fantasy magic system generator

For example, if you need a magic source which is unlimited a good choice would be a magical power given by the gods or magical energies within the air. Most often, the source of magic itself comes in different types that create different effects. However, then I realized a key problem: Could I make this a logically consistent system? . Gaining power Combining powers Limitations Kristen Kieffer is a fantasy fiction writer and the author of Build Your Best Writing Life and Self-Publishing Simplified. All you need are the right ingredients, follow the right steps, and have the right mindset. Though after reading the Mythcreants article about the effects of high magic and how it might speed up industry, these two time periods might be much closer temporally. I just think that Sanderson hard-soft magic divide is much more useful for novel writers. Coins, gems, art objects, and magic items from the d20 SRD . Lets delve further into this topic together. Thats not exactly what I mean Im talking about low-level How. This is harder to work with, because the divine are technically spellcasters themselves, and incredibly powerful ones. Heat *squeals* Chris you are my hero and your articles inspired me to try writing and you are very, very, very awesome *squeals* None of those energies could be stored by characters themselves, so they can only use energies from environment. Heres a couple ways to mix it up while retaining a consistent feel. Strength no longer depends on physical brute force but many new factors make it so much more complex. Life is movement and if part of nature isnt moving (even the earth) then it resembles death and not life. Paint can be collected from the surrounding area into your body and be channelled through your bloodstream. If thats not true and given the types of energies most classical magic systems are throwing around I consider it IMHO to be HIGHLY unlikely then its just splitting hairs whether we call it dodging, blocking or something else, youre REALLY gonna need something magical of your own to make sure that when that nasty spell gets to wherever its target may presently be, that YOU AINT THERE when it arrives! Angelic and demonic can stay, but dont over-simplify things. When the nanites were first created, their creators by which I dont mean their society, but their specific inventors failed to contain them, resulting in a plague similar to the Grey Death. If you want to go with something necromantic (as spectre and ghoul suggest), you might be able to find something more fitting in that area. In actual fact, some of the infected survive the Grey Death. Sandersons Second Law The protagonists wording must be airtight, because the djinni will look for loopholes. Do you think the metaphor works when stretched so far? Thank you Cay, for making me think more about what i want my theme to be. I dont want to write something that turns out to be nonsensical. Magic, though commonplace, isnt an essential element in fantasy fiction. For which Ive added some more rules: (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. But its repeatedly said in the series that spells can be cast when the user feels strong emotion, so it could possibly be connected in that way to the old magic. Do you have any feedback or glaring flaws that you noticed? A water line would provide energy for a water mage, an earth line for an earth mage, and so on. With that said, lava could still count as fire, so the point about magic being based on fire vs. ice might still stand. 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. In The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss, the magical discipline of Naming is a soft magic system. Luckily for the majority of the population of the Voden Imperium, the nanites are happy to sit mostly dormant, quietly replicating away. 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? How to Create an Eclectic Magic System For those who want casting to look or work a certain way, I created another method that starts with the casting and works backwards. Paint is everything and everywhere. But in the real world, moving out of the way would be easier; since spells have straight paths when cast, why use magic when theres an easier non-magic method of avoiding harm? The fantasy genre is one of the fastest-growing genres in fiction, and this also applies to science fiction/fantasy novels. Your answer could have huge ramifications for your world. Anyway, before I get onto the reply for this comment, Ill briefly reply to your other comment (the one which mentioned an alternate magic system for Harry Potter at the end, which I couldnt reply to in that comment thread). Knowing what spell-casting is capable of is pretty important, if you havent decided that, I would think on it. Shocker (electric) Perhaps people born with an innate power to do so or maybe they're chosen ones hand picked by a god. However, Im not surprised youre getting overwhelmed, youre mixing a lot of different stuff together: Another way of looking at sources is from a material point of view. They grow larger and in summer they enjoy the fullness of a mature plant life. The machines were built in centralized factories embedded with instructions for their specific purpose and packaged up and sent out around the globe. Aside from this, the only other limitation a mage has in magic is their stamina. I still have hopes to use it someday, but Im not sure for reasons Ill give soon. Preview. Would it be possible to gain power in your universe or is everybody limited to what talent they're born with? In your case, how exactly the will affects something: air benders can also create a vacuum around the head to suffocate some one (same guy did this in season 3). So I would greatly appreciate some constructive feedback back. So, early on in our history, humanity was deemed too dangerous to stay in the greater multiverse. However, even if we have energy available, there is still always the problem of directing it. Since the main character of the series starts as a member of a gang of thieves, the choice of theme is very appropriate. Why can only some people do time magic or elemental magic? Some well-known examples of hard magic systems: In Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa, magic is like chemistry. *someone like me* well dont I feel important! The four elements are chemical states: solid (earth), liquid (water), gas (air), and plasma (fire). And the whole thing about souls & vampires! 7 Unique Magic System Ideas to Bring Your Story to its Full Potential Paint can be metaphysical meaning that 0.0005% of the entire population can dabble in spirits though most choose not to. The story looks like a fantasy story at first, with characters manipulating threads or ley lines. Like species in our world evolved so did the magic in their world, with their ancestors using a specific type of magic and pased it down it just became a part of them. As such, a being of the Physical Plane cannot exist in a Higher Plane, as their Consiousness isnt on a high enough leven to be able to sustain itself, you wouldnt even be able to think of yourself as an actual being, and so you just, cease to exists. Characters could control those energies by some kind of telekinesis (Thoughts & will) plus Mana energy. Is magic kept secret in your story world? In The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, magic comes from magical spirits like djinn. Then the fight between Voldemort and Dumbledore (both of which also have that trait) would be a glance into the future of Harry himself. 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. A combination of both is also perfectly possible and used a lot. Professor of Political Theory in Star Trek. Alrighty, its late and Im tired. 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. 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. The definitions for these are as follows: The system I created is very similar, with some differences. There are two types of people in this world, Conduits and Interferers (though Inteferers prefer to be called Whisperers). Its way too easy for me to make everything very logical with a specific and predictable reaction to every action, which is why Im trying to challenge myself with a more whimsical(?) This is true even if weve never seen anyone craft a tunnel before. ^.^ Such as the Sorcerers have staves and other magical items that are extensions of them selves(of course most people already knew that). Hermione explains this to Ron in the seventh book when he mentions bringing food out of nowhere. Visit her new website . (Currently called Reformancers, Defining and Refining) The act of changing your sight so you see physical objects as they are, without needing light (eliminates glare and shadows), and the act of changing your sight so you can see a person's inner qualities. 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? And theres nothing less exciting than a story where the protagonists can escape from any danger just by wishing it away. Most often, your audience should see the effects of magic but not the cause. Ask yourself what kind of problems magic will cause your protagonists, and whether your antagonist will use magic to achieve their goals. Thats a larger imbalance. 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. I definitely have more work to do. Its said more than once that really powerful wizards and witches can do wandless magic or even do magic without saying the spells. She holds a BA from Yale University and lives in Colorado. Its a very complex mathematical theorem, but the really basic idea I understand is that conservation laws and symmetries are connected. Now the magic is tied directly to ones own life force, the more magic they use the weaker their magic becomes and the weaker they become, with rest their strength will come back but their magic will not and if they run out means they used up their entire life force so they die and the only known way to regain all their magic and life force is to take the life of another completely consuming their victims life force\magic. However, this doesn't have to be the case, the hero might not be strong enough on his own, but with other fighters the combined power might be enough to defeat the villain as well. Hey everyone! This ancient Wise One observed the natures tendency towards self-balancing and saw it as an Eternal Law. Magic isnt real, so it can be anything we want. Last limitation is that the caster has to concentrate on what theyre doing. Hes also known as the God of Mischief. You can find that kind of magic partially in a system like Magic The Gathering (which has earth, fire, and air I think its been a while). In a superpower system, spells are unique to each individual. It might be argued that the wand and the spell serve to put the mind of the caster in the right mood so they can command the magic. It happens as the tale sees fit. So Id rather go science fiction, or full-on, its my world, I make the rules magic. If thats the case, youll want to make animal spirits more common and less powerful like plant spirits, and air spirits rarer and more powerful like water spirits. Ill be talking more about it in another post, if someone wants to here it, of course. Probably best if I give you an example. There are hundreds or even thousands of magical techniques and spells that a magician can learn. Its implied humans discovered the thread and abandoned technology altogether, becoming more and more dependent on magic over the next few hundred years. (And I LOVE the idea of sea water improving magical power- its like a psudeo science in the sense that you could say that the Sea Water makes the magic (like electricity) conduct better and so being around it over long periods would wear off on you and make you more powerful? In addition, exposure to sea water improves magical ability for humans slightly, especially childhood exposure, so the strongest spellcasters are all in coastal areas. In general, hard magic should solve problems for your protagonists, while soft magic should cause problems for your protagonists. Like gods, you can ask spirits for help. Caster is Hydro, Given is Ice I will say that I do enjoy thinking about all of these issues. See the LessWrong articles Universal Fire and Universal Law for one explanation of how all physical laws are tied together. If every spell casts creates a knot that must result in the opposite effect happening then the incentive to kill becomes too great. As the reader, you may never truly understand what can and cant be accomplished with magic, but thats okayyou dont feel you need to in order to enjoy the story. On How Do I Portray Stupid Characters Respectfully? To do this, I would need to work out whether adding the sorts of new particles and forces needed for this scenario to what exists in real life can be done in some mathematically consistent way. Although, I have made some changes. In Game of Thrones, the red woman throws leaches into a fire, and later several lords die far away. and not to be messed with lightly, as they can have devastating effects. Its just something to be careful about. In the same way that you can learn to control your emotions, you can learn to control the magic that comes from those emotions. 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? This is super helpful, thanks so much for taking the time to write it and to provide examples. The more unique you make it, the more memorable your book will be for readers. Second thought was the good ol blood sacrifice, but a) kinda dark for what Im going for and b) why would spirits want blood anyway? 2023 Mythcreants LLC, all articles, art, recordings, and stories are the copyright of their respective authors. Motion/kinetic energy: you stop an object in its tracks. I really like all the terms you use on this site, theyre so helpful and clarifying. Im using the elements as chemical states and even nature transforms between them (ice to water, water to steam, or the other way around for water). The costs of magic can be physical, societal, or even financial. And the Aether is born from our Thoughts and Actions, more specifically, our Souls. Perhaps the background magic I mentioned earlier could be involved. Those that dont meet the selection criteria die screaming, but in a chosen few, the nanites alter and enhance their hosts, granting abilities that are perceived as mystical by the ignorant population which includes the majority of the Order of Mages themselves as generations of information suppression have led to them buying into their own lies, the truth being known only to the mysterious Council of Nine. Roughly, looks like extended noun+verb system, right? Maybe as a counterpart to motion? And good guys to heal people? Reversing entropy would be a matter of gestures as well as speeding it up. This adds a bit of strategy to the game, because you need to figure out how to use the different skill sets best together. (For the record, though, strong emotion results in power use isnt actually a element I like in a system.). Use attributes or abilities you would connect with angels or demons and make them sub-types of the magic in question. But, with the power of enough minds, things and beings could be transported to nearly any location instantly, as long as that location was also in the proximity of many minds (Minds were always at least somewhat tied to the physical world during life, so there would still be a range limit, but a vastly larger one for this teleportation, spanning many light-years). I went through this process recently with an RPG Ive been working on. Choose the right magic system for your fantasy novel without the headache. Dont be afraid to try something novel. You can take the time to practice it yourself, but youre better off finding a teacher. But once characters learn about the spell to disarm and the spell to block, they cant extrapolate that theres also a spell to dodge. If there are important mines in your world, for example, it might make sense for magic to come from metals. If you combine spells you'll get something similar to fighting together as one being, shield against shield to maximize the defense and striking with swords at the right time (like Roman armies did). the primary topics discussed in a story). Some ideas are more fleshed out than other, if thats saying much. Earth magic: Earth magic draws power from the energy of the land itself. We'll also throw some brainstorming questions your way to help get those magical creative juices flowing! This same punishment theory may explain why humans are killed for trying to harness and redistribute sunlight. He shrugged and complained, feeling too tired to trudge away from comfort. The term magical effects refers to the ways in which magic influences and alters the world around it. Despite that, it can still be used to many different and wonderful effects, think like some of the stuff Aang does. It will allow to make some zones where one or other magic will not work, or otherwise where will be much easier to cast specific spells. Magic System Generator Perchance Magic System Generator This magic system focuses on manipulating luck. The answer to which one (or more) to pick is again entirely dependent on what you need from your magic in your story universe. Also, how is this energy directed to a specific object and not blocked by everything in the way (including air?) : If it was merely about Harry learning magic more of that logic would be needed. What I dont agree with is the idea that there is somehow an objective way to determine whether the rules of magic make sense or not, as magic isnt real and what is considered natural is culture-dependent. Group C can use magic although they have to learn to use it and still have to have enough counsciousness to grab this feeling and utilize it. As far as the potions issue, again, these are based off historical ideas about magic and potions. Avatar works with four definite sources of power, which happen to be fire, water, air, and earth. :-D. So the idea was born out of the fact that in a lot of computer games, playing a Mage just doesnt feel very Magey. In fact, I suspect it might make more sense than what Chris Winkle says in the original article. 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. So you've figured out what the source of your magic is, but who and what can tap into that source? Is magic inherited, gifted, obtained, or learned? First, the magical system is based off European history and mythology. A guarded merchant named Willip seeks a company of . 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. Magic System Generator Perchance Could perhaps some or all of them be elements alongside the classic four? Are there multiple types of magic users? Another aspect of it are the Akashic Records where all the information of Creation is stored. Mages draw energy from these Primals to cast spells, but are limited by the amount of Primal energy drawn, mainly from environmental factors. I also had the idea that there would be some very powerful, old spirits who have long-standing contracts with humanity as a whole. In the Harry Potter universe, magic works in several different ways: These three sets of rules dont appear related to each other. I was wondering if any of you could give your thoughts on it. I have seen several people on StackExchange Worldbuilding, for instance, and commenters on the HPMOR fanfic, talk about how changing natural laws can cause problems and criticize many writers lack of thought about this. I transfer energy into the boulder or to the air around it to move that boulder. Dont feel discouraged by the problems of your first draft, remember that you will solve them later. Talking of the wedding feast: Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get. Light Ill give you a specific example of the cultural dependence I mentioned. Around this time Paint is able to be used freely until the children of White wage a war on the Blacks causing their power to be sealed away until further notice. Lastly is the effect both our Perceived World and the World of Energy have on each other. However, we can only identify that its missing because the system is logically consistent as a whole, even if it isnt perfect in every depiction. Thank you so much! I want to make it rational, just didnt thought about it from this point. Different for the TV series, of course. 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. That wall of gobbldygook was as far as i got (there were a few story bits though; going to one of the factories and contending with the burgeoning AIs, people with unflattering mutations being exiled or outright killed, fear of the outside and of the disease, the worry that the holy artifact gifted by the gods(the jammers) is growing dim, whatever). More like youre a easily broken, magical gun (Aim, shoot fireball, repeat.) It depends on how you build up your magic system. If youre curious about the source 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. Meanwhile, most people selected for magic by the nanites didnt know what was happening they might have been able to make better guesses than people now, but next to surviving the end of their world didnt devote a lot of thought to it. that you realize that the magic system in Tolkien is actually much more a spiritual and religious system based on the two fudamental pillars of his sincere Catholicism and his strong distaste for the worlds of contemporaries like C,S, Lewis where the Christian allegory was blatant or at best obvious enough to leave the writer open to the charge of being preachy. At first thanks a lot for this article, it helps to organize some things in my head. (somewhere I have a document outlining Philosophical associations between Elements). I hope this is a reasonable explanation. Hey! Eco (plant life). To avoid adding a sense of arbitrariness, your choice of categories must feel natural. Pushing themselves past their limit can lead to exhaustion and have them pass out, or in extreme cases, using up too much mana can kill a person through over-exertion. 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. If youll allow my humble but informed opinion. That guy was supposed to be a REAL nasty bugger in terms of, you know, nobody whos ever gone to hunt this creature has ever come back alive, and all that jazz? Jinora does it at some point. Combining powers for a summoning could mean larger creatures could be summoned and a teleportation spell could be able to teleport far more people, or even entire cities. No, the water is surely a curse and warning from the mother, who draws the water from the plants themselves as a punishment for stealing the most precious of energy, sunlight itself. Kristen now works as a creative wellness coach and offers new resources through her personal website at kristenkieffer.co. Few ideas are original at this point. 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)? ), 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 made up of atoms and molecules, so someone with the power to influence those could, theoretically, create new stuff in a heartbeat. 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. You can also use that fickleness, maybe, and some other things this answer mentioned, to weave in logical limitations on emotion-based magic that will make it perhaps more palatable to your readersin fact, in ways directly related to the example of exhaustion. Maybe there are a few things that the sorcerer cant do, but basically its just whatever they want to happen, happens. Martin Magic System Rating: 1 (Because Magic) Martin is writing a purposeful deconstruction of epic fantasy tropesincluding magic systemsand has actually put some work into making his magic frustrating and inconsistent beyond a few broad-stroke rules (there's definitely some like-for-like business, with equivalent sacrifices needed to produce an . These individualized magic systems can be a great way to make characters stand out, but they also come with their own challenges. Some of them, such as the Breath Weapons have been condenced a little bit for shortnesses sake. 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. some sort of selection criteria the nanites have But those who have returned have never been inside the Tower. A staple magical element in The Way of Kings is the personification of human emotions and ideas into living creatures called spren. For a similar reason, simple exhaustion, without any other defined limits, is generally a weak way to limit an ability in the story. As you can see there's a lot to explore, but if you're looking for names you're at the right place. While I have thought of several different magic systems, Ill present the one I conceived of first. If I knew that I could kill every jerk i know unapologetically and without remorse, and be assured that someone would be returned to life as a result of that action then whats stopping me from just killing indiscriminately all the time? What kind of defensive and offensive things can they do? However, it sounds like theres a gap between the rational aspect and the large assortment of different things your magic casters are doing. Do note that sharing elements with other works of fiction is near impossible to avoid, magic has been used in so many stories so the chances of whichever power you think of not being used already are very slim and those which haven't been used might not even be worth using in the first place.