The water creatures, dryads and naiads, are rarer and more powerful (because water has been around for much longer). I would skip chemical energy though opens up too many things. Earth and earthy minerals/materials (Since earth is firm, solid and tangible, and since man walks and sleeps on the ground, eats what the ground produces, and has a beneficial relationship with the earth, earth is easy to hold on to for longer periods of time, assuming you dont try to control too much of it at a time). Chris Winkle mentioned Avatar as an example of a rational magic system, because its elements (fire, water, air, and earth) are natural classifications. In The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, magic is like law. (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? 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? Emotion-based powers arent impossible, just easy to do in a way thats ultimately unsatisfying. It will first appear has a reddish purple mark that will slowly spread across the whole body. These symptoms will get worse over time. Remember that energy doesnt dispense when its used it only takes on a different shape. If an Interferer and a Conduit have a baby, can it do both, or just one? When youre deciding which type of magic system to use, ask yourself: Do you want magic to solve conflict for your protagonist (hard magic) or to create conflict for your protagonist (soft magic)? Were he an adult already, thered be hardly a limit for him, apart from morals. Rituals are easy to execute, but can be dangerous. Or you blame all psychic powers on quantum and be done with it, but I doubt you want to take that way out, otherwise you wouldnt have been plotting that much already. However, then I realized a key problem: Could I make this a logically consistent system? Being able to gain power is generally an often picked choice for story telling, first the hero is unable to defeat the villain, but after training or some other form of power gain the hero becomes stronger than the villain. In the Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo, all Grisha have to serve the King. I think I mostly understand, but Im not exactly sure what Interferers cant an cant do. Almost all of the magic in Avatar: The Last Airbender is clearly linked to the same rules. Basically, all magic in the world draws power from six Primals, vast entities of the natural world: the Sky, Sun, Moon, Earth, Ocean and Stars. Since the universe as a whole tends towards entropy, where this world uniquely tends towards balance, fire doesnt always behave as expected), Water in its various forms (liquid, gaseous, solid; in redistribution it will always revert to its most common form in nature, that of liquid. Are there magical societies or a hierarchy of magic users? There are medieval books detailing how to pluck a mandrake from the ground because it was thought that they screamed when unearthed and could kill everyone who heard the scream. In a rational system, their powers would have come from somewhere and they would have been close to or even broken through their limit, which would have consequences. The law of magic that makes it so you cant summon food out of thin air feels like something invented by JK Rowling for plot purposes, not the logical result of a different set of physics like in Avatar the last Air bender. Dark, but if it works for the story however, I would say that rather than the Interferes having been oppressed and retaliating, it seems a lot more likely that they were the oppressors and committed genocide. One more thing to keep in mind what if there is an underlying principle, but the characters dont know about it? But we know some things. Some well-known examples of hard magic systems: In Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa, magic is like chemistry. 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. What dangers does magic pose to the user, whether directly or because the use of magic is scorned or envied by society? Why is it important for a hard magic system to have rules? An elemental mage could probably use several elements, if they trained for it. Generate a random star system, including primary planet . A system where the only users of this magic are at first the cultists until the Heroes learn it out of necessity and self-defence, and accepting the price that it separates them farther from the group consensus of reality which is the measure by which society defines sanity, and that in fact belonging to a species of animal as social as humans are means that diverging too far from your species in the way you perceive and experience reality carries certain risks and costs to it, more or less well understood to tradition and to the majority of systems of magic because what most of these theories agree on is that the more minds believe that something is So, the more difficult it is for one individual Mind to impose a different understanding than what the Many agree on EVEN IN THE PERSONAL REALITY the putative magician themselves inhabits, and CERTAINLY if they have to use the force of their personality, belief and magic to convince other individuals that what THE MAGICIAN believes as fact is in actual good and honest coin Really So in the shared consense reality they all co-inhabit by reason of their shared belief that they do in fact have at least some things in common in their universes, enough to make a Reality of and enforce/defend it by the power of your shared beliefs. Instead, I would work on getting the rational rules for how this nanite magic work nailed down really well, and make sure you have lots of limits, and ways in general for that magic to stop working. Make magic tricky and fickle. Specific effects include causing earthquakes, preventing earthquakes, and turning people to stone. Dryads are usually depicted as tree spirits, or tree nymphs. 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. 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. 7 Unique Magic System Ideas to Bring Your Story to its Full Potential Character Power Generator Perchance Hermione explains this to Ron in the seventh book when he mentions bringing food out of nowhere. You can use our ProWritingAid Sensory Report to make sure youre including sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell in your magic system. Humans cant curse (or maybe they just didnt figure it out yet!) Figured out the important themes and used them to craft something that fits more within the setting. Substances like these make it easy to put limits on the amount of magic used just limit the substance. There are a number of times during the series when Harry performs magic out of anger or fear. Their powers go far beyond what has ever been shown before and theres no repercussions for them. Students learn all of the spells by memorization, because theres no logic underpinning how they operate. As far as the potions issue, again, these are based off historical ideas about magic and potions. Nonhumans might think in ways that make little sense to humans. My major problem is that the subtypes dont connect with the main types of magic (demonic and angelic). The nanites of this future continue their work, though they are many generations after the initial outbreak and the AIs have calmed them. Or you go back to the idea that words shape the world, which is why we have the word enchantment which comes from chanting. 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. Can one person wield both of them or only one? However, it sounds like theres a gap between the rational aspect and the large assortment of different things your magic casters are doing. Good luck! Technically, the limitation is actually the minds belief that lifting huge objects is difficult. What I was thinking but forgot to put it in my original comment was that it could be because of their bloodline, their ancestors used that kind of magic so it comes easier to them. I hope this is a reasonable explanation. Moreover, the party must complete the quest without killing anyone. Rational magic means magic with understandable rules which hold up to logic. Trying to do anything that involves pushing against or even breaking natural law will require aid from outside forces. In this world i was playing with humanity had long ago developed nanotechnology as a means of improving quality of life; whether that meant cleaning up the environment, being used for medical purposes, or for body augmentation didnt really matter. If you don't combine spells you'll have 2 (or more) people fighting together, but not as one being. And sorry about the length of this comment. If you read up on no other system of supernatural beliefs, check out that one. Sun magic: Sun magic draws power from the heat and energy of the sun. Balance being an essential figure in most fantasy pieces, this works on many levels! There are roughly two types of fantasy. If you figure out exactly what each type of thread is doing to hold the world together, you can not only extrapolate what magic they can do when woven, but also predict the damage that the world will suffer when too many of them are used. sheer warp threads create plain physical structures such as a ball and weft webs can add fire and velocity to that ball. . ie: Water beats Fire, but MY level 5 Fireball beats YOUR level 3 Ice Wall. 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. Silver drains magic and therefore hurts all creatures that are magic. 6 Key Questions To Ask When Creating A Magic System It violates local conservation laws and relativity (whats simultaneous in one reference frame is not in other frames). ), Fire/heat (fire is a more fickle form of energy and as it is intangible, it is harder to hold on to, though not as hard as air. Everything is what she deems fair. Generate random magic shops with items from the d20 SRD. There is a set science about how magical techniques are performed, and knowing about the what and the how behind these techniques is important. Once you master the flow of paint in your body you can change your appearance temporarily. Then I really thought about the setting and that would breakwell, everything. The flavor might be of magic based on communication with spirits, although these spirits do have to obey at least some physical laws. But once characters learn about the spell to disarm and the spell to block, they cant extrapolate that theres also a spell to dodge. Sometimes, as in the example I made, other natural processes, such as life and death (or decay) or day and night are added. While characters can invent some potions, it appears they only do it by trial and error, not through a formula that guides what goes into a potion to create specific effects. This description generator will generate a short random description of a spell, including its effect, appearance and inventor. This is the name list Tolkien draws from at least for a couple of the Dwarven characters in The Hobbit. Dont expect to put out a perfect draft, having to do revisions or rewrites is disappointing, but its a normal part of the process that helps us strengthen our skills. In a superpower system, spells are unique to each individual. The readers should, after reading a bit of the story, develop an understanding for how people do magic. Magic wielders might be shunned for being different, perhaps even dangerous, or they could be praised for their abilities. Well, there is the Restricted Section, which includes books on the Dark Arts, I made a magical system right after I read this article and this is what I came up with: Magic is powered by emotion and certain emotions affect your environment in different ways. This page is absolutely huge, reflecting the fact that I have a rather large number of options in the generator. These small but significant changes in their functionality causes untold chaos; billions die and the climate is thrown off by the massive amount of metal particulates now in the upper atmosphere. Your success depends on your knowledge of the gods, your relationship with the god, and your ability to make an appeal. Otherwise you have near-god mages with no limits, who will hurt your story more than they will serve it. Ways to obtain magic: I gave the most basic rundown I could. Wavelength: Determines how strong the affect it has Little fun fact: the Greek god Hermes was, among other things, the god of thieves and of merchants. Creating a rational magic system allows you to add realism and depth to your world while still leaving room for new and interesting changes. This allows for the reader to know what is or isnt possible. There are two types of people in this world, Conduits and Interferers (though Inteferers prefer to be called Whisperers). Thats because Disney movies are based on fairy tales and fairy tales dont write up rules for magic. Random Treasure Generator. Muggles are not going to have much luck oppressing wizards. There are hints throughout the story that its actually sci-fi. Its at its strongest during a thunderstorm and is the most dynamic of the Primals, as the mage is always connected to the Primal at a given time. You could just, you know, move out of the way? I will say that I do enjoy thinking about all of these issues. That would then explain why accidential magic can happen when someone is enraged or otherwise under emotional pressure its triggered subconsciously. Now, for your first comment about my magic system, it is true I might be overthinking it (people have told me that before). The key traits of a soft magic system are outlined in the graphic below. One of the things I noted in that comment is that what seems to make sense differs between individuals, cultures, and even species. ), Given how late it is, I hope this makes SOME sort of sense :-S. Thanks alot for your thoughts, it looks interesting! So then, my idea was that even though minds were separate from bodies, they were normally closely tied so they could interact, which was why telepathy and telekinesis had things such as limits based on physical distance. My main question is whether you think the weaving should be specialized; i. e., should I break it up into different types of thread/weaving style/knots? Magic is a dominant trait, but rare in some races. 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. I know it could use some work, but a lot of this came out in the very act of me writing it in this post! And the thing that makes up all of the energy is spiritual Vibrations. Of course, there had to be some in-world lore and stuff to go with the system, but the system / idea in a nutshell, The idea, when broken down is comprised of: 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. Soft magic is vague, undefined, and enigmatic. However, certainly Interferers might be rewriting history to make themselves look better. In the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away, the entire spirit world operates under a soft magic system, from the magical bathhouse customers to the killer paper airplanes. Vampires are electromagnetic, which is why they are hurt by sunlight (photoelectric effects), are solid but turn to dust when killed (they actually are dust, and their solid form is a magnetic shell), have superstrength (they can easily lift metal objects, and can use opposing magnetic forces to move their own body quite forcefully). Professor of Political Theory in Star Trek. However, as mentioned at the top of this article, magic can also serve as a vehicle for theme (i.e. Your answer could have huge ramifications for your world. In case if something enters inside such bonded blob it will exit on the other side of the bond. Im definitely not saying these problems are insurmountable, just that I do need to think a lot about them. 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? Likewise, its important to disabuse the audience of the notion that mood swings can decide key moments whenever its convenient. Used by the Matrix and Mage: The Ascension, some magic systems are based on the idea that reality is more malleable than it seems, allowing some to bend it out of shape. So a Mage might give as payment a concrete memory, like their first day of school or attending a particular play, or something more abstract like the taste of chocolate cake or the pain of stubbing ones toe (spirits are interested in all experiences, even if humans see them as negative). But here is the problem since those energies are not strictly relates to the non-magical substances, Im not quite clear how exactly my energies will affect characters. You will always need to wing it there, because you introduce something which has no base in our worlds reality. Wizards arent included in this; as far as we know, you cant just simmer a wizard in a pot for a few days and end up with a magic potion. Moon magic: Moon magic draws power from the spirit and energy of the moon. The dryads control water? Whether you use the force, a principle like Yin and Yang, some nano-bots, the aether, or something different, is up to your kind of story and what you like most. Ones that havent made many contracts and dont know much about human emotion yet will be much more objective. Skill in this magic system is all about how little inspiration you need to produce your own energy; How many methods of create, increase or decrease you can do & How many energy types you can work with; and how much energy you can actually produce at once. The expeditions that have come back tell of fantastical landscapes, filled with mystic flora and fauna. Electricity Try to group together similar effects, sources, and costs. It tries to convince the reader the newly defined rational magic system is what every fantasy writer should strive for. Magical properties are randomly given to some creatures and elements (eg: Fire breathing dragons, Gem stones that arent affected by gravity)- this type of magic is Irational but still has rules (depending on each specific example), But the most common form of magic is the one humans can control- this is a rational hard magic that is all about Energy, our ability to create & manipulate it. A rational magic system is supposed to be understandable. In The Last Airbender storyline, Waterbending, Firebending, and Earthbending all have elite applications that not all benders can achieve, while air doesnt. 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. Like gods, you can ask spirits for help. Just knowing how everything works can go a long way. Offensive like elemental magic and short time manipulation magic etc. 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. Caster is Combustial, Given is Earth and rock Life For a similar reason, simple exhaustion, without any other defined limits, is generally a weak way to limit an ability in the story. In the Norse pantheon, Loki is sometimes also referred to as the god of fire despite the fact that hes a frost giant. A magical source is where the magic comes from. Thats cool. Angels are not incapable of doing bad things and demons can be nice every now and then. Because the setting is divided into nations that correspond with the elements, the Avatar is the only person who symbolically belongs to all the nations. 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. World-Building, Prepare to Write, Revising for Publishing, As bestselling author Brandon Sanderson explains. 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. donjon; Fantasy Random Generator This could also link in nicely culture and tradition (festivals on summer or winter solace to celebrate the Mother). That can have a lot of applications. When youre brainstorming magical costs, try to be creative. 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. The protagonist doesnt understand Naming well either, so we never expect him to solve major plot problems using soft magic. People will accept that magic exists in a universe like ours, even though magic doesnt exist (as far as we know) in our universe. The Living Mother dreads chaos and wants balance. Crafting a hard magic system can be a complex endeavor, though soft magic systems also require a bit of care and attention to develop. I think the easiest way to explain how magic (any kind, really) affects the world is through will. Forms of Star magic include telepathy, telekinesis, mind control, astral projection, and precognition. The differences come into play when various factions go to war. Thanks again for the advice! Paint is a very volatile substance that if held can burn off skin 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).
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