ChasingSuns
Sage
So I recently revamped my magic system, and am looking for some feedback. It's still in the early stages, so please feel free to mention any aspects I may have missed.
Magic as perceived by people:
Almost no one really knows the true origin of magic, or the limitations of it. There are several ideas, theories, legends, and religions that try to explain where magic comes from. Even most practitioners aren't sure where the power comes from. As far as what is known, magic is perceived to be possibly used by quite a few people, although to varying degrees. Many perceive to be a sort of muscle of the soul, that takes time and training to strengthen (this isn't, in reality, entirely true). The common person often finds magic to be a mystery.
Magic in reality:
The truth of magic is that there are a series of otherworldly, Lovecraftian-style beings that are influencing the world by providing people with magical abilities. Each entity can imbue certain abilities (the details of this are not fully fleshed out yet), and can also manipulate the world in certain ways, such as changes to the environment or changing a human into something more monstrous. As I said before, the idea that magic functions like a muscle of the soul isn't entirely true. Basically, magical ability is something attained by opening your mind and soul up to the greater universe, to the point where these eldritch beings can interact with you on a deep, subconscious level. Learning to control your magic isn't actually about getting stronger, but rather about mitigating the negative effects of your soul's exposure to these beings (more on that later).
Abilities of mages (as of right now):
-illusion magic (glamors that can change the appearance of individuals or objects)
-telekinesis
-clairvoyance
-manipulation of fire
-manipulation of life (generally the most dangerous)
Weaknesses:
So basically, as said before, being able to use magic inherently means that you have been exposed to the powers of one of these beings (even if you are not consciously aware of it). Drawing upon their power deteriorates both the mind and the soul, and in extreme cases, the body as well. So training in the use of magic is actually the practice of maintaining your sanity. Diving to far in to quickly can cause you to completely lose your mind, or cause your soul to wither to basically nothing. This can eventually result in death in extreme cases (which results in that husk of a soul turning into an evil spirit, but that's a topic for another thread). There are those who have embraced this aspect of magic, and used to it gain power, but well... lets just say that turns them into something not entirely human.
So yeah, basically, just a framework right now. If you have any ideas, questions, or comments, please let me know! I wanna make sure I'm taking this in a good direction, and that I'm not missing anything big that might throw a wrench in the gears.
Magic as perceived by people:
Almost no one really knows the true origin of magic, or the limitations of it. There are several ideas, theories, legends, and religions that try to explain where magic comes from. Even most practitioners aren't sure where the power comes from. As far as what is known, magic is perceived to be possibly used by quite a few people, although to varying degrees. Many perceive to be a sort of muscle of the soul, that takes time and training to strengthen (this isn't, in reality, entirely true). The common person often finds magic to be a mystery.
Magic in reality:
The truth of magic is that there are a series of otherworldly, Lovecraftian-style beings that are influencing the world by providing people with magical abilities. Each entity can imbue certain abilities (the details of this are not fully fleshed out yet), and can also manipulate the world in certain ways, such as changes to the environment or changing a human into something more monstrous. As I said before, the idea that magic functions like a muscle of the soul isn't entirely true. Basically, magical ability is something attained by opening your mind and soul up to the greater universe, to the point where these eldritch beings can interact with you on a deep, subconscious level. Learning to control your magic isn't actually about getting stronger, but rather about mitigating the negative effects of your soul's exposure to these beings (more on that later).
Abilities of mages (as of right now):
-illusion magic (glamors that can change the appearance of individuals or objects)
-telekinesis
-clairvoyance
-manipulation of fire
-manipulation of life (generally the most dangerous)
Weaknesses:
So basically, as said before, being able to use magic inherently means that you have been exposed to the powers of one of these beings (even if you are not consciously aware of it). Drawing upon their power deteriorates both the mind and the soul, and in extreme cases, the body as well. So training in the use of magic is actually the practice of maintaining your sanity. Diving to far in to quickly can cause you to completely lose your mind, or cause your soul to wither to basically nothing. This can eventually result in death in extreme cases (which results in that husk of a soul turning into an evil spirit, but that's a topic for another thread). There are those who have embraced this aspect of magic, and used to it gain power, but well... lets just say that turns them into something not entirely human.
So yeah, basically, just a framework right now. If you have any ideas, questions, or comments, please let me know! I wanna make sure I'm taking this in a good direction, and that I'm not missing anything big that might throw a wrench in the gears.