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Creating a system from scratch can feel incredibly overwhelming. Angelic and demonic can stay, but dont over-simplify things. Dont be afraid to try something novel. It worked well, but it had to be named before it became important to the plot. Lets delve further into this topic together. The first to discover this art was a man who observed that water disappears on its own and returns later as rain. As Sanderson explains, magic primarily exists to create conflict in fiction. 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. Also Im thinking about the idea when none of characters can store those energy. I know this is an old article, but it inspired me to create my magic system. 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. You can CREATE new energy into an object that wasnt already producing that same energy (Eg- Can make a static ball move in any direction). These energies are not strictly bound to non-magical air, water, fire and so on, but definitely could affect each other: real fire produces fire energy, in water there are lot of water energy and so on. and not to be messed with lightly, as they can have devastating effects. Precursor aliens might do the job if they had certain motivations (such as wanting to set up a certain situation to see how it develops), but this raises questions of how such a large group made of many different individuals could all stay hidden for such a long time. Can it be used to harm others or cause destruction? They dont lead sermons or pray for people. Is there a cap on the users' magical abilities? Money? Blood is messy and sticky and gets in the carpets and really why would anyone who doesnt consume it like a vampire want it as payment? Theres not much description sticking in my mind about the details of the contest, which tends to indicate to me how orders-of-magnitude outclassed of a mismatch Tolkien considered this one on the spiritual level he viewed as most important, since if theres one thing Tolkien excels at, its birlliant and poetic description of the details of those elements he viewed as important to convey in his work, which he approached with the carefully thought out professionalism he drew from his years in the academic world as professor and often chair of various university departments, most I believe relating to linguistics and literature, in particular of the Anglo-Saxon and Norse cultures (though the Welsh Mabinogion seems also to have influenced the development of Middle Earth and in fact some of the names, particularly of the Dwarves, were lifted directly from there check the Mabinogi of KILHWCH AND OLWEN; OR THE TWRCH TRWYTH, which basically explains the collection of the legendary royal treasures in terms of a pig hunt which in turn was demanded by the Bad-guy Ogre Father of the Heros Love Interest (basically because he was prophesied to, um, you know, DIE when his daughter was married, so he was REALLY interested in being as difficult a crusty old bastard as possible in terms of legendarily impossible tasks he was going to demand of his prospective son-in-law as the bride price. I checked it out, and indeed it seems to just be another name for obsidian. If you are the child of a Given and you are born with magic, you are called a Twisted mage, and have the same powers as your Given parent. There's a wide range of elements you can change to make your magic system unique, whether it's how it is wielded, what its source is or even what types of spells are used. Grab a sheet of paper and brainstorm a list of magical effects that fascinate you: ones youve already seen before, or ones you come up with from scratch. These are some questions you should ask when you brainstorm. If you dont have enough power to spare, the spell fizzles. 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. lost nanotechnology (difficult to justify how that would be forgotten) Its mysterious. What effect does the use of magic have on the user? It would also bring a limit, because the ley lines dont exist everywhere. Because I have 3 systems and they all lean soft-irrational, Im concerned that I have glaring problems that I overlooked. But the Mother eventually grows tired of such a long and drawn-out abuse of the balance, with the plants greedily hoarding the sunlight for themselves each day; in autumn she begins to draw water out of the plants, more than just the droplets that form on leaves in the morning. Sometimes you just get turned into a chicken. (Obviously, if character will try to use this energy, he probably will die). The fantasy genre is one of the fastest-growing genres in fiction, and this also applies to science fiction/fantasy novels. Ones that havent made many contracts and dont know much about human emotion yet will be much more objective. Are you looking to define what weaving one can and cant do? 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. Remember that energy doesnt dispense when its used it only takes on a different shape. 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. I was literally thinking How can I make a magic system thats as good as Avatar? and this article answered that question nicely. But once characters learn about the spell to disarm and the spell to block, they cant extrapolate that theres also a spell to dodge. They're overall stregenth of that ability is average. A waterbender cant control air or earth or fire. Actually, the elite technique for Airbending is straight-up flight a la Superman. If everybody is capable of wielding magic they will likely use it for everything, from war to daily life, but if only a portion of the population can wield it it means magic will be handled differently by those who can and those who can't wield it. They are not related in any way. You mentioned Mana, Life and Mind as the elements of your magic system. Just watch out for the unaffected 1%. 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. However, I think vital your point about how a magic feels. Tolkiens magic confuses people who are looking for rules because no one sits down and says what the rules areto really understand whats going on that one has to delve into all his works (including letters and unfinished stories). Now, of course, this is magic and doesnt have to follow real life but by the same token, as in real physics, it doesnt necessarily have to seem sensible to humans (think of how weird quantum mechanics is). However, a few benders can bend their element when its in a different form or less pure. Its a solid premise, and Im sure youll do amazing things with it. New ideas in how my magic works have given me plot ideas, but I think Ill need to develop the plot more to refine how my magic system works within it. Technically, anyone can use holy magic, but it takes years to become proficient. Its really creative and for the most part completely logical (and since the people in the story are acolytes, there is no scientific explanation needed since it all seems to fit within your model). If every spell casts creates a knot that must result in the opposite effect happening then the incentive to kill becomes too great. 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. Perhaps, the basic power influenced by the caster is stronger at a certain time of the month (new moon or full moon for instance) or of the day (noon, midnight, sundown, sunrise). The cycle of plants harnessing sunlight and Mother taking it back everyday is no longer considered a mystery, but an accepted fact of life. Remember that specific effects are better than broad effects. In fact, they are drawing on residual energy left behind when a spirit interacts with the human world. Though some have tried since the beginning, it has been deemed impossible for a human to harness and redistribute sunlight. 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. PEELED him? 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? Naturally, youll want a few people in your setting with powers that are unusual among magic workers. I definitely have more work to do. All magic is governed strictly by the Law of Equivalent Exchange, which says that in order to obtain something, something else of equal value must be lost. When the protagonists need to create something, the readers understand exactly what materials they need to sacrifice. 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). 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. 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. Use attributes or abilities you would connect with angels or demons and make them sub-types of the magic in question. This would mean that they are naturally mostly hidden from beings of normal matter, but perhaps they could find ways to interact. We were ripped out of the (literal) fabric of reality, shaped into a forbidden-to-visit pocket dimension. It does, although thats what I want to do. Ive used term spell in a broad sense, I mean just an example of what you can do with such system So, basically, you mean just the same system as in Avatar (roughly, just moving the substances physically) plus transformations between substances (earth to water to air to fire and so on)? All students learn the same (unless its an elective) and can use the same types of magic. A rational magic system is supposed to be understandable. These people are often social outcasts. Every person who attempts this dies, without fail. ^_^. Spells that affect another persons soul are the strongest and are pretty much all purple level. But usually a person can only ever do one of those three (create, increase or decrease), and only do it for a certain energy type. Thank you! None of those energies could be stored by characters themselves, so they can only use energies from environment. Dont be intimated by the often academic bent to the discussion around theme. * When Jon Snow kills a white walker with Valyrian steel, it makes sense even though we havent been told that could happen. This ancient Wise One observed the natures tendency towards self-balancing and saw it as an Eternal Law. When it comes to telepathy have you considered that connecting to another mind might simply mean making changes in their neural system (which runs on small amounts of electricity created by the body)? You need to place incense in a semi-circle in front of you, drink fresh blood, paint your face with the blood, and focus on the person youre looking for. 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. It may sound similar to Avatar but it is growing. Some dimensions have a lot of energy and a lot of lines, others have few. External energy could work; however, instantaneously moving energy from one place to another causes problems. Martin or the show writers lean hard by revealing how it works, I think theyll reveal something thats logically consistent. Another way of looking at sources is from a material point of view. 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. 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. 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. Thanks again for the advice! I love your idea Madden, however if i may point out one significant flaw that you will very quickly need to address. 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. I really like the distinction between on the one hand the rational-nonrational scale, on the other hand the hard-soft scale. You can also read his books to see his systems in action; personally I recommend Elantris. For Light and Darkness, Shade will be their name. will you include other living beings that conduct photosynthesis like phytoplankton or algae? Originally I was going to go with energy, but thats way too vague. As an example, look at the Force the way its used in the first few Star Wars movies (episodes 4-6 nowadays). Forms of magic include water magic, healing magic, potion making, and purification. If youll allow my humble but informed opinion. Fantasy Name Generator. This is where your magic system will become unique, even if it shares elements with existing works of fiction. 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. Sound. These individualized magic systems can be a great way to make characters stand out, but they also come with their own challenges. you have to touch the person youre putting to sleep or touch the demon youre pacifying. Project | Fire | Destroy | Item Theres a lot to figure out about the basics, before you can think about sub-types. If I can find a way to make it work, it would be cool if sound can be harnessed and redistributed as well. It sounds like youre going the scientific route with energy. A rational magic system follows rules, thats what makes it a rational system. Group A (Comment if you have a better name), They cant stop their emotion from changing surfacing and tend to be extra emotional. Its easy to handle in books, because author can just describe the effects. I would start with some metaphysical idea about exactly what functions these threads are performing to hold the world together. (I wont deal with it here and now, as this reply is getting too long already and you never mentioned it in your comment). (A quiet lunch with my friend is much more repeated/repeatable than when I first met my best friend). Technically, you could link influencing the elements (moving earth to create a wall for instance) to the way Avatar handles it. And I had trouble writing with what nature aspects nymphs, dryads, and naiads would relate to, so I went with that. Its time to create a system of rules that will feel cohesive and logical. Even though there are no physical costs to using magic, being Grisha means losing their freedom to pursue the life they wanted. Knowing what spell-casting is capable of is pretty important, if you havent decided that, I would think on it. Some theorize, that the Sephirot is an aspect of God, but our understanding of God is just one aspect of it, you could say the projection of its Will, in simpler terms. If you use this source, decide why reality is so malleable is everyone in a dream or a virtual reality game? Maybe if their contact to spirits is limited, or the spirits themselves have goals that dont line up with the protagonists goals. Basically, the magic in my world all comes from spirits, which exist in a dimension parallel to our own. Many possibilities). At the very least, you need to foreshadow that. My point was that this would essentially entail creating a new set of physical laws, and I wanted to find out whether this could be done in a consistent way while still keeping most things in that universe somewhat similar to our universe if the magic did not affect them (for example, having stars, planets, space, Earthlike life, etc) It turns out that there are some things that are mathematically impossible, so I have to be careful. Sometimes this is unavoidable, it happens a lot in games and long stories spanned over many seasons/novels, but for shorter stories it's best to think about what the power limit would be. There are Waterbenders that Bloodbend, Firebenders that shoot lightning, and the occasional Earthbender that Metalbends. 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. Been developing a magic system for a story of mine thats in its early development stages. This works the same for all energy types. The thing is, I believe that what seems natural in these cases can depend on culture and perhaps even species. So, in my story world theres a plague spreading among the populace known as the Grey Death (somewhat analogous to the Bubonic Plague). The only way around this that i can see is if killing Voldermort brought Hitler back to life. One of them is how I believe that the tips given may not be universal. Writing is given magical properties in many books, movies, and shows but the paper itself is rarely imbued with power. If you teleport, you have to control that energy while your whole body is nothing more than energy, too. How does a user summon magic, and how does that magic manifest (i.e. For example, if you need a magic source which is unlimited a good choice would be a magical power given by the gods or magical energies within the air. Hes also known as the God of Mischief. It happens as the tale sees fit. 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. Magic should be limited when its used by humans or other mortal beings as opposed to being used by divine or other immortal beings. thanks for the feedback! Whatever you figure out, it should have an internal logic. The only difference is Life energy contained in every living creature, and every creature has own Mind ball in place of real brain. 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. Dryads are usually depicted as tree spirits, or tree nymphs. Everything is what she deems fair. The definitions for these are as follows: The magic was based essentially off the interplay between my hereditary inclination towards poetry and a book on quantum physics Id just read entitled Space, Superspace and the Quantum Universe which explored the newly proposed theory of quantum mechanics that by some quantum physicists said by our observation of the physical universe we live in we are, in ways measurable to quantum physics, IN FACT INFLUENCING WHAT ITS STRUCTURE ACTUALLY IS. Hard magic is one where the audience knows about the rules of magic, so it seems to me that your mention of convey[ing] the rules of your system might actually be referring to hard magic. Both the caster and Given are in prisoned if police find out, but the caster is normally in for 10-30 years. 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. I just replied to your last post, but about the different cultures have different ideas of what makes sense, the point about a rational system is that it must make sense to the reader. Are there any natural elements which are home to magical powers or are there any which could house magical powers? However, Im not surprised youre getting overwhelmed, youre mixing a lot of different stuff together: For Time and Space, Keeper will be the name. One thing to keep in mind is how much power somebody can gain. There is a certain logic to the magic in Harry Potter, too, but its never completely explained, because the magic only serves the purposes of the story. 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). Or you could simply say that air is good for dodging, while earth is good for blocking. You can make it mysterious just by hiding how it operates. He exerts his own living will in opposition against the tendency towards balance. Could you chip in? 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). Last limitation is that the caster has to concentrate on what theyre doing. Wind, or life, or just movement? At least not on earth, as far as we can tell. 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? Is it dark and scary? Almost all of the magic in Avatar: The Last Airbender is clearly linked to the same rules. As you can see there's a lot to explore, but if you're looking for names you're at the right place. Hell make it rain if your rain dance impresses him, but he wont strike someone with lightning no matter how impressive your dance is. The twist? Im sorry. For a similar reason, simple exhaustion, without any other defined limits, is generally a weak way to limit an ability in the story.