Amanita
Maester
Well, you probably know that I'm using a magical system based on the chemical elements.
Now I'm wondering however, if it would be sensible to limit the number of availabe elements. The radioactive ones are off anyway but even without them I have 82 different versions of magic and no one can keep track of that.
My important characters have so far all ended up with Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Mercury, Silver, Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Arsenic, Oxygen, Sulfur, Fluorine, Chlorine, Neon, Argon and Xenon.
Especially the rarer transition metals are difficult. I don't know nearly enough about them to give them all distinct properties and most readers wouldn't even know the names. Keeping all of the transition metals out would solve this problem but it would also make Iron, Mercury and Silver impossible which I'm not really happy with. On the other hand, the problem of Gold and Silver getting worthless due to the magic would be solved.
My second idea would be to restrict myself to elements present in the human body, this would keep all the noble gases out however, and I don't really want that either.
My current approach is to just give better-known elements to the characters and ignore the presence of the others.
What are your thoughts? Or do you have any ideas on deciding which elements to use?
Now I'm wondering however, if it would be sensible to limit the number of availabe elements. The radioactive ones are off anyway but even without them I have 82 different versions of magic and no one can keep track of that.
My important characters have so far all ended up with Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Mercury, Silver, Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Arsenic, Oxygen, Sulfur, Fluorine, Chlorine, Neon, Argon and Xenon.
Especially the rarer transition metals are difficult. I don't know nearly enough about them to give them all distinct properties and most readers wouldn't even know the names. Keeping all of the transition metals out would solve this problem but it would also make Iron, Mercury and Silver impossible which I'm not really happy with. On the other hand, the problem of Gold and Silver getting worthless due to the magic would be solved.
My second idea would be to restrict myself to elements present in the human body, this would keep all the noble gases out however, and I don't really want that either.
My current approach is to just give better-known elements to the characters and ignore the presence of the others.
What are your thoughts? Or do you have any ideas on deciding which elements to use?