Noma Galway
Archmage
I just want to see if this sounds bad or not. Pretty much, it is a system of elemental magic with some "psychic" elements, I suppose.
First I want to make it plain that not everybody can use magic. I haven't quite worked out what determines who gets an element and who doesn't yet.
Each element has a major "power" set and a minor "power" set. Usually they just sort of influence the major element, because almost everyone with the elemental magic has two elements (major and minor).
People whose element is air are termed "airwalkers." They can teleport (kind of), they can fly, and they can actually create and control the wind. When a person has a minor element of air, they can still teleport, but there are three "spirit" powers, as air is closest to the spirit realm. If the major element is water, they can heal. If the major element is Fire, they can commune with the spirits (not sure if I am ridding myself of this later on) and release the spirit from the body. The opposition element for air is earth.
People whose element is fire are termed "firedancers." They can create actual fire. When held as a minor power in conjunction with earth, they can create heat. When held as a minor power in conjunction with air, they can create lightning. The opposition element for fire is water.
People whose element is water are termed "watershapers." They can pull water from a source (NOT create it) and use it in whatever fashion they wish. They can freeze it if they are skilled. They can't boil it, because that is the realm of fire. When held as a minor power in conjunction with earth, they can cool pretty much anything to a certain temperature. When held as a minor power in conjunction with air, they can control clouds and the weather, with the exception of lightning, which is, again, the realm of fire. The opposition element for water is fire.
People whose element is earth are termed "earthmolders." They can cause earthquakes and shape earth and stone to their liking. When held as a minor power in conjunction with water, they can create and control mud and clay, which doesn't sound all that useful but it can be when used right. When held as a minor power in conjunction with fire, the person can create near-volcanic effects.
That pretty much concludes the elemental aspect of magic. Far rarer are the "psychic" powers. These powers develop in people who have certain gifts or abilities naturally, or who possess certain qualities. There are four categories.
Those with a present-at-birth physical disability or handicap develop empathic powers. They get one ability and they also develop elemental powers, though they never develop a minor power in air. The three abilities are future sight (which pretty much means uncontrollable visions), emotional awareness (manifesting itself in the form of a visual sign on a person what emotional state they are in), and telepathy (just a quick, one-way image projected into the mind of another person).
Those with natural mental strength (like crazy smart) can work control over minds. They can either completely dominate a person's will (called possession, can only possess one person at a time), control the will (your basic mind-controlled zombies, but not undead), share the mind (coexist in equal shares in one head, thought of as a very pleasurable experience by many people), or influence the mind (make suggestions, give energy to a person). They can use all four abilities, sometimes at the same time, if they are very mentally gifted.
Two more develop later in life, when the qualities are shown:
People who are unnaturally beautiful can do three things. They can cause a distraction, magically, as if simply mundanely being around wasn't enough. They can summon people from far away, and they will come as soon as physically possible to the spot to which they were summoned (unless they have extraordinary willpower). They can cause someone to be friends with them. This one is a bit weird, but it pretty much just puts goodwill towards the person inside the target's head.
People who are extremely, extremely religious actually somehow managed to make contact with their deity (pantheon of three), and developed magic as well. These people do not have elements, typically, and if they do, they lose the elemental powers when they develop the magic from their deity. They can bless something, with an actual effect (I'm still working on this), curse something (like bless but opposite), and they can call upon a minor air power.
In addition to all of this, very very rarely a person is born with both elemental and psychic magic. If this happens, the person only has the minor ability and the power it grants to the major ability. For instance, if a person is a firedancer with a minor air power and also has the mind control aspect of psychic powers, the person can use lighting and ALL THREE minor air powers, but cannot create fire.
If you have any questions (or suggestions for the elementalist's names) please tell me
Thanks for getting through the post...I know it was long.
First I want to make it plain that not everybody can use magic. I haven't quite worked out what determines who gets an element and who doesn't yet.
Each element has a major "power" set and a minor "power" set. Usually they just sort of influence the major element, because almost everyone with the elemental magic has two elements (major and minor).
People whose element is air are termed "airwalkers." They can teleport (kind of), they can fly, and they can actually create and control the wind. When a person has a minor element of air, they can still teleport, but there are three "spirit" powers, as air is closest to the spirit realm. If the major element is water, they can heal. If the major element is Fire, they can commune with the spirits (not sure if I am ridding myself of this later on) and release the spirit from the body. The opposition element for air is earth.
People whose element is fire are termed "firedancers." They can create actual fire. When held as a minor power in conjunction with earth, they can create heat. When held as a minor power in conjunction with air, they can create lightning. The opposition element for fire is water.
People whose element is water are termed "watershapers." They can pull water from a source (NOT create it) and use it in whatever fashion they wish. They can freeze it if they are skilled. They can't boil it, because that is the realm of fire. When held as a minor power in conjunction with earth, they can cool pretty much anything to a certain temperature. When held as a minor power in conjunction with air, they can control clouds and the weather, with the exception of lightning, which is, again, the realm of fire. The opposition element for water is fire.
People whose element is earth are termed "earthmolders." They can cause earthquakes and shape earth and stone to their liking. When held as a minor power in conjunction with water, they can create and control mud and clay, which doesn't sound all that useful but it can be when used right. When held as a minor power in conjunction with fire, the person can create near-volcanic effects.
That pretty much concludes the elemental aspect of magic. Far rarer are the "psychic" powers. These powers develop in people who have certain gifts or abilities naturally, or who possess certain qualities. There are four categories.
Those with a present-at-birth physical disability or handicap develop empathic powers. They get one ability and they also develop elemental powers, though they never develop a minor power in air. The three abilities are future sight (which pretty much means uncontrollable visions), emotional awareness (manifesting itself in the form of a visual sign on a person what emotional state they are in), and telepathy (just a quick, one-way image projected into the mind of another person).
Those with natural mental strength (like crazy smart) can work control over minds. They can either completely dominate a person's will (called possession, can only possess one person at a time), control the will (your basic mind-controlled zombies, but not undead), share the mind (coexist in equal shares in one head, thought of as a very pleasurable experience by many people), or influence the mind (make suggestions, give energy to a person). They can use all four abilities, sometimes at the same time, if they are very mentally gifted.
Two more develop later in life, when the qualities are shown:
People who are unnaturally beautiful can do three things. They can cause a distraction, magically, as if simply mundanely being around wasn't enough. They can summon people from far away, and they will come as soon as physically possible to the spot to which they were summoned (unless they have extraordinary willpower). They can cause someone to be friends with them. This one is a bit weird, but it pretty much just puts goodwill towards the person inside the target's head.
People who are extremely, extremely religious actually somehow managed to make contact with their deity (pantheon of three), and developed magic as well. These people do not have elements, typically, and if they do, they lose the elemental powers when they develop the magic from their deity. They can bless something, with an actual effect (I'm still working on this), curse something (like bless but opposite), and they can call upon a minor air power.
In addition to all of this, very very rarely a person is born with both elemental and psychic magic. If this happens, the person only has the minor ability and the power it grants to the major ability. For instance, if a person is a firedancer with a minor air power and also has the mind control aspect of psychic powers, the person can use lighting and ALL THREE minor air powers, but cannot create fire.
If you have any questions (or suggestions for the elementalist's names) please tell me
Thanks for getting through the post...I know it was long.