I have read an anecdote in which members of a certain tribe classified an orange with a knife, rather than an orange with an apple as the Western researchers expected, reasoning that a knife cuts an orange so they belong together. Spell lists ala D&D can be fun, but spell creation in a limited system can be very flavorful. In actual weaving, warp threads keep tension during weaving and are the main structure of the fabric. Vibrations function is fundamentally the same as electric signals in the brain, in that there are millions upon millions of different signals being sent and working together to achieve something, even something as simple as moving your arm. Divine magic is often more powerful/useful, but isnt always reliable. The definitions for these are as follows: For instance, in Lois McMaster Bujolds Chalion Series, the divine cannot directly influence the world with their magic. A mage activates the contract by speaking the spirits name, with the price being the spirit experiencing everything the mage does while using the spirits power. For instance, lets say magic is powered by a substance found within the soil. My magic system is based off of good and bad. A dwarf named Keti seeks a company of adventurers to steal a powerful arcane device from a rival. Like if in Harry Potter, wizards murdered all the muggles. Many receive horrible mutations, the nanites only know that they are to better humanity but they have no notion of what being a human means, some are physically melded into grotesque shapes, some lose their minds becoming like feral beasts. That goes for magic as well as for everything else. Skill in this magic system is all about how little inspiration you need to produce your own energy; How many methods of create, increase or decrease you can do & How many energy types you can work with; and how much energy you can actually produce at once. That can have a lot of applications. Probably best if I give you an example. They weave certain spells out of the fabric of reality. Most of the time, this yearning leads them to the Towers, where they are never seen again. So thats where the other two paragraphs of my previous comment come in. 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. Eg- How fast you can make the ball move (The heavier the object the slower it moves) Its implied humans discovered the thread and abandoned technology altogether, becoming more and more dependent on magic over the next few hundred years. Im going for rational semi-soft I hope I pull it off. If youre doing the system well, you dont need to break a rule for the plot or you can make it shine through beforehand that under specific circumstances rules can be broken (or at any rate bent very far). You just feel the spell, you dont need to recite anything. You should take a look at Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.Google search it; itll come right up. Some people are good at magic, others are not. Spells are also incredibly varied, which makes adding randomized details a . Another way of looking at sources is from a material point of view. 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. Different fighters prefer different methods, so combining the ideas could lead to a larger variety and possibly a richer world. 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. Very interesting system youre developing, I really like that it comes from a disease. Here we will get into seven different bases to help you create your unique magic system. There's a reason why I write about fantasy magic - magic is my most favourite thing! Also Im thinking about the idea when none of characters can store those energy. What about Time? If you fail to understand the role that . As mentioned, Im still working on the plot details, but I was thinking the decrease in magic availability from protagonist 1s time to protagonist 2s time had to do with spirits withdrawing from the human world and not dealing with mages. 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. 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. Perhaps the background magic I mentioned earlier could be involved. Thats not a rational system, because theres no understandable rules to it. First of all, you need to figure out what both types of magic can do. this is all super helpful! a conspiracy to hide everyone selected (difficult to justify how they manage this). If you want to go with something necromantic (as spectre and ghoul suggest), you might be able to find something more fitting in that area. What did you think alchemy was? A combination of both is also perfectly possible and used a lot. Yeah, I think your fabric metaphor works great. But because of Saurons _spiritual_ and _moral_ corruption, ADDED to the fact that dis werent no ordinary Elfk, Luthien was able not only to win handily but to pretty seriously humiliate Sauron before his boss (no other than Morgoth, the Satan figure in Tolkiens universe, Old Scratch himself) by the pathetic ease by which she shelled him? Because the powers are not very hard to control, Givens are feared and supposedly taken care of by the government. Paint can carry genetic qualities as well. I havent even gotten to the actual magic yet. But that doesn't mean all magic systems work equally well for stories. 3. The Force can do precisely what is needed. Sympathetic spirits will take pity, accepting minor payment (maybe even the painful memory of seeing said loved one get shot). However, even if we have energy available, there is still always the problem of directing it. Its unclear whether there are any other self-casting old magic spells besides this one. Using magic is physically draining. For example, a tree nymph can make a leaf tornado appear, but cant work with other materials. And the other main faction (dont have a name for them yet) use mainly defensive magic like using a shield just strong enough to protect them from immediate danger and phasing (though still thinking about what that would entail) and others I cant think of at the moment and still trying to think of more. In actual fact, some of the infected survive the Grey Death. Generate a random star system, including primary planet . That can create an interesting dilemma if a person primarily driven by a particular emotion starts to lose it, how likely are they to remain committed to their goals? Can ones magical abilities be stolen or suppressed through fantastical or physical means? You can make it as cool as you like; think Discworld, Middle Earth, Zamonia, etc. Yes, first drafts are for your eyes only. They instead study the laws of nature and learn to manipulate them. This helped me separate my thoughts and put them into their own categories. Water was taken and later give back. I disagree. For some systems it could be obvious: for example, as I understand, in the Avatar those guys can control existing non-magical things (water, air, fire, earth). what could they have that the Mages need/want? I would suggest that you make it so your gods just randomly interact with the world. 7 Ways To Create A Magic System For Your Novel 1. All you need are the right ingredients, follow the right steps, and have the right mindset. And the way they fight has to do in part what magic they use. This is one of the most exciting things about writing fantasy: getting to design your own magic system. About the Avatar thing, what you are saying makes more sense to me now. Though, Im thinking about giving them a secret ability that hasnt been discovered yet because theyre so rare. Some plants and animals have magic inherently inside them, creating a variety of results. In Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, magicians owe a demon years of their life in exchange for magic. Using the Harry Potter example, the rules of what magic can and cannot do are defined throughout the books new things are added throughout the series, but there is some structure in the form of spells, potions, etc., and a few laws that are hard limits (such as the no true resurrection one), yet the author of this post states it is not rational (although hard). Magic can be taught and learned, though whether or not a persons good at it depends on their study/training, and their innate talent for the practice. There are a number of times during the series when Harry performs magic out of anger or fear. To the audience it will feel like every part fits together, even if theyre not precisely sure how. I think, some of the gods will be more random and chaotic than others. A wizard casts a powerful spell. (oops, forget this one!). Pick just one source; Ill discuss how to add variety to your magic system in the next section. Telekinesis and teleportation require an explanation as to how you direct your power outside of the body. However, it sounds like theres a gap between the rational aspect and the large assortment of different things your magic casters are doing. Can it be used to harm others or cause destruction? In The Locked Tomb trilogy by Tamsyn Muir, using magic exhausts necromancers, and causes some of them to bleed. If you're using this generator, you might also find the Magical Artifact Generator useful. Otherwise, how can the effect of the knot be decided? In fact, they are drawing on residual energy left behind when a spirit interacts with the human world. I also specifically mentioned that I was not including conservation of energy in my system, but you assumed it in your comment. Decay would be speeding up entropy, life would be slowing it down or trying to instill some kind of anti-entropy into the world. 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. You might need more development in the how magic is accessed and directed area. In my world, magical ability isnt something youre born with, or ordained its contracted, and the Mages Guild, who hold tremendous political sway, (as their magical abilities provide a fundamental key to the functioning of the expansionist Empire that serves as the primary backdrop/Antagonist) is whisking people away in an attempt to stop that fact becoming common knowledge and keep their power consolidated. Heres how this system might break down: A long list of constraints will make it much easier to craft conflicts in your story. Like something to do with the changing of the victims skin? So if stuff suddenly falls up, we know something is wrong. 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. In the Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo, all Grisha have to serve the King. In essence, theme is nothing more than an answer to the question, What is this story about? Theres a good chance that your story already contains themes regardless of whether you consciously developed them. Though there is an international standard for magic spells, certain cultures practice magic in different ways pertaining to either their culture, beliefs or lifestyles. Alternatively, soft magic systems remain nebulous. The more powerful the magic used the bigger the chance of them dyeing in battle cause either they became tired and was killed or the spell was more than the magic\ life force they had left. On Star Treks Mediocre Antagonistic Species. My protagonist would be one of the paranoid who wants to conserve the thread. How was magic created? Ill consider what you said and make some changes. Sky: Sky magic draws power from the vast sky, movement of the winds, and from thunderstorms. Sometimes you just get turned into a chicken. Most magic systems used in medievalish fantasy have groups of people with access to the same spells and abilities, though their talent with magic will vary. To build this logic, start by thinking about three things: the effects, sources, and costs of magic. They already have enough problems with inter-house violence. 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. PEELED him? If they need hand gestures to do magic, they cant do it while tied up. The plants begin to die, and in dying change color and surrender the rest of their water to Mother. I do hope that this comment will help you understand the angle Im coming from. but gods, spirits, and demons can. I want to make it rational, just didnt thought about it from this point. lost nanotechnology (difficult to justify how that would be forgotten) Hope I dont sound like a rabid Potterhead but I dont think its irrational! If so, why? Rowling has cherry picked her source material from myths that cross many cultures, Irish, Celtic, Greek, Welsh, Slavic, etc. Sorry about the comment length and the long worldbuilding paragraph. Can one person wield both of them or only one? Oh wow that turned out to be a lot of text. So I know a few things. 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. In the HP books, the only reason why Harry cant do everything is that hes still learning. (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? (Unless you take the elements as actually solid, liquid, gas, and plasma, but this isnt mentioned in the show itself, might make magic too powerful, and there are some states of matter that dont fit into these groups). But those who have returned have never been inside the Tower. That guy was supposed to be a REAL nasty bugger in terms of, you know, nobody whos ever gone to hunt this creature has ever come back alive, and all that jazz? 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. I wouldnt use categories of magic to add structure thats just adding more complexity. Ill be checking this site for updates everyday, so thank you in advance of letting me share my crazy idea with you all. Perhaps Mages can use all the magical abilities, but CHOOSE to specialize? ), Im just really curious to know more about your magic! Since the MYTH adventures are all about dimension travelling, that is an important thing to know. There is a cap that only the two young men of solitude have managed to break Im working on setting up a writing blog on WordPress, mirroring it to tumblr. Likewise, its important to disabuse the audience of the notion that mood swings can decide key moments whenever its convenient. Last, heres a fun chart showing the details of magic systems in the most popular works. Or you could simply say that air is good for dodging, while earth is good for blocking. Does it just move objects/parts of object? Nonhumans might think in ways that make little sense to humans. Really sorry about the length but Im really happy with this magic system and am wondering what other people might think of it- and the people here seem like they know what theyre talking about and are enthusiastic to hear more. It violates local conservation laws and relativity (whats simultaneous in one reference frame is not in other frames). The mingling of the two forces became one and allowed him to harness the energy of the wind, one face of the energy of nature. Eg- In order to make the static ball move with your mind you need something around you that you can either see or feel is moving to help focus you. There are roughly two types of fantasy. And the thing that makes up all of the energy is spiritual Vibrations. a conspiracy to hide everyone selected (difficult to justify how they manage this) This is super helpful, thanks so much for taking the time to write it and to provide examples. All other alien races find our violent behavior disgusting and, honestly? You might want to read them. For example, in The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien uses the near omnipotence of the One Ring to explore the dangers of authoritarianism, which he fought as a British soldier during WWI. Alrighty, its late and Im tired. However, it makes it harder to build tension when power levels can change at any given moment as needed, especially at climaxes, where emotions will naturally be high. But these machines are still not quite able to understand what it means to better humanity; many still die, while those that survive have varying effects placed upon them (perhaps theres some genetic basis, idk). That means Rowling doesnt have any guidelines to keep her from contradicting something shes already invented or from creating a spell that makes the plot pointless. Hard magic systems provide interesting limitations that allow your protagonist to solve problems using their own wits, not raw magical power. You can find that kind of magic partially in a system like Magic The Gathering (which has earth, fire, and air I think its been a while). 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. However, then I realized a key problem: Could I make this a logically consistent system? This could also link in nicely culture and tradition (festivals on summer or winter solace to celebrate the Mother). Overusing their magic can cause them physical harm. 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. Maybe death magic is evil and life magic is good, and both fit the theme of controlling peoples lives. (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) In your case, how exactly the will affects something: how would you define the users magical abilities)? But, in general, all those energies are more-less equally distributed everywhere. This sounds intriguingly cool, although if youre designing it for use in a computer game, might I ask how are you handling the problem that (I would imagine) youd have to assign EVERY object/environ in your game world a energy attribute/variable, dictating how much player the Player can draw upon, and what happens when the Player hits that limit? Spirits that become familiars dont affect ambient energy levels, making casters bound to them potential weapons, but also wild cards (whether theyll help you depends on both their own desires and their familiars). Group B dont have magic at all. For example, you can create a magic system that has very clear rules for your protagonist but only vague rules for your antagonist. Sounds right to me). Why should I only have one source of magic? If youd like I can send you a link and you can follow along as I figure stuff out (dont want to clog up your comments section). The magic of Avatar feels like the natural result of a different set of physics, whereas the magic of Harry Potter feels like the arbitrary inventions of an author. They can do things with water, and also move farther away from their source (something other nymphs cannot physically do). Do you want to bring in some elemental control? ), revising, scrapping, re-revising, Because I never seem to do anything by halves, my original idea for my book has spiraled out of control into a series, set in a Sanderson-esque system of loosely connected worlds. While I have thought of several different magic systems, Ill present the one I conceived of first. Divine gifts are enchanted items (like swords, hats, necklaces, etc.) Forms of Star magic include telepathy, telekinesis, mind control, astral projection, and precognition. Moon magic is cyclic in its strength, strongest during a full moon and weakest during the new moon, and is also weak during the day. I think rule based magic is important for worldbuilding, not novel writing. After all the Vibrations have finished their process, they Ripple and then whatever combination the Vibrations have will affect our world. A common mistake when building magic systems is to forget to include costs. They are not related in any way. I forget the episode but Aang (obviously) and Zaheer do it also. People connected to the Moon and Star Primals are the only two that are common in a single place and can be found in any nation or culture. Magic, though commonplace, isnt an essential element in fantasy fiction. Its important to note, that the Elements dont just represent their Physical Aspects, but also their Symbolic and Conceptual inferences as well (Through their Mental/Spiritual Aspects), for instance: Water is often associated with the concepts of Healing & Nourishment. However, in most cases a rational magic system works better. If your loved one is dying from a gunshot wound, youve a lot less time to bargain. Fantasy Name Generator. ( ): 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? You neednt appropriate any that have extant adherents, of course, but looking at what people believe can be a touchstone for how an invented system of magic could work. And if youre a goddamn god with a controller, it can pull a star destroyer into a planet while at the same time swatting aside oodles of TIE-Fighters (still the only sore point in The Force Unleashed 1 for me). Life 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. All students learn the same (unless its an elective) and can use the same types of magic. When a mage makes a contract with a spirit, what are they paying with? Human variation in magical ability is determined by how much excess soul they have, after running all of their brain activity. 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. 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. There are roughly two magic systems. Offensive like elemental magic and short time manipulation magic etc. More so they come out on the other side changed External energy could work; however, instantaneously moving energy from one place to another causes problems. Hey everyone! Trying to do anything that involves pushing against or even breaking natural law will require aid from outside forces. When I say the tips may not be universal, Im referring especially to how you state that rational magic is based on a single, coherent metaphysical framework and describe things such as categories and symmetricality. Not very exciting, right? 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 A cunning ex-adventurer named Wlfrilda seeks a company of adventurers to explore the Pikawas Jungle. Demonic magic is based on bad and Angelic magic is based on good. How does the energy reach an object (including a brain) without affecting and potentially being dissipated by everything in the way (including air)? In Game of Thrones, the red woman throws leaches into a fire, and later several lords die far away. A magical source is where the magic comes from. However, set guidelines for how people react to exposure. Magic systems can even serve as a vehicle for theme, exploring topics such as power, privilege, oppression, and greed. Can magic be used incorrectly or immorally? Thats cool. It could range from absolutely anything to a single effect such as moving objects or pausing time. Practitioners are all female. Although, I have made some changes. 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. Motion/kinetic energy: you stop an object in its tracks. 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. In Dune, those who are exposed to spice develop powers over time. Of course, its possible. A rational magic system is one where every spell is guided by the same metaphysical laws. you have to touch the person youre putting to sleep or touch the demon youre pacifying. Theyre bodies cant store energy, thats a Condit thing. What can your high fantasy magic do as in abilities and cant do like limitations? Dont feel discouraged by the problems of your first draft, remember that you will solve them later. We've covered the source, the wielders and they way they wield power, but we still need to cover one of the biggest factors of magic, which is the power itself. 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). Some of them, such as the Breath Weapons have been condenced a little bit for shortnesses sake. The elemental magic of Avatar is a great example of splitting the same form of magic into different types. This article was extremely helpful to me in figuring out my magic system. Or just think up what you want to have be things that good and evil magic can do, put them in categories, and decide which good magic categories are opposites to evil magic categories, and create new areas to fill holes. Im definitely not saying these problems are insurmountable, just that I do need to think a lot about them. 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.
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