# Elemental magic system



## Ireth (Dec 2, 2013)

This isn't for any of my worlds; it's just something that I came up with at random. Feel free to use it for your own stuff if you like. ^^ It's a work in progress, so ideas for filling in the gaps are appreciated.

This is a variation on the classic four-element system. There's Earth, Fire, Water and Air, and each is made up of two components. Each component can also be combined with one or more from another element for various effects.

Water as a full element is composed of Saltwater and Freshwater. Mages with power over Saltwater have an affinity for the seas and oceans, while Freshwater mages control lakes and rivers.

Earth as a full element is composed of Wood and Stone. Wood mages control plant life and soil, while Stone mages control metals and minerals.

Fire as a full element is composed of Heat and Light. Somewhat self-explanatory. Heat and Light mages also control their opposites, cold and darkness.

Air as a full element is composed of [component #1] and [component #2]. [Explanation to follow once I can figure out how to divide Air.]

Some examples of cross-elemental combinations [suggestions for more are appreciated]:

Heat and Stone can be combined for a number of purposes, from metalsmithing to conducting volcanic activity.

Light and [component of Air #1] can be combined to create sight-based illusion magic (think rainbows: sunlight + water vapor in the air).

Either component of Water can be combined with Heat and/or [component of Air #1] for effects on the weather, be it inland or at sea.*

Wood can combine with Saltwater, Heat, and [component of Air #2] for control over animal life (including humans and other sapient beings). Wood in this case equals flesh, and Saltwater equals blood and other bodily fluids.*

*The more elemental components involved, the more complex the magic.


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## Jabrosky (Dec 2, 2013)

What kind of mages do you have in mind for this? When I think of elemental magic nowadays, I think of those darn Benders throwing water or whatever element they specialized in. If that's the case, wouldn't combining the different elements require multiple mages pooling their magic together? Sounds like you'd need a whole team of mages working together to get anything done.


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## Ireth (Dec 2, 2013)

Jabrosky said:


> What kind of mages do you have in mind for this? When I think of elemental magic nowadays, I think of those darn Benders throwing water or whatever element they specialized in. If that's the case, wouldn't combining the different elements require multiple mages pooling their magic together? Sounds like you'd need a whole team of mages working together to get anything done.



That was the idea.  Yay teamwork!


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## Pythagoras (Dec 2, 2013)

Would a mage be confined to only a single element?


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## Snowpoint (Dec 2, 2013)

Anybody can shoot fireballs. Been done before. But HOW you shoot fireballs - that is what makes the whole thing interesting.


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## Ireth (Dec 2, 2013)

As I said, this is nowhere near completion, and I honestly don't know if I want to worry abut that myself, given that my main WIPs don't have much by way of elemental magic (and the one that does is different from this). Anybody who wants to use this for their stories can come up with their own answers to those questions.


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## Asura Levi (Dec 3, 2013)

Dividing air? how about breathable air itself and humidity?


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## Ireth (Dec 3, 2013)

Possibly... though "humidity" is about moisture, which would make it seem more like a component of water. I have a hydromancer in one of my stories who often takes water vapor from the air to fuel her spells if she doesn't have another source. It's that or draw on her own body's reserves and dehydrate herself. Just an example.


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## TrustMeImRudy (Dec 3, 2013)

But in this setting the hydromancers use seawater or freshwater, not moisture in general no?. Honestly, the only thought I had for air was moisture and dry air, so dew and wind.


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## Ireth (Dec 3, 2013)

TrustMeImRudy said:


> But in this setting the hydromancers use seawater or freshwater, not moisture in general no?. Honestly, the only thought I had for air was moisture and dry air, so dew and wind.



Ah, good point. That makes sense.


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## Sioranth (Dec 3, 2013)

For air, what about something to do with meteorology? Starfalls/meteor showers, storm-calling, that sort of thing? Vapor could be another aspect, things like controlling breathing or robbing the air of oxygen (to say, combat fire since fire needs oxygen to feed). You could get really nerdy and molecular with it and have air mages be able to use chemical components straight from the air around them to make water or using argon to create light.


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## Ireth (Dec 3, 2013)

Sioranth said:


> For air, what about something to do with meteorology? Starfalls/meteor showers, storm-calling, that sort of thing? Vapor could be another aspect, things like controlling breathing or robbing the air of oxygen (to say, combat fire since fire needs oxygen to feed). You could get really nerdy and molecular with it and have air mages be able to use chemical components straight from the air around them to make water or using argon to create light.



Ooh, good ideas!


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## Asura Levi (Dec 3, 2013)

I forgot to mention, that is also the whole lot of purity/toxicity by blending different kinds of gases, after all, air itself is nothing more than gas.


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## TrustMeImRudy (Dec 5, 2013)

That's depending on whether or not the setting takes it in a magical sense, scientific sense, or a blend of the two.


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## Ireth (Dec 5, 2013)

TrustMeImRudy said:


> That's depending on whether or not the setting takes it in a magical sense, scientific sense, or a blend of the two.



True. And as I said in the original post, this isn't designed for any of my worlds, and I don't think it would fit in them, so it's basically something I put up for grabs. Anyone is free to take it and tweak it as they will.


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## wordwalker (Dec 7, 2013)

I'd like to say Air splits into Wind and Cloud-- it's obvious clouds are forms of water, but what's the fun in saying cloud and rain magic have nothing to do with air? (But it's a tradition; we _Avatar_ fans know water is always the "weak" element that ends up taking over the rest because writers pity it. Grumble.)

Or there could be a Wind / Lightning split. Let's see them downplay air magic then!

Honestly, I think saying there are exactly two components of each element, or even the same number, is regimenting it too far. The classic components of weather are temperature (which creates wind), and moisture and lightning that are moved around by wind and temperature. Water might have mist, liquid, and ice; maybe salt/fresh is another aspect of it. I think the system might be better if it weren't completely formal about how many subaspects you could use in an element-- that sounds more like a game system than a character trying to make his body of experience do the job.


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