Tom
Istar
Hi all, here's the magic system I've gradually developed for my main WIP.
So basically, I approach magic in a very...scientific manner. Magic in the world of my WIP is an organic energy force that blankets the world and saturates everything in it. So everything--trees, animals, dirt, humans--has a bit of magic in it.
People who can work magic come in two categories: those who use spells and those who don't.
A magic user who uses spells has to concentrate very intensely--usually using "magic words" to guide their thoughts or focusing on a physical object or a mental image--to achieve enough focus to sense the magic in the world around them and be able to channel it. (This is ironic, since I'm ADD. I just realized that if I lived in my own made-up world I'd essentially be screwed if I had to work magic.) Channeling magic with a physical object is the easiest way, and a channeling stone is often used. Wizards and other accomplished magic users pride themselves on using language to channel magic, which is the hardest method since language is abstract, not physical.
The other type of magic user is called a natural magic user, or "inborn". Natural magic users, through genetic predisposition, have a higher level of magic in their bodies than most other people. They are able to work magic instinctively, using gestures, thoughts, and emotion as focuses for their channeling, and their magic usually manifests sometime during childhood. Most natural magic users can sense the magic around them in the form of an invisible aura, like the feeling of electricity in the air.
A small percentage of natural magic users are born with so much magic that it is too powerful and chaotic for them to control, especially since any movement, thought, or emotion could set it off. Some are consumed by their magic soon after birth, while others develop a coping mechanism which blocks their ability to work magic.
...and wow. That's one big hunk of text. I apologize in advance.
Thoughts on cultural implications? Any gaping holes in my theory?
So basically, I approach magic in a very...scientific manner. Magic in the world of my WIP is an organic energy force that blankets the world and saturates everything in it. So everything--trees, animals, dirt, humans--has a bit of magic in it.
People who can work magic come in two categories: those who use spells and those who don't.
A magic user who uses spells has to concentrate very intensely--usually using "magic words" to guide their thoughts or focusing on a physical object or a mental image--to achieve enough focus to sense the magic in the world around them and be able to channel it. (This is ironic, since I'm ADD. I just realized that if I lived in my own made-up world I'd essentially be screwed if I had to work magic.) Channeling magic with a physical object is the easiest way, and a channeling stone is often used. Wizards and other accomplished magic users pride themselves on using language to channel magic, which is the hardest method since language is abstract, not physical.
The other type of magic user is called a natural magic user, or "inborn". Natural magic users, through genetic predisposition, have a higher level of magic in their bodies than most other people. They are able to work magic instinctively, using gestures, thoughts, and emotion as focuses for their channeling, and their magic usually manifests sometime during childhood. Most natural magic users can sense the magic around them in the form of an invisible aura, like the feeling of electricity in the air.
A small percentage of natural magic users are born with so much magic that it is too powerful and chaotic for them to control, especially since any movement, thought, or emotion could set it off. Some are consumed by their magic soon after birth, while others develop a coping mechanism which blocks their ability to work magic.
...and wow. That's one big hunk of text. I apologize in advance.
Thoughts on cultural implications? Any gaping holes in my theory?