Its been a tremendous influence on pop culture, especially conceptions of ghosts. In the first book, Ron doesnt know any troll-slaying spells, so he uses the Levitating Spell to knock out a mountain troll instead. You will see through their eyes, feel what they feel (emotionally and physically), hear their thoughts, and even have their memories. ;P. I doubt anyone will read this, but I had this flash of inspiration on my commute home today for a magic system for a book thats been spinning in my head for a while. This would mean that they are naturally mostly hidden from beings of normal matter, but perhaps they could find ways to interact. If you don't combine spells you'll have 2 (or more) people fighting together, but not as one being. A magical source is where the magic comes from. This works the same for all energy types. It worked well, but it had to be named before it became important to the plot. Avatar is, essentially, based on elemental magic which is the ability to control one or more elements. What kinds of magical concepts and images would contribute to that atmosphere? Powers are similar to Borne, but are not very draining. 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). This isnt a formula for magic systems, but a guide for those not sure where to start or what exactly is a magic system. In the HP books, the only reason why Harry cant do everything is that hes still learning. Chris Winkle mentioned Avatar as an example of a rational magic system, because its elements (fire, water, air, and earth) are natural classifications. thanks for the feedback! Whether with words, gestures, complicated rituals, or just pure thinking, the idea that someone can control reality with their mind is at the base of every magical system. Many possibilities). If a mage has no limit to what they can do, why not simply find one who solves all the problems for your hero with the snap of a finger (or a well-conducted ritual)? Everyone is also born with it. This would involve a preferred reference frame, breaking relativity (for a specific class of phenomena only) but disallowing time travel (I dont have anything against time travel stories; I just didnt feel like including it in my universe). When an Interferer discovered their ability to pull power from a Conduit and affect the world, they were shunned for interfering. This is a pretty nice article, and it has inspired me to think more about the magic systems I create. 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.). Every action we take, even the most mundane has a profound effect on the Flow of Creation. What dangers does magic pose to the user, whether directly or because the use of magic is scorned or envied by society? While both of these magic systems have mysterious aspects, in general they dont invoke wonder because they are understood. That is, I guess why telepathy which requires touching is easiest to explain, since you can direct your energy into the other body through your skin. Spells that affect another persons soul are the strongest and are pretty much all purple level. 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. You need to make your sub-types of magic logical parts of the main type of magic. Generally that means their strengths and weaknesses will be roughly equivalent. Forms of Sky magic include air magic, lightning magic, and weather magic. 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. This is the easiest part from technical point of view in my current design. Im thinking at the beginning it requires some basic training to attune oneself to contact spirits, and from there its more a practice/strength of will thing. Stuff falls down, not up, for instance. Ocean magic is strongest during winter. the interactions between spells of opposing Wizards. The Sorcerers faction includes wizards and witches and then theres sub factions with in the faction that include the like of temptresses, necromancers and others I cant seem to remember though I have them written down somewhere. If your mage has a limit on their powers (and having a human with unlimited powers is probably going to break a story, at least with that human being the hero), the limit must always be the same or you need to give a reason why it is different (the character is exhausted and thus cant muster as much magic or the character took a specific potion which boosted their powers, for instance). Everything is made up of atoms and molecules, so someone with the power to influence those could, theoretically, create new stuff in a heartbeat. I really like all the terms you use on this site, theyre so helpful and clarifying. External energy could work; however, instantaneously moving energy from one place to another causes problems. To give them an exceptional ability that stands out from the masses, change or break one rule youve established for your magic system. So I would greatly appreciate some constructive feedback back. First, if its similar to someone elses that is purely coincidental. As a quick example, just think about how many movies and books reuse the theme of elemental magicfire, water, earth, and air. some sort of selection criteria the nanites have Sound. 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). Or, stepping away from the elements as a such, a mage needs to chant specific words to achieve a specific result (classic spell work). I love it. The person who got the powers is called the Given. Im finding that my worldbuilding and plotting inform each other more in this story than others Ive worked on. Another possibility is that some kind of complex structure is involved that can navigate to a desired destination. Thanks a million! Thank you Cay, for making me think more about what i want my theme to be. 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? Specific effects include communicating with others, working together as a group, and riding inside the minds of others. A guarded merchant named Willip seeks a company of . The questions which I usually ask myself are how difficult is it to inflict changes (which means does it take a two-day ritual or just a thought) and what are the costs (because if magic doesnt have a bad side, like the cost for a spell, there is no limiting it). However, it sounds like theres a gap between the rational aspect and the large assortment of different things your magic casters are doing. You would paint specific patterns in the air in front of you while at the same time your mind involuntarily forces the molecules to obey and move into a new pattern, speed up, spread out (going for solid to liquid or liquid to gas), heat up (going from any other state to plasma). Brandon Sanderson has a knack for creating alluring, original magic systems that immerse the reader into the fictional universe. Who knows! Telekinesis and teleportation require an explanation as to how you direct your power outside of the body. Using this site means trees will be planted. Our bills are paid by our wonderful patrons. The system I created is very similar, with some differences. Maybe they are all for structural integrity, without them the world explodes outward into the vacuum of nothingness. It may sound similar to Avatar but it is growing. 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). This article helped me go back to the basics and think about what the rules would have to be to make the magic make sense. Do you guys have questions? 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? What do you think? Now, for your first comment about my magic system, it is true I might be overthinking it (people have told me that before). 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. 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. All other alien races find our violent behavior disgusting and, honestly? Other beings and worlds exist on the other higher planes, essentially are in a higher state of Existence, or State of Being, determined by Spiritual Awareness, beyond what a mortal of our Plane can even fathom. Only one. There are plenty of stories where power just keeps building and building, which eventually makes the characters at the beginning of the story weak in comparison even though they were seen as incredibly powerful at that time. Strength no longer depends on physical brute force but many new factors make it so much more complex. And the thing that makes up all of the energy is spiritual Vibrations. So, basically it will be a portal (or teleportation, in case if anyone makes the bond from surrounding air blob, for example). There are hundreds or even thousands of magical techniques and spells that a magician can learn. 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? Because when you move, there is an accompanying sound? 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. Sure, go ahead. 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. In the Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo, all Grisha have to serve the King. This is true even if weve never seen anyone craft a tunnel before. That would make Harrys choice important in two ways: hed be the odd one out who can control all powers (like the Avatar controlling all elements) and he would be limited in what he learns to control by the house he chooses. It violates local conservation laws and relativity (whats simultaneous in one reference frame is not in other frames). (A quiet lunch with my friend is much more repeated/repeatable than when I first met my best friend). Another way of looking at sources is from a material point of view. She ran Well-Storied from 2014 - 2021, sharing hundreds of articles, podcast episodes, and other resources on story craft and creative living. That will tell you what the Empire could have that the mages cant just conjure for themselves. Harry Potters magic is not irrational. Another limitation is that you have to touch whatever youre casting a spell on, e.g. Some feel cohesive; others feel random. Why can only some people do time magic or elemental magic? Eco (plant life). Does it just move objects/parts of object? Magic is the practice of harnessing energy to manipulate aspects of reality. So when it comes to babies, you probably want to pick just one.. I was wondering if any of you could give your thoughts on it. This allows for more ready, flexible use of magic, but one has to be careful how much they use at once or risk damaging both the spirit and themselves. Of course, I wholeheartedly believe that considering each element of your story is the surest way to craft an engaging novel. Luckily for the majority of the population of the Voden Imperium, the nanites are happy to sit mostly dormant, quietly replicating away. Angels are not incapable of doing bad things and demons can be nice every now and then. 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)? Not at all. So, this sheet is meant to help fantasy world-builders (for any media, not just writing) create the magic systems for their worlds. Kristen now works as a creative wellness coach and offers new resources through her personal website at kristenkieffer.co. Untold masses dead, fear, uncertainty you get the idea. Other magic that is extremely rare is healing lethal injuries or bring someone back that was just killed (only have a certain amount of time to do it). lost nanotechnology (difficult to justify how that would be forgotten) Since there are clear rules in the Harry Potter series, we dont wonder why Harry doesnt just make up an all-powerful spell. As mentioned, Im still working on the plot details, but I was thinking the decrease in magic availability from protagonist 1s time to protagonist 2s time had to do with spirits withdrawing from the human world and not dealing with mages. Imagine your body is a magnet and the paint in your body is evenly spread out making it weaker, well stimulating your power can make your magnet stronger resulting in a finer concentration of paint. Can one person wield both of them or only one? I love your idea Madden, however if i may point out one significant flaw that you will very quickly need to address. In addition, the spells available for use arent completely based on nonsense, or taught completely irrationally. Also I like the fact that the Mages of the world are very politically influential feels so real because thats what would happen! It is not genetic, and it depends on the persons natural ability to feel/ synchronise with the energy type and become familiar enough with it that they can produce their own from the Ether. Some prices for their cooperation can even be steep, such as sacrificing something precious or offering up ones soul. Easier than fire/heat and air/wind, but it takes training.). One world I thought of involves magic based around Life, Metal (mostly magical machinery), Water, Mind, Soil, and Dragons (the rarest), and many in-universe cultures consider these natural divisions, but I suspect Chris Winkle would consider this system non-rational. Weak to medium Hydro, very rare chance of getting weak Eco as well, Learns magic more easily than other races. In many worlds such as Star Wars, this force is generated by living things. (As a side note, I mentioned teleportation because it would help get the various alien species in my universe together quickly so there could be stories based on interaction between them. Mistakes as huge as that one turn people off reading your stories. Thats why we have a character (in the Silmarillion, and referenced in passing in the songs and stories Aragorn tells the hobbits on Weathertop and they later hear much more about in Rivendell: a character like Luthien Tinuviel, who inherited her power from her connection to both the mortal (in the sense of not being a divinely descended spirit who chose to take bodily form; Tolkiens equivalent of greater and lesser angels whom he sees as having a role in the world; her father was a powerful Elf king but still in that sense mortal) and angelic (her mother, who was a lesser angel who fell in love with her father and chose to take on bodily form enough to bear his child but still remained of divine race) lines in her ahcestry. This is only my second serious piece of writing, so its really encouraging to hear stuff like that from someone like you. There are roughly two types of fantasy. This was, oh, maybe sixth on the list of fourteen or fifteen legendary impossibilities he demanded, all in the essentially same format. For Light and Darkness, Shade will be their name. Because minds were immaterial, physical brain damage wouldnt really affect thoughts, personality, and so on, instead mostly things such as the ability to move and regulate basic bodily functions. I think the easiest way to explain how magic (any kind, really) affects the world is through will. Making sense in case of magic means being constant. Here are more ideas for them. As fun as fantastical powers can be to write, crafting your magic system with care is key. First off, Id like to say that your idea is amazing! For example, you can create a magic system that has very clear rules for your protagonist but only vague rules for your antagonist. The jammers are slowly getting weaker, and the nanites, while the have mostly settled in these past centuries, slowly encroach upon the population. Tension and payoff are reduced if the reader feels like a solution to something is as simple as a character just ratcheting up their feelings. Basically, the magic in my world all comes from spirits, which exist in a dimension parallel to our own. 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. Character Power Generator 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. Teleportation is hardest to work out, because it includes the idea that you can pull a body apart and put it back together without any consequences. After giving it some thought, I think the spirits will take memories as payment. Your different factions have magic that feels very different, and thats hard to put into a rational system. You need to think it through and you need to make it understandable for the reader, because otherwise they cant imagine your world and they cant dive into it which is why people read stories. That can have a lot of applications. In Brandon Sandersons Mistborn Series, characters acquire magic by imbibing small amounts of metals and burning them once theyre consumed. Of course, its possible. On How Do I Portray Stupid Characters Respectfully? There are Waterbenders that Bloodbend, Firebenders that shoot lightning, and the occasional Earthbender that Metalbends. However, you still need to put in the work to create a unique and compelling system that will serve the needs of your story. Thank you the idea about energy. He focused his will and the energy that boiled in his mind, letting it out like smoothly flowing water into the air. Internal logic, that is, otherwise thered always be that magic doesnt exist bit to fight against. E.g., player can only use some energy from the environment, depending on available amount and the players skills. If every spell casts creates a knot that must result in the opposite effect happening then the incentive to kill becomes too great. Another thing you have to keep in mind is how strong the spells are and if they're overpowered. 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. Electricity A primary example of soft magic would be that which Gandalf practices in The Lord of the Rings. Are their any parts youre confused about? 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. Be hugely important In politics. Hard magic systems provide interesting limitations that allow your protagonist to solve problems using their own wits, not raw magical power. This was long enough ago to be remembered as an advanced society falling, but its manner of advancement being conflated with the magic that exists now, and most specific knowledge of it lost. That might work as well, but its a completely different kind of image in peoples minds. Usually, magic comes from magic users, the gods, magical creatures, or a specific substance. (I wont deal with it here and now, as this reply is getting too long already and you never mentioned it in your comment). Moreover, the party must complete the quest without killing anyone. 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. Light Your story may also include a chosen one thats extra special. However, understanding how magic can operate in fiction is key to ensuring that your magic system serves your story rather than undermines it. For example, your magic is powered by emotions, which also means that your emotions, if they dont get a new power source (more emotion), will disappear over time. If you have multiple races, or even species, who can wield magic, are there any differences between the different races and species? And if you use an elemental magic system be creative, inform yourself what elements are overused already. Another limit would be limited ability of the user, like Gummy Bear who uses magic, but half of the time cant remember the spell, doesnt find the right one, or just does it wrong. Furthermore, nervous systems and brains have different structures and encodings, even merely among humans how could someone understand all the different people? Although, I have made some changes. Obviously this is another aspect which heavily depends on your story universe, but most methods can be twisted to fit. I will say that I do enjoy thinking about all of these issues. Forms of moon magic include illusion magic, shadow magic, and spirit magic. Not very exciting, right? But that doesn't mean all magic systems work equally well for stories. Waving around a wand isnt as simple as you bang it out to be. But it also refers to the effects of the nanite plague. Whatever you figure out, it should have an internal logic. In real history governments & monarchies & over influential groups typically only become so due to Power, which they get from either, Food, Armies, Technology or Money (and usually one of those can help get you any of the others)- but in a fantasy world Magic would be on that list (the extent of which would depend on its abilities but regardless a group of Mages would without a doubt. Mind is represents consciousness Just dipping my toes into this whole writing thing for the 1st time, and as Im sure most of you have experienced, I started out vibrant and full of ideas but am quickly beginning to feel overwhelmed. I dont write often in English or at all. 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). And if youre a goddamn god with a controller, it can pull a star destroyer into a planet while at the same time swatting aside oodles of TIE-Fighters (still the only sore point in The Force Unleashed 1 for me). If youre working with leylines and the fabric of reality you should model the whole earth as a living thing(as it is)but not necessarily conscious, although that could add tension and the leylines and threads could be like vains in an interconnected system that gets clogged from the knots relating to all manner of natural and unnatural disasters/phenomenon and just like any living thing this system would naturally resemble a circulatory/lymphatic system with currents and nodes to regulate and cleanse said currents. Well, your protagonists will use magic to solve some of their problems. Fireball that damages a characters weapons/armor, while leaving the character unharmed. I think that Ill change the names to be about the Towers, instead of what I have now. You could explain telekinesis (telepathy, too, I guess) with having invisible energy arms which are connected to your body and grab the object in question (or create a connection to another being for telepathy). 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. If youd like additional guidance as you build your storys magic system and other facets of your fictional world, then be sure to check out World-Building Warrior, a workbook that will walk you through the world-building process step by step. Fantasy Random Generator. They each have powers, but only relative to what they are. If you fail to understand the role that magic will play in your story and develop your system accordingly, then you run the risk of undercutting the conflict and tension that keep readers turning pages. Technically, you could link influencing the elements (moving earth to create a wall for instance) to the way Avatar handles it. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Become a patron and chat with us on Discord. Why is it important for a hard magic system to have rules? First of all, why would there be a spell to dodge? Sounds right to me). I like your idea about the gods randomly interacting with the world. Youre deluding yourself if you think that. Humans have no idea. Why are some people spell book readers but not others? Cut to hundreds of years later; whatever advanced technology there was has fallen into disarray, with no one knowing how to use the few operable devices left. Limited power creates struggle and conflict, the main hero might be strong, but what happens when an army of thousands have cost him all his powers before he could even reach the main villain? 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. Like I said, its early days but any feedback or suggestions would be super-welcome!! At least not on earth, as far as we can tell. One more thing to keep in mind what if there is an underlying principle, but the characters dont know about it? P.S. Divine magic comes from appeals to the gods. 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. 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. Moreover, there are clearly references about people performing experimental magic that can have deadly consequences, for example Luna Lovegoods mother dies from experimenting with magic and there are parts of the Ministry of Magic that regulate magic and how it is performed. Because people tend to be put off when your story changes rules in the middle. Gaining power can be done through a whole range of methods, you could train, gain power through an artifact, channel power into 1 person or spell, enhance a body through magic (or other means), simply study magic and how it works, siphon souls from other magical beings, gain a blessing (or curse) of a god or demon and much more. If the mage could deal great damage, at the same time protect themselves, and had no limit in the form of mana, either, why have any other party members at all? Fortunately it's not that hard to create a magic system, so this guide will be relatively short, but the amount of work you'll have to put into the creation of your magic will depend entirely on how detailed you want to get. Though, Im thinking about giving them a secret ability that hasnt been discovered yet because theyre so rare. Stoking fires sounds like a natural fit. I think that should cover it, and I hope to get more advice to help me become a better creator.