What effect does the use of magic have on the user? Its way too easy for me to make everything very logical with a specific and predictable reaction to every action, which is why Im trying to challenge myself with a more whimsical(?) Would a human wield magic differently from an elf? (somewhere I have a document outlining Philosophical associations between Elements). moving more slowly, using other abilities less effectively, taking more hits), and the hero tries and fails to use the ability when theyre already at their limit, then we come to understand exhaustion as a real limitation that doesnt just go away as needed. Apoglies if it comes off as confusing, Im not very good at conveying my thoughts and ideas, will explain in greater detail later. 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. However, it had similar things to our universe, stars and planets and lifeforms that could look somewhat like ours, so it needed to follow most of them, at least, the ones that allowed for these things. Eventually, after many long and cold nights, Mother returns the sunlight and the heat, for even in just anger she cannot maintain an imbalance. Do you have any feedback or glaring flaws that you noticed? 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. One type usually comes naturally to you (depending on your personality and familiarity) but through practice you can learn other types. thanks for the feedback! 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. 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 All magic is fueled by mana, a form of energy found in all living organisms. ), the rarest of the three. Since the protagonists are on this side, it would remove a lot of tension. A common mistake when building magic systems is to forget to include costs. Can it be used to harm others or cause destruction? As fun as fantastical powers can be to write, crafting your magic system with care is key. While both of these magic systems have mysterious aspects, in general they dont invoke wonder because they are understood. Do note that sharing elements with other works of fiction is near impossible to avoid, magic has been used in so many stories so the chances of whichever power you think of not being used already are very slim and those which haven't been used might not even be worth using in the first place. Maybe Im just saying this because Id defend Harry Potter to the ends of the earth. When a mage makes a contract with a spirit, what are they paying with? Soft magic is vague, undefined, and enigmatic. Conduits can technically slow movement down because they pull energy from the environment, but they pull from all around them equally so the effect is minimal. It depends on how you build up your magic system. Post time-skip, with my second protagonist, magic is rarer due to shifts in the spirit world and how humans access it. But those who have returned have never been inside the Tower. You need to think it through and you need to make it understandable for the reader, because otherwise they cant imagine your world and they cant dive into it which is why people read stories. Anyone can use it, the power doesnt come from the gods, but you do have to follow a recipe. It doesnt take years of training. The system makes no sense so I cant possibly reason that theres a reversal of this! In order to fully capitalise on paint one must find a weapon they work well with and a fight style that suits your body. Alrighty, its late and Im tired. 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)? The only ones that blur this line are possessed ie theyre two organisms in a symbiotic or parasitic relationship with each other. Or some other options?.. Unlimited power allows for enormous epic battles, but you'll have to create tension by adding other forms of limitations, perhaps skill based or type based. Dark, but if it works for the story however, I would say that rather than the Interferes having been oppressed and retaliating, it seems a lot more likely that they were the oppressors and committed genocide. That goes for magic as well as for everything else. If you choose a framework that is broader and vaguer, youll need to add less obvious limitations to it. (And I LOVE the idea of sea water improving magical power- its like a psudeo science in the sense that you could say that the Sea Water makes the magic (like electricity) conduct better and so being around it over long periods would wear off on you and make you more powerful? There are clear limits of what they can do, and things like resurrection and time manipulation are some of these limitations. Your approach may vary wildly from other fantasy authors, and thats okay. The spellbook kind of magic is more of a preference, like if they dont want to be apart if any of the fighting and just rather hang back. Technically, anyone can use holy magic, but it takes years to become proficient. Who knows! Some prices for their cooperation can even be steep, such as sacrificing something precious or offering up ones soul. Check out my other generators The purpose of soft magic is simply to create a feeling of adventure, and wonder. 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). In most, if not all movies, there clearly arent rules for magic, or if there are, there arent many. Its a generic job title for people whose main concern is to maintain relationships with local spirits and practice holy magic so they can pacify demons. Its true that fire produces light; but any attempt to harness this light merely results in harnessing and redistributing heat, for the source of that light is not the sun, but the fire, and it is temporary and dies, restoring balance. First of all, you need to figure out what both types of magic can do. Why should I only have one source of magic? If theyre distracted, panicking, drunk, or otherwise unable to focus the spell wont work. If I knew that I could kill every jerk i know unapologetically and without remorse, and be assured that someone would be returned to life as a result of that action then whats stopping me from just killing indiscriminately all the time? On the other hand, it definitely sounds like Conduits could be oppressed now, because they cant cast magic to defend themselves, and Interferers have a strong incentive to control them. Group C can use magic although they have to learn to use it and still have to have enough counsciousness to grab this feeling and utilize it. Dryads represent trees but usually can move about unless they are hamadryads which are locked to a particular tree than a tree type. Avatar is, essentially, based on elemental magic which is the ability to control one or more elements. The mystery is in the water that the Living Mother leaves behind on the plants when the sunlight returns again. Because when you move, there is an accompanying sound? You could use something like that (being able to project and harness energy) to give your psychics telekinesis by them having those invisible arms. Which, of course, means someone could develop a force field to protect themselves from those arms.. The twist? They are not related in any way. From this point onwards paint is incorporated into science and technology. Incantations are used, and using the magic is mentally draining. Random Treasure Generator. Last, heres a fun chart showing the details of magic systems in the most popular works. Mother wont take kindly to that. Hey! I wouldnt use categories of magic to add structure thats just adding more complexity. The most common form of magic is to make a contract with a specific spirit for a specific outcome, and then the spirit uses its power to reach that outcome (level of cooperation varies). And the One became Two, Two became Three, and Three became All Things, (Actions) A very interesting and well laid out post, though I dont quote agree with all the recommended reading. Is there a cap on the users' magical abilities? Im on my first crack of trying to writing and my magic system feels too simple to me and not sure if its good enough and would like a little insight. Also, I read that chemical changes play an important role, and those probably cant be detected externally at all. Even though there are no physical costs to using magic, being Grisha means losing their freedom to pursue the life they wanted. Sandersons First Law Harrys mother inadvertently casts a protective spell on him by dying for him. Hope I dont sound like a rabid Potterhead but I dont think its irrational! Anyway, an Order ofMages (havent thought of a proper name yet) is working in overdrive to contain the outbreak, taking the dying, destroying corpses, etc to prevent the spread of the blight Or so you think An even more interesting idea may be that the aliens are actually made of an alternate kind of particles I mentioned earlier. Or maybe have subtypes based on the seven deadly sins and heavenly virtues? For example my magic is about energy- but you cant control energy like Motion in the traditional telokinies way (you think & point and it moves anywhere)- instead you can only increase the speed of a moving object or decrease its speed (to a full stop if your skilled enough) or create movement in a static object (only in one direction as if you hit it- and only that single inital pow of motion), So if youd like your magic to be one of the driving forces in the conflict of your story then itll be great to know what you can and cant do with it and understand if there are any limitation to the magic which may make it more rememberable, interesting and unique- plus create a challange for your protagonist who has to use their wits to work around the limitation and solve a problem. The Mages dont rule, but merely maintain a beneficial relationship with those that do, but the Empires form of transportation (and thus commerce) is almost entirely dependent upon magical meansSo what does the Imperium bring to the party? If you want to create a soft magic system, I have some good news: you dont need to come up with a set of systematic rules, or even an underlying logic. 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. A cunning ex-adventurer named Wlfrilda seeks a company of adventurers to explore the Pikawas Jungle. There are a few online articles about this: the ones I remember off the top of my head are Universal Fire and Universal Law, found on LessWrong. However, they seem to require non-biological properties, so they probably wouldnt evolve naturally. This system was mostly me being annoyed that magic usually violates the Law of Conservation of Energy, so I made a system built around that principal (until it spiraled out of control) As far as the potions are concerned specific plants have always been said to possess magical properties, which is why they are used in the potions. Mana could be used right from surrounding world or produced from other types of energies. And he will not give them of his own free will, and thou wilt not be able to compel him. And in the middle of this whole tale theres this wild, fantastic, wooly list about a page and a half long of all the Welsh heroes with their very Welsh names, and their daughters and retainers and wives and servants and shields and hounds and spears (their three spears were three gashing glitterers; their three shields were ) that Kilhwch invokes to King Arthur, his cousin, to beg of him the boon that he loan the services of the mythical heroes and knights who are Arthurs retainers, to achieve the quest of finding this maiden Olwen who hes hopelessly in love with simply because his jealous stepmother described her legendary beauty to him though no one in the world knew where she lived or how to find her and put upon him a geasa to have no bride but her. About the Avatar thing, what you are saying makes more sense to me now. Hey! She holds a BA from Yale University and lives in Colorado. Would it be possible to gain power in your universe or is everybody limited to what talent they're born with? Harmony: how multiple different vibrations intermingle and interact, depending on the previous too, some Vibrations can overpower another one Color: the type of color determines what kind of effect the Vibration will have on the Physical World. As far as your magic/psychic system goes, I can understand why you put so much thought into it. Few ideas are original at this point. Everyone has their own power level amount of energy they can produce in one go. What do you think? Because the powers are not very hard to control, Givens are feared and supposedly taken care of by the government. Aside from this, the only other limitation a mage has in magic is their stamina. You make good points about the gap between different kinds of magic. For Interferers to use magic energy, they have to maintain physical contact with a Condit, and if they lose contact they have to use up their remaining energy quickly, as it will burst out of them randomly otherwise (in a few minutes). Those affected will suffer from chronic pain, skin lesions, and become prone to violence; but they will also gain super human strength. This is where your magic system will become unique, even if it shares elements with existing works of fiction. The job is dangerous. There are two types of magic systems: hard magic systems and soft magic systems. Souls allow us to exist as Individuals, separate from the Aether. Otherwise, how can the effect of the knot be decided? I like your idea about the gods randomly interacting with the world. Being a priest (a magic user in service to their village/town) is a full time job; but sometimes you need a hunter, not a demon slayer. It tries to convince the reader the newly defined rational magic system is what every fantasy writer should strive for. Just because there are rules doesnt mean theyre rational. Those who are consumed are called Specters (im going with an evil theme for this one). 7 Considerations for Writing Fantasy Magic and Magic Systems. One more thing to keep in mind what if there is an underlying principle, but the characters dont know about it? For instance, lets say magic is powered by a substance found within the soil. I dont write often in English or at all. Because soft magic is often used by characters other than the protagonist, you should think about who the wielders will be. Some ideas are more fleshed out than other, if thats saying much. You will always need to wing it there, because you introduce something which has no base in our worlds reality. And of course, if magic is viewed as an alternate system of physics theres no reason why physics has to match the naive categories of intelligent beings; think of how weird quantum physics seems, for instance. My main question is whether you think the weaving should be specialized; i. e., should I break it up into different types of thread/weaving style/knots? Whether you're a writer, game developer, or just someone with a creative mind, the Magic Type Generator will help you create random content quickly and easily. I want to make it rational, just didnt thought about it from this point. 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. It is pretty lose, yea, but it is still there and we have seen magic systems like this a thousand times. Basically at the begining of the universe the two forces (or gods) Chaos & Order struggled over which would have dominion over the world- Order appeared to win with the natural world as it is ordered and follows laws of physics ect. 2. They will be, Time and Space, Light and Darkness, and Mind and Body. And sorry about the length of this comment. I forget the episode but Aang (obviously) and Zaheer do it also. I would skip chemical energy though opens up too many things. Id love to hear more about what the magic can do. While your categories wouldnt be any fun if they were identical, they do need consistency. For a similar reason, simple exhaustion, without any other defined limits, is generally a weak way to limit an ability in the story. That Interferer found others like them and went around killing the common people in revenge for shunning them and taking Conduits prisoner (to use them for power). Mind energies are bit different: they could be bonded with any type of energy. For now, Im thinking that the energy will be a 3D field spreaded around (basically, just a math function). I have recently, but have wrote before, in my world created a new magic systems. Heres a couple ways to mix it up while retaining a consistent feel. If every spell casts creates a knot that must result in the opposite effect happening then the incentive to kill becomes too great. Gaining power can be done through a whole range of methods, you could train, gain power through an artifact, channel power into 1 person or spell, enhance a body through magic (or other means), simply study magic and how it works, siphon souls from other magical beings, gain a blessing (or curse) of a god or demon and much more. Mana manipulation is a basic form of magic (though anyone can learn this ability through time and training without doing magic at all. : Sound. External energy could work; however, instantaneously moving energy from one place to another causes problems. The key traits of a hard magic system are outlined in the graphic below. Like actually dodge the spell physically? Fantasy Name Generator. . But we know some things. Paint can depend on someones mental state and will Potion-making probably would make more sense, if there was more talk about the properties of the ingredients and what they do. An entire category of limitations would no longer apply to them. They could solve all problems with a snap of their fingers. 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). Havent figured out the second point quite yet. Brandon Sanderson is fantastic at crafting magic systems. My protagonist would be one of the paranoid who wants to conserve the thread. However, you still need to put in the work to create a unique and compelling system that will serve the needs of your story. (Obviously, if character will try to use this energy, he probably will die). A basic form of mana manipulation is cloaking their bodies in mana to protect them from harm (sort of like Aura in RWBY). Everything in Tolkiens world is carefully designed to avoid being preachy; but most of it also has a carefully thought out moral and spiritual basis, and certain elements (like whether orcs have free will, and are therefore capable of redemption, and the implications of what that means in terms of how the good characters treat them and the conflict with the literary need for a clearly identifiable group of bad guys) troubled him to the end of his life and which he was never able to resolve to his own satisfaction. And I did read the other piece about magic but my system sounded alot simpler in head head so I didnt think it applied as much. Limited power creates struggle and conflict, the main hero might be strong, but what happens when an army of thousands have cost him all his powers before he could even reach the main villain? What is the development of science, your description of kinetic or thermal energy makes me think the inhabitants have some scientific knowledge, but if thats the case why is it that they havent studied transpiration? 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. Toward the last point, I think the inclusion of old magic in reference to Lilys motherly love protecting Harry I believe is more for the benefit of the themes of love and goodness triumphing over evil and hate (Rowling was dealing with grief toward her own mothers death while writing). If they are limited, its usually not by some universal magical law, but rather a handicap in their source of power. Also, I have another magic system that sort of more on the traditional side that Ive been wrestling with for my story. How would a non-magic wielder fight a magic wielder? Some will desire fresh milk, and it will not be possible to have fresh milk for all, unless we have the bottles of Rhinnon Rhin Barnawd, wherein no liquor ever turns sour. Magic System Generator Perchance Magic System Generator This magic system focuses on manipulating luck. If youd like additional guidance as you build your storys magic system and other facets of your fictional world, then be sure to check out World-Building Warrior, a workbook that will walk you through the world-building process step by step. Balance being an essential figure in most fantasy pieces, this works on many levels! If you havent seen it yet, I also recommend looking at my other post on magic systems: https://mythcreants.com/blog/how-to-create-an-eclectic-magic-system/ its better suited to creating effects that are varied and complex. That might work as well, but its a completely different kind of image in peoples minds. Project | Fire | Destroy | Item 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. Mages trained in a world with little power usually are very strong in one with more power, because they can make a lot out of a little. My train of thought was a bit of a runaway train. Like species in our world evolved so did the magic in their world, with their ancestors using a specific type of magic and pased it down it just became a part of them. Is magic kept secret in your story world? Theyre part of a task force to reweave the knots. Spellcasters cant blow up planets, because obviously that would take too much energy. Life The God of Parties, on the other hand, would be very chaotic. No matter what magic they practice, it all centers on the manipulation of their mana to connect to the natural forces they want to control. Further into the future two young men of solitude manage to unlock the greatest fighting potential by breaking mental barriers making them the strongest people to exist since Black and White but they have a fight on morality causing a great war. If magic is based on emotion, those Apaths could, perhaps, nullify it? Extreme focus is needed for complicated attacks Character Power Generator Your character has the Illusions (Can create and destory illusions) ability! Now you have all the tools you need to create your own magic system. In Game of Thrones, the red woman throws leaches into a fire, and later several lords die far away. Re: hollow mages this is the fate of the previous mage who had the protagonists familiar she traded away bits of her life in order to extend it, until she ends up functionally immortal but with very little of her original self left, (she breaks the bond with her familiar in the process in order to make deals with more powerful spirits). For your world, I take it the reason most people are magic users is that the common people were all killed. The term magical effects refers to the ways in which magic influences and alters the world around it. In the HP books, the only reason why Harry cant do everything is that hes still learning. An elemental mage could probably use several elements, if they trained for it. Why do I need spellcasters? 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. Honestly, I cant think of a reasonable or cohesive cap on what it can do so I hope the limitations will balance it out. This has been extremely helpful! Generate a random star system, including primary planet . Some people are good at magic, others are not. We have a knowledge of these beings, many of them exist in our mythology as gods, angels, demons, etc. Because water is more tangible than air and fire, it is likewise easier to hold on to. The lich controls the power and consumes it, the specre is consumed by it. As far as using body energy outside of the body is concerned, this is something you will have to wing. Combustial (fire) As this energy is formless and intangible, it is naturally attracted to your body and stored there. What limitations does the magic put on the wielder? In the series Rowling shows that wands and spells channel the magic within an individual so witches and wizards are not without magic if they dont have a wand. Life is responsible for, well, life and health. Those rules are established within the story (unlike underlying rules with Rowling might have for her magic or Lucas might have had for the Force), so at least one character must know them or learn about them as the plot develops. Meanwhile, most people selected for magic by the nanites didnt know what was happening they might have been able to make better guesses than people now, but next to surviving the end of their world didnt devote a lot of thought to it. 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. Demonic magic is based on bad and Angelic magic is based on good. Spectres might do for those who are consumed and become ghosts connected to that energy. The reader needs to be able to understand the basics and rely on that understanding throughout the story. 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. Do people get to choose their side in this case or are they born with the ability to wield one side? ), Given how late it is, I hope this makes SOME sort of sense :-S. Thanks alot for your thoughts, it looks interesting! If it was merely about Harry learning magic more of that logic would be needed. One of them is how I believe that the tips given may not be universal. Magic isnt real, so it can be anything we want. Once eaten, the magical substance builds up in their systems until they focus their will to cast magic. Originally I was going to go with energy, but thats way too vague. In other words, readers need to understand how your magic system works to ensure its use feels natural and believable within the context of the story. I gave the most basic rundown I could. What did you think alchemy was? In Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, magicians owe a demon years of their life in exchange for magic. Trying to do anything that involves pushing against or even breaking natural law will require aid from outside forces. With that said, I wonder why no one has replied to my previous comment on this article. (I wont deal with it here and now, as this reply is getting too long already and you never mentioned it in your comment). Weak to medium Hydro, very rare chance of getting weak Eco as well, Learns magic more easily than other races. Then it may not feel weird that there isnt a god specifically of dirt, because the earth goddess hasnt had children yet. If Rowling had, for instance, done more with the four houses, things might have been different.