fantasy magic system generator

This is super helpful, thanks so much for taking the time to write it and to provide examples. In addition, there are no boundaries on what magic could theoretically do in the Potterverse. However, most people wont deviate from what they know to work to avoid wasting their time on a failed ritual or potentially hazardous consequences. It isnt a common thing among people of this world, but it is an esoteric art comprised of ancient secrets passed down through generations within a tribe of acolytes. Thats what its all about. Some feel cohesive; others feel random. What about Time? By making sure magic has costs, you can force your protagonists to be clever and resourceful when they solve problems. Stars: Star magic draws power from the vast expanse of the cosmos, and is primarily psychic in nature. Sandersons Mistborn series and Stormlight Archive both contain excellent examples of hard magic systems. Im not sure if this will help ScWall any, but I experimented with something very similar a number of years ago. Are there different types of magic, or did magic diversify over time? I forget the episode but Aang (obviously) and Zaheer do it also. Really Smart that would make a great power for the Apaths. Now, I havent seen anything about your system, apart from what youve written here, but one easy distinction to make would be to give the angelic side healing magic and the demonic side something like destruction or seduction. If George R.R. *someone like me* well dont I feel important! This curse infects at random, leaving those infected without the memories of their past selves. There are clear limits of what they can do, and things like resurrection and time manipulation are some of these limitations. In many worlds such as Star Wars, this force is generated by living things. Mystical Paths A slightly humorous generator that produces new mystical practices for characters. You mentioned Mana, Life and Mind as the elements of your magic system. And the way they fight has to do in part what magic they use. You make good points about the gap between different kinds of magic. I think youre overthinking things a little in your example. Theres things like creating food out of thin air, which means magic can add something to the world which wasnt there before (alternately, some people have all the rotten luck and their fridges are constantly empty and they dont know why). Drop us a line or let's stay in touch via : Subscribe for writing hacks, special offers and free stuff, 2023 - Orpheus Technology, prowritingaid.com, How to Build an Amazing Magic System for Your Fantasy Novel, Hard Magic Systems vs. Soft Magic Systems, How to Self-Edit Your Manuscript Like a Pro, How to Craft an Engaging Arc for Your Story, How to Use Deus Ex Machina like Stephen King, ProWritingAid or Grammarly? And it would explain the marked as an equal thing, too. air benders can also create a vacuum around the head to suffocate some one (same guy did this in season 3). Vampires are commonly believed to be soulless, but in reality their human soul was replaced by a vampire soul, which alters their personality, gives them vampire powers and renders them incapable of casting any spells. Fantasy name generators. Names for all your fantasy characters. Perhaps then these powers could actually be based on nanobots or even totally new forces and particles that are not visually detectable. Limits can come in all sorts of varieties, the ones we've covered are: how to wield it (being disarmed), how to gain power, power limit, limited power source, cost of powers, the ability to combine powers or not, racial differences and whether or not you're born with a specific amount of power and talent or not. So I know a few things. Paint can hold curses that are also genetic (curses can make a person stronger but the price is extremely high) However, as mentioned at the top of this article, magic can also serve as a vehicle for theme (i.e. A grammar checker, style editor, and writing mentor in one package. Youre deluding yourself if you think that. 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/. First, think through what magic is capable of doing in a theoretical best case scenario. For instance, lets say magic is powered by a substance found within the soil. Not very exciting, right? In Avatar, there is one person every generation who violates the rule that people can bend only one element. Feats of telekinesis should leave your characters a little exhausted the more energy needed, the higher the exhaustion. Every person who attempts this dies, without fail. This would mean that they are naturally mostly hidden from beings of normal matter, but perhaps they could find ways to interact. In any scenario, the reader should have some sense of what magic can and cant do in the fictional world. To build this logic, start by thinking about three things: the effects, sources, and costs of magic. All people that use magic are split up into different yet powerful factions. However, you can also experiment with different techniques for accessing and directing the magic, each with upsides and downsides. While its more difficult to tell whether a soft magic system is rational, I suspect Game of Thrones is using a rational magic system. Magicians summon magical spirits, like djinni, and command them to do their bidding. Magic is the practice of harnessing energy to manipulate aspects of reality. What are those with magical powers called within your story world? Holy magic is more reliable, but hard to learn. Magic would be cheaply acquired from soil the plant cant grow in, and they wouldnt have to worry about getting sick from overeating it. However, then I realized a key problem: Could I make this a logically consistent system? That boar, the Twrch Trwyth? Thats what I mean when I say Dumbledore and Voldemort should have paid for their enormous use of power at the ministry of magic in Harry Potter. I gave the most basic rundown I could. As fun as fantastical powers can be to write, crafting your magic system with care is key. Wizards cast spells by waving wands and saying incantations. 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. Ocean magic is strongest during winter. P.S. This helped me separate my thoughts and put them into their own categories. I just thought of something related to teleportation, however. Possession can only occur between a creature that has magic and one that is magic. 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. If were told that a heros ability tires them out, but they can always push through their exhaustion when they need to most in the story, then we stop considering their exhaustion when considering whether we should be worried about them. Prime / Mana worked a little differently, in that each rune slot had a certain number of Mana-Points that could be applied, up to a value equal to the Players skill/level. Spell description generator - Fantasy name generators But I dont necessarily want to read about rational magic systems. Many systems treat magic as energy similar to heat, magnetism, electricity, or movement. A mage activates the contract by speaking the spirits name, with the price being the spirit experiencing everything the mage does while using the spirits power. In this world, soon to be named, certain people have access to an energy that is the personification of nature. Lets say magic is generated by the vibration of continental plates, and each continental plate vibrates at its own frequency, creating different effects. the primary topics discussed in a story). 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 . The way it goes is that the universe of our perception is just a projection, an illusion if you will, of the real World, the Sea of Energy. Do magic users have their own language, religion, festivals, and/or other cultural hallmarks? a conspiracy to hide everyone selected (difficult to justify how they manage this). The machines were built in centralized factories embedded with instructions for their specific purpose and packaged up and sent out around the globe. Can it be used to harm others or cause destruction? Thelema, Goetia, Gematria, Thaumaturgy, Alchemy, Hermeticism? By adopting a specific mentality and pairing that with martial art forms, they can move and manipulate their element. 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. Perhaps they only manifest 1 (or 2?) Limiting what magic can theoretically do will dramatically cut down the number of plot-breaking scenarios you might have to deal with. Practically everyone uses it in their daily life. You need to make your sub-types of magic logical parts of the main type of magic. All spells require a minimum level of power to run, though many can be empowered further. A water line would provide energy for a water mage, an earth line for an earth mage, and so on. Its a common trap that many authors using emotion-based powers fall into its tempting to create a sudden dramatic reversal of a seemingly hopeless situation with a method the fundamental rules of the story allows for at any time. Can ones magical abilities be stolen or suppressed through fantastical or physical means? They already have enough problems with inter-house violence. In fact, they are drawing on residual energy left behind when a spirit interacts with the human world. Terrifying. Telekinesis and teleportation require an explanation as to how you direct your power outside of the body. (For the record, though, strong emotion results in power use isnt actually a element I like in a system.). How big or small a role it plays in that story is completely up to you - but no matter what kind of magic system you're devising, you need to know it inside and out. This has been extremely helpful! A cunning ex-adventurer named Wlfrilda seeks a company of adventurers to explore the Pikawas Jungle. a disease caused by the nanites A dwarf named Keti seeks a company of adventurers to steal a powerful arcane device from a rival. Anywhere there is festivity or drinking he might try to have some fun, which could make for an epic night or a lot of destruction; hes the bane of every tavern and bar. This is one of the most exciting things about writing fantasy: getting to design your own magic system. For a small redistribution of energy or matter, this is hardly a large price to pay. 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. Perhaps theyd have to choose two which are not opposites (fire/water or earth/air would be opposites). Worldbuilding: Create Brave New Worlds [+Template] - Reedsy Occasionally you may want an arbitrary system it adds humor and entertainment to Harry Potter. Hey! However, even if we have energy available, there is still always the problem of directing it. 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). (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? Coins, gems, art objects, and magic items from the d20 SRD . At first thanks a lot for this article, it helps to organize some things in my head. We've covered limitations in several parts already, whether it's how powerful spells are or how much power you can gain, but it's important to emphasize limitations again. 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. . Another thing you have to keep in mind is how strong the spells are and if they're overpowered. Id classify it as being more rational than say Disneys Aladdin, but it is still in a category of high fantasy where the limits as to what is possible are still a bit fuzzy. thanks for the feedback! Those rules shouldnt be arbitrary, like fire magic doesnt work on Tuesdays or you cant cast an illusion spell in months without an R in their name. The rules need to make sense within the system. Theyre part of a task force to reweave the knots. Humans access it by eating a special plant that bio-accumulates it. A single push, that turned out to be a shove, pushed the still air into a rising gust of air. A wizard casts a powerful spell. 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. 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). This suggests that telepathy and telekinesis (at least if I go with something like your suggestion) imply some form of teleportation. And if you use an elemental magic system be creative, inform yourself what elements are overused already. In my mind, rituals are the middle ground between divine magic and holy magic. Aurai are wind nymphs. Our physical universe is merely the extent that we can see with our mortal Perceptions limits. Yes, its arbitrary which items have magical powers (though many plants have historically been said to have magical powers and Rowling obviously researched these). Maybe death magic is evil and life magic is good, and both fit the theme of controlling peoples lives. The latter, sorcerers, actually do not have magic ability. Good luck! I disagree. 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. Brandon Sanderson is fantastic at crafting magic systems. Humans cant curse (or maybe they just didnt figure it out yet!) But thats not the way Rowling goes. Thats cool. You can have several sources of magic, but you need to bring them together in a way that makes sense at least in the novel. Theyre both perfectly legitimate forms of doing magic in a story IF DONE RIGHT. 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. These small but significant changes in their functionality causes untold chaos; billions die and the climate is thrown off by the massive amount of metal particulates now in the upper atmosphere. but gods, spirits, and demons can. Are there magical societies or a hierarchy of magic users? I definitely have more work to do. 6 Key Questions To Ask When Creating A Magic System For example, you can create a magic system that has very clear rules for your protagonist but only vague rules for your antagonist. Hey Ryan R Im still plugging away at it (when Life lets me anyway! The magic of Avatar feels like the natural result of a different set of physics, whereas the magic of Harry Potter feels like the arbitrary inventions of an author. You could also INCREASE existing energy in an object (Eg- Can make a Moving ball move faster) Or you could DECREASE existing energy in an object (Eg- Can make a Moving ball slow down and even stop & become completely static). This generator gives you names for their various alliances, covens, and clubs. 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. Weve seen them move and break rock, so it follows that they could make a hole through a mountain. Building Your Own Hard Magic System. At the very least, you need to foreshadow that. In general, creating a system that is more limited in effect and creates more problems with casting makes for better stories. Powers are similar to Borne, but are not very draining. If you use magic (or psychic powers) like a Deus Ex Machina, enabling your magic users (or psychics) to do whatever the story needs, without any understandable reason why they can do all this, you have something else. I will say that I do enjoy thinking about all of these issues. *I noticed a notification in a tab I hadnt refreshed in a while about a new comment, but when I checked, there wasnt one. There are two types of magic systems: hard magic systems and soft magic systems. Harry realizes what hes done and looks for a counter-spell, instead of just hopelessly thinking Oh no! Or some effect it has on the world? Sky: Sky magic draws power from the vast sky, movement of the winds, and from thunderstorms. Magical effects will make a bigger impact on your readers if you use all five senses. In actual fact, some of the infected survive the Grey Death. With the exception of the Avatar, people who cast magic are only attuned to one of the four main elements. 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). This page is absolutely huge, reflecting the fact that I have a rather large number of options in the generator. Sorry for the late reply I had went out for the past few days. Theyre usually gifted to devout followers, but anyone can use them once they figure out how it works. Sometimes you just get turned into a chicken. Also Im thinking about the idea when none of characters can store those energy. a disease caused by the nanites Not sure what I mean? About the Avatar thing, what you are saying makes more sense to me now. Practitioners are all female. 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. This creative freedom is exciting, but it also requires a lot of world building work to invent a fleshed out and textured fantasy world. We've covered the source, the wielders and they way they wield power, but we still need to cover one of the biggest factors of magic, which is the power itself. Remember the problem with any kind of existing lore: someone out there whos reading your stories is an expert in it and will be pretty annoyed if you just wing it and your version has next to nothing in common with reality. It could also be from astral radiation or human emotion. 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). It doesn't have to be something natural either, it could be a machine or body enhancement, like a tattoo. 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. I just replied to your last post, but about the different cultures have different ideas of what makes sense, the point about a rational system is that it must make sense to the reader. E.g., player can only use some energy from the environment, depending on available amount and the players skills. Magitech To create strange fusions of science and sorcery for your more unusual settings. All three should work together to create the magic system. Dont expect to put out a perfect draft, having to do revisions or rewrites is disappointing, but its a normal part of the process that helps us strengthen our skills. Though there is an international standard for magic spells, certain cultures practice magic in different ways pertaining to either their culture, beliefs or lifestyles. Now, to those who contain their power. For instance, the Patronus Charm is a spell that is critical to the plot of multiple Harry Potter books. The thing is, I believe that what seems natural in these cases can depend on culture and perhaps even species. Once eaten, the magical substance builds up in their systems until they focus their will to cast magic. Then the fight between Voldemort and Dumbledore (both of which also have that trait) would be a glance into the future of Harry himself. High Fantasy and Low Fantasy. While the Harry Potter system certainly isnt perfectwill be checking out the linked article!I dont think the points raised in this article have much weight. Theyre more afraid of the death of their world than their own personal death, however. 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. If Luke needs guidance to hit that exhaust port, the Force can guide him. The other is one of my own magic systems, as I want to hear what others think about it, especially in terms of this article.

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