Magic, though commonplace, isnt an essential element in fantasy fiction. 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. 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. Summon up a spirit to help you move a piano, and you can spend hours debating over price. 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. Over time more Blacks appeared and White got lonely so they split their body into seven colours. So when it comes to babies, you probably want to pick just one.. Viewpoint characters dont use magic and the audience doesnt understand how it operates. You can also read his books to see his systems in action; personally I recommend Elantris. For instance, the Patronus Charm is a spell that is critical to the plot of multiple Harry Potter books. 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? Soft magic systems are the opposite of hard magic systems: they dont need to have a clearly defined set of rules. Paint is a very volatile substance that if held can burn off skin Oh! Nanite clustering effects::kind of dangerous though, theyre a lot like tumors, and have a tendency to grow. One of the things I noted in that comment is that what seems to make sense differs between individuals, cultures, and even species. In another world (a fantasy high-magic setting), I havent fleshed out quite as much, but I do know that magic is powered by your soul, which is also needed to run all brain activity. Im going to flatly say your premise about the HARRY POTTER magic system. In Avatar, there is one person every generation who violates the rule that people can bend only one element. Curses are basically magic diseases. In Brandon Sandersons Mistborn Series, characters acquire magic by imbibing small amounts of metals and burning them once theyre consumed. Generate random names for characters, events, taverns, etc. Tension and payoff are reduced if the reader feels like a solution to something is as simple as a character just ratcheting up their feelings. Of course, I wholeheartedly believe that considering each element of your story is the surest way to craft an engaging novel. I know its been a whole since you made this post, so I was just curious to how things have developed since then? That will keep your characters from going deus ex machina at you (meaning suddenly doing something they shouldnt be able to, just because you need them to). 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. I just think that Sanderson hard-soft magic divide is much more useful for novel writers. However, a few benders can bend their element when its in a different form or less pure. Those who dont contain their power are simple called Unchained, with the name of their source before or after the Unchained, if you want to designate it further. Regardless, having nature spirits of various kinds that have power related to their aspect of nature is completely reasonable. Just a quick note to let everyone know that I am still here, just had some of that icky Life stuff get in the way. Also, how is this energy directed to a specific object and not blocked by everything in the way (including air?) This helped me separate my thoughts and put them into their own categories. Some of them, such as the Breath Weapons have been condenced a little bit for shortnesses sake. It could make for some interesting stories devout priests who get power from their deities versus irreligious wizards who use their own will as magic, bio-mages who draw upon the weak but flexible power of living organisms versus geo-mages who draw upon the mighty yet unsubtle power of the land itself, Incidentally, all examples you have given, Cay Reet, are about how (most) magic-users cannot use all types of magic; do you think that a system in which magic-users could learn all possible magic (at least theoretically) but what is possible for magic in total is strictly limited could work? Magic should be limited when its used by humans or other mortal beings as opposed to being used by divine or other immortal beings. 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. Because minds were immaterial, physical brain damage wouldnt really affect thoughts, personality, and so on, instead mostly things such as the ability to move and regulate basic bodily functions. Or does it speed up molecules/atoms to heat up an object (if we have mostly realistic world)? Some well-known examples of soft magic systems: In The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. 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. A damned if you do, damned if you dont scenario. 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. Magic can be taught and learned, but like the Arts or sciences, whether someone is good at magic or not depends on their inherent skill, talent, and dedication to their training. Another elite bending technique is Astral Projection since their are the most spiritual of benders. Specific effects include waking the dead, sending dead spirits back into the afterlife, and binding the dead to follow their commands. A primary example of soft magic would be that which Gandalf practices in The Lord of the Rings. Both the caster and Given are in prisoned if police find out, but the caster is normally in for 10-30 years. Nevertheless, I will go with your assumption for what follows for the moment, as it does involve fewer changes to known physical laws and is easier to discuss (plus, I already mentioned some of the consequences of lack of conservation in my previous post). Perhaps then these powers could actually be based on nanobots or even totally new forces and particles that are not visually detectable. When a person deliberately causes an imbalance that person becomes the cork plugging up the hole, so to speak. Theyre more afraid of the death of their world than their own personal death, however. Im not a novel writer, but I am a worldbuilder. This is really good! 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. For a similar reason, simple exhaustion, without any other defined limits, is generally a weak way to limit an ability in the story. Heres what you need to think about. The cycle of plants harnessing sunlight and Mother taking it back everyday is no longer considered a mystery, but an accepted fact of life. For example: Your mum had speed enhancing paint you will have some form of it or Your mum had paint that could carry poison within it, your dad had paint that could take the physical appearance of slime and your grandma had paint that floats you now have floating poisonous slime paint. In Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, magic comes from specific metals, like copper, tin, or aluminum. It violates local conservation laws and relativity (whats simultaneous in one reference frame is not in other frames). If thats not true and given the types of energies most classical magic systems are throwing around I consider it IMHO to be HIGHLY unlikely then its just splitting hairs whether we call it dodging, blocking or something else, youre REALLY gonna need something magical of your own to make sure that when that nasty spell gets to wherever its target may presently be, that YOU AINT THERE when it arrives! Obscuring the rules is easier if the cause and effect can be separated by space and time or the cause isnt directly observable. An explanation for the seasons has its roots here as well. An even more interesting idea may be that the aliens are actually made of an alternate kind of particles I mentioned earlier. It sends a positive message to the reader when the magic being performed is a positive being paid for by a regrettable negative but sends the wrong message when its a cheat or lethal act that is only being rewarded or reinforced with a positive. On Star Treks Mediocre Antagonistic Species. You can have several sources of magic, but you need to bring them together in a way that makes sense at least in the novel. Hello to anybody that sees this. 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. If a person can wield both kinds of magic, do they influence the person? Using mana is no different from using up stamina, the more magic you use, the more energy that is used up. If one person grows wings and another teleports, your system will feel arbitrary. This is one of the most exciting things about writing fantasy: getting to design your own magic system. In the HP books, the only reason why Harry cant do everything is that hes still learning. In a rational system, there would be an explanation for how magic works where it comes from, what limits there are, how it is used. If Luke needs guidance to hit that exhaust port, the Force can guide him. Weft threads are what complete the fabric, what is woven through the warp to add the unique characteristics of the fabric (e. g., a 3/1 twill for denim or a satin weave for silk). This would involve a preferred reference frame, breaking relativity (for a specific class of phenomena only) but disallowing time travel (I dont have anything against time travel stories; I just didnt feel like including it in my universe). If you send out powers, your brain stays in one piece and in the same place. 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. powers, and the theres a Chosen One, who has all the powers? In many worlds such as Star Wars, this force is generated by living things. (I wont deal with it here and now, as this reply is getting too long already and you never mentioned it in your comment). Magicians draw on their inner energy, called mana, to cast spells and perform magical techniques. This suggests that telepathy and telekinesis (at least if I go with something like your suggestion) imply some form of teleportation. Korra did it but that was more so of Avatar state then an Airbending technique. (Incidentally has one of the worst magic systems in literary history). *someone like me* well dont I feel important! The Living Mother may hardly notice a tiny imbalance such as this. Other than that, most answers are really just what do you want? However, I will say that if magic uses up energy in the environment putting out fires and stopping movement for instance that would probably create some interesting scenes. In the last forty-eight hours, this generator has been used to construct 2069 worlds and 9.7 GB of images. Depending on where the clusters are and how they are structured different effects emerge: In the Matrix, lifting something huge is harder than lifting something small. The same is true, if I use telekinesis to move that boulder. Or you go back to the idea that words shape the world, which is why we have the word enchantment which comes from chanting. Been developing a magic system for a story of mine thats in its early development stages. Which is why you need to attach a heavy price. Untold masses dead, fear, uncertainty you get the idea. Magic does exist and it follows rules is the first rule of a rational system. The World we perceive and interact with all stems from the Energy, called Aether, and the Vibrations that come from it, all make up our world. Fifty years after the war ends the younger generation make massive breakthroughs. Im sorry. As this energy is formless and intangible, it is naturally attracted to your body and stored there. It worked well, but it had to be named before it became important to the plot. Spells are also incredibly varied, which makes adding randomized details a . : Isnt that glove from the Aladdin TV series? Some kind of energy tentacles, if you want a picture. I would take a step back from good and bad, first of all. All three should work together to create the magic system. Witches and wizards need to learn each spell individually and practice speaking their enchantments in exactly the right way in order to achieve the intended results. What can your high fantasy magic do as in abilities and cant do like limitations? World-Building, Prepare to Write, Revising for Publishing, As bestselling author Brandon Sanderson explains. Group A (Comment if you have a better name), They cant stop their emotion from changing surfacing and tend to be extra emotional. Here are four common categories you can consider. 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. Sky: Sky magic draws power from the vast sky, movement of the winds, and from thunderstorms. Are their any parts youre confused about? Thank you Cay, for making me think more about what i want my theme to be. If you fail to understand the role that . Using items means a disarmed magic wielder might be powerless, it could also mean every magic wielder has an item unique to that person, perhaps even with their own unique abilities. Do you think the metaphor works when stretched so far? 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 think youre overthinking things a little in your example. 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). Magic is a dominant trait, but rare in some races. Telekinesis and teleportation require an explanation as to how you direct your power outside of the body. Thisbook extrapolated the authors theory that this means that by our observation of the universe we are in fact playing some role in creating it and that that bolsters the philosophical school again, dont remember its name or nearly as much as I should if I hadnt been such a bloody stoner all through college ;) that each individual lives in their own separate universe which they create or have a part in shaping. And boy, rational magic systems arent new. What effect does the use of magic have on the user? Like gods, you can ask spirits for help. They have to learn magic to use it. The audience must know the rules, because the heroes use magic during the story. (oops, forget this one!). Really Smart that would make a great power for the Apaths. In this case, rational, soft, and hard come from Brandon Sanderson. In most, if not all movies, there clearly arent rules for magic, or if there are, there arent many. 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. When the nanites were first created, their creators by which I dont mean their society, but their specific inventors failed to contain them, resulting in a plague similar to the Grey Death. Using magic is physically draining. That might work as well, but its a completely different kind of image in peoples minds. If you think of the Sea of Energy as like the actual ocean, than the Planes of Existence can be compared to the different depths, and the deeper you go, the more pressure that exists. Random Magic Shop Generator. Everyone is also born with it. EASTERN THUNDERER, based off of Eastern dragons in design, likely chance of getting weak to strong Shocker magic, rare-ish to moderate chance of getting magic of another Type as well, Learns magic a bit more slowly than other races. So, if we want to maintain conservation of energy, we need to assume another power source. Hey! This is what making sense means when it comes to magic. Dispel | Spiritual | Fire | Creature And the One became Two, Two became Three, and Three became All Things, (Actions) Why can only some people do time magic or elemental magic? You can take the time to practice it yourself, but youre better off finding a teacher. I dont like giving writers a formula for magic systems. Or, stepping away from the elements as a such, a mage needs to chant specific words to achieve a specific result (classic spell work). But creating a consistent system that allowed for both these laws and my magical exceptions without, say, having the laws of physics change so much that there are no stable structures, or allowing for time travel, was difficult. Once youve figured out what kind of system you need, its time to start building! Telekinesis, telepathy, and teleportation are not something people can really use in everyday life, so you will find it hard to justify their existence through science alone. This page is absolutely huge, reflecting the fact that I have a rather large number of options in the generator. Another way to look at it is evolution. The expeditions that have come back tell of fantastical landscapes, filled with mystic flora and fauna. If so, what differentiates them? 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. By making sure magic has costs, you can force your protagonists to be clever and resourceful when they solve problems. 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. 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. A staple magical element in The Way of Kings is the personification of human emotions and ideas into living creatures called spren. Ill give a quick(ish) rundown of the basic foundation that lays the groundwork that I have so far for the magic system, Ill go into more detail if anyones interested. Sound. So the magic system is based on balance in nature. 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. Oh, I see what I missed last time. For example do you want evil spellcasters to raise undead? 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). Thats why we have a character (in the Silmarillion, and referenced in passing in the songs and stories Aragorn tells the hobbits on Weathertop and they later hear much more about in Rivendell: a character like Luthien Tinuviel, who inherited her power from her connection to both the mortal (in the sense of not being a divinely descended spirit who chose to take bodily form; Tolkiens equivalent of greater and lesser angels whom he sees as having a role in the world; her father was a powerful Elf king but still in that sense mortal) and angelic (her mother, who was a lesser angel who fell in love with her father and chose to take on bodily form enough to bear his child but still remained of divine race) lines in her ahcestry. If you can't say something nice, say something thoughtful. I think Ill go for having multiple types of thread that rule certain areas of magic. The Force can do precisely what is needed. In case if something enters inside such bonded blob it will exit on the other side of the bond. While its more difficult to tell whether a soft magic system is rational, I suspect Game of Thrones is using a rational magic system. If you want spells, you shouldnt work with elements, but work on the premise that magic is real and a power like light or sound which can be guided with the voice. This is the easiest part from technical point of view in my current design. For instance, some animals can also cast magic, and they do it pretty much the same way people do. These are the 7 forms of energy this magic affects. powerful mages who control transportation but do not rule (again, difficult). This is a pretty nice article, and it has inspired me to think more about the magic systems I create. Cool system, sounds like it has great story possibilities. Real transformation would be something like lead to gold, influencing the molecules to give up their bonds and settle into a new configuration (gods, it has been ages since my last chemistry lesson). But, in general, all those energies are more-less equally distributed everywhere. P.S. Hannah is a speculative fiction writer who loves all things strange and surreal. They can only work through people that do their will voluntarily. 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? I definitely have more work to do. Might a healer whos seen one too many field hospitals after a brutal siege just stop caring enough to heal effectively? Extreme focus is needed for complicated attacks It sounds like youre going the scientific route with energy. But those who have returned have never been inside the Tower. The story is at a climax when emotions are always high? When the nanites detect the presence of something within a host, the nanites become active, forcibly altering & rebuilding the subjects body from the inside out. 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). I wouldnt use categories of magic to add structure thats just adding more complexity. 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. None of those energies could be stored by characters themselves, so they can only use energies from environment. Because soft magic is often used by characters other than the protagonist, you should think about who the wielders will be. However, they seem to require non-biological properties, so they probably wouldnt evolve naturally. (Storm God = sky domain = bird ? 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. actuallydragon glass is NOT made from dragon fireits just some rock that forms naturally: obsidian. Interferers cant store energy like Conduits, so they have to use all of what they have in a few minutes or it explodes out of them randomly. Then you would have to decide whether someone can use all elements that way or just one (as everyone safe for the Avatar in the series). (Arguably, before the development of modern science, many people had similar attitudes towards technology! I just wanted to run a few things past eyes that arent mine any feedback/critique/comments would be hugely appreciated!! . Some feel cohesive; others feel random. In fact, I suspect it might make more sense than what Chris Winkle says in the original article. Awesome, thanks! Second thought was the good ol blood sacrifice, but a) kinda dark for what Im going for and b) why would spirits want blood anyway? Theres a lot to figure out about the basics, before you can think about sub-types. Every person who attempts this dies, without fail. Forms of magic include water magic, healing magic, potion making, and purification. All magic can be learned by anyone, its just that the magic they didnt inherit will be harder to learn. These symptoms will get worse over time. I think I mostly understand, but Im not exactly sure what Interferers cant an cant do. If you make all of your spells fit together, you'll need less foreshadowing. This generator will give you 10 random super powers, which can range from many different types of powers, including magic and superhuman powers. Could perhaps some or all of them be elements alongside the classic four? But magical things do have specific usesHarry writes essays on the uses of different plants in potion-making, for example. 2) Paper. 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. If I were you, I would make sure every complication you have is something thats important to you. This has been extremely helpful! Terminology is pretty difficult to deal with, because there isnt a big enough shared vocabulary for storytelling to have the discussions we need to have on the site. Will have to give it some thought. So, basically it will be a portal (or teleportation, in case if anyone makes the bond from surrounding air blob, for example). This could also link in nicely culture and tradition (festivals on summer or winter solace to celebrate the Mother). So I know a few things. Things holy magic can do include lighting incense, putting people to sleep, and pacifying demons. LEARNED: obtain magic through studying. Thank you for commenting! Note that this does NOT prove energy is conserved (at least I dont think so), it means that if energy is not conserved, the laws of physics must change over time this applies even if magic is involved. Can magic be used incorrectly or immorally? Cut to hundreds of years later; whatever advanced technology there was has fallen into disarray, with no one knowing how to use the few operable devices left. You need to lay enough groundwork and hard rules and be consistent enough that it doesnt feel like a character getting angrier will suddenly allow them to start winning a climactic battle, at least not without significant buildup to such a thing happening. 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. 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. There are hints throughout the story that its actually sci-fi. Those are the things I thought about, let me know if it helped you improve! sheer warp threads create plain physical structures such as a ball and weft webs can add fire and velocity to that ball. Mind energies are bit different: they could be bonded with any type of energy. They already have enough problems with inter-house violence. I generally call the opposite of rational arbitrary, and that one I just chose arbitrarily, you might say. What kind of defensive and offensive things can they do? Gaining power Combining powers Limitations What dangers does magic pose to the user, whether directly or because the use of magic is scorned or envied by society? And I had trouble writing with what nature aspects nymphs, dryads, and naiads would relate to, so I went with that. 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.
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