Of course, its possible. Electronic telepathy, involving artificial devices that transfer neural information, could work, as scientists are already developing them. Summon up a spirit to help you move a piano, and you can spend hours debating over price. Is it dark and scary? Does that all make sense? Iroh or Azulah are already pushing it when they control lightning (which could qualify both as air or fire). In case if something enters inside such bonded blob it will exit on the other side of the bond. The nanites of this future continue their work, though they are many generations after the initial outbreak and the AIs have calmed them. Hi there, I really like the sound of your magics (especially the high fantasy one)- I like the idea about the colours representing the power levels. And if you use an elemental magic system be creative, inform yourself what elements are overused already. 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. Bodily energies wouldn't make for a great choice as the body runs out of all types of energy, at least in real life and most works of fiction. In a way you can see it as choosing between having 2 (or more) people using normal weapons to fight an enemy together. Professor of Political Theory in Star Trek. Thats really cool. However, most people wont deviate from what they know to work to avoid wasting their time on a failed ritual or potentially hazardous consequences. Aside from this, the only other limitation a mage has in magic is their stamina. 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. In my world, priests arent like Catholic priests and all that. It wasnt meant to be a rational system (although the EU developed it into one and, no, Im not going into the midichlorian desaster), it was simple old-fashioned fairy-tale magic, the kind which does exactly what the heroes need it to do. Rituals are easy to execute, but can be dangerous. It is an epic drama that, year by year, is played out before humanity. Aurai are wind nymphs. However, understanding how magic can operate in fiction is key to ensuring that your magic system serves your story rather than undermines it. 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. 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. Character Power Generator When you suddenly decide to change the way magic works or it looks like it, because youre winging it with the system readers get unhappy. 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. As long as your explanation isnt a slap in the face of physical laws we all know, theres no problem from that side. 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. I want the magic of the world to feel whimsical (or horrifying) and ever present, but not the cure all to every problem. However, a few fantastical powers can go a long way toward livening up many fantasy stories. When a person deliberately causes an imbalance that person becomes the cork plugging up the hole, so to speak. In the last forty-eight hours, this generator has been used to construct 2069 worlds and 9.7 GB of images. Im going for rational semi-soft I hope I pull it off. Ive also seen your above comment. You need to lay enough groundwork and hard rules and be consistent enough that it doesnt feel like a character getting angrier will suddenly allow them to start winning a climactic battle, at least not without significant buildup to such a thing happening. Different for the TV series, of course. The expeditions that have come back tell of fantastical landscapes, filled with mystic flora and fauna. The value of the memory is determined by how much it affects the mage, and whether its repeatable or replaceable after the original is given up. Magic system generator the magic system's origin is (1d? Learning about one doesnt give a better understanding of another. Since the MYTH adventures are all about dimension travelling, that is an important thing to know. I think natural disaster can be explained in this world as terrifying manifestation of the imbalances in nature, things that the Mother wants to avoid by seeking to restore balance always. will you include other living beings that conduct photosynthesis like phytoplankton or algae? Thats cool. Angels are not incapable of doing bad things and demons can be nice every now and then. I would start with some metaphysical idea about exactly what functions these threads are performing to hold the world together. They should be able to deduce, if they want to, what a magic user (or a psychic) can or cant do and you shouldnt suddenly throw someone in who can do something that should be impossible by the rules you set down and showed before. Then they could connect to the energy of the other brain. 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). Maybe each thought produces a tiny amount of energy that allows for sending a nerve signal to, say, cause a body part to move. I dont think that interactionist dualism (or psychic powers existing) is likely to be true in real life, but if I were creating fictionI could include that. It flows through all life and can be controlled by any sentient object. So, for each point in environment will be possible to calculate the energy value. 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. So eventually, after a little Silly Putty work with words and concepts, I wound up with a magic system where believing something was considered a form of observing it with your mind in the state that you want to be so; that all that I read in the quantum physics book was true and intermeshed perfectly with the various descriptions of magic as being any system where a strong mind or majority of minds is able to influence reality through the strength of its being perfectly itself (e.g. Fire born and living in constant motion, generating heat that is eventually extinguished, restoring the balance. 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. Its important to define what the magic user can manipulate and how/why. 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. Caster is Hydro, Given is Ice If youre new to the genre, its easy to fall back on tropes youve seen before. If you are not creating a game, where you want a firemage be as powerful as a dark wizard for balancing sake, your magic doesnt need to be symmetrical. All three should work together to create the magic system. I definitely have more work to do. some sort of selection criteria the nanites have what could they have that the Mages need/want? An alchemist transmutes lead into gold. The Goddess of Exchanges would be less random, but you wouldnt be able to reliably make exchanges with her. If youre at a loss, take a page from Brandon Sandersons Mistborn series. I think youre overthinking things a little in your example. Another thing you have to keep in mind is how strong the spells are and if they're overpowered. Imagine if Harry Potter could vanquish Voldemort in the first chapter just by making up a spell called antagonist defeatium. Paint can be metaphysical meaning that 0.0005% of the entire population can dabble in spirits though most choose not to. Thats because Disney movies are based on fairy tales and fairy tales dont write up rules for magic. The Mages dont rule, but merely maintain a beneficial relationship with those that do, but the Empires form of transportation (and thus commerce) is almost entirely dependent upon magical meansSo what does the Imperium bring to the party? Youll need to set guidelines for how these beings operate so that you can explain why they do or dont answer prayers whenever theyre asked. For a similar reason, simple exhaustion, without any other defined limits, is generally a weak way to limit an ability in the story. The thing is, I believe that what seems natural in these cases can depend on culture and perhaps even species. If an elemental mage can only use elements which are not opposite, they have to choose between the four elements when they start training. 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. A single push, that turned out to be a shove, pushed the still air into a rising gust of air. 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. Gestures could be used to move molecules (that would be how Avatar does it). She holds a BA from Yale University and lives in Colorado. Witches and wizards need to learn each spell individually and practice speaking their enchantments in exactly the right way in order to achieve the intended results. Maybe Im just saying this because Id defend Harry Potter to the ends of the earth. Sometimes you just get turned into a chicken. (Obviously, if character will try to use this energy, he probably will die). Ask yourself what sources will work well for the magical effects you want to use, and what sources will work well within the world you have created. Whether your source is limited or not is another important aspect you have to think about. This is a pretty nice article, and it has inspired me to think more about the magic systems I create. Furthermore, nervous systems and brains have different structures and encodings, even merely among humans how could someone understand all the different people? Interferers cant store energy like Conduits, so they have to use all of what they have in a few minutes or it explodes out of them randomly. 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). As fun as fantastical powers can be to write, crafting your magic system with care is key. Disadvantages: it makes your paint harder to control, if your will is weak your contractor could go against you, your contractor gets to present you with the deals and if you dont like them there is nothing you can do about it, harm to your contractor results in harm to your soul. A rational magic system is supposed to be understandable. This is one of the most exciting things about writing fantasy: getting to design your own magic system. The problem would lie in too many types for an already-complex magic system. Each of these works with each other and the level of each step determine how much oomph the next step has to produce an effect in our world. Lets say magic is generated by the vibration of continental plates, and each continental plate vibrates at its own frequency, creating different effects. If you are the child of a Given and you are born with magic, you are called a Twisted mage, and have the same powers as your Given parent. Magic isnt real, so it can be anything we want. 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. 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. You might want to read them. Oreads are nymphs of Mountains. The differences come into play when various factions go to war. Conduits take magic energy from their surroundings, and Interferers take energy from Conduits to do magic by adding a bit of energy to the system (making a gust blow harder than it would, for example). Harry Potters magic is not irrational. A cunning ex-adventurer named Wlfrilda seeks a company of adventurers to explore the Pikawas Jungle. If one were to observe the Vibrations and the way they Flow(this is another process, different from the other Four Laws) it would seem whacky, but they are extremely intricate and complex. In Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, magicians owe a demon years of their life in exchange for magic. The Interferer group split apart eventually and the two factions warred and almost killed all of the Conduits, but reached a treaty saying that they wouldnt kill anymore Conduits (Interferers need Conduits to do anything), but Conduits are still rare and fought over. For Light and Darkness, Shade will be their name. Ill give you a specific example of the cultural dependence I mentioned. Since the protagonists are on this side, it would remove a lot of tension. I will say that I do enjoy thinking about all of these issues. 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. 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. However, it makes it harder to build tension when power levels can change at any given moment as needed, especially at climaxes, where emotions will naturally be high. It isnt strictly necessary, as I could probably write something interesting without it, but it is extremely convenient). Limits then usually come from the strength of the effects (a limit to the area spells can target or the number of spells a mage can use before resting). Can a magic user be identified by their clothing, appearance, or some other distinguishing physical factor? I would think about the ways that physicists would classify energy kinetic energy (movement), electrical energy, heat and let your characters manipulate those. One final aspect to think about is whether or not those who cannot wield power can somehow gain the ability to do so and if those who can wield magic can lose the ability do so and if those changes can be reverted. We make up terms when we think there isnt an existing one that will do, but we do try to use existing terms when we can. Caster is Shocker, Given is Air and Weather Should I divide my Mages into sub-classes (similar to Sandersons Mistborn)?? That means that divine intervention is a possibility (a deus ex machina in the true sense of the world), but theres no way your regular human MC can rely on it. As for the God of Storms, he likes dances in his honor. These are the 7 forms of energy this magic affects. However, most societies dont have the resources to crank out wizards. Hard magic systems feature a strict set of parameters explained within the story to ensure that readers understand what characters fantastical powers can and cannot do. A curse rang out as he knew he should of just got up instead of trying to weave when he was too tired to focus. For instance, lets say magic is powered by a substance found within the soil. In the same way that you can learn to control your emotions, you can learn to control the magic that comes from those emotions. Heres what you need to think about. : If you don't combine spells you'll have 2 (or more) people fighting together, but not as one being. Can spells and other forms of magic be combined and if so, how much does it increase per added person? Plot-wise, yes. 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? In fact, they are drawing on residual energy left behind when a spirit interacts with the human world. The former is more mysterious, dangerous, and wild, able to do far more but without much control by those who have little experience. If you want you can also make a difference between Nyads and Nereids the usual river and spring nymphs and large powerful Sea nymphs. If Luke needs guidance to hit that exhaust port, the Force can guide him. that were made by the gods. And he will not give them of his own free will, and thou wilt not be able to compel him. And in the middle of this whole tale theres this wild, fantastic, wooly list about a page and a half long of all the Welsh heroes with their very Welsh names, and their daughters and retainers and wives and servants and shields and hounds and spears (their three spears were three gashing glitterers; their three shields were ) that Kilhwch invokes to King Arthur, his cousin, to beg of him the boon that he loan the services of the mythical heroes and knights who are Arthurs retainers, to achieve the quest of finding this maiden Olwen who hes hopelessly in love with simply because his jealous stepmother described her legendary beauty to him though no one in the world knew where she lived or how to find her and put upon him a geasa to have no bride but her. See the LessWrong articles Universal Fire and Universal Law for one explanation of how all physical laws are tied together. This generator will give you 10 random super powers, which can range from many different types of powers, including magic and superhuman powers. In Brandon Sandersons Mistborn Series, characters acquire magic by imbibing small amounts of metals and burning them once theyre consumed. 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. Ive currently got 11 tabs open that I need to look through. One of the most common elements in these books is a magic system. Each spell shortens their lifespan by an unknown number of years. Here we will get into seven different bases to help you create your unique magic system. It tries to convince the reader the newly defined rational magic system is what every fantasy writer should strive for. The Way of King s is one of the most renowned fantasy novels to date. Some extra stuff: There could be plots in which some would try to exploit/affect this source of energy but there could be a mental cost, such as suffering and being unable to think straight, for those who had to provide it. It does what it needs to do in the books. Sorry about the comment length and the long worldbuilding paragraph. Combustial (fire) Obviously you can also combine both ideas, just because you can combine spells doesn't mean you have to. That will tell you what the Empire could have that the mages cant just conjure for themselves. A basic form of mana manipulation is cloaking their bodies in mana to protect them from harm (sort of like Aura in RWBY). Examples of what an Interferer could do that Ive though of so far: make a gust blow faster (maybe carrying something along with it), making something fall/rise faster, increase the air pressure in a certain spot (very useful for strangling or pressure-point pushing!)
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