Certainly using more types adds complexity that might be a burden in shorter stories, but I think you could start with the type of thread that is most prevalent, and explain more rare threads as the story progresses. some sort of selection criteria the nanites have Im working on setting up a writing blog on WordPress, mirroring it to tumblr. Astral Armor-- "Though spun from strands of glamor and mana, the protection it offers is no illusion." Magic Formula-- Yep. Late to the party, but I wonder what is your take on the magic system in Type-Moon franchises such as the Fate series and Tsukihime? I really like all the terms you use on this site, theyre so helpful and clarifying. Maybe there are a few things that the sorcerer cant do, but basically its just whatever they want to happen, happens. Some plants and animals have magic inherently inside them, creating a variety of results. How does the energy reach an object (including a brain) without affecting and potentially being dissipated by everything in the way (including air)? I really hope you go through with it! I really need a new name for the holy magic. P.S. If you actually have light magic and youre just not telling them until later, then great; youve foreshadowed without even trying. If youre new to the genre, its easy to fall back on tropes youve seen before. The only ones that blur this line are possessed ie theyre two organisms in a symbiotic or parasitic relationship with each other. However, as mentioned at the top of this article, magic can also serve as a vehicle for theme (i.e. I also had the idea that there would be some very powerful, old spirits who have long-standing contracts with humanity as a whole. Theres a reason why RPGs with team-based fight systems (I use those when playing around with the RPG Maker myself) are often based around the Tank/Damage Dealer/Buffer principle. One example is that because the laws of physics are invariant with respect to time translation (they dont change over time), energy is conserved. 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. They dont pay with utter exhaustion or even by losing several years of their life, because of the power they wield. Oh, and the fantasy series Im cooking up is called Fantasia. In your case, how exactly the will affects something: Been developing a magic system for a story of mine thats in its early development stages. Making sense in case of magic means being constant. The issues with this idea are a) adding more complexity to my magic system and b) giving more power to the side of the war that directly contracts spirits. So I would greatly appreciate some constructive feedback back. Really Smart that would make a great power for the Apaths. Soft magic is vague, undefined, and enigmatic. The younger generation tend to favour unconventional weapons. If I get this right, magic workers are using pieces of the infrastructure built to support their world for magic instead, at which time it is no longer helping to sustain the world, and by putting these pieces back in place, the protagonist is strengthening that infrastructure. 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. In a world where the entire population can wield magic you might not have this conflict, not unless some are worse at wielding magic than others. I like the fact youve got a cool new way people gain magical abilities- FAR FAR FAR to many high fantasy novels just have it be the usual theyre born with it (theres nothing wrong with that way- heck Ive even used that, its simple and the easiest way to have it)- but I love seeing unique ways besides just being born with it. Humanity loses control of the system, the factories start belching out nanites into the atmosphere, these new nanites containing instructions that are corrupted, missing a few bytes here and or even having added a few. Plus, itll make the villain look rightfully confident and in control, rather than stupidly arrogant for powering up his adversary, and itll build up their threat level when the hero at seemingly full power wasnt a match for him. See the LessWrong articles Universal Fire and Universal Law for one explanation of how all physical laws are tied together. As long as your explanation isnt a slap in the face of physical laws we all know, theres no problem from that side. The knots must be undone, causing the reverse effect as the original magic, and rewoven into the fabric of reality. Caster is Hydro, Given is Ice There are 4 main types of magic systems in fantasy. Wind, or life, or just movement? For example, your universe might not have demons or gods which can grant more magical powers, but there could be plenty of other magical beings who can. You have the damage dealer, usually a mage, who can deal out a lot of damage, but has weak health and often limited choices in armour, making them vulnerable in a battle. That goes for magic as well as for everything else. If George R.R. There's a wide variety of ways to wield magic, ranging from staves, wands and tomes to scrolls, artifacts and created objects and even which body part you use and how many (1 hand, 2 hands, eyes, entire body, etc.). You can also read his books to see his systems in action; personally I recommend Elantris. 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? Notes on the world: humans are at a hunter-gatherer to city-state level of development, gods are real but you can never talk with them, spirits are everywhere and run on fae logic, and demons are corrupted spirits that will ravage towns/cities and curse people. The second Twist to my setting is that the magic in my world is in fact technological in origin, Yep, Im doing the whole forgotten tech trope :-), The Grey Death is in fact a invasive form of Nanotechnology, accidentally released into the public. Then they could connect to the energy of the other brain. Learn everything you need to know about grammar. 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. For your points about my magic system: yes, I know magic isnt real, so I will have to break some physical laws in my fictional world. Sometimes, as in the example I made, other natural processes, such as life and death (or decay) or day and night are added. Too Trope-ish?? What atmosphere will my story have? Obviously you can also combine both ideas, just because you can combine spells doesn't mean you have to. Thelema, Goetia, Gematria, Thaumaturgy, Alchemy, Hermeticism? Superpower name generator. That means the stories cant foreshadow spells prior to their explicit introduction, and when a protagonist has to face a tough problem, they cant get out of it by inventing new spellwork. Perhaps they only manifest 1 (or 2?) That works for just Neo, but if you have many spellcasters over long periods of time, someone will be able to smash two planets together. Below, Ive outlined six general steps you can follow to forge an effective magic system for your story. It could range from absolutely anything to a single effect such as moving objects or pausing time. Then it may not feel weird that there isnt a god specifically of dirt, because the earth goddess hasnt had children yet. I love it. what could they have that the Mages need/want? 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. I forgot to mention the Towers :(. The flavor might be of magic based on communication with spirits, although these spirits do have to obey at least some physical laws. *squeals* Chris you are my hero and your articles inspired me to try writing and you are very, very, very awesome *squeals* ;). Telekinesis and teleportation require an explanation as to how you direct your power outside of the body. However, it had similar things to our universe, stars and planets and lifeforms that could look somewhat like ours, so it needed to follow most of them, at least, the ones that allowed for these things. Another option is that there is a background magic field (see the TVTropes article) present everywhere that psychics draw on. It doesnt have to make sense in our world, but in the world of the story, it does. In the Matrix, lifting something huge is harder than lifting something small. Thanks again for the advice! 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. Divine gifts are enchanted items (like swords, hats, necklaces, etc.) Oreads are nymphs of Mountains. I also like the conspiracy, theres not many like that in high fantasy which makes it cool. Perhaps broken fingers mean you won't be able to wield magic or maybe magic itself can block another form of magic or the magical energies within a person. Pick just one source; Ill discuss how to add variety to your magic system in the next section. 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) That cheapens the story and makes it less exciting to read. The biggest limitation is the training. If you follow this rule, readers will appreciate the awe and mystery of the magic without feeling like it cheapens the story. Then the fight between Voldemort and Dumbledore (both of which also have that trait) would be a glance into the future of Harry himself. SO, questions: where is the magic energy coming from in the environment? You should understand why some spells have symbols in common but different dance moves. We have a knowledge of these beings, many of them exist in our mythology as gods, angels, demons, etc. Is it connected to religion or religions of your world (since something based on the principle of good and bad [if you have to keep that, use evil instead of bad] should have a connection to religion)? It is believed in this world, at least by this group of acolytes, that the nighttime is caused by plants absorbing the sunlight, and the dawn only comes because the Living Mother has taken it into her hands to manually restore the balance and takes back the light. 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. There is no formula; you are just fueling the clichs. ^.^ 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. Dryads represent trees but usually can move about unless they are hamadryads which are locked to a particular tree than a tree type. 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. This was implemented to further refine (/complicate?) In real life, cold is not a thing but just the absence of heat, and ice and fire dont seem to be fundamental opposites. Alrighty, its late and Im tired. Sandersons Second Law Slytherin still could breed dark wizards and witches perhaps they have a tendency towards dark magic. 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. Building Your Own Hard Magic System. That boar, the Twrch Trwyth? * When Jon Snow kills a white walker with Valyrian steel, it makes sense even though we havent been told that could happen. Eating it makes them very sick, but because of this immune reaction, they can cast more powerful spells. Potion-making probably would make more sense, if there was more talk about the properties of the ingredients and what they do. ): magical technology (uses the "uses of a spell casting focus/item" cost in addition to any others) fiendish/evil divine the far realm a mutation that is part of the users spirit-related natural limbo/the elemental planes unknown These are the 7 forms of energy this magic affects. This was, oh, maybe sixth on the list of fourteen or fifteen legendary impossibilities he demanded, all in the essentially same format. Just because there are rules doesnt mean theyre rational. Learning about one doesnt give a better understanding of another. Hydro (water) Nonhumans might think in ways that make little sense to humans. I love your idea Madden, however if i may point out one significant flaw that you will very quickly need to address. Again, you can have variance if there are rules that explain it. Spell description generator. 7 Ways To Create A Spectacular Magic System For Your Novel The jammers are slowly getting weaker, and the nanites, while the have mostly settled in these past centuries, slowly encroach upon the population. SO, strangely inspired by a Looney Tunes skit, staring Daffy Duck (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi_hcwB8i64 ), I came up with a system of Runes that could be strung together to create different spell effects that way, through their understanding of the Runes (and the underlying mechanics, which was NOT immediately revealed to the Player), Players could effectively reverse engineer opponent spells, Counter-spell and undertake other such wizardly endeavors. One of them is how I believe that the tips given may not be universal. Ill be checking this site for updates everyday, so thank you in advance of letting me share my crazy idea with you all. 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. There are two types of people in this world, Conduits and Interferers (though Inteferers prefer to be called Whisperers). What I dont agree with is the idea that there is somehow an objective way to determine whether the rules of magic make sense or not, as magic isnt real and what is considered natural is culture-dependent. Origami, cutting, painting, burning. I guess its similar in its outward effects to the Avatar magic system, but youll see that its actually quite different. You can make it mysterious just by hiding how it operates. 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). At first thanks a lot for this article, it helps to organize some things in my head. In any scenario, the reader should have some sense of what magic can and cant do in the fictional world. Source Materials Who and what wields it How to wield it What are the powers? Once you master the flow of paint in your body you can change your appearance temporarily. Coins, gems, art objects, and magic items from the d20 SRD . And this is why I post my ideas on places like this someone will ask the really obvious questions I forgot to ask myself. Its way too easy for me to make everything very logical with a specific and predictable reaction to every action, which is why Im trying to challenge myself with a more whimsical(?) He was, um, originally a king that God transformed for his sins into a boar, and his seven sons as piglets, and he had, um, a comb, razor, and scissors between his ears and HE was prophesied to die when he lost them. Life Accio and depulso, for example, are taught one-after-another: pretty straightforward. When an Interferer discovered their ability to pull power from a Conduit and affect the world, they were shunned for interfering. Talking of the wedding feast: Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. But it feels as if it all fits together, not least because Tolkien himself had a clear notion of what was going on. My magic system is based off of good and bad. Reading this made me realize that while Ive got the source pretty nailed down, I dont actually have much else figured out yet! If the story needs someone to tell Luke and the others on the Falcon something terrible happened at the other end of the galaxy, the Force can provide Obi-Wan with the necessary information through a vision of sorts. They're overall stregenth of that ability is average. Earth magic is strongest during Spring. Theres no balance, nothing to sacrifice for the use of magic. Thats cool. Because magic is a form of power, it often explores related themes such as greed, privilege, and oppression. If you choose a framework that is broader and vaguer, youll need to add less obvious limitations to it. As far as your magic/psychic system goes, I can understand why you put so much thought into it. Easier than fire/heat and air/wind, but it takes training.). Once you examine all the implications of this change, youll discover their powers are different indeed. Magical effects will make a bigger impact on your readers if you use all five senses. But it technically isnt magic if you put yourself in the characters shoes. Silver drains magic and therefore hurts all creatures that are magic. Sound. Worldbuilding, Avatar, Magic Magic Systems Magic systems vary from colorful bears with tummy badges to ritual blood sacrifices. Different for the TV series, of course. Before you build your magic system, youll need to decide what kind of system you need to create for your story, because different magic serves different purposes. 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. The first and probably most important aspect of magic is its source. Regardless, having nature spirits of various kinds that have power related to their aspect of nature is completely reasonable. Or make your telepath one who can only read minds when touching someone else (Vulcans from Star Trek work telepathy that way). 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. [The post scarcity podcast was also very helpful.]. Im not a novel writer, but I am a worldbuilder. Yes, its arbitrary which items have magical powers (though many plants have historically been said to have magical powers and Rowling obviously researched these). Maybe if their contact to spirits is limited, or the spirits themselves have goals that dont line up with the protagonists goals. Players cast spells by arranging corresponding runes in different configurations to express the Spells intention, With the Runes inter-playing off each other in a Rock/Paper/Scissor manner. Thats because Disney movies are based on fairy tales and fairy tales dont write up rules for magic. Im going to have to find my Physical Science notes my goodness, that class was boring. Thats all I can think of at this very moment and I dont want to make this comment any longer. Here are some examples of magical sources: In Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan, magic comes from the gods. One of the most common elements in these books is a magic system. I definitely have more work to do. We learn the limits of the hard magic systems in the series, such as Sympathy and Sygaldry, while we never learn the limits of Naming. With that said, lava could still count as fire, so the point about magic being based on fire vs. ice might still stand. Hannah is a speculative fiction writer who loves all things strange and surreal. Have holy magic as something humans can gain through service to the gods, but have the gods as some random element that cannot be influenced at all. It tries to convince the reader the newly defined rational magic system is what every fantasy writer should strive for. Nanite clustering effects::kind of dangerous though, theyre a lot like tumors, and have a tendency to grow. Hey everyone! In a way you can see it as choosing between having 2 (or more) people using normal weapons to fight an enemy together. Or maybe growing up with it has shaped my perspective. But we know some things. Toward the last point, I think the inclusion of old magic in reference to Lilys motherly love protecting Harry I believe is more for the benefit of the themes of love and goodness triumphing over evil and hate (Rowling was dealing with grief toward her own mothers death while writing). 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. If you're using this generator, you might also find the Magical Artifact Generator useful. 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. ( ): I wouldnt use categories of magic to add structure thats just adding more complexity. 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. 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. Wizards cast spells by waving wands and saying incantations. This is the name list Tolkien draws from at least for a couple of the Dwarven characters in The Hobbit. 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. All benders in Avatar, safe for the Avatar themselves, can only control one element, one source of power. powers, and the theres a Chosen One, who has all the powers? These expeditions have all been disaster, as the concentration of Ghoul (better then Specters at least) is much higher in those areas. Roughly, looks like extended noun+verb system, right? The Living Mother may hardly notice a tiny imbalance such as this. We were ripped out of the (literal) fabric of reality, shaped into a forbidden-to-visit pocket dimension. Without this action, the person is consumed by the power, turning into a brute beast, only wanting to destroy those with more power then themselves. 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). 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. 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). However, if were shown the hero struggling more in fights as a result of exhaustion after using said ability (e.g. The more practiced & skilled to are then the less and less the Inspiration needs to be- if youre unskilled then youll need a person running by or a tree falling over to Inspire you. For just one example, Magoroh Maruyama describes several different possible paradigms of science, which Robert A. Freitas Jr. mentions in the book Xenology in relation to extraterrestrial minds. Im using the elements as chemical states and even nature transforms between them (ice to water, water to steam, or the other way around for water). Fire born and living in constant motion, generating heat that is eventually extinguished, restoring the balance. If an Interferer and a Conduit have a baby, can it do both, or just one? Hes also known as the God of Mischief. What I really dont like about this article is the formula on how to create a magic system. All magic can be learned by anyone, its just that the magic they didnt inherit will be harder to learn. 12 Prompts to Create a Magic System - Quixotic Quill 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? 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). 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. Are there other applications that would make sense? Around this time Paint is able to be used freely until the children of White wage a war on the Blacks causing their power to be sealed away until further notice. I think Tolkiens magic also confuses people because, as you say, its not until you read in the unpublished material and the material that WAS unpublished at the time of Tolkiens death but has since been released as the Silmarillion, etc. Their technology and motivations could be very different from human ideas. Thank you! Muggles are not going to have much luck oppressing wizards. 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). (Known collectively as the Nasuverse after their writer, Kinoko Nasu) Namely, by this articles definition of rational magic, would the magic in the Nasuverse count as an example of a rational magic system? A primary example of soft magic would be that which Gandalf practices in The Lord of the Rings. One might be cost, but only if your magic source is limited. Im creating a story set in a dragon-people city, but humans do exists. That will tell you what the Empire could have that the mages cant just conjure for themselves.
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