to be a Mind, whose role is to Think; and the Magic comes when it is possible to use that Thinking to affect what Is and what is possible to Be. 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. Substances like these make it easy to put limits on the amount of magic used just limit the substance. While both of these magic systems have mysterious aspects, in general they dont invoke wonder because they are understood. Like something to do with the changing of the victims skin? Occasionally you may want an arbitrary system it adds humor and entertainment to Harry Potter. What do the spirits get out of it? Someone else is needed. 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. Muggles are not going to have much luck oppressing wizards. Many horror movies use soft magic systems to create a sense of fear and dread, while childrens books might use soft magic systems to create a sense of excitement and adventure. . Then it may not feel weird that there isnt a god specifically of dirt, because the earth goddess hasnt had children yet. If an Interferer and a Conduit have a baby, can it do both, or just one? Most often, the source of magic itself comes in different types that create different 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. Different fighters prefer different methods, so combining the ideas could lead to a larger variety and possibly a richer world. 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. The differences come into play when various factions go to war. Some get better with time, some get worse. However, most people wont deviate from what they know to work to avoid wasting their time on a failed ritual or potentially hazardous consequences. Now, for your first comment about my magic system, it is true I might be overthinking it (people have told me that before). Update/thoughts soon. All of nature is in motion and all of natures motion serves to restore its own balance. It's an important aspect to think about as it'll heavily affect your story universe. In my mind, rituals are the middle ground between divine magic and holy magic. They are infused with magic, its part of their genetic makeup. One or all could be part of the system and manipulation of the paper in . They are responsible for all the phenomena that occurs in our world, from the spark of a fire to weather changes, to the Four fundemantal forces of the universe, atoms, and even concepts such as Time and Causality. 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). And it would explain the marked as an equal thing, too. For instance, the Patronus Charm is a spell that is critical to the plot of multiple Harry Potter books. An entire category of limitations would no longer apply to them. Also I thought about it and further developed it. The more unique you make it, the more memorable your book will be for readers. Fast forward a couple thousand years and some genius manges to find a way to control paint by collecting it into a special bottle. I guess its similar in its outward effects to the Avatar magic system, but youll see that its actually quite different. Are there magical societies or a hierarchy of magic users? 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. Make magic tricky and fickle. Roughly, looks like extended noun+verb system, right? Directing magic can involve a range of activities, but it commonly includes these aspects: The more elaborate your direction method is, the harder youll need to work to make it feel rational. The key traits of a hard magic system are outlined in the graphic below. That can create an interesting dilemma if a person primarily driven by a particular emotion starts to lose it, how likely are they to remain committed to their goals? Reading this made me realize a plot hole before I even put it on paper, I cant thank you enough for the editing time youve saved me! The willpower to make changes, no matter what kind of powers or tools are needed in addition. 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). If a villain is gloating about killing the heros friend, the hero gets really angry, they attack with powers drawn from their newfound fury, and then the villain *still* crushes them before mocking them for their pathetic temper tantrum, then the audience isnt going to establish a connection between sudden emotional outbursts and conflict resolution. Our Plane falls on the 3rd Dimension, being far away from perceiving the World. * When Jon Snow kills a white walker with Valyrian steel, it makes sense even though we havent been told that could happen. (somewhere I have a document outlining Philosophical associations between Elements). 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. 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. Thats a larger imbalance. You neednt appropriate any that have extant adherents, of course, but looking at what people believe can be a touchstone for how an invented system of magic could work. Or make your telepath one who can only read minds when touching someone else (Vulcans from Star Trek work telepathy that way). air benders can also create a vacuum around the head to suffocate some one (same guy did this in season 3). In Brandon Sandersons Warbreaker, magic is powered by a life force known as breath. Sanderson could have made breath do anything, but instead its mostly limited to animating objects and improving the casters senses. 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). However, you can mix pieces of magic plants and animals in a pot and get powerful effects. 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. To the audience it will feel like every part fits together, even if theyre not precisely sure how. I wouldnt work with spells with such a system. Hey! Does it just move objects/parts of object? A lot of magical effects can only affect creatures that are magic, or affect them much more strongly. Most of the time, magic hurts the protagonist rather than helping her, so the fact that we never understand the rules makes it even easier to empathize with her. Tolkien, we never find out exactly what Gandalf can and cant do with magic. Im going to flatly say your premise about the HARRY POTTER magic system. Character Power Generator Ask yourself how you can prevent the magic-wielders in your story from becoming too powerful, and what costs would post interesting challenges for your characters. This is really good! Oreads are nymphs of Mountains. However, not understanding Gandalfs magic doesnt detract from the story, because the protagonists have to undergo most of their journey without Gandalfs help. However, humans actually have relatively little energy I dont have the precise numbers, but I have read that using only your own energy, you wouldnt actually be able to lift very much at all. All of Creation is born from a single point in time, that exists both Space, Time, Existence, or Consciousness, what we call The Sephirot, or The Spark, or the Egg of Creation, it goes by many names. But you can use pretty much anything you wish, whether it's a magic absorbing rock, special water or perhaps a type of wood. Life is responsible for, well, life and health. 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. Because the powers are not very hard to control, Givens are feared and supposedly taken care of by the government. You wouldnt add that fire is good for creative thinking, because that wouldnt fit. In addition, exposure to sea water improves magical ability for humans slightly, especially childhood exposure, so the strongest spellcasters are all in coastal areas. 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. I forgot Theosophy! Thats what its all about. Forms of magic include fire magic, light magic, healing magic, and transformation magic. Magic is the practice of harnessing energy to manipulate aspects of reality. This type of magic is tricky and potentially dangerous, as the faerie in question could seek out loopholes that benefit them and take more from the person than what was agreed. Theyre more afraid of the death of their world than their own personal death, however. And the HPMOR fanfic mentioned above is about a Harry who does want to find out this why although I dont think it succeeds at conveying this particularly well in the story itself.). I would also like to point out that alchemy is not a religion, but an admittedly partially superstitious precursor to chemistry. Its just something to be careful about. Other limits include magic types (fire versus water for example), power restricting energies (magical or other), bodily energies (lack of food/sleep/etc), skill level, curses and much more, most of which will again depend on your story universe. Just remember that great ideas are only the start, solid implementation has to follow, and learning that takes a lot of time and practice. The key traits of a soft magic system are outlined in the graphic below. Writing is given magical properties in many books, movies, and shows but the paper itself is rarely imbued with power. All you need are the right ingredients, follow the right steps, and have the right mindset. If they need to gather energy beforehand, they cant just build a wall of ice without any preparation (which limits their powers). Everything is made up of atoms and molecules, so someone with the power to influence those could, theoretically, create new stuff in a heartbeat. Thats what I mean when I say Dumbledore and Voldemort should have paid for their enormous use of power at the ministry of magic in Harry Potter. I agree. Combustial (fire) How would a non-magic wielder fight a magic wielder? In one of my worlds (an urban fantasy kitchen sink setting where many mythological creatures from many different cultures exist), the rules are: Creatures can either have magic or be magic. We were ripped out of the (literal) fabric of reality, shaped into a forbidden-to-visit pocket dimension. I checked it out, and indeed it seems to just be another name for obsidian. Heat Magicians are taught to learn about the natural forces within magic if they want to better control them. 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. That will tell you what the Empire could have that the mages cant just conjure for themselves. 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. (Arguably, before the development of modern science, many people had similar attitudes towards technology! Those that survive the process emerge as a member of the Exalted (believed to have been chosen by a higher power) those that dont die screaming, bodies horribly twisted and in extreme cases, even dissolving into silvery, grey goop. Hes also known as the God of Mischief. Almost all of the magic in Avatar: The Last Airbender is clearly linked to the same rules. Sympathetic spirits will take pity, accepting minor payment (maybe even the painful memory of seeing said loved one get shot). 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). Though a country can have a large number of a certain Primal (such as the Sun or Earth Primals) that doesnt mean that people of other Primals cannot be born in that area. With that said, lava could still count as fire, so the point about magic being based on fire vs. ice might still stand. In the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, magic (called bending) is embodied by the four elements of air, water, fire, and earth, plus spiritual energy. Why are naiads more rare and powerful than tree nymphs? Mana is the clean energy, without any attunement. Why you should create a rational magic system as a writer? Magic systems can even serve as a vehicle for theme, exploring topics such as power, privilege, oppression, and greed. Remember that energy doesnt dispense when its used it only takes on a different shape. Avatar works with four definite sources of power, which happen to be fire, water, air, and earth. The audience isnt sure if burning the leaches actually caused these deaths, making it mysterious despite having witnessed the magic ritual first-hand. Why do I need spellcasters? Or does it speed up molecules/atoms to heat up an object (if we have mostly realistic world)? Limitations mean there will be tension in your story, without limitations anything and everything can happen, but generally not in a good way. 7 Ways To Create A Magic System For Your Novel 1. The villain in S3 of A:LoK achieves it. 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. Life is movement and if part of nature isnt moving (even the earth) then it resembles death and not life. What unusual methods and applications might they attempt? When picking the powers and spells for your magic system you'll have to keep in mind a few things. Its origin is with the creation of all life itself and the first humans: Black and White. If Rowling had, for instance, done more with the four houses, things might have been different. However, Im not sure whether adding a new field, force, particle, etc. If you think about it, youll realize theres no reason not to have a rational system. She might exchange one persons hand for anothers, but she might not deem two lives equal. Iroh or Azulah are already pushing it when they control lightning (which could qualify both as air or fire). Thats because Disney movies are based on fairy tales and fairy tales dont write up rules for magic. Theres hardly a limit, every wizard and witch (once adult) seems pretty much capable of using all spells (although experience and practice sure play a role). I hope this is a reasonable explanation. Or you could simply say that air is good for dodging, while earth is good for blocking. Reading this made me realize that while Ive got the source pretty nailed down, I dont actually have much else figured out yet! Magicians have no power of their own except through the spirits they command. That boar, the Twrch Trwyth? 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. I want to make it rational, just didnt thought about it from this point. I really need a new name for the holy magic. As I said, I was also inspired by depictions of psychic powers in fiction, so I used this idea to explain telepathy (immaterial minds were the same substance, so they could have a way to directly communicate with each other) and telekinesis (if thoughts could generate energy, then maybe they could create enough energy to affect outside objects as well). that were made by the gods. 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. You can use our ProWritingAid Sensory Report to make sure youre including sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell in your magic system. Also I think the name Grey Death is cool, especially if theres some in world reason? Likewise, its important to disabuse the audience of the notion that mood swings can decide key moments whenever its convenient. There are a number of times during the series when Harry performs magic out of anger or fear. Theres things like creating food out of thin air, which means magic can add something to the world which wasnt there before (alternately, some people have all the rotten luck and their fridges are constantly empty and they dont know why). When a mage makes a contract with a spirit, what are they paying with? 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). So I know a few things. Since the protagonists are on this side, it would remove a lot of tension. Dont feel discouraged by the problems of your first draft, remember that you will solve them later. E.g., player can only use some energy from the environment, depending on available amount and the players skills. To craft your framework, just answer these questions. If you can't combine spells you'll have to work together perfectly, time spells one after the after and make sure you're not in each other's way. Anywhere there is festivity or drinking he might try to have some fun, which could make for an epic night or a lot of destruction; hes the bane of every tavern and bar. a conspiracy to hide everyone selected (difficult to justify how they manage this) Just because the system has volumes of lore and backstory to support it doesnt make it a rational system, though it does help to make it more believable. The dryads control water? Sandersons Second Law Magical creatures all have an innate connection to one of the forces, which they can use in ways dictated by the kind of creature that they are. They dont pay with utter exhaustion or even by losing several years of their life, because of the power they wield. There are 2 other different types of magic to do with Time/Space & Meta Magic of youd like to hear more about the magic from the novel I wrote. Here are some examples of magical sources: In Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan, magic comes from the gods. Theres nothing wrong with using classic tropes, but if you want to stand out in the crowded world of fantasy, youll need to learn how to use them in an innovative and unique way. This is what making sense means when it comes to magic. Do users of demonic magic face persecution? Electricity Thats not a rational system, because theres no understandable rules to it. Skill also plays a part, and is determined by both intelligence and creativity. Those affected will suffer from chronic pain, skin lesions, and become prone to violence; but they will also gain super human strength. Isnt that glove from the Aladdin TV series? Could you chip in? Thank you Cay, for making me think more about what i want my theme to be. What obvious flaws are there? There are a few keys differences, in that the forces that determine a Vibration are its Wavelength, Frequency, Harmony, Color, and Ripple(subject to change). If you actually have light magic and youre just not telling them until later, then great; youve foreshadowed without even trying. Kristen now works as a creative wellness coach and offers new resources through her personal website at kristenkieffer.co. Im working on setting up a writing blog on WordPress, mirroring it to tumblr. Magic that powerful would leave a large fingerprint on the world, and if you dont avoid ultra-powerful characters, it can also break your plot. Paint is a very volatile substance that if held can burn off skin If they are limited, its usually not by some universal magical law, but rather a handicap in their source of power. First, if its similar to someone elses that is purely coincidental. The readers should, after reading a bit of the story, develop an understanding for how people do magic. None of those energies could be stored by characters themselves, so they can only use energies from environment. BORNE: obtain magic through genetics. All magic is fueled by mana, a form of energy found in all living organisms. To avoid adding a sense of arbitrariness, your choice of categories must feel natural. I was wondering if any of you could give your thoughts on it. So, for instance, lets say you decide water spirits are more powerful than plant spirits because their aspect is more basic and elemental, whereas plants are more complex organisms that feed off of water. And the whole thing about souls & vampires! First of all, why would there be a spell to dodge? The job is dangerous. The most well known curse is the Demons Mark. Cool system, sounds like it has great story possibilities. If there are intelligent creatures with thought processes different from humans in your story, it would seem especially weird that magic must follow rules that conform to human divisions precisely. If youre curious about the source Gandalf didnt use his powers to destroy the One Ring, so readers didnt need to know how his magic worked to find the ending of The Lord of the Rings to be believable. Superpower name generator. I think, some of the gods will be more random and chaotic than others. If a mage forms a contract with a water faerie, they can use water magic, even if their Primal isnt the Ocean. I also had the idea that there would be some very powerful, old spirits who have long-standing contracts with humanity as a whole. All spells require a minimum level of power to run, though many can be empowered further. I know this comment was published a long time ago But oh my God, this idea Id fantastic. Limits can come in all sorts of varieties, the ones we've covered are: how to wield it (being disarmed), how to gain power, power limit, limited power source, cost of powers, the ability to combine powers or not, racial differences and whether or not you're born with a specific amount of power and talent or not. Hell make it rain if your rain dance impresses him, but he wont strike someone with lightning no matter how impressive your dance is. Bewitchment Grenade-- This bomb emits a gas that causes hallucinations and lowered aggression in 99% of affected persons. In some magic systems, gods or other powerful beings are the source of all magic. The first step is building a metaphysical framework for how and why magic works. Use attributes or abilities you would connect with angels or demons and make them sub-types of the magic in question. If you go with that, I really hope youll have a scene where your mage character (or one of them) sees the empty shells that older mages have become, their very last memory bargained away in exchange for a little power. Overusing their magic can cause them physical harm. These people are often social outcasts. Moon magic is cyclic in its strength, strongest during a full moon and weakest during the new moon, and is also weak during the day. 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. Because I have 3 systems and they all lean soft-irrational, Im concerned that I have glaring problems that I overlooked. Why should I only have one source of magic? After all the Vibrations have finished their process, they Ripple and then whatever combination the Vibrations have will affect our world. Relocating energy (in telekinesis or telepathy) is, however, less of a problem than dissolving a body and recreating it at another place, to its not the same as full teleportation. Of course, I wholeheartedly believe that considering each element of your story is the surest way to craft an engaging novel. The plants begin to die, and in dying change color and surrender the rest of their water to Mother. Although, I have made some changes. What limitations does the magic put on the wielder? Spells are also incredibly varied, which makes adding randomized details a . Thank you the idea about energy. Here, you would have to add something else, perhaps a boost a telepath receives (again, remember the unused potential of muscles, if you want to), which allows for them to reach out and tap into another brain. Magic types: You could just as well do the Magic The Gathering approach and use stuff like decay or nature as base for the magic (which would give you white magic based on life/nature and black magic based on death/decay). However, if your magic system serves more to create a fantastical ambience than to resolve any major conflicts, then explaining how magic works on the page likely isnt necessary. The only difference is Life energy contained in every living creature, and every creature has own Mind ball in place of real brain. I dont write often in English or at all. I would use something else than Gluttons. There are also spells and counter spells, and characters know when to use themtake for example when Harry accidentally levitated Ron (using levicorpusnot hard to figure out the root for that one). Can ones magical abilities be stolen or suppressed through fantastical or physical means? The knots must be undone, causing the reverse effect as the original magic, and rewoven into the fabric of reality. 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. To the Avatar thing: the point is not using a scientific system for your magic. Though this is all tentative, Id probably categorize it into two types: warp threads (like the structural threads you mentioned) for physical spells and weft threads for nonphysical spells. 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. In Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, magicians owe a demon years of their life in exchange for magic. These properties can give limitations but also make some stronger. First of all, you need to figure out what both types of magic can do. And if so, is it because their culture is different and they learn to wield it in different ways, is it because they simply cannot wield it the same way due to biological differences or is it because they use different sources, like blood magic and magic pools? The problem would lie in too many types for an already-complex magic system. Sandersons Third Law. The Goddess of Exchanges would be less random, but you wouldnt be able to reliably make exchanges with her. If you want conservation of energy, you could show those who use specific powers, magical or psychic, having to replenish that energy in some way (through food, meditation, or something similar). Harry Potters magic is not irrational. 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. 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.