Advice for a magic system

[techwiz865]

I'm writing this because I want advice. I'm unsure whether I could write a book, but I wanted to get some advice on the magic system before the writing started.

My philosophy is that magic comes from balance, from life and death. The only true enemy of magic is true darkness. True dark magic destroys the balance fixating on death and death only. It is also known as blood magic. I'm still fleshing it out.

ANYWAY more on magic.

In the olden days, only certain people were born with magic like elves or special/random humans (multiple do not have the same element ). Regular people got jealous, and forced some elves to create a "spellbook". Spellbooks are powerful creations that imbibe a certain type of magic (see below). The more powerful the magic the harder it is to imbibe into the book. So.... regular humans (rich humans) could use books as artificial access points to magic. The con to being a "mage" is that you'll never be as powerful as someone who was born with magic.

Ok, magic types.


Light: Ability to manipulate light and with practice phase through objects which regular light can travel through (etc. glass)

Spectrum: Ability to manipulate wavelengths of light and sound. Users can use the spectrum to bounce from photon to photon effectively traveling through air. Advanced users do the same thing with sound.

Shadow: Ability to manipulate shadows (i.e. blend in)to create purple opaque shields. Can access the shadow realm where spirits exist. (I like to imagine it like spirit-shops etc.) Users can phase into the realm (disappearing from this one) and reappear some distance away. Magic is rendered useless in the shadow realm.

Gravity: Ability to manipulate gravity. Can bend it so far that Light-based powers can be adversely affected.

Moon or Lunar: Illiusionists. Powers are heightened at a moon period the user is born on. (i.e. Born on a crescent moon, more powerful whenever it appears)

Star: Still working on this, but users can use powerful blasts of "star matter" and somewhat change the form of objects.



I'll post again on my other magic ideas (earth water fire air ice time space, etc.)

I hope it's good! Any advice or idea please respond! Thanks!

 

[Queshire]

Is the magic naturally separated into those types or are those just the most common forms of magic to be bundled together into a spellbook?

 

[Rexenm]

I think there are only two forms of magic, but they create a story. Then other forms of magic emerge. Many forms of magic can be determined as speculative. It is impossible to view the most basic form of matter or get a measurement that isn’t dependant. Insight on the matter has the oneironaut. You could also put magic down to form. That universe of magic is much wider.

 

[techwiz865]

As of my thinking, the only powers which have been transcribed into a book are fire and water.

Fire: Ability to control fire. Advanced users can use Pyromancy or control magma and manipulate heat.

Water: Ability to control water. Advanced users can use Lecanomancy, have limited control over ice, ability to purify

What I'm thinking is that an elemental fire and water user was forced (sometime in history) to transcribe their power into a book. That way they still had their power but the book did too. Anybody who doesn't already have magic who reads the book will gain its power.

The elements I listed are the natural ones I wanted to describe. Fire and water are the only books available to the public. I'll make up other books that were transcribed for private use.

 

[techwiz865]

Is the magic naturally separated into those types or are those just the most common forms of magic to be bundled together into a spellbook?

As of my thinking, the only powers which have been transcribed into a book are fire and water.

Fire: Ability to control fire. Advanced users can use Pyromancy or control magma and manipulate heat.

Water: Ability to control water. Advanced users can use Lecanomancy, have limited control over ice, ability to purify

What I'm thinking is that an elemental fire and water user was forced (sometime in history) to transcribe their power into a book. That way they still had their power but the book did too. Anybody who doesn't already have magic who reads the book will gain its power.

The elements I listed are the natural ones I wanted to describe. Fire and water are the only books available to the public. I'll make up other books that were transcribed for private use.

 

[Rexenm]

Magic has a half-life. That is what I would say. It has a beginning and end, no middle. So the middle would be things like dirt, vegetation, life. Mundane and useless things perhaps, but things that could be contentious. Things like pain, or a talking hat. Things a creator of a world would think of. Blasphemous things maybe, but solid ground. The forces of good must prevail over evil, otherwise you’ll have a glass computer scenario, or an unbalanced judgement.

 

[pmmg]

I don't wish to be unhelpful, but these things always feel far down into the weeds to me.

It feels more like the Material for an RPG, or a video game than a story one intends to write. Most of the intricacies of a magic system will not likely make it to the page, cause characters do and dont do according to what they know, and they won't likely explain it. I think you will find that if you think more about what makes for the story, you will find that hammering down a magic system was a lot of energy spent on something less than the whole.

My philosophy is that magic comes from balance, from life and death. The only true enemy of magic is true darkness. True dark magic destroys the balance fixating on death and death only. It is also known as blood magic. I'm still fleshing it out.

It seems you have a light based system, but the presentation feels off to me. True dark would seem more likely an opposite of True light, and the balance would be somewhere between them. Is it your intention to say Light is the balance and dark is the corrupter? How does one become unbalanced the other way?

Is light and dark truly a difference between intensity of light? Or is their something that's just representational about them, such that....does a very bright light mean some great magic is at work? And if there can be a great light that is not magic, what is magic?

Light: Ability to manipulate light and with practice phase through objects which regular light can travel through (etc. glass)

Spectrum: Ability to manipulate wavelengths of light and sound. Users can use the spectrum to bounce from photon to photon effectively traveling through air. Advanced users do the same thing with sound.

Shadow: Ability to manipulate shadows (i.e. blend in)to create purple opaque shields. Can access the shadow realm where spirits exist. (I like to imagine it like spirit-shops etc.) Users can phase into the realm (disappearing from this one) and reappear some distance away. Magic is rendered useless in the shadow realm.

Gravity: Ability to manipulate gravity. Can bend it so far that Light-based powers can be adversely affected.

Moon or Lunar: Illiusionists. Powers are heightened at a moon period the user is born on. (i.e. Born on a crescent moon, more powerful whenever it appears)

Star: Still working on this, but users can use powerful blasts of "star matter" and somewhat change the form of objects.

In the way this is presented, I am going to be asking questions about Moon and Star...as the moon really does not have its own light, and star matter would come from very far away, if we are saying the star, as a source of light, is the source of some magic.

What I'm thinking is that an elemental fire and water user was forced (sometime in history) to transcribe their power into a book. That way they still had their power but the book did too. Anybody who doesn't already have magic who reads the book will gain its power.

The elements I listed are the natural ones I wanted to describe. Fire and water are the only books available to the public. I'll make up other books that were transcribed for private use.

This is more backstory, and the stuff I would want to focus on.

As a reader, I would right away start thinking of earth, wind, fire and water, and suspect the two missing could be transcribed as well, but somehow weren't...or maybe they were.... And I wonder when it might show up in the story, and how.

In the olden days, only certain people were born with magic like elves or special/random humans (multiple do not have the same element ). Regular people got jealous, and forced some elves to create a "spellbook". Spellbooks are powerful creations that imbibe a certain type of magic (see below). The more powerful the magic the harder it is to imbibe into the book. So.... regular humans (rich humans) could use books as artificial access points to magic. The con to being a "mage" is that you'll never be as powerful as someone who was born with magic.

Its just kind of human to strive to be more than you can..

I would be wondering why or how special humans got special.

 

[Diana Silver]

I like the theme of light and astronomy. It does feel a little hand-wavy... For instance how you relate teleportation to photons somehow, or that 'star matter' should be any different from the matter we have over here in our own solar system... These feel more like an empty statements than an actual, plausible link to photons, stars, etc.

Please note: this remark is not in itself a critique. Totally go for it. It could convey a sense of cool playfulness to just use sciency-words, even though the mechanics of the magic depart from the actual science completely. If you make it a thing, it can absolutely be a thing.

On a different note, I am going to echo pmmg's sentiment. If your goal is to write a novel, making up all sort of fine details of your magic system first brings the risk of recuding your flexibility. It may just get in your way, later on. What's more important is to make sure your main character is crucially affected by the magic system; that the magic systems plays a part in the story that deepens their struggles and highthens their dreams.

For sure it's also important to make the magic system convincing, interesting and give it a clear and compelling theme - as you are doing now. But in the end it should be put in service of the plot and the story. In a vacuum, it is just a fun world-building exercise.

I wanted to get some advice on the magic system before the writing started.

So my advice would actually be to start writing first, then your story will show you if your magic system works out or needs change.

So... Who's your main character? What magic do they want and why do they want it?

 

[techwiz865]

I don't wish to be unhelpful, but these things always feel far down into the weeds to me.

It feels more like the Material for an RPG, or a video game than a story one intends to write. Most of the intricacies of a magic system will not likely make it to the page, cause characters do and dont do according to what they know, and they won't likely explain it. I think you will find that if you think more about what makes for the story, you will find that hammering down a magic system was a lot of energy spent on something less than the whole.



It seems you have a light based system, but the presentation feels off to me. True dark would seem more likely an opposite of True light, and the balance would be somewhere between them. Is it your intention to say Light is the balance and dark is the corrupter? How does one become unbalanced the other way?

Is light and dark truly a difference between intensity of light? Or is their something that's just representational about them, such that....does a very bright light mean some great magic is at work? And if there can be a great light that is not magic, what is magic?



In the way this is presented, I am going to be asking questions about Moon and Star...as the moon really does not have its own light, and star matter would come from very far away, if we are saying the star, as a source of light, is the source of some magic.



This is more backstory, and the stuff I would want to focus on.

As a reader, I would right away start thinking of earth, wind, fire and water, and suspect the two missing could be transcribed as well, but somehow weren't...or maybe they were.... And I wonder when it might show up in the story, and how.



Its just kind of human to strive to be more than you can..

I would be wondering why or how special humans got special.

I didn't mean to make it so sciency. Star matter is just powerful blasts of some glowing star "material". Let me give you more backstory. Long ago, the good magic, which is every balanced element, etc everything I've written about, was split up, "balanced" among multiple people. I'm trying to think of balanced magic as a whole is somewhat sentient. It can choose to some degree where its powers are inherited. Eventually, humans who didn't get chosen wanted in. The rest is history. Chaos magic (true "dark magic") is different it removes balance. I called it dark magic, but you are right light and dark represent balance, so I'll start referring to it as chaos and balance. Every "element" (which is the inheritance the balance magic split up), draws from the core belief that there is balance. Though light is usually characterized as the most powerful element, it is just one part of the "balance".

 

[techwiz865]

I like the theme of light and astronomy. It does feel a little hand-wavy... For instance how you relate teleportation to photons somehow, or that 'star matter' should be any different from the matter we have over here in our own solar system... These feel more like an empty statements than an actual, plausible link to photons, stars, etc.

Please note: this remark is not in itself a critique. Totally go for it. It could convey a sense of cool playfulness to just use sciency-words, even though the mechanics of the magic depart from the actual science completely. If you make it a thing, it can absolutely be a thing.

On a different note, I am going to echo pmmg's sentiment. If your goal is to write a novel, making up all sort of fine details of your magic system first brings the risk of recuding your flexibility. It may just get in your way, later on. What's more important is to make sure your main character is crucially affected by the magic system; that the magic systems plays a part in the story that deepens their struggles and highthens their dreams.

For sure it's also important to make the magic system convincing, interesting and give it a clear and compelling theme - as you are doing now. But in the end it should be put in service of the plot and the story. In a vacuum, it is just a fun world-building exercise.


So my advice would actually be to start writing first, then your story will show you if your magic system works out or needs change.

So... Who's your main character? What magic do they want and why do they want it?

You're right, I didn't mean to make it sound science-y but felt the need to explain it somehow. My main character joins 5 kids who have all been born with a specific type of magic. Aiden, my main character, is born with Shadow magic. For some reason (not developed yet) his magic doesn't awake until our book starts. After a thunder elemental attacks him and the 5 kids at school. OH. Right, you can be born with a "balanced" element but still use it for bad. An elderly elf invites her into their car, and they escape to NYC. Yes, NYC. Another plot point. Which I'll explain later.

 

[Super Fantasy]

Magic elements unique to your fantasy world, perhaps?
Such as magic crystals, elements, and so on?

 

[Rexenm]

Every "element" (which is the inheritance the balance magic split up), draws from the core belief that there is balance.

If you have peace magic, then it might act like a shield to the sword. Then if chaos was in charge, maybe they could change the words in a book. But it is rare, it may even be considered weird.

For some reason (not developed yet) his magic doesn't awake until our book starts.

Well that makes sense, because of continuity. It be like they be considered great, until they gain their power, then lose it.

Right, you can be born with a "balanced" element but still use it for bad.

I think this will only gain you rewards, but it has been done before, most people feel this way, but it is not the flavour of a being.

 

[Greg Szulgit]

I didn't mean to make it so sciency. Star matter is just powerful blasts of some glowing star "material". Let me give you more backstory. Long ago, the good magic, which is every balanced element, etc everything I've written about, was split up, "balanced" among multiple people. I'm trying to think of balanced magic as a whole is somewhat sentient. It can choose to some degree where its powers are inherited. Eventually, humans who didn't get chosen wanted in. The rest is history. Chaos magic (true "dark magic") is different it removes balance. I called it dark magic, but you are right light and dark represent balance, so I'll start referring to it as chaos and balance. Every "element" (which is the inheritance the balance magic split up), draws from the core belief that there is balance. Though light is usually characterized as the most powerful element, it is just one part of the "balance".

I think that making it "sciency" is fine but, by doing so, the reader might expect it to follow our current categories of physics/chemistry. If they do so, then they start to ask questions like why are light and spectrum and shadow separate (aren't they just permutations of each other), why is there moon magic and not other planet magics, why certain elemental magics, but not others, etc.? I think that, if you start to develop the details and reveal the hard magic to the reader, you may want to develop that system much more thoroughly. As pmmg points out, this may be a long walk for a short drink. Most readers won't care. So, an alternative approach is to use soft-magic and lean into some of the concepts that you have already mentioned, like balance.
Please share what you ultimately land on; I think you have a community of people here who are interested in seeing how it turns out!