For example, the Goddess of the Hunt will give a blessing that will increase the accuracy and strength of your bow, as long as you dont eat after dark. As long as your explanation isnt a slap in the face of physical laws we all know, theres no problem from that side. 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. I originally wanted a free form system where just about anything was possible. Its no surprise the avatar state causes plot holes during Avatar: The Legend of Korra. Could perhaps some or all of them be elements alongside the classic four? Mother takes away the gift of sunlight and its heat and sends all of the water down upon the plants to punish them in their death. The system I created is very similar, with some differences. The magic was based essentially off the interplay between my hereditary inclination towards poetry and a book on quantum physics Id just read entitled Space, Superspace and the Quantum Universe which explored the newly proposed theory of quantum mechanics that by some quantum physicists said by our observation of the physical universe we live in we are, in ways measurable to quantum physics, IN FACT INFLUENCING WHAT ITS STRUCTURE ACTUALLY IS. dragon glass can kill them and both weapons were forged by dragon flame. Mana could be used right from surrounding world or produced from other types of energies. There is a bit more magic involved in the storyline, but just for that part, do you think that all makes sense? A puddle could be vaporized at will, only to have the water redistributed at a later time, again at the will of the one controlling the exchange. Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, on the other hand, use soft magic. Most of the time, this yearning leads them to the Towers, where they are never seen again. If George R.R. Humans have no idea. Players cast spells by arranging corresponding runes in different configurations to express the Spells intention, With the Runes inter-playing off each other in a Rock/Paper/Scissor manner. For more inspiration and guidance in creating your magic system, I recommend these articles and resources. 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. I know this comment was published a long time ago But oh my God, this idea Id fantastic. This is true even if weve never seen anyone craft a tunnel before. A strong starting point in order to define your world as "other" to our own is selecting your world's name. What obvious flaws are there? Obscuring the rules is easier if the cause and effect can be separated by space and time or the cause isnt directly observable. Its a solid premise, and Im sure youll do amazing things with it. Magic source description generator This description generator will generate a fairly random description of a the way magic works in a random world. Generate a random star system, including primary planet . And good guys to heal people? I love your blog a lot, but Im annoyed with your bashing of the Harry Potter series in almost every article. 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. 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. donjon; Fantasy World Generator Some get better with time, some get worse. However, Im not sure whether adding a new field, force, particle, etc. Conduits gather energy but dont cast spells with it, Interferers cant gather but they can cast, so the two types of magic users have to work together to cast spells. The latter, sorcerers, actually do not have magic ability. Group B dont have magic at all. I forgot to mention the Towers :(. For this reason, it is particularly dangerous to withhold kinetic energy and should be redistributed as soon as possible else you risk dismemberment from energy escaping randomly). I see some interesting potential with that. Dont be afraid to try something novel. Do you really have to hop 3 times on your left foot? Perhaps theyd have to choose two which are not opposites (fire/water or earth/air would be opposites). Oh! I think I mostly understand, but Im not exactly sure what Interferers cant an cant do. Magic Type Generator - Generate a Random Magic Type Ill give a quick(ish) rundown of the basic foundation that lays the groundwork that I have so far for the magic system, Ill go into more detail if anyones interested. If youre at a loss, take a page from Brandon Sandersons Mistborn series. Random Magic Shop Generator. Cool system, sounds like it has great story possibilities. Theres a reason why RPGs with team-based fight systems (I use those when playing around with the RPG Maker myself) are often based around the Tank/Damage Dealer/Buffer principle. Otherwise, your categories will feel contrived. 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. Why are naiads more rare and powerful than tree nymphs? As far as the potions are concerned specific plants have always been said to possess magical properties, which is why they are used in the potions. Do users of demonic magic face persecution? Basically at the begining of the universe the two forces (or gods) Chaos & Order struggled over which would have dominion over the world- Order appeared to win with the natural world as it is ordered and follows laws of physics ect. I think that should cover it, and I hope to get more advice to help me become a better creator. I dont write often in English or at all. The more powerful the magic used the bigger the chance of them dyeing in battle cause either they became tired and was killed or the spell was more than the magic\ life force they had left. Abilities Generator - Silvered Magic What limitations does the magic put on the wielder? Magic isnt real, so it can be anything we want. 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. Mind is represents consciousness Wavelength: Determines how strong the affect it has Start by looking for further implications of what youve already established. man to machine interfaces, nanites cluster on nerve ending allowed some individuals to easily interact with ancient tech, or even graft it into their bodies. Limiting what magic can theoretically do will dramatically cut down the number of plot-breaking scenarios you might have to deal with. As fascinating and logical as this system is I think it loses points on merit and morality and doesnt set a good example to children. As long as you dont change fundamental things in the universe, theres no problem with making enough changes to slip your magical or psychic powers in. Novice mages are taught how to bring out their mana to create energy bolts, shields, weapons, and constructs. Your story may also include a chosen one thats extra special. Hydro (water) The old magic is, of course, pretty coincidental, and used in specific ways that drive the plot. Willpower is ultimately the deciding factor between to evenly matched opponents. Paint is a very volatile substance that if held can burn off skin See the LessWrong articles Universal Fire and Universal Law for one explanation of how all physical laws are tied together. Some well-known examples of soft magic systems: In The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. To build this logic, start by thinking about three things: the effects, sources, and costs of magic. Because when you move, there is an accompanying sound? The duration for using paint is limited and if your paint bottle runs out life will slowly start to sap out of you. 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. 7 Ways To Create A Magic System For Your Novel 1. > 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. Plot-wise, yes. 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. With so many spec fic books, its not unusual to have such coincidences. Are there any natural elements which are home to magical powers or are there any which could house magical powers? They can do things with water, and also move farther away from their source (something other nymphs cannot physically do). Fantasy Name Generator. But the curse also leaves behind a power that is unique for the person. Thats why in emergencies, people have moved cars by pure muscle power to save someone. Old magics can occur without any intent. Hes also known as the God of Mischief. Character Power Generator Your character has the Illusions (Can create and destory illusions) ability! I do hope that this comment will help you understand the angle Im coming from. Things holy magic can do include lighting incense, putting people to sleep, and pacifying demons. ), Given how late it is, I hope this makes SOME sort of sense :-S. Thanks alot for your thoughts, it looks interesting! 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. It tries to convince the reader the newly defined rational magic system is what every fantasy writer should strive for. Sophie, if youre having trouble with elements heres a few ideas but no need to add them. A lot of magical effects can only affect creatures that are magic, or affect them much more strongly. You make good points about the gap between different kinds of magic. Awesome, thanks! Stoking fires sounds like a natural fit. 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. 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. Now, if magic in Tolkien just went by power levels like a Pokemon duel, Sauron would have won this handily, being pure blood of an order of beings who if we looked at these things just on the power level dimension clearly outranked the mortal clay that was mixed into Luthiens veins. Ive also seen your above comment. Mother wont take kindly to that. This curse infects at random, leaving those infected without the memories of their past selves. If you teleport, you have to control that energy while your whole body is nothing more than energy, too. Telekinesis, telepathy, and teleportation are not something people can really use in everyday life, so you will find it hard to justify their existence through science alone. Thats not a rational system, because theres no understandable rules to it. Alternatively, soft magic systems remain nebulous. Ideas for Original & Unique Magic Systems : r/fantasywriters - reddit The descriptions follow the same pattern overall, but the details will vary to create different magic systems. Some kind of mana system (where mana is the energy the mage uses to cast spells) will make the system rational in that case, because it will give natural limits a mage can only cast as long as they have mana left and they need to regain it afterwards (through rest, rituals, or whatever pleases you). Spell description generator. I really like the distinction between on the one hand the rational-nonrational scale, on the other hand the hard-soft scale. The God of Parties, on the other hand, would be very chaotic. You can use our ProWritingAid Sensory Report to make sure youre including sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell in your magic system. Skill also plays a part, and is determined by both intelligence and creativity. The tricky thing about powering magic with emotions is that it generally leads to magics power being as fickle and arbitrary as emotions, which often makes problems and solutions stemming from its use feel arbitrary. But magical things do have specific usesHarry writes essays on the uses of different plants in potion-making, for example. Electronic telepathy, involving artificial devices that transfer neural information, could work, as scientists are already developing them. Each blob of energy could be bound to the other blob of the same type of energy and it will result in kind of quantum entanglement from real physics everything what happens with on blob will happens with other blob. 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. She might exchange one persons hand for anothers, but she might not deem two lives equal. A very interesting and well laid out post, though I dont quote agree with all the recommended reading. It does what it needs to do in the books. I dont want to write something that turns out to be nonsensical. Professor of Political Theory in Star Trek, contradicting something shes already invented, distill and concentrate the plant down to an elixir, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, heres a fun chart showing the details of magic systems in the most popular works, Building the Raksura: How Martha Wells Fell Into Toxic Tropes, Five Tips for Using an Arbitrary Magic System, Building Wings of Fire: How Sutherland Propped Up Her Plot, Building Hyperion: How Simmons Scattered His World, Building Roshar: How Sanderson Bungled Culture, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi_hcwB8i64, https://mythcreants.com/blog/how-to-create-an-eclectic-magic-system/. Magic System Generator Perchance Magic System Generator This magic system focuses on manipulating luck. Most magic systems fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Many possibilities). We accept that our universe works the way it does without necessarily knowing which physical law is at work at any given time in any given thing happening. (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. I understand your point. So this sentence: Sandersons First Law For a similar reason, simple exhaustion, without any other defined limits, is generally a weak way to limit an ability in the story. Why is it important for a hard magic system to have rules? Why should the magic be complete or symmetrical? Could you chip in? Their technology and motivations could be very different from human ideas. Even with a teacher it takes years to become proficient. With that said, lava could still count as fire, so the point about magic being based on fire vs. ice might still stand. On the other hand, there could be a group of people allergic to the plant.