spell shortens their lifespan by an unknown number of years. Just because the system has volumes of lore and backstory to support it doesnt make it a rational system, though it does help to make it more believable. Been developing a magic system for a story of mine thats in its early development stages. Do users of demonic magic face persecution? It isnt a common thing among people of this world, but it is an esoteric art comprised of ancient secrets passed down through generations within a tribe of acolytes. They're overall stregenth of that ability is average. Martin Magic System Rating: 1 (Because Magic) Martin is writing a purposeful deconstruction of epic fantasy tropesincluding magic systemsand has actually put some work into making his magic frustrating and inconsistent beyond a few broad-stroke rules (there's definitely some like-for-like business, with equivalent sacrifices needed to produce an . This is only my second serious piece of writing, so its really encouraging to hear stuff like that from someone like you. The term magical effects refers to the ways in which magic influences and alters the world around it. But usually a person can only ever do one of those three (create, increase or decrease), and only do it for a certain energy type. With very little people learning magic outside of their respective faction but its not a common practice. Spells that affect another persons soul are the strongest and are pretty much all purple level. And if you plan on writing a whole series of novels about this, you need to work out how it works beforehand, so things stay balanced. Sometimes you just get turned into a chicken. 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. Mana is the clean energy, without any attunement. Luckily for the majority of the population of the Voden Imperium, the nanites are happy to sit mostly dormant, quietly replicating away. You can negotiate with them about services and prices, that is, if they listen to you at all. You have the tank, often a warrior, who has great armour and a lot of health and will draw attacks and take the damage. To build this logic, start by thinking about three things: the effects, sources, and costs of magic. Weak to medium Hydro, very rare chance of getting weak Eco as well, Learns magic more easily than other races. Ask yourself if your antagonist will be a magic-wielder, and if there will be magical creatures in your story. 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. I think Tolkiens magic also confuses people because, as you say, its not until you read in the unpublished material and the material that WAS unpublished at the time of Tolkiens death but has since been released as the Silmarillion, etc. New ideas in how my magic works have given me plot ideas, but I think Ill need to develop the plot more to refine how my magic system works within it. 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. (plants take the water from the ground and transpire it at night, so its balanced in some sense) If thats not the case(scientific understanding of the world), how do they explain a fire dying out or lightning? Someone else is needed. As you can see there's a lot to explore, but if you're looking for names you're at the right place. Now, there is a scene in the Silmarillion where Luthien goes to rescue Beren, the mortal man she loves, from the dungeons of Sauron (who is a corrupted angelic spirit somewhere around the same level in the angelic hierarchy that her mother occupies on the good side); and in the process she engages in a duel of song with Sauron himself, since song/music is the primary metaphor Tolkien chose to express the use of this spiritual/magical energy in the writings which were collected into the Silmarillion. Common People (Theyre so common that they dont really have a name.) In time cities arise around these safe harbors, and ever so slowly life begins again. Other limits include magic types (fire versus water for example), power restricting energies (magical or other), bodily energies (lack of food/sleep/etc), skill level, curses and much more, most of which will again depend on your story universe. How could a magic user be defeated? Roughly, looks like extended noun+verb system, right? Theyre usually gifted to devout followers, but anyone can use them once they figure out how it works. What are your favorite magic systems? For just one example, Magoroh Maruyama describes several different possible paradigms of science, which Robert A. Freitas Jr. mentions in the book Xenology in relation to extraterrestrial minds. In the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix, necromancers can control the dead using bells and music. Its said more than once that really powerful wizards and witches can do wandless magic or even do magic without saying the spells. Most of the time, this yearning leads them to the Towers, where they are never seen again. Thats a larger imbalance. Most everyone is either a Conduit or an Interferer, and it is genetic. It does seem likely that humans, with their limited lifetime, would not master all elements in a system of elemental magic, but it is, of course, possible for humans to use different types of magic or magic from different sources all at once. Id love to hear more about what the magic can do. The Sorcerers faction includes wizards and witches and then theres sub factions with in the faction that include the like of temptresses, necromancers and others I cant seem to remember though I have them written down somewhere. Many horror movies use soft magic systems to create a sense of fear and dread, while childrens books might use soft magic systems to create a sense of excitement and adventure. And I had trouble writing with what nature aspects nymphs, dryads, and naiads would relate to, so I went with that. The questions which I usually ask myself are how difficult is it to inflict changes (which means does it take a two-day ritual or just a thought) and what are the costs (because if magic doesnt have a bad side, like the cost for a spell, there is no limiting it). You can take the time to practice it yourself, but youre better off finding a teacher. You might want to read them. As far as your magic/psychic system goes, I can understand why you put so much thought into it. There are plenty of stories where power just keeps building and building, which eventually makes the characters at the beginning of the story weak in comparison even though they were seen as incredibly powerful at that time. But the curse also leaves behind a power that is unique for the person. An even more interesting idea may be that the aliens are actually made of an alternate kind of particles I mentioned earlier. Earth magic is strongest during Spring. Fortunately it's not that hard to create a magic system, so this guide will be relatively short, but the amount of work you'll have to put into the creation of your magic will depend entirely on how detailed you want to get. powers, and the theres a Chosen One, who has all the powers? Havent figured out the second point quite yet. Basically, the magic in my world all comes from spirits, which exist in a dimension parallel to our own. If you want to create a hard magic system, you need to create a specific logic that serves as the foundation for the entire system. Its been a tremendous influence on pop culture, especially conceptions of ghosts. If you eat after dark, shell take away the blessing. First, think through what magic is capable of doing in a theoretical best case scenario. For example, you can create a magic system that has very clear rules for your protagonist but only vague rules for your antagonist. In any scenario, the reader should have some sense of what magic can and cant do in the fictional world. First, the magical system is based off European history and mythology. The cosmic balance is set up to where the Aether and Souls rely on eachother, Aether creates and maintains the World and Aether flourished and continues to exist through our Actions. Technically, the limitation is actually the minds belief that lifting huge objects is difficult. Anyway, just to throw MY 2 cents in A while back, I was trying to design a magic system for a Skyrim Mod some friends of mine were attempting That ultimately went nowhere. This type of magic is tricky and potentially dangerous, as the faerie in question could seek out loopholes that benefit them and take more from the person than what was agreed. The houses are merely there to spark rivalry, they have no deeper meaning for the magic or the story. Otherwise, how can the effect of the knot be decided? We make up terms when we think there isnt an existing one that will do, but we do try to use existing terms when we can. 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. Overusing their magic can cause them physical harm. Do you think the metaphor works when stretched so far? Either way, the recipients of the power lose whatever memories gained before or during their stay at the Towers. I checked it out, and indeed it seems to just be another name for obsidian. As the reader, you may never truly understand what can and cant be accomplished with magic, but thats okayyou dont feel you need to in order to enjoy the story.
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