# Explain Your Magic System



## Black Dragon (Mar 18, 2019)

Personally, I am not a fan of overly complex magic systems in fantasy novels.  I think that the best systems (if you even have a system) are simple ones, that can be easily explained.

So, let's try an exercise in worldbuilding.  In this thread, explain your magic system in 5 sentences or less.  If you can explain it succinctly, it's likely that the reader will have no difficulty grasping it.

If you find this impossible, do you plan to simplify your system, or leave it as is?


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## TheCrystallineEntity (Mar 18, 2019)

In five sentences...hmm...what about run on sentences? Just joking.
Okay. I'm up for the challenge. 

1) In my stories, the main characters, four celestial beings called the Eternal Ones, created the setting, the OmniCosmos, as a sort of playground, to have fun. 
2) Each Eternal One has a Sphere, which is basically their heart, and each one is filled with wild, chaotic magic attuned to the concept they personify: Dream, Life, Reflection, and Awakening.
3) The Eternal Ones invited many newborn souls to incarnate in the OmniCosmos, and Reflection gave each new being a Heartstone, which are exactly what the title says.
4) Each being can cast magic from their Heartstone, and the Eternal Ones created twenty-two Glyphs,
5) The Glyphs are used by the incarnated beings to provide themselves with basic necessities, and are used only for that purpose, and nothing else. 

I think that sums it up, but how about everyone else? Is it clear and concise enough?


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## skip.knox (Mar 18, 2019)

Magic is powered by phlogiston, which operates by way of the aether.
But people did not always understand this, so they came up with a variety of "systems" to explain how magic worked.
These systems gave us alchemy, astrology, wizardry, and even partial systems such as fortune telling by cards, mesmerism, or patent medicines.
In a more modern age, "scientific magic" gave us Steam and, eventually, faster-than-light travel via the aether.
There that's four. Now it's five. Oh, wait, that's six!


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## Ban (Mar 18, 2019)

For most of my worlds I can do you one better and explain it in 5 words.

1. They
2. Have
3. No
4. Magic
5. System

Now that's a little cheeky of course. The last true magic system I ever developed was when I started out worldbuilding so let me explain that instead.

The specific magic one could learn in that world was tied to the land, meaning that a magically gifted person born in one land might learn pyromancy while another person born in another land might be able to learn cryomancy or nature magic. Once learned, the individual could use that magic wherever they were. Magic was furthermore performed by drawing magical energy from one's environment and channeling it into a spell. The availability of  such energy was determined by one's proximity to magical wells and other sources of magic.


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## Devor (Mar 18, 2019)

The magic system in my world is extremely complex, so I can't do it.  But the story turns around only a piece of the magic system, which looks like this:

Fairies are born with their own magic and can draw extra magic from their connection to the last stones of their fallen home, Falina Cairn. One of the main characters can sense whenever a fairy in the city draws magic from the stones. The other main character uses magic to jinx a target, forcing the target into an unlucky accident.  After a victim is struck by three jinxes, the character can use the Hapea curse, sealing away the victim's pride and transforming it into a Seelie Crystal, or condensed "fairy dust," full of magical power.  Seelie crystals are used for lots of magical things, but mostly to enchant little magical items, recharge Falina Cairn's stones, or reopen the gateway into the fairy realm.


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## WooHooMan (Mar 18, 2019)

I intentionally avoided RPG style rules and mechanics in my system.  Magic is all about a character imposing their Will unto reality.  The characters create their own symbols and metaphors for the story and setting and then that dictates how the world happens.  They often influence other characters motives and personalities via magic.
The most notable spell in the story takes the form of a dance party magic ritual at a nightclub for the purpose of generating energy so the people partying don’t need to sleep or eat - like a perpetual-motion party.


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## Saigonnus (Mar 18, 2019)

Active and passive glyphs. Active glyphs require life force in real time to cause an effect, the more you use, the more powerful the effect. Passive glyphs needs only the initial cost of lifeforce when the glyph is drawn and will affect anyone who triggers it. 

Active glyphs are any spells that function at a distance, passive glyphs affect via touch or upon the person it is written upon.


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## WooHooMan (Mar 18, 2019)

Saigonnus said:


> Active and passive glyphs. Active glyphs require life force in real time to cause an effect, the more you use, the more powerful the effect. Passive glyphs needs only the initial cost of lifeforce when the glyph is drawn and will affect anyone who triggers it.
> 
> Active glyphs are any spells that function at a distance, passive glyphs affect via touch or upon the person it is written upon.



So, if I'm reading this right, could a magician kill themselves if they pump too much time and effort into an active glyph?


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## Futhark (Mar 19, 2019)

Caveman finds and uses Phlogiston Stone that strengthens his aura/spirit body.
Caveman has many, many children, who are special because it’s “in their genes”.
Big Secret Thing happens, caveman gets sealed away, and the Runes on caveman’s prison becomes the language of magic.
Descendants have super-chi (if trained), and draw on source through runes.
Lots of different approaches to magic, plus strange creatures and experiments, but always the same mechanics.


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## Insolent Lad (Mar 19, 2019)

Infinite alternative worlds exist. Certain naturally talented (it's a recessive gene) individuals can access other worlds to some degree. They can reach in and pull things out to use, although they will snap back in time. They can also send themselves into one or another of those worlds to meet and speak with other sorcerers 'from afar' though not completely---they exist in both worlds simultaneously. And the gods can scoot back and forth at will, while keeping their true natures and powers tucked away at home, to be drawn upon when needed.


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## Ewolf20 (Mar 19, 2019)

The magic system i made was intended to be universal since my "metahumans" or superhumans are kinda similar to mages. IO is basically mana and the higher in tier you are, the more likely you waste IO. I do have plans on talking about the different classes(power types), levels (power potential), and tier (base power? i'm not sure about this one but i'm sure there was  a name for it).

it's not super simple but the basics is you draw the IO within you and channel it into a power. it's recommend not to overexert yourself unless you want to risk losing your powers for a week.


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## Orc Knight (Mar 19, 2019)

Magic is soaked in everywhere in Eld, so it's impossible not to have even a little. The higher powered people bleed magic down to those who don't, creating a multiplying factor of sorts which has been used to make people even more powerful. Liches and undead destroy the natural magical cycle of the world, feeding off of it as parasites and taking away the power and then it takes the world a long time to get that power back. Using it varies, though Like calls to Like is a common factor in it and everything used in it is related by degrees. Developing shadow magic can lead to things like shadow clones and the like.

And that's about it in a nutshell. Magic may be everywhere on Eld but it's not really the focus for any of the stories. People have it and use it.


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## Malik (Mar 19, 2019)

Excellent timing, because with the increased role of magic in my sequel, some readers have been asking. I'll probably double this up into a blog post and link it back here.

My magic system is pretty simple.

A little background: I was raised in a traditional Native American household, steeped in tradition including a strong belief in magic. There were never any "rules" to magic; there were just things you did and didn't do. I wanted the world in my series to be the same: highly superstitious and with 100% faith that magic is real, but with magic not fully understood and therefore scary as hell. Also, no "leveling up," no hard and fast rules, _no ****ing midichlorians._ Explaining magic turns it into math.

In five sentences:

Many people have varying levels of psychic ability, with the most common abilities being telepathy and telekinesis.
Abilities can be trained and improved through study under those who have similarly learned to improve their abilities (magisters).
Causing direct harm with magic is punishable by death, and everyone works to train it out of the young whenever possible.
Nearly all magic falls under variations of telepathy and telekinesis: long-distance communication, for instance, involves high-order telepathy, whereas weather control, psychic healing, conjuring, and teleportation all involve high levels of telekinetic ability.
Teleportation and conjuring are possible because the fabric of the universe is wobbly in the corner of the world where they live, and the most powerful psychics can manipulate it.
This last point makes for an interesting setup, because it means their little corner of the world is a chokepoint connecting several other, populated planets. People and creatures from other worlds are referred to as "demons," including my MCs. Very few are human.

The fabric of the universe is wonky in that corner of the world because of the existence of a substance central to my next series, which is as close as I'm going to get to crossing science with my magic.


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## Saigonnus (Mar 19, 2019)

WooHooMan said:


> So, if I'm reading this right, could a magician kill themselves if they pump too much time and effort into an active glyph?



Definitely a real risk. More than one has done exactly that. 

A tired engraver, one who has been engraving a lot, especially in combat has a good chance that he/she will overextend themselves. That is  almost as dangerous as extinguishing their own life force. Typically, they fall into a coma until their life force naturally rebounds, and yet he will still be weak as a kitten (magically and physically) for a long while.

Passive ones are “safer” given they use a small amount and then anyone can trigger it without any additional costs of life force.


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## Snowpoint (Mar 19, 2019)

Binders - It's a simple Part-to-Whole magic system done with rope. Magically Binding Contracts are the biggest thing. 
The fact that it is very plain, and simple is kind of the point. But, at the same time it feels "too clean"


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## ThinkerX (Mar 20, 2019)

Malik's magic system is pretty close to my own.

1) 'Magicians' are those with enhanced or trained psi ability, mostly variants of telepathy, telekinesis, or 'healing' - convincing/helping the body to heal itself.  

2) While many people have a smidgen of psi ability, on most of my worlds, those with the greatest psi talent are descended from test subjects/servants of the 'ancient aliens,' whose tech was partially psi based.   

3) Other forms of magic - blood magic (healing variant), ritual work for subtle or complex ends, illusions (telepathy variant), runes(permanently imbuing objects with mystic power), and summoning demons/spirits to name the main ones exist, but are ultimately psi based.  

4) 'extra dimensional entities' - spirits, demons - are far more adept than mortals with psi and are appropriately respected/feared by mortal mages who sometimes seek deals with them.

5) On the main world, the True Church claims ultimate authority over mages and actively forbids certain types of magic - especially summoning.

I could have phrased those sentences better.  

Heck, maybe I should collaborate with Malik...


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## CupofJoe (Mar 21, 2019)

Over the last few days I've been trying to think about Magic in my WiP and what five sentences could explain it. And it can't be done without too much reductionism. What the process and BD's Question has done is to make me think about Magic in a far more detailed way than I had up to now. I understand the place and role of Magic far better. And reading everyone's entries has been informative as well as entertaining.


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## FifthView (Mar 21, 2019)

I've been thinking about five sentences for mine, too.
My problem isn't that the magic system is too complex, but a little too vague at present, at least with regard to having a "system." 
Also, the vagueness doesn't matter much.
It's boring, boring magic very cool in theory but way too insufficient for the story in application. 
For some months now, I've known I need to ditch it, come up with a new magic system, or else change it drastically to make it more useful and cool for the story.


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## HIMDogson (Mar 22, 2019)

Elves (the only ones who can use magic in my world) are born with a set amount of ether that's partially influenced by genetics. They can convert this ether into objects in the real world that they can control. They need to channel their ether through an object, called a conduit; the stronger the material going into the conduit the more ether can be channeled through it. If there is no conduit, the ether instead responds pretty uncontrollably to its owners emotions. If objects created by ether are destroyed, or if they remain in the world for more than five minutes without being reconverted into ether, all that ether is lost to the holder forever.


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## A. E. Lowan (Mar 28, 2019)

In our series, the _Books of Binding_, there are several different magic systems (dragon, wizard, demonic sorcery, fae), all very similar and bound by similar limitations, except for one which went extinct thousands of years ago - the mage. Unlike the other systems, which all require some sort of matrix to focus magic, mages can cast by force of will alone, bending the Universe to their desires, and are mind-bogglingly powerful. It's said that they once ruled the world from their magical towers and roamed the land as sentient storms. Where they went, no one knows.


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## Demesnedenoir (Mar 28, 2019)

I don’t want the reader to understand it, and I don’t explain it, because the characters don’t understand it. But it is a system, and a nuanced one with specific rules for magic’s interaction with metals, compared to gems, compared to dead organic materials, compared to living organic materials...

It’s all elemental, my dear Watson. And every culture sees it a bit differently. That’s my 5 lines or less, anymore starts down the rabbit hole.

I’ve had readers say its a system based on prayer, but nope, that’s just one culture’s view... prayers is based on the power of the gods, and the power of the gods is based on the elements. And more than earth, wind, fire, water.


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## Malik (Mar 28, 2019)

Demesnedenoir said:


> I don’t want the reader to understand it, and I don’t explain it, because the characters don’t understand it.



Be ready for a rash of DMs, emails, and five-hundred-word reviews explaining why your magic system makes no sense.

I'm not saying to change the way you're doing it. I'm just saying, be ready. 

I did exactly this. I wrote this series in third omniscient from the POV of a narrator who has spoken with several of the characters, none of whom understand the nuances of magic (even though I have hard and fast rules, as I posted above), so the narrator doesn't understand the rules either. Therefore, to the narrator, magic is weird and scary (because, to the characters he's spoken with, magic is weird and scary) and I refuse to use an "As you know, Bob," scene. I'm getting crucified for it.

I seriously wonder if this would have been easier had I gone full-bore LitRPG, with flashing Hit Points signs in the sky, and Manna points or whatever appearing over the wizards' heads.


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## Demesnedenoir (Mar 29, 2019)

LOL, flashing hit point signs, love it.

But no, I "explain things" to the best of the character's knowledge... which readers assume is correct. It's all coherent, it all makes sense, but how magic works will unfold over many books. The world is a character in the story, so to speak, and the system is part of that character. With the Earthling in a weird world, it makes total sense for magic to be unexplained. And yeah, the as you know scenes are BS. 

Getting that crit from New Magic? Cause I didn't have an issues in Dragon's Trail, at least.


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## Gotis (Mar 30, 2019)

My magic system is basically, source of magic plus force of will power. Some races, like elves, produce magic from their own bodies while others, like humans, must rely on things like wands or crystals. People can "run out of magic" by depleted their source or by mentally exhausting themselves. A person's "life force" can be used as a source of magic, though this typically results in that person's death. Iron can partially nullify magic and silver can penetrate magically protection. 

Whew! I think I'm too long winded! Narrowing it down to five sentences was grueling for me.


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## C. R. Rowenson (May 6, 2019)

All magical power are granted to a user when infected by magical viruses. The power of the magic is directly linked to the "population" of the virus, so the sicker you are, the stronger your magic. There are three types of viruses which produce different classes of effects. Vector strains infect others around the user, manipulating their behavior, host strains alter the core functions of the user, and environmental strains produce tangible effects in the world around the user.


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## Corwynn (May 11, 2019)

There are two types of Thaumaturgy: Alchemy, which manipulates matter and energy, and Spiritualism, which manipulates mind and spirit. By default, both Alchemists and Spiritualists draw upon Thaumaturgical energy within their own bodies, but Alchemists can also consume matter and other forms of energy to replenish their supply, and Spiritualists can draw upon the latent Thaumaturgical energy of other life-forms. Both can also create Infusions, which are basically enchantments. In theory, anyone can learn to become an Alchemist, a Spiritualist, or even both, but each requires years of training (which is not available to everyone), and natural talent (which not everyone has) makes a big difference.

That's pretty much it, minus some minor details. In terms of theme, Alchemy and Spiritualism represent the two basic "flavours" of fantasy magic. Alchemy is more rational and scientific, and it is easier to get an idea of what it can and cannot do. Spiritualism is more mystical and harder to quantify.


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## Knight Viking (May 12, 2019)

Alright. I'll do my best with this. One thing first: "wyr" is magic.

A connection to a Lödstar provides the mental alacrity to incant Wyrwords - the language of inherent meaning - and the energy to cast or shape them into the desired effect; a bond only available to elves, fae, and their descendants depending on the concentration of elder and fairer blood. 

Since the War of Elder and Fairer and the death of the god Kœlach, permissible magic has been reduced to twenty Wyrwords along ten thematic Domains (i.e. fire, air, earth, etc.) and two S'idhe (pronounced, SHEE; or, "sides"), Unseen effects for the elves and Seen effects for the fae. 

To use wyr, one must establish a connection to their Lödstar, channeling its energy; identify the Elementals, or the twelve constructs present, in some quantity, in all living and nonliving things; incant the Wyrword(s) necessary, thereby unlocking command of the referent; and maintain focus upon the desired effect. 

Uttering a single Master Word (one of the twenty) allows the mage to _shape_, which is liberated control over a limited preexisting effect; whereas incanting a Master Word with Servant Words (simpler words that bear no power separate from a Master Word) allows the mage to _cast_, which is limited control of a powerful conjured effect. 

While elves have full access to the Unseen S'idhe and fae of the Seen S'idhe, depending on one's ancestry, mortals only have access to one or two Master Words, the First of which is revealed to them sometime in their adolescence during a time of immense emotional upheaval (the Second is typically learned through study and is always the Dominal Binary to the First).

Wow. I did it. Although, I may be stretching the rules will all those semicolons. Feel free to ask questions! I like questions.


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## Blairjay (May 16, 2019)

Okay, I'll jump on this. (Also hello, I'm new!) My magic system is based off and around DnD due to the fact my world started as a homebrew DnD world, so bear with me.

1. Everyone and everything has magic, which is called Lōksai, otherwise known as Spark.
2. The color of one's Spark shows what they may be inclined towards and cannot have more than two colors; this is genetic.
3. Technically there isn't anything magic cannot do, but you can run out quickly, especially untrained.
4. Overuse and extended use of certain spells can cause scars (mental and physical) and a multitude of other issues.
5. Magic can be dampened using Suppressors (a type of handcuff or ankle cuff) and can be lost temporarily due to an illness called Mage's Blight.

There's more but that's the core of it!


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## Lycaon (May 22, 2019)

Magic is the result of a symbiotic relation of an unnatural kind, if it is parasitic or mutualistic is in the eye of the beholder. Spells require personal sacrifice, a quid quo pro kind of situation, which could be of physical, mental, or moral origin. Spells, called whispers (because of reasons beyond these five sentences), are words of an unknown, eldritch language (used by the symbiont), and are often rather abstract concepts. The effects of these whispers can be endless, depending on the creativity of the magus. For example, [former] could be used to repair a broken knife, to re-open a healing wound, or to have a cold skillet experience the heat of the fire of a past moment once again.


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## MrNybble (May 23, 2019)

Magic is a means to change the fundamental rules of a given reality. The more one wants to change, the more talent and magic they must call upon. An energy in its raw form that degrades everything from living to non-living, so wielding it will cause damage to said person or object over time. Magic is a technology for some and naturally intuitive for others if they have the sixth sense to feel it. There are many ways to shape magic from sigils, runes, incantations, thoughts, etc to create a diverse system depending on culture or race. 

This magic system is simple, self regulating, and yet adaptive enough to keep things interesting as the times change throughout the stories.


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## skip.knox (May 23, 2019)

MyrNybble's post made me realize that most magic systems are in one way or another about how magic subverts or changes the "natural" order. This isn't a criticism, just an observation. I'm not sure how I'd go about thinking along different lines, but I suspect someone or other will explore them. Magic as the natural order.


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## Saigonnus (May 23, 2019)

skip.knox said:


> MyrNybble's post made me realize that most magic systems are in one way or another about how magic subverts or changes the "natural" order. This isn't a criticism, just an observation. I'm not sure how I'd go about thinking along different lines, but I suspect someone or other will explore them. Magic as the natural order.



I have a world that I have been working on where magic is a natural force that anyone can tap into. Obviously, it requires knowing how, and some cultures are more adept then others, but anyone regardless of race can access it. 

I have a culture called Talutah Ooljee, druids so to speak that use magic for just about everything, while their neighbor (as yet unnamed) once held sway over most of the continent with magic, but was banned from using their obelisks (magical amplifiers) or possessing schools of magic. It happened so far in the past that no one really remembers, it has just become normal.


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## Esudeath (Jun 2, 2019)

Magic resides within you. If you burn out you turn into a horrible monster with no self countrol. To prevent this you always use/wear siphons. The three main classes are Padona, Fenwa and Sévan.


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## Maker of Things Not Kings (Jun 3, 2019)

In "Paper Gods*"* a short story I've been tinkering with, each person wears a small hand-bound book on a cord around their necks. These contain writing that lists, in brief simple sentences, the moments of their life that have altered their path and formed them. Most are small, seemingly meaningless moments or interactions: a chance meeting, a missed ferry, a simple kindness shown.  While no one knows how or why only certain moments of their lives appear in the books, it is known that one can change/remove one or more of their entries, and alter all of it's far reaching effects —  for a price — by visiting the village where the books are made and applying to the _Redactor_. However, the price is steep, the effects can be far reaching, and only an Oracle (also costly) can divine which moments can be removed without affecting, not only their own book/life and future but those of others, which sometimes are changed with fatal results.


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## Vaporo (Jun 3, 2019)

I have 3 magic systems that I've been developing for different stories as of late.

System 1:
The world was cast from the memories of two great spirits. By "Turning your mind sideways and thinking outward instead of inward," a person can touch the world-memories and reshape them with their mind.

System 2:
Magic is summoned and shaped by creating various "forms." By performing a "dance of calling," a person can summon magic to create immediate physical effects such as lighting fires, creating explosions, etc. By focusing the magic into a premade form such as a necklace or other piece of jewelry, much more varied and subtle effects can be achieved.

System 3:
Magic is the ability to see and manipulate the future by taking one of two drugs. The drug "Mihn's Eye" allows a person to see several minutes into the future. The drug "Mihn Fire" allows users to access "shadow futures" to create impossible effects like fireballs and superhuman strength, depending on what chemicals it is mixed with. Pure Mihn Fire can also cause its users to spontaneously espouse detailed prophesies about the distant future.


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## Loremongre (Jun 6, 2019)

Magic works weirdly in my world.

1) Magic isn't a kind of mystic force, rather an evolved kind of technology from a remote future adapted to the world (like nanomachines, but integrated in the world at the atomic level). The connection between this technology and the races that live in the world differ by continents, mostly for past events.

2) Races that are naturally connected to magic are elven races, orcs, dragons and Sea-folks. This is thanks to the fact they are connected to the Divines, the higher gods, however the only difference between them and those that born with a connection, like humans or dwarves, is their control.
Magic work like a flux, and each inhabitant is like catalyzer; if an inhabitant is particulary powerful, the flux will flow into his or her body to the point they will become walking bombs.

3) To help those that don't have a natural control on magic, the Mages and Scholars of important magic adacemies, like Saamak or Craint's School of magic and divination, found that a series of peculiar, colorless gems grow underground, and are capable of stabilize the flux, helping the mage control itself, but one have to wear it all the time. This gems, however, are a kind of solified Flow, thus is made out of that same ancient technology.

4) Magic like Elemental and Mystical, and Black too, are considered "standard", since revolve around forces of the mortal plane (elements, energies from nature and life, Death, darkness…), but some unusual or "Abnormal" exist, like Cosmic magic, Plane/dreamwalking, Chronic and all that revolves to more External forces.


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## Miles Lacey (Jun 12, 2019)

In my work in progress the magic system operates as follows:

1.  Magic is randomly gifted to 1 in 200 people by the gods during their Transition to Adulthood ceremony (held on their 16th birthday at a temple) in the form of a lightning bolt called the Spark.
2.  Magic relies on the body's natural energy reserves to work so mages need to maintain a strict diet and undertake physical exercise to be able to get the best use of it.
3.  Mages are ranked on the basis of their competency in basic, advanced and specialist spell casting.
4.  Rules and laws governing magic differ from country to country and sometimes even within countries.
5.  While spell casting can only be done by those gifted with the Spark other magic can be taught to others who are referred to as conjurers.


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## Rob Ball (Jun 13, 2019)

Magic is a way of turning your mental process into a physical one.  To do this you need a conduit that is both physical and mental, i.e chanting is not physical but has a presence or a totem that has been given a mental meaning.  Most magic is charms and curses and though based on tradition doesn't have to be.


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## Dee (Jun 14, 2019)

I'm a bit late to this, but I'm enjoying looking over how people approach the problem (and it is a tricky thing-the choices you make can make or break the audience's ability to suspend disbelief and enjoy the story without thinking too much about how the character is managing to levitate or whatever).  I've been sticking with how people have used 'magic/magick' in history; from Shamanic traditions through to John Dee and Aleister Crowley. My protaganist is tightly connected with the spirit world and an accomplish wonders, but the more wonderous the wonders, the less connection to the material she has. Historically some cultures believed that in order to interact with mortals, it was necessary for spirit beings to have something material to latch onto. Animzl blood sacrifices, stone idols and the like. In order to grapple with magic, you need to think through your own ontological approach to reality itself. Is the world_ maya_- illusion? Or is there some aethyric well of power people can draw upon if properly trained?


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## ClearDragon (Jun 15, 2019)

My magic system in five sentences.

#1 Magic is like a programing language.
#2 Anyone could use it, but not everyone is good at it!
#3 You need strong spirituality to power spells.
#4 Magic can do amazing things, but it can't resurrect people or make you young forever!
#5 A very, very small number of people have far stronger magic power!

I don't know if thats any good.


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## Gavrill (Jun 18, 2019)

my magic system is not done yet. I'm constantly adding and removing stuff. I'll ty to explain the main principles I have right now.

1) Spells are powerd by arcane energy which is absorbed from the surroundings and processed by the soul or by a very expensive type of glass.
2) When using the arcane energy from the soul to power a rune, the sorcerer has to deplete his own soul, which can lead to insanity when passing a certain threshold from which you cannot return.
3) sorcerers can also draw power from the souls of other beings, which allows the caster to stay clear of any harm to his own soul.
4) To cast spells a sorcerer has to draw the corresponding rune (and/or its adaptation) in the air (for direct casting) or on any other medium (which makes the spell more stable or allows for multiple uses depending on the type of medium).
5) the glass that absorbs arcane energy are mostly used in capital cities to power facilities like street and home lighting, running hot and cold water, elevators for the larger buildings, trains (connecting larger cities), airships, advanced sewer systems, etc...

So nothing 'groundbreaking'


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## pmmg (Jun 19, 2019)

I've seen this thread float by a number of times and never responded. I do have a magic system of sorts, but I am not sure if it will be explained to readers, and at least so far, no one has been in a position to explain it. There are some characters who could, but I am not sure they will.

Five sentences or less.

The magic system consists of something similar to mana and ley lines; However, the world is young and so mana is prevalent and ley lines are strong. There are two (known) forms of energy in this way, and all capable can use either, but the usage of one or the other is corrupting and shaping. Too much dark and one becomes more dark, too much light and one becomes more light. Some areas are less formed than others, and raw creative energy is more present, it bleeds out like radiation, sometimes dark, and sometimes light, affecting the areas and beings about them. Some creatures can make use of this; some can make heavy use of this, and some not at all.

And that is five. Seems to work to me, Could add more, but...that is about the gist of it.


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## Dee (Jul 15, 2019)

Terence McKenna thought reality itself was made of code. The Matrix is made and sustained all the time by mindedness of various types, embodied or not.


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## EarlTheRed (Jul 16, 2019)

I haven't really thought too much about my magic system, but let's see what I have anyway.

1:Magic is drawn from the Spirit Realm, so only those connected to the Spirit Realm can use magic.
2:Spirits, of course, can use magic, but each one only has one power, such as illusions, or telepathy.
3:Mortals that can do magic, called Connected mortals, can do all sorts of different magic, but they have to use things that are more connected to the Spirit Realm, such as an ancient language that is connected to the Spirit Realm and familiars.
4:Familiars in my world are spirits that were summoned, willingly, by Connected mortals and have to work for them until they are released or the mortal, or they I guess, dies.
5:Only Spirits can go and bring things from the Mortal Realm to the Spirit Realm and only Connected Mortals can go and bring things from the Spirit Realm to the Mortal Realm.


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## Dragonmaster_Dyne (Jul 18, 2019)

I will try to explain my world's magic system.  Five sentences or less, huh?  Here goes.

The world has natural energy that flows from within and all around, essentially mana at the core of its being.  In order to focus the world's energy into spells and the like, the user will suffer fatigue since it requires significant energy to manifest the mana.  Due to this fact, everyone isn't capable of using spells and incantations as freely as others or at all.  Certain species have a higher stamina to wield spells such as dragons for example though overexertion is something to be cautious of regardless.  People of different regions are more affiliated with certain elements such as ice, fire, or light magic but through intensive training users can wield several other elements.


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## ThinkerX (Jul 18, 2019)

Demesnedenoir said:


> I don’t want the reader to understand it, and I don’t explain it, because the characters don’t understand it. But it is a system, and a nuanced one with specific rules for magic’s interaction with metals, compared to gems, compared to dead organic materials, compared to living organic materials...
> 
> It’s all elemental, my dear Watson. And every culture sees it a bit differently. That’s my 5 lines or less, anymore starts down the rabbit hole.
> 
> I’ve had readers say its a system based on prayer, but nope, that’s just one culture’s view... prayers is based on the power of the gods, and the power of the gods is based on the elements. And more than earth, wind, fire, water.


Eve of Snows?


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## Akira444 (Jul 19, 2019)

In my world, magic is the practice of manipulating the elements. There are seven elements in magic: five "physical elements, fire, water, earth, air and lightning, and two "abstract" elements, light and darkness. Every person has an affinity for one of the seven elements, and a mage's powers and abilities vary on their elemental affinity. Each of the seven elements has their own set of powers and abilities related to its philosophy or what it represents. For example, fire magic encompasses spells of fire, warmth, rage, passion, affection, destruction and transformation. Light magic encompasses psychic abilities, light, illusions and communications with spirits. Dark magic deals with darkness, space, gravity and curses. Elemental manipulation is the simplest forms of magic, and a mage can branch out to learn other skills related to their element.
 Magic is fueled by mana, life energy found in all living organisms. One of the first lessons of magic is for a mage to control their mana. If they can't do that, then forget about using magic, because lack of mana control can cause one to lose control of their element and have their spells fizz out or blacklash. Magic can be learned by anyone, but like music and art, not everyone has the skill or talent for it, even with training. Some people are just better at it than others.
 I designed this magic system to be a combination of what I love about fantasy: the simplicity of elemental magic systems, and my still strong love for traditional magic systems like in Harry Potter. It's diverse, but not too complicated or simple.


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## Akira444 (Jul 19, 2019)

Another magic system that I had been working on when I first started writing fantasy was of a more traditional sense. Magic was the practice of using energy to manipulate aspects of reality. The basic concepts behind magic were simple enough that a child could perform rudimentary magic with practice and training, but lack of training could result in one's magic backfiring or not working at all.

 All magic in the world relied on mana, metaphysical energy present in all forms of life, from humans and animals to the environment itself. It is the source of one's magic, and magicians first start out learning how to control their mana before learning anything else. Anyone can learn magic, but only a few have the talent, skill and training to do magic on a practical level.

Most magic is grouped into seven branches called Disciplines (I know, I borrowed the idea from The Magicians, but I thought it was a good way to categorize magic in my universe). There are seven disciplines that modern magic is grouped under: Physical, Natural, Elemental, Knowledge, Healing, Illusion and Psychic. There are also numerous exceptions to this, such as Idol magic used by many religions, and spirit magic utilized by shamans. All mages use their own varieties of magic, but some are better suited to certain types of magic than others.

 Spells are cast using hand gestures followed by spoken incantations, but the more powerful the spell, the more complicated the casting process is. Many powerful spells that can cause massive amounts of damage over a large area requires external elements to help direct the energy used to fuel the spell, such as wands, animal skins, powders and fluids. These high-level spells also need to be cast under favorable conditions, such as the time of day, environmental factors, the time of year, the location, and many other things, hence why spells of mass destruction are rarely used unless absolutely necessary.

 Magic doesn't happen at random. All spells and techniques have a certain method to them that must be followed in order for the magic to be cast properly. Seals, barriers, runes, even necromancy have certain requirements and methods that a mage needs to adhere to, lest their magic doesn't work at all or misfires terribly. At the heart of all these types of magic is the intent, focus, and will, which empowers the magic and makes it work. It's because of this psychological factor that mages who have suffered mental trauma are unable to do magic.

 Magic has numerous limitations, from how much energy a spell requires to be cast to the strain its extended use can put on a mage, but its most defining limitation is that magic is bound by the laws of nature. Though magic can change reality, it is also bound by reality. Attempting to break the laws of nature to perform magic such as resurrection or time travel will result in serious consequences that could leave lasting effects on the world or the caster himself.


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