Harrys mother inadvertently casts a protective spell on him by dying for him. Each time Harry, Ron, and Hermione find themselves in danger, they can only escape that danger using magic that weve already seen them learn. Movement demands energy and that I deliver, either with my hands, with a machine, or with telekinesis. Choose the right magic system for your fantasy novel without the headache. donjon; Fantasy Random Generator Grab a sheet of paper and brainstorm a list of magical effects that fascinate you: ones youve already seen before, or ones you come up with from scratch. Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality This fun fan fiction explores rational explanations for how the Potterverse might work. Im currently working on subtypes to it but I am miserably failing. Sounds right to me). With the exception of the Avatar, people who cast magic are only attuned to one of the four main elements. 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. We have a knowledge of these beings, many of them exist in our mythology as gods, angels, demons, etc. For example my magic is about energy- but you cant control energy like Motion in the traditional telokinies way (you think & point and it moves anywhere)- instead you can only increase the speed of a moving object or decrease its speed (to a full stop if your skilled enough) or create movement in a static object (only in one direction as if you hit it- and only that single inital pow of motion), So if youd like your magic to be one of the driving forces in the conflict of your story then itll be great to know what you can and cant do with it and understand if there are any limitation to the magic which may make it more rememberable, interesting and unique- plus create a challange for your protagonist who has to use their wits to work around the limitation and solve a problem. Now, there is a scene in the Silmarillion where Luthien goes to rescue Beren, the mortal man she loves, from the dungeons of Sauron (who is a corrupted angelic spirit somewhere around the same level in the angelic hierarchy that her mother occupies on the good side); and in the process she engages in a duel of song with Sauron himself, since song/music is the primary metaphor Tolkien chose to express the use of this spiritual/magical energy in the writings which were collected into the Silmarillion. This article is very normative and I think its furthers clich. These energies are not strictly bound to non-magical air, water, fire and so on, but definitely could affect each other: real fire produces fire energy, in water there are lot of water energy and so on. Once eaten, the magical substance builds up in their systems until they focus their will to cast magic. Readers could not have guessed that Harry might create something like a Patronus, so if it hadnt been explained in depth, using it at pivotal moments would have felt cheap. When an earthbender is blocked by a mountain, we know that with enough effort, they could create a tunnel through it. 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. Could perhaps some or all of them be elements alongside the classic four? *squeals* Chris you are my hero and your articles inspired me to try writing and you are very, very, very awesome *squeals* I made myself wait until morning to reply Blood is messy and sticky and gets in the carpets and really why would anyone who doesnt consume it like a vampire want it as payment? 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. If you could, they probably wouldnt tell the students at Hogwarts. Certainly using more types adds complexity that might be a burden in shorter stories, but I think you could start with the type of thread that is most prevalent, and explain more rare threads as the story progresses. I would skip chemical energy though opens up too many things. 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. Magicians are taught to learn about the natural forces within magic if they want to better control them. Can one person wield both of them or only one? Although they would have to learn it (Nullifying). Both are checked on periodically by officials after. However, a few benders can bend their element when its in a different form or less pure. You can CREATE new energy into an object that wasnt already producing that same energy (Eg- Can make a static ball move in any direction). Holy magic is more reliable, but hard to learn. Who can use magic? Telekinesis was also handy (pun intended) for explaining nonhumanoid creatures without hands or similar developing and using technology, because I am interested in the possibility of aliens very different from humans. I went through this process recently with an RPG Ive been working on. And there are laws to the magic, they may not be as strict as some novels and series, but they are there. Alrighty, its late and Im tired. and much if not all this her non original content that she is taking from is founded in actual fairy tales with absolutely no magical or rational system. 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. If a mage forms a contract with a water faerie, they can use water magic, even if their Primal isnt the Ocean. Though there is an international standard for magic spells, certain cultures practice magic in different ways pertaining to either their culture, beliefs or lifestyles. However, the authors seemed to specifically distinguish between rational and hard magic. If they need to gather energy beforehand, they cant just build a wall of ice without any preparation (which limits their powers). Know How Your Magic Works Here we discuss considerations outside the scope of this article, such as the effect magic has on society. Forms of Star magic include telepathy, telekinesis, mind control, astral projection, and precognition. If you don't combine spells you'll have 2 (or more) people fighting together, but not as one being. 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. 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. 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. A rational magic system is supposed to be understandable. Its a solid premise, and Im sure youll do amazing things with it. 2. There are 391 different powers and variations in this generator, so you're bound to find one you like. (A quiet lunch with my friend is much more repeated/repeatable than when I first met my best friend). 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. As this energy is formless and intangible, it is naturally attracted to your body and stored there. Rowling has cherry picked her source material from myths that cross many cultures, Irish, Celtic, Greek, Welsh, Slavic, etc. Is it dark and scary? Nevertheless, you will always introduce something which, as far as we know, does not exist in reality. Like it doesnt work on them or around them? One or all could be part of the system and manipulation of the paper in . Why do I need spellcasters? The Lord of the Rings is a low magic setting, but it is a high fantasy setting. If youll allow my humble but informed opinion. I forgot Theosophy! This works the same for all energy types. The cosmic balance is set up to where the Aether and Souls rely on eachother, Aether creates and maintains the World and Aether flourished and continues to exist through our Actions. One of my characters is able to beg the Storm God for help without making a proper appeal because they danced nearly every day for 5 years. Look at the fight between Voldemort and Dumbledore in the fifth book/movie the one in the Ministry of Magic. 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. Now paint may sound op but it has very risky limitations. There are a number of times during the series when Harry performs magic out of anger or fear. An alchemist transmutes lead into gold. Your story may also include a chosen one thats extra special. But that doesnt mean all magic systems work equally well for stories. There are 2 other different types of magic to do with Time/Space & Meta Magic of youd like to hear more about the magic from the novel I wrote. An elemental mage could probably use several elements, if they trained for it. Hard magic systems provide interesting limitations that allow your protagonist to solve problems using their own wits, not raw magical power. How to Write Mind-Blowing Fantasy Fiction - Reedsy Entire body effects:: Oh wow that turned out to be a lot of text. One thing to keep in mind is how much power somebody can gain. Its just something to be careful about. I forget the episode but Aang (obviously) and Zaheer do it also. The same is true, if I use telekinesis to move that boulder. Generate random names for characters, events, taverns, etc. The story is at a climax when emotions are always high? Plus, itll make the villain look rightfully confident and in control, rather than stupidly arrogant for powering up his adversary, and itll build up their threat level when the hero at seemingly full power wasnt a match for him. 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. 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. On top of this, theres teleportation I still need to consider, which comes with its own host of issues. Everything is made up of atoms and molecules, so someone with the power to influence those could, theoretically, create new stuff in a heartbeat. Your powers will be just as draining as a Bornes magic. *someone like me* well dont I feel important! Potion-making probably would make more sense, if there was more talk about the properties of the ingredients and what they do. 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. Everyone is also born with it. 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. powerful mages who control transportation but do not rule (again, difficult). For example, if your characters can telekinetically control objects, your story will be more interesting if each character can only control a specific type of object, rather than being able to control anything they want. All three should work together to create the magic system. Notes on the world: humans are at a hunter-gatherer to city-state level of development, gods are real but you can never talk with them, spirits are everywhere and run on fae logic, and demons are corrupted spirits that will ravage towns/cities and curse people. In a way you can see it as choosing between having 2 (or more) people using normal weapons to fight an enemy together. The job is dangerous. They each have powers, but only relative to what they are. You can negotiate with them about services and prices, that is, if they listen to you at all. Using this site means trees will be planted. Of course, I wasnt interested in my universe following all of the laws of physics in our universe. As a general rule, antagonists can use soft magic to solve problems, even though protagonists should only use hard magic. Thank you for commenting! Though some have tried since the beginning, it has been deemed impossible for a human to harness and redistribute sunlight. This was implemented to further refine (/complicate?) Are all individuals able to tap into the magic source or only a lucky few? On Way of Kings Shows Us the Damage Meta Mysteries Can Do. Oh! This is a pretty nice article, and it has inspired me to think more about the magic systems I create. When a mage makes a contract with a spirit, what are they paying with? I love it. Specific effects include waking the dead, sending dead spirits back into the afterlife, and binding the dead to follow their commands. So Id rather go science fiction, or full-on, its my world, I make the rules magic. Also, I read that chemical changes play an important role, and those probably cant be detected externally at all. 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. First, think through what magic is capable of doing in a theoretical best case scenario. Absorb Project Summon Dispel Protect Destroy Restore. 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. Each ability corresponds with role in a gang of thieves. Hey Ryan R Im still plugging away at it (when Life lets me anyway! She ran Well-Storied from 2014 - 2021, sharing hundreds of articles, podcast episodes, and other resources on story craft and creative living. The Towers radiate an energy that interferes with circuit boards, so the only expeditions have been with primitive tools. Thats what its all about. People connected to the Moon and Star Primals are the only two that are common in a single place and can be found in any nation or culture. Or make your telepath one who can only read minds when touching someone else (Vulcans from Star Trek work telepathy that way). My magic system is based on the Netflix show, The Dragon Prince, because I really like how dynamic and diverse its magic system is. Is magic kept secret in your story world? I know some of the basics for the magic in my world but have been having a hard time making them cohesive. Though, Im thinking about giving them a secret ability that hasnt been discovered yet because theyre so rare. Is it connected to religion or religions of your world (since something based on the principle of good and bad [if you have to keep that, use evil instead of bad] should have a connection to religion)? As a quick example, just think about how many movies and books reuse the theme of elemental magicfire, water, earth, and air. Runes are one example which are used a lot, as are crystals and various (unique) artifacts. You can get away with a strange assortment if you have mechanics that explain it. While its more difficult to tell whether a soft magic system is rational, I suspect Game of Thrones is using a rational magic system. For instance, in Lois McMaster Bujolds Chalion Series, the divine cannot directly influence the world with their magic. Everything is what she deems fair. 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. Another elite bending technique is Astral Projection since their are the most spiritual of benders. Im creating a story set in a dragon-people city, but humans do exists. would even mathematically work, as all existing particles and forces seem to be related by deep mathematical symmetries. And for Mind and Body, Distorter will be their name. Why should the magic be complete or symmetrical? Sorry about the comment length and the long worldbuilding paragraph. Could you chip in? Both the caster and Given are in prisoned if police find out, but the caster is normally in for 10-30 years. For instance, lets say magic is powered by a substance found within the soil.