Hey! 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. Aside from this, the only other limitation a mage has in magic is their stamina. But magical things do have specific usesHarry writes essays on the uses of different plants in potion-making, for example. You could just, you know, move out of the way? He shrugged and complained, feeling too tired to trudge away from comfort. And you have the buffer, often a rogue or priest, who can either buff the own group (healing, boosting skills) or debuff the enemy (lowering attack or defence most often). Before learning magic, a mage must first learn how to control their mana until they are capable of creating energy bolts and forming energy constructs. It flows through all life and can be controlled by any sentient object. Yes, that kind of priest would merely be concerned with problems with the locals, then their holy magic can be far more generic and not tied to a god. It does, although thats what I want to do. While I have thought of several different magic systems, Ill present the one I conceived of first. Oh wow, thats a steep price for magic. 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). Magicians have no power of their own except through the spirits they command. Sympathetic spirits will take pity, accepting minor payment (maybe even the painful memory of seeing said loved one get shot). You would paint specific patterns in the air in front of you while at the same time your mind involuntarily forces the molecules to obey and move into a new pattern, speed up, spread out (going for solid to liquid or liquid to gas), heat up (going from any other state to plasma). He learned that as long as a person eventually restored the balance towards which nature is always striving, he or she could be enabled to have control over the elements. Dont feel discouraged by the problems of your first draft, remember that you will solve them later. They grow larger and in summer they enjoy the fullness of a mature plant life. Alrighty, its late and Im tired. It takes decades to master a Type of magic, and some mages (any magic user, human, dragon person, whatever) spend their whole lives perfecting one spell. So, for each point in environment will be possible to calculate the energy value. Your patronage keeps this site running. ), Given how late it is, I hope this makes SOME sort of sense :-S. Thanks alot for your thoughts, it looks interesting! They dont lead sermons or pray for people. Magical effects will make a bigger impact on your readers if you use all five senses. Ive been working on a magic system in my head, but would like help on a few things. Soft magic systems are the opposite of hard magic systems: they dont need to have a clearly defined set of rules. A rational magic system follows rules, thats what makes it a rational system. Sophie, if youre having trouble with elements heres a few ideas but no need to add them. Perhaps the background magic I mentioned earlier could be involved. 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. Maybe death magic is evil and life magic is good, and both fit the theme of controlling peoples lives. With that said, I wonder why no one has replied to my previous comment on this article. If magic is based on emotion, those Apaths could, perhaps, nullify it? Those rules shouldnt be arbitrary, like fire magic doesnt work on Tuesdays or you cant cast an illusion spell in months without an R in their name. The rules need to make sense within the system. Perhaps magic-users know what magic can be used for but are not concerned about why it works that way; for all we know, that could be the way most wizards and witches feel in Harry Potter. The main question becomes who set this up, and why? That is, I guess why telepathy which requires touching is easiest to explain, since you can direct your energy into the other body through your skin. Harry realizes what hes done and looks for a counter-spell, instead of just hopelessly thinking Oh no! Knowing what spell-casting is capable of is pretty important, if you havent decided that, I would think on it. The pulp could be made of something special that allows for different effects when treated differently. also just a thought, you also could have mentioned the Eragon series which uses language as the limitation for casting, and physical energy for fueling spells. 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. Offensive like elemental magic and short time manipulation magic etc. It doesnt have to make sense in our world, but in the world of the story, it does. Oh, I see what I missed last time. Because the powers are not very hard to control, Givens are feared and supposedly taken care of by the government. Technically, you could link influencing the elements (moving earth to create a wall for instance) to the way Avatar handles it. Some people make a long-term contract with a particular spirit to channel its energy themselves, with the spirit becoming the casters familiar. That was confusing enough that I have difficulty figuring out what the posts premise is, but I THINK Disney Magic would be a better example. Lets say magic is generated by the vibration of continental plates, and each continental plate vibrates at its own frequency, creating different effects. Some well-known examples of hard magic systems: In Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa, magic is like chemistry. Easier than fire/heat and air/wind, but it takes training.). External energy could work; however, instantaneously moving energy from one place to another causes problems. Generate a random star system, including primary planet . Everyone is also born with it. Whether with words, gestures, complicated rituals, or just pure thinking, the idea that someone can control reality with their mind is at the base of every magical system. I dont write often in English or at all. In the Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo, all Grisha have to serve the King. Ones that havent made many contracts and dont know much about human emotion yet will be much more objective. Readers could not have guessed that Harry might create something like a Patronus, so if it hadnt been explained in depth, using it at pivotal moments would have felt cheap. How does this constitute a magic system? However, as we are all well aware humanity and its constructs are fragile things and some event happens that upsets the norm; war, a terrorist attack on these factories, solar flare, etc Regardless this event causes a change within these factories, the main computer systems get a little bit fried, perhaps even gain a modicum of self-awareness. What limitations does the magic put on the wielder? One world I thought of involves magic based around Life, Metal (mostly magical machinery), Water, Mind, Soil, and Dragons (the rarest), and many in-universe cultures consider these natural divisions, but I suspect Chris Winkle would consider this system non-rational. People who practice this form of magic are called lucalurgists. I guess its similar in its outward effects to the Avatar magic system, but youll see that its actually quite different. This was implemented to further refine (/complicate?) Lastly is the effect both our Perceived World and the World of Energy have on each other. You could explain telekinesis (telepathy, too, I guess) with having invisible energy arms which are connected to your body and grab the object in question (or create a connection to another being for telepathy). If there are no downsides to using magic, your protagonists might soon become overpowered, able to solve any problem with the wave of a wand. You can have that, too, while still retaining rationality. Telepathy: You mention detecting the electrical impulses of the nervous system. Caster is Hydro, Given is Ice Im now looking for consistency. It worked well, but it had to be named before it became important to the plot. If you figure out exactly what each type of thread is doing to hold the world together, you can not only extrapolate what magic they can do when woven, but also predict the damage that the world will suffer when too many of them are used. Things holy magic can do include lighting incense, putting people to sleep, and pacifying demons. Of course, like any contract, value is relative and subject to change based on circumstances. Actually, the elite technique for Airbending is straight-up flight a la Superman. There are multiple types of energies floating around everywhere in the world (some of those energies similar to Elements of nature Air, Water, Fire, Earth; plus Mana, Life, Mind and, probably, more) Color: the type of color determines what kind of effect the Vibration will have on the Physical World. The plants arent like people, the magic doesnt just happen to them. The flavor might be of magic based on communication with spirits, although these spirits do have to obey at least some physical laws. Lich could do for those who contain the energy, as liches go on living long after they should be gone, so essentially containing life energy past their due date. If they need hand gestures to do magic, they cant do it while tied up. 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. Who knows! There are pros and cons. (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. Another limit would be limited ability of the user, like Gummy Bear who uses magic, but half of the time cant remember the spell, doesnt find the right one, or just does it wrong. Feats of telekinesis should leave your characters a little exhausted the more energy needed, the higher the exhaustion. Mistings have to ingest and burn these metals in order to use their powers. 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. The value of the memory is determined by how much it affects the mage, and whether its repeatable or replaceable after the original is given up. If youre at a loss, take a page from Brandon Sandersons Mistborn series. You don't have to have an exact cost, like making the average human able to cast 20 fire balls before being tired, but having a cost relative to each other spell will help make sure your magic system is at least relatively realistic in the sense that there's a logic behind it. Other magic that is extremely rare is healing lethal injuries or bring someone back that was just killed (only have a certain amount of time to do it). How much of it might people attribute to the magic, and how much might they attribute to simply becoming blas in the face of so much death? Both the caster and Given are in prisoned if police find out, but the caster is normally in for 10-30 years. The flickering flame casting irregular patches of shadows against the wall was the evidence. Kathy Ferguson Im going to flatly say your premise about the HARRY POTTER magic system. For your world, I take it the reason most people are magic users is that the common people were all killed. If your mage has no limits to their powers, where would the conflict be? Thank you so much! Dryads represent trees but usually can move about unless they are hamadryads which are locked to a particular tree than a tree type. 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. I originally wanted a free form system where just about anything was possible. 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? Other examples include alohamora and colloportus, reparo and diffindo, accio and depulso (learned but not named in-series, as I recall), etc. Magicians summon magical spirits, like djinni, and command them to do their bidding. In my mind, rituals are the middle ground between divine magic and holy magic. Do magic users have their own language, religion, festivals, and/or other cultural hallmarks? Professor of Political Theory in Star Trek. It is an epic drama that, year by year, is played out before humanity. Humans have it too, but they are a small piece. The descriptions follow the same pattern overall, but the details will vary to create different magic systems. powers, and the theres a Chosen One, who has all the powers? 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. This works the same for all energy types. So the magic system is based on balance in nature. They already have enough problems with inter-house violence. You can negotiate with them about services and prices, that is, if they listen to you at all. Or maybe have subtypes based on the seven deadly sins and heavenly virtues? Of course, I wholeheartedly believe that considering each element of your story is the surest way to craft an engaging novel. 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. Would the odds be equal or would the magic wielder always have the upper hand? Heres how this system might break down: A long list of constraints will make it much easier to craft conflicts in your story. What I really dont like about this article is the formula on how to create a magic system. My magic system is tied in with a lot of the religions and science of my fantasy world. some sort of selection criteria the nanites have In a superpower system, spells are unique to each individual. Im not a novel writer, but I am a worldbuilder. Here we will get into seven different bases to help you create your unique magic system. Thank you the idea about energy. Okay, now that thats our of the way They worship and revere the Living Mother (what we might call Mother Earth) in her role as custodian and bringer of balance. The Towers radiate an energy that interferes with circuit boards, so the only expeditions have been with primitive tools. The cycle of plants harnessing sunlight and Mother taking it back everyday is no longer considered a mystery, but an accepted fact of life. 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. Harmony: how multiple different vibrations intermingle and interact, depending on the previous too, some Vibrations can overpower another one 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. Writing is given magical properties in many books, movies, and shows but the paper itself is rarely imbued with power. This adds a bit of strategy to the game, because you need to figure out how to use the different skill sets best together. 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. Having the users of this power (some of whom actually are human) be its creators wouldnt really work, as I was going with a technology level around modern times for my main setting and this would require extremely advanced technology. 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. Wizards arent included in this; as far as we know, you cant just simmer a wizard in a pot for a few days and end up with a magic potion. Otherwise, your categories will feel contrived. It does what it needs to do in the books. If so, what differentiates them? These small but significant changes in their functionality causes untold chaos; billions die and the climate is thrown off by the massive amount of metal particulates now in the upper atmosphere. Ask yourself what sources will work well for the magical effects you want to use, and what sources will work well within the world you have created. Either way, the recipients of the power lose whatever memories gained before or during their stay at the Towers. Those that dont meet the selection criteria die screaming, but in a chosen few, the nanites alter and enhance their hosts, granting abilities that are perceived as mystical by the ignorant population which includes the majority of the Order of Mages themselves as generations of information suppression have led to them buying into their own lies, the truth being known only to the mysterious Council of Nine. If you can't say something nice, say something thoughtful. I also want the systems to be distinct, but relatively balanced. This generator gives you names for their various alliances, covens, and clubs. I will admit my system does need more development to round it out some. That was exactly what i thought! As bestselling author Brandon Sanderson explains, most magic systems can be classified as hard or soft in nature. Not very exciting, right? In Avatar, there is one person every generation who violates the rule that people can bend only one element. Cool system, sounds like it has great story possibilities. Life is movement and if part of nature isnt moving (even the earth) then it resembles death and not life. Perhaps, a ritual needs chants which will take most of the night. A lot of magical effects can only affect creatures that are magic, or affect them much more strongly. magic system. Light Even though there are no physical costs to using magic, being Grisha means losing their freedom to pursue the life they wanted. That can have a lot of applications. 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. There are Waterbenders that Bloodbend, Firebenders that shoot lightning, and the occasional Earthbender that Metalbends. Your storys magic system may fall somewhere between these two extremes, and thats perfectly fine so long as you understand the role that magic serves within your story. Strength no longer depends on physical brute force but many new factors make it so much more complex. Magicians draw on their inner energy, called mana, to cast spells and perform magical techniques. This is a pretty nice article, and it has inspired me to think more about the magic systems I create. First off, Id like to say that your idea is amazing! If Luke needs guidance to hit that exhaust port, the Force can guide him. 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. Each of these works with each other and the level of each step determine how much oomph the next step has to produce an effect in our world. I checked it out, and indeed it seems to just be another name for obsidian. The story is at a climax when emotions are always high? 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 Dispel | Spiritual | Fire | Creature (Currently called Reformancers, Defining and Refining) The act of changing your sight so you see physical objects as they are, without needing light (eliminates glare and shadows), and the act of changing your sight so you can see a person's inner qualities. Fast forward a couple thousand years and some genius manges to find a way to control paint by collecting it into a special bottle. So if stuff suddenly falls up, we know something is wrong. 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. A substance can be traded on the market, gods can be prayed to, and individuals might be sensitive to magical energy or maybe everyone has machines that do it all for them. The air swirled out into the hallway, successfully blowing out the lit torch but haphazardly knocking it off its supports. 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. Internal logic, that is, otherwise thered always be that magic doesnt exist bit to fight against. It wasnt meant to be a rational system (although the EU developed it into one and, no, Im not going into the midichlorian desaster), it was simple old-fashioned fairy-tale magic, the kind which does exactly what the heroes need it to do. In real life, cold is not a thing but just the absence of heat, and ice and fire dont seem to be fundamental opposites. Wavelength: Determines how strong the affect it has Because people tend to be put off when your story changes rules in the middle. (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? The old magic is, of course, pretty coincidental, and used in specific ways that drive the plot. In addition, the spells available for use arent completely based on nonsense, or taught completely irrationally. Visit her new website . Incantations are used, and using the magic is mentally draining. It isnt strictly necessary, as I could probably write something interesting without it, but it is extremely convenient). Summoning rituals or teleportation spells for example, they too could change. I made myself wait until morning to reply Dont be intimated by the often academic bent to the discussion around theme. Creating a Magic System for Superpowers If the magic youre creating varies from person to person, this article is for you. Hey there and welcome to my site. 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. Specific effects include causing earthquakes, preventing earthquakes, and turning people to stone. Basically the spirits want more knowledge of the human world, to experience it through human eyes. Other than that your spells can be pretty much anything, from destructive to healing spells, elemental to demonic spells and from conjurations to enchantments. Electronic telepathy, involving artificial devices that transfer neural information, could work, as scientists are already developing them. Im currently working on subtypes to it but I am miserably failing. It's not wrong to have overpowered spells, but they often lead to plot holes or silly ways of explaining why that power cannot be used in a specific situation. Sandersons Third Law. Kristen now works as a creative wellness coach and offers new resources through her personal website at kristenkieffer.co. Its easy to handle in books, because author can just describe the effects. 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. Were he an adult already, thered be hardly a limit for him, apart from morals. As Sanderson explains, magic primarily exists to create conflict in fiction. 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. Most everyone is either a Conduit or an Interferer, and it is genetic. There are a number of times during the series when Harry performs magic out of anger or fear. Obscuring the rules is easier if the cause and effect can be separated by space and time or the cause isnt directly observable. Thats because we know dragon glass can kill them and both weapons were forged by dragon flame. What about their views on the consumption of food and water? 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. 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. You need to make your sub-types of magic logical parts of the main type of magic. I want to encourage writers and worldbuilders to stray from this formula. Can ones magical abilities be stolen or suppressed through fantastical or physical means? Nullify and boost it? 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 biggest limitation is the training. that were made by the gods. Preview. I love your blog a lot, but Im annoyed with your bashing of the Harry Potter series in almost every article. And this is why I post my ideas on places like this someone will ask the really obvious questions I forgot to ask myself. Sandersons Second Law The lich controls the power and consumes it, the specre is consumed by it. Magicians are taught to learn about the natural forces within magic if they want to better control them. Hell make it rain if your rain dance impresses him, but he wont strike someone with lightning no matter how impressive your dance is. And I had trouble writing with what nature aspects nymphs, dryads, and naiads would relate to, so I went with that. This also gives some spirits incentive to become a mages familiar they get much more experience of the human world by being there than collecting random memories. How does a user summon magic, and how does that magic manifest (i.e. By adopting a specific mentality and pairing that with martial art forms, they can move and manipulate their element. Professor of Political Theory in Star Trek, contradicting something shes already invented, distill and concentrate the plant down to an elixir, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, heres a fun chart showing the details of magic systems in the most popular works, Building the Raksura: How Martha Wells Fell Into Toxic Tropes, Five Tips for Using an Arbitrary Magic System, Building Wings of Fire: How Sutherland Propped Up Her Plot, Building Hyperion: How Simmons Scattered His World, Building Roshar: How Sanderson Bungled Culture, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi_hcwB8i64, https://mythcreants.com/blog/how-to-create-an-eclectic-magic-system/. Mistakes as huge as that one turn people off reading your stories. VINE DWELLER, based off of forest nymphs from folklore in design, moderate chance of getting medium to strong Eco magic, extremely rare chance to get weak magic of another Type as well. If one person grows wings and another teleports, your system will feel arbitrary. Each house is limited to one type of magic and students are not sorted by their character at the age of 11, but by what magic they have an affinity for. And i aint going to be touching it ever again, so if you or anyone else finds some sort of use from it, have fun. 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). Why is it important for a hard magic system to have rules? Oh wow that turned out to be a lot of text. Start by looking for further implications of what youve already established.
Cloudcroft Waterfall Trail,
Top 10 Worst Winter Storms Weather Channel,
Articles F
