TheSecretAsianMan
Acolyte
For as long as I can remember I've always been fascinated with magic in fantasy settings. Recently I've developed a magic system for a story that I'm writing and I wanted to get some opinions on how I can improve it. But, before I go into the mechanics I'll give a brief summary on the origin of magic in my fictional setting.
History:
In the beginning there was a god who created angelic beings called the Primordias. One Primordia wanted to create her own little place in the universe and thus created the World by singing. After some time the first war took place, and decimated entire countries. It was during this war that the knowledge of magic was given to a select group of individuals who would eventually end the war.
Mechanics:
To perform magic an individual must have knowledge of the language before attempting any spellcasting.
By thinking, speaking, or writing the language a mage can command reality to their will. In addition, a mage must understand how the target of their influence is structured. Furthurmore, the nessaary elements must be available in order to cast a spell because magic cannot create something out of nothing. Magic requires a lot of stamina to perform, as casting a spell requires life energy in exhange depending on how much work is needed to perform an action. For example, if someone wanted to produce lightning, they must understand the how positive and negative charges of protons and electrons interact and how to create a situation to make all the variables needed to create. Magic also strains the body, because sacrificing parts of one's soul isn't in particularly healthy. But with lots of training a mage can alleviate some of the negative aspects to the point casting magic won't have long lasting effects.
I don't want magic to be something that can solve all of my characters problems but still be a unique tool to use in certain situations.
History:
In the beginning there was a god who created angelic beings called the Primordias. One Primordia wanted to create her own little place in the universe and thus created the World by singing. After some time the first war took place, and decimated entire countries. It was during this war that the knowledge of magic was given to a select group of individuals who would eventually end the war.
Mechanics:
To perform magic an individual must have knowledge of the language before attempting any spellcasting.
By thinking, speaking, or writing the language a mage can command reality to their will. In addition, a mage must understand how the target of their influence is structured. Furthurmore, the nessaary elements must be available in order to cast a spell because magic cannot create something out of nothing. Magic requires a lot of stamina to perform, as casting a spell requires life energy in exhange depending on how much work is needed to perform an action. For example, if someone wanted to produce lightning, they must understand the how positive and negative charges of protons and electrons interact and how to create a situation to make all the variables needed to create. Magic also strains the body, because sacrificing parts of one's soul isn't in particularly healthy. But with lots of training a mage can alleviate some of the negative aspects to the point casting magic won't have long lasting effects.
I don't want magic to be something that can solve all of my characters problems but still be a unique tool to use in certain situations.