More Magic

[Queshire]

I thought I'd submit my latest magical system and see what you guys think.

1) There are various physical realms.

2) Seperating the physical realms is a wibbly wobbly, dream like, roiling chaos... thing... called the Astral.

3) Science deals with the physical realms, magic deals with The Astral, or more specifically using the astral to affect the physical realms.

4)There are a variety of magic styles that do just that, however the magical styles are like martial arts styles, they have their own strengths and weaknessess, but there's no one "right" style.

5) The basics of most magic involve opening holes into the astral, manipulating the stuff of the astral, and/or sensing what's happening in the astral while remaining in the physical realm.

6) Magic can do just about anything, if you can imagine it you can do it, but there's some limits, namely:

6a) The physical strain of opening holes into the astral. How easy it is to open a hole into the Astral depends on the realm, magic heavy realms are easy to pierce, but some realms are almost impossible to pierce without some way to amplify your ability to pierce the wall between the realm and astral. That's the explanation for the lack of Magic on Earth in the story, the wall around our universe is particularily thick.

6b) You need the imagination and focus to fully mentally shape the effect you want. Achieving this level of focus is not easy, and most spells are simply mnemonic devices to achieve that level of focus. More detailed and intricate spells are therefore harder, but are in turn harder to be affected by other mages. It's enough if you know what it's supposed to do though, if you're summoning a hell hound for instance, you don't need to know each of the hell hound's organs, just how it's shaped and what it can do.

6c) The Astral is shaped by the subconciouness of humanity, the more impossible something is considered, the harder it is. Thus, another part of doing magic is convincing others around you that you can do it.

6d) The absolutely hardest thing to do with magic is to use it to directly affect others. People have a subconcious self image of themselves which provides them a measure of protection against anything which would change them. Turning people into frogs, controlling someone's mind, or causing their head to explode is really hard. Even if they know and accept that you can do it, (as per 6c) they have to give you permission either conciously or subconcioussly beforehand.

So what do you guys think? Does this make sense? Is it too complex? Any questions, comments, or suggestions?

 

[ThinkerX]

Sounds like you've been reading up a fair bit.

Very much along the lines as to how the 'New Age' / 'Wicca' set explains magic.

Somewhat similiar to my system.

 

[Queshire]

....

Just how new age-y / wiccan-y are we talking about here? 'Cuz that was never my intent....

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

I like it a lot. Seems an interesting starting point.

My only recommendation is to offer some more limiting costs for the user. Fatigue is fine (although possibly overdone) but there should be some heavier costs associated with the more powerful planes in my opinion.

 

[ThinkerX]

Just how new age-y / wiccan-y are we talking about here? 'Cuz that was never my intent....

Hmm...its been a while, and there is a fair bit of variation, but generally...

in New Age / Wiccan systems, the Astral itself is seen as a source of power, a 'higher realm' if you will. It can be shaped by a powerful enough adept, but the changes don't last.

It really does read as though you read some New Age / Wiccan books out there, then went and made minor tweaks.

 

[Queshire]

that annoys me a bit..... That was not my intent at all..... This magic system came about from a fusion of D&D influence, convesastions on this forum of the difference between magic and science, and a desire on my part to make a sci-fi fantasy fusion ala the spelljammer setting of D&D. I've never read a thing on Wiccan beliefs.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

If I were you I'd be excited that my idea has grounding in reality. It gives it weight & substance.

Don't get caught up in all the BS. If you liked it before you shouldn't like it any less now.

The story is all that really matters.

 

[Queshire]

yeah, that's true, but it makes me feel less hipsterish....

 

[Graylorne]

Well, it looks a fair bit like my system, too. And I've never read anything new age-ish either.

I use the multiverse idea: There is an First Universe. Multidimensional chaos, permeated by the 5th element: mana, the stuff of creation. I call it the Intermedium. Mages can use mana to create magic, call elementals, channel it for teleporting, etc. Alchemists can tap it to make it into pills and powders by plugging a magical tap into the membrane dividing the Intermedium from my universe. Priests get it through prayer.

Perhaps it's not original. I must admit I don't really care either. This is part of the story I want to tell.

 

[JCFarnham]

Please don't stop writing something Queshire just because it seems like something else. The way you do it will be different to how some one else does it.

Tapping into Wicca? Well lets put a spin on it. You've just called reminiscence to a system of belief that has a decent following world wide. Even if you don't obviously call attention to that those people will empathise with the idea (that might not be the right word but I hope you get what I'm driving at here). It's like if you wrote a story that called to mind christian beliefs, it may not be any where near "a christian book" but it will interest people for whom those ideals resonate.

So. Whether it was your intent or not, don't get rid of that Naw age styling for "something original", that "something original" may not get under peoples skin in any where near the same way as your current system has the potential to.



Anyway, now I'm going to ignore that bit, and focus on the internal logic of the system itself. I don't believe you've made anything too complicated here. It's simple enough, and you have everything you need. You define where the power comes from. You define why we can't do it easily on Earth. You've defined some setting through it. You've defined the limitations and you haven't detailed it so much that there's no breath room for an organic plot.

The best magic systems in my opinion are the simple vague ones. I have only one/two rules in my own magic system.

1) Its a power source like a battery and can do whatever you wish it to.
2) If you're not an inherently magical being, touching such energies directly will tear you apart.

Easy limitations right there. And yet there are human wizards in my stories? How odd! The loop hole these guys abuse is enchanted items and doodads. Following from this, humans would need a magical being to craft such items for them, and thusly the idea of contracting arises. Which gives birth to a whole load of conflict and so on. (the setting has some inherent qualities like a magic works on belief, but it's not strictly a factor of the magic system itself. but these also give rise to plenty of internally sound conflict)

So as you can see, two simple points giving rise to a whole world of possibilities (and I think a nice unique twist, but that's just me).

Don't sweat the details. Just make sure everything follows some kind of logic and you're grand.