Using magic/magic systems in your writing

[makoeyes]

This is a thread for getting help with one's "flavor" of magic in your writing. This could also apply to other superpowers if you want, like psionics.

This is what I've got planned so far for my magic system, and I'd like some help developing mine, if you don't mind.

What can it do?

Magic in my universe can do practically anything. Magic is even defined as the power to bend the laws of reality to one’s will. One of the laws is that the dead cannot be brought back to life unless they’re very recently dead. Like if it’s done very, very soon, it’s possible, and even then not if their body has been destroyed. The medical definition of death is whenever oxygen no longer reaches the brain and the brain loses all activity. I think it’s possible to revive someone irl, and obviously magic is going to be better at it than anything we could do.

Another law is that real love cannot be created or imitated, whether it is romantic or platonic. Another law is that a memory can’t be permanently erased. You can bury under layers of lies and false memories, but it’ll still be there.

Magic could basically fix all the real world’s problems. Magic could create a perpetual energy source that’s more effective than fossil fuels. It can create a perpetually self-repairing machine, possibly even one that permanently repairs itself. It can permanently regenerate lost body parts. Cure to viruses is a home remedy. Causing a forest to grow up in a deforested area can be done with a wave of a hand. Food can be conjured from nothing or multiplied to feed billions of people without end. Magic can be used to find forensic evidence that have been destroyed through mundane means or simply just read the minds of criminals.

However, magic cancels magic. While magic can fix all real world problems, it’s like in Harry Potter in which magic causes a lot of problems as well. Magic can be used to shield the mind from intrusion, thus preventing telepaths being used to convict criminals unless there’s a certainty that they’re not psychically protected. Magic can permanently erase all forensic evidence. Magic can stop the past from being viewed. There are magical diseases that can’t be cured as easily as say, AIDS or Ebola can. There are evil mages out there. Maleficium (Dark Arts) can have adverse effects on the natural environment, etc., etc.

Basically, while it can do almost anything, magic creates almost as many problems as it fixes.

Laws

Laws of Sympathy

In real life and fiction, there exists a form of magic called Sympathetic Magic. There are three Laws of Sympathy:

• Law of Contagion: Anything which has been in contact with something maintain a connection to what it used to be in contact with. This is why it’s a bad idea to leave your hair laying around unscrupulous mages. Contagions (which is what these “links” are called) allows a mage to gain a degree of control over a person by making it easier to work magic on a faraway target. A person’s name is a Contagion, though a fairly weak one. This law is why it’s possible to use Psychometry on objects and gain information about the object’s owner.
• Law of Imitation: Things that resemble the target of the magic can be used to affect the target. Voodoo dolls are an example of this.
• Law of Correspondence: Things that share similar properties can be used to treat effect something similar to it. For example, using yellow plants to cure jaundice, or use red wine to effect the blood.

Law of “Fuel”

Doing magic, like any other kind of work, requires energy - fuel. Most commonly this fuel is MP, which is a slang term video game fans use. MP means “Magic Points.” MP is the energy required to do magical work. A more powerful mage has a greater store of MP within them.

Mages can get MP from just about anything. They can draw it out of magical sources (the best kind of power source) such as a Ley Line. They can, and do regularly, draw it from natural forces, such as the weather or the full moon. The reason why mages use candles is because it raises the ambient amount of energy a mage has to work with. They can even draw it out of Muggle technological devices and power sources.

The second best source of energy, besides purely magical sources, is life force. Basically, Cast From Hit Points. Mages automatically start casting from their own Hit Points once they run out of MP, however they can draw it from surrounding living things, which usually kills them.

Gestures, incantations, geometry, etc.

With the exception of “personal powers,” most magic requires either reagents (such as ingredients in making a potion), gestures, incantations, or tools. It’s possible to cast spells without all that, but few magical creatures can do such a thing. The exception is gods, who can use their powers without all that, and to a lesser extent Sorceresses.

Almost all spells will require either an incantation (even if it’s just a couple of words like “Expecto Patronum”, or a full blown rhyming chant), even if it’s unspoken, and/or a gesture.

Using tools, geometry, gestures, etc. will make it so that one requires less effort and MP in using the magic. The more “trappings” you use, the less mental discipline required and the less energy you have to put into it.

The purpose of words and gestures
Words help activate the magic in one’s mind. It’s easier to know what to do if you have a specific word you use to cast a particular spell, rather than simply just concentrating. Spells are usually cast in dead languages in order to avoid accidentally using magic. Saying “fire” every time you shoot a fireball would increase the risk of one accidentally setting their underwear on fire.

Spells are generally said in a couple of weird sounding words, such as in Harry Potter. More powerful spells require longer spells, such as a full on chant. Chants can be said in one’s native language as long as it’s written in a poetic, formal tone, because people don’t speak in rhyme. However, there’s still a small risk of accidentally using magic whenever reciting poetry, so most mages use archaic languages when they chant.

Like I said, using an actual incantation requires less effort than doing magic without it. An example of a non-traditional incantation would be the “Kiyup!” martial artists use.

Gestures serve much the same purpose.

Tools and geometric magic

Tools have a power of their own, whereas words and gestures are largely mental. Tools (of which the most powerful and versatile is by far the wand) help to channel and focus magic. Geometry (most especially circles) helps do the same thing.

Geometric shapes and patterns have actual power within physical reality, much like in real life sciences. Tools (such as a dagger or cauldron) have actual power of their own, much like how cables direct electrical energy to a place.

How does it make sense from a scientific perspective?

Magic, to some extent, obeys the ordinary laws of physics. Whenever a wizard waves his wand and conjures up a flock of birds, it doesn’t just happen for no reason. It converts pretty much all surrounding matter and energy into the birds. This is why there’s often a “bang,” puff of smoke, or flash of light, because it’s a byproduct of the rapid energy and matter exchanges.

This can be seen in Harry Potter, whenever the door to Ravenclaw tower asks McGonagall where vanished objects go, and she correctly replies “Into non-being, which is to say everything.” This is why conjuration and vanishing is a part of Transfiguration, because it’s converting matter and energy into something else.
This also explains where the extra mass in shapeshifting comes from.

Some people may ask if they can unleash incredible forces of destruction such as a nuclear bomb (according to mathematics, Dumbledore’s conjurations of hundreds of sleeping bags in Prisoner of Azkaban requires 12 times as much energy as the strongest nuclear weapon ever devised by man), well, some mages can destroy planets (SOME), but most can’t. This is where the “it’s magic” comes in. While, yes, they can do things that in real life would require mind-boggling amounts of energy, it doesn’t work like that according to magical laws.

As best as I can tell right now, magic works according more to scale and common sense than physics. It’s easier to transfigure something that’s similar (like beetles into buttons) and multiply smaller numbers of food. That said actual science still plays a part. Human transfiguration is the most difficult because humans are the most complex of life forms, and it’s easier to transform into a swarm of mice than a single one (because your mass stays the same, but it’s harder to keep control over one’s mind and makes said mice act as one), but at the same time don’t act like too much of a physicist when dealing with magic.

[firegirl26]

wow that's a lot

[Alastor]

Hm... From the looks of things, how the system of magic works is solid, and seems pretty functional, giving the vibe of a somewhat Harry Potter-esc magic system (or, at least, a bit closer to HP than something you'd find in Dungeons and Dragons).

There's not really terribly much to comment about because of this (especially since I'm pretty terrible with designing magic systems), but I do wonder- is there any way to use magic despite the chanting/gestures being interrupted? And for that matter, what's the ability of the average mage in the setting (and how do their societies function, particularly how non-Mages react to their antics)?

[makoeyes]

I still have more in case you want to know more about it.

HP is indeed one of the major inspirations for my universe and magic systems. The most powerful and useful tool that every mage needs, is the wand, with the cauldron in second place.

Yes, there is. Magic can in theory be done without any of that, it's just more difficult, requires greater concentration by a lot, and uses up more MP. The more gestures, tools, etc. used, the lesser the MP cost. But most incantations boils down to one or two words like in HP, and gestures is just a quick movement of the hand.

The average mage is quite a force to be reckoned with. (Just a warning, this is going to be long). All true mages possess certain powers, even if they're just barely getting started out. These are:

• Mediumship: This psychic power allows a mage to sense, talk to, and maybe even control some manner of spirit, such as a ghost or astrally projected person. Some mages are naturally stronger with this than others.
• Heightened senses - All true mages have far sharper senses than a normal person. Eventually a mage's senses increase to the point that even boosted their senses shouldn't work like that for a human, like seeing in infrared, or perceiving radio waves as sound.
• Intuition - A true mage has some degree of ESP. Some are lucky enough to be gifted naturally with a strong ESP ability, but it's very rare. Most mages have this show up in perhaps being able to sense danger, or telling when the phone is about to ring, or maybe battle precognition (that is, sensing what's about to happen before it happens, like Spiderman).
• Healing factor - They all heal a bit better than a normal person. This isn't as extreme as certain other creatures, such as vampire, but it's noticeably faster than a regular person. They heal better, not just faster, and all wounds will eventually heal completely with no scar or sign of being injured. In fact, after almost dying, a mage is actually a bit more powerful after making a total recovery. This healing factor, outside of the "getting stronger every time they almost die" thing isn't really good for much, since healing powers are so common in the magical world anyways.
• Telekinesis - All witches have this power, even if it hasn't manifested itself yet. Pretty much all wizards have it as well, but they don't start off with the full range of mage powers, unlike a witch.
• Telepathy - The vast majority of mages all have this. Pretty much all of them have some ability to probe and shield minds. A lot can also control minds.

A witch is a mage born with a full range of mage powers. They can cast spells whenever they want, so long as they haven't burned out their "fuel" sources. A wizard is a human with one or possibly more special "Gifts", which will allow them to become a true mage with training. Wizards use Vancian magic. All spells have to be pre-prepared by using starting up a ritual, then stopping the ritual, "compressing" it, and "stocking" the spell with them. Spell compression is exclusive to wizards, and witches can't do it. The downside to this form of magic is that it's like loading a gun, so a wizard will be out of luck if they don't have the right spell prepared. But the upside is that a good chunk of the necessary MP goes into the ritual, and all that's needed after words is "triggering" the spell. So whenever actually using a compressed spell, a wizard gets to use less MP than a witch would to cast the same spell. They still have to watch how many spells they have left though.

Anyways, the average mage is basically capable of everything that an adult wizard in HP would be capable of, and then some. It's like in HP where compulsory classes in school are only for five years or less, so the level of skill in one branch or another varies greatly. But, I'll try to give an overview as best I can. The average mage can blow up stuff easily, with varying forces. They can shoot lightning, fire, ice, non-elemental, holy/light, etc. An average has enough fire power to take out multiple tanks and still keep going.

Defensively, they should be able to block bullets without need of a wand or other amplifier, and can reverse magical effects back on the caster. They can cast a temporary spell on themselves and others that repels non-magical missiles/projectiles, meaning that bullets will be pushed away by an invisible force. They can cast another spell to alter the nature of heat and flame to make it harmless and so that it doesn't burn. They can bewitch something to absorb kinetic blows. So, basically, these three spells can pretty much protect a mage from any advanced Muggle weapon (Muggle is just the word I'm using right now. That's not what I'm going to call normal people in the final draft), so long as they cast it quick enough. Most mages also have some degree of healing powers, especially with potions. With spells, most mages almost always use wands, 'cause healing magic is one of the more difficult types of magic, but an average one can do minor healing, like broken nose, with their hand, it'll just take more MP.

As far as utility goes, that is, something not related to fighting, they can basically do everything an HP wizard/witch can, only they're much less dependent on wands, and non-verbal magic is much more common.

There's also something else they have: Physical powers and skills. All mages are required to take at least five years of martial-arts classes where they'll be trained to basically be a Kung-Fu Wizard and Magic Knight. A part of this is learning Qi powers, which is a form of magic related to biological life. All living things can learn Qi powers, including Muggles. Unlike in HP, mages aren't any more physically superior to Muggles, it's just that all mages are taught in Qi powers, whereas most Muggles don't even know they exist. Qi powers makes one physically superhuman, and allows for a few other powers. My main character, S, is particularly skilled in martial arts and Qi powers. He's strong and fast enough to overturn a limo with one hand and dodge bullets. He's strong and fast enough to kill 3 average or weaker vampires in a fair fight, maybe more if he's lucky. His sister is even more badass than him.

(Vampires in my series are like in The Vampire Chronicles, where they can move many times faster than the eye can see, and are amazingly strong, among many other powers. The strongest vampires can lift and toss pyramids. Qi powers makes it more so like it's Buffy, where a very small number of normal humans are able to kill lesser vampires in a regular fight. S is basically like Xander or Riley in that sense).

Like I said, I haven't much thought of the average mage's abilities, because all of my main mage characters so far are quite powerful. Muggles would be steamrolled if it ever came to an all-out war. Mages went into hiding completely about three centuries ago in order to protect Muggles (which is probably why wizards went into hiding in HP as well). In fact, one of the things that keeps the mage government the busiest is keeping evil mages from messing with Muggles.

Here's how I place my mages on the scale of power:

• Untrained mages - Mages who haven't yet reached schooling age, and have no training
• Mages who are just get started out - Mages who have just started training
• Most preteen and early teenage mages.
• Mages who have completed basic education - Mages who have five years of training, and carry a license to perform magical services.
• Adult mages - Have completed all seven levels of education*, and have been granted their witch/wizard medallion. In theory, they could actually teach if they've had all seven years of a magical class. (From here on out, the differences in power grow much greater).
• Master mage - A mage who has achieved a mastery of magic. They are far more knowledgeable than an average adult mage.
• Great Mage - Great Mages are extremely powerful. Magic is often detected by seeing it, and Great Mages shine like a blazing sun. The vast majority of mages never reach this level of power. Just as above a Master mage as a Master is above an average mage.
• Archmage - The highest rank a mage can be given. They're roughly twice as powerful as the average Great Mage. An Archmage is so powerful that, even when not in Trance*, are capable of performing magic with a global range. Archmages rarely ever come around more than once a century if even that. The only living Archmage at the time of the story is able to effect weather patterns all over the world, but not much more than that. On a smaller scale, she can do much more than that. If she let loose, she'd be able to unleash total destruction far greater than even the most powerful Muggle nuclear weapon, even my universe's version of the Tsar Bomba.
• Archmages of legendary power - This is not a title, but it's clear these Archmages are far more powerful than an ordinary Archmage. These guys possess powers comparable to that of many GODS. The Bigger Bad of the story is able to, even un-Tranced, can cause global devastation with practically no effort (though she's a Sorceress*, and her specialty as a Sorceress is offensive and destructive magic), and without Trancing can contain the blast of nuclear weapons with such ease that she laughs that this "is the best Muggles can do?". Tranced, without a power amplifier, she is able to destroy a planet and moon at the same time, and still have a little energy left over.

Muggles are, at the beginning of the first book, unaware of the existence of magic, except one species of vampire, which "came out of the coffin" about 2 years prior to the beginning of the first book. At the end, mages have come out as well, and begin working together, in part to keep the vampires in line. Muggles react badly to mages abusing their powers, but unlike vampires, most mages are not evil. In the epilogue to the first book, mages have already started various charities to offer magical solutions to the Muggle world. It's reported on the news, for example, that world hunger is largely becoming a thing of the past. There's still evil mages, but, thanks to S inheriting the throne, the witch government are working together at the moment to protect normal people from unscrupulous mages.

*Trance is just a word I'm using right now. It's the "Limit Breaks". It functions similarly to Trance in FFIX. All superhuman creatures (even regular people with Qi powers) can do this. Not everyone is able to use Trance, but the ones that do, it's a very nice to thing to have happen to you. The more powerful a mage is, it becomes much more difficult to enter Trance, but the more powerful they are the longer it lasts and the more powerful it is when it does happen.

**A Sorceresses or Sorcerer is sort of similar to the Sorceresses from FFVIII. They are able to use magic more easily than a normal mage, requiring less extra stuff like gestures and whatnot. They also possess godlike stores of MP and recover their MP at godlike speeds. They live even longer than a regular mage.

The main inspirations for my magic system are HP (of course), Final Fantasy and RPGs in general, The Dresden Files, The Vampire Diaries (because witches in the show at least have many powers they're able to use magic on the fly instantaneously), and to some extent "real life magical" traditions.

[Alastor]

...honestly, the only thing I can really think of for advice is trying to keep the power levels of mages in the realm of what's fitting for the narrative. The system is actually pretty solid and well developed.

[makoeyes]

Yeah, that's probably going to be the number one thing that I'll have trouble with, is the power levels. I'm wondering if I'm overpowering them way too much. If I go with how I have their power levels now, they'd probably be too strong for even something like FF. Most of the bad guys in FF only reached planet-busting levels of power with help, rather than it being a natural progression of their own powers.

[Alastor]

Jun 1, 2013 19:35:34 GMT -8 makoeyes said:

Yeah, that's probably going to be the number one thing that I'll have trouble with, is the power levels. I'm wondering if I'm overpowering them way too much. If I go with how I have their power levels now, they'd probably be too strong for even something like FF. Most of the bad guys in FF only reached planet-busting levels of power with help, rather than it being a natural progression of their own powers.

That might be a problem, but only if it's a common thing- maybe have that level of power be something if a mage has been alive well beyond an intended lifespan (making it along the lines of a Lich, kind of)?

[annoyed]

Overall power level doesn't matter, only relative levels. The heroes can be as weak or as strong as you want them to be, as long as the villains are strong enough to challenge them.

[makoeyes]

Jun 1, 2013 20:01:19 GMT -8 Alastor said:

Jun 1, 2013 19:35:34 GMT -8 makoeyes said:

Yeah, that's probably going to be the number one thing that I'll have trouble with, is the power levels. I'm wondering if I'm overpowering them way too much. If I go with how I have their power levels now, they'd probably be too strong for even something like FF. Most of the bad guys in FF only reached planet-busting levels of power with help, rather than it being a natural progression of their own powers.

That might be a problem, but only if it's a common thing- maybe have that level of power be something if a mage has been alive well beyond an intended lifespan (making it along the lines of a Lich, kind of)?

Yeah, planet-busting levels of power is extremely unusual among mages. The one mage who's capable of that in my story is more or less like Voldemort in terms of power in relation to everyone else.

Jun 3, 2013 0:32:28 GMT -8 annoyed said:

Overall power level doesn't matter, only relative levels. The heroes can be as weak or as strong as you want them to be, as long as the villains are strong enough to challenge them.

It's just that it would be hard to keep all that together in my mind. Basically, I want to make sure that their power levels are consistent instead of jumping around like even some good writers fall victim to.