Share your Magic System
Share your Magic System
For all you fantasy/sf conworlders, if you have one, share your magic system in the comments.
toki! mi nimi li Sajiman Petu. mi olin toki en sitelen en Toki Pona.
Re: Share your Magic System
There is a magic system I use actually in every conworld I make. It is built on four basic forces: weak, strong, heavy and light.
The conlanger formerly known as “the conlanger formerly known as Pole, the”.
If we don't study the mistakes of the future we're doomed to repeat them for the first time.
If we don't study the mistakes of the future we're doomed to repeat them for the first time.
Re: Share your Magic System
Likewise with any world I build, only this magic system is primarily focused around interactions of three-dimensional objects in four dimensions, and four-dimensional objects in three. I have to say, I really could use a hand from a quantum physicist or two to work out the details...
Re: Share your Magic System
Mr Edgar "Artifexian" Grunewald is actually in the process of building an interesting "magic" system. I think the only documentation of it is within the Artifexian podcasts, rather than written form. It's worth checking out.
My conlangery Twitter: @Jonlang_
Me? I'm just a lawn-mower; you can tell me by the way I walk.
Me? I'm just a lawn-mower; you can tell me by the way I walk.
Re: Share your Magic System
Artifexian is awesome. Do you watch Xidnaf?dyolf wrote:Mr Edgar "Artifexian" Grunewald is actually in the process of building an interesting "magic" system. I think the only documentation of it is within the Artifexian podcasts, rather than written form. It's worth checking out.
toki! mi nimi li Sajiman Petu. mi olin toki en sitelen en Toki Pona.
Re: Share your Magic System
I've seen a few of his videos but I didn't find him as interesting as Artifexian.Škjakto wrote:Artifexian is awesome. Do you watch Xidnaf?dyolf wrote:Mr Edgar "Artifexian" Grunewald is actually in the process of building an interesting "magic" system. I think the only documentation of it is within the Artifexian podcasts, rather than written form. It's worth checking out.
My conlangery Twitter: @Jonlang_
Me? I'm just a lawn-mower; you can tell me by the way I walk.
Me? I'm just a lawn-mower; you can tell me by the way I walk.
- HerljosScheindorf
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Re: Share your Magic System
There is no real magic on Nkakarak but le lerowukta believe in some shamanistic cult and in a vital energy flowing in blood, called tunaloki.
Scheindorf Herljos of the Ereissu-Nifh Keshtri from Nǩakarak
Re: Share your Magic System
The magic system for my current project is:
Advanced spellwork requires the power of all four cliche elements, but those with the potential to become mages start with an affinity for only one or two, and struggle with the most simple spells when they are young. Regular folk have an affinity to them all, and can easily do cantrips; however, they have supreme difficulty doing anything more. It's like too much of a good thing too soon spoils it for them.
Mage students learn to strengthen and control their own element by starting with one of the six traditional schools: degradation, regeneration, addition, subtraction, obfuscation, and detection. (The names don't quite touch on everything they encompass, but w/e). There's also two secret schools (space and time) which are the base of the forbidden ninth school (worldbreaking bullshit). The formers keep quiet and separate to prevent the latter's reassembly and abuse. With their bias, students are still very limited this early on, but this focus strengthens their control over time. An intermediate student can learn to invoke and control the other elements at the same level, and later, an advanced student can then specialize or dabble in elements and methods as they feel fit.
The other half of the system is the material: strong magic requires magic stones. They do not power the spells, but rather receive the waste - absorb the shock of doing magic, and pay for a small amount of the energy cost; mages would be short-lived without them. These stones are initially pretty bad at that, but can be used with any kind of magic; over time, they also become attuned -- they better circulate the kind of magic they are most used for, and become less efficient with others.
Spell scrolls, enchanted items, etc. which allow non-mages to do/use magic are made with the dust of stones which have been used for singular effects - these are typically made by students in their learning, e.g. an unnaturally sharp sword is dusted with the remains of a stone used by a student in their study of a particular form of degradation. The stones used by masters become so set they may even be 'tricked' into allowing lesser mages and regular people to do the spells the stones are used to.
All of this use quickly 'fills up' a stone. A set of master-fully degraded/subtracted/obfuscated or regenerated/added//detected stones, respectively, may be combined and put to use with time or space magic, respectively, and fully spaced and timed stones may be combined to facilitate worldbreaking bullshit.
And that's basically it. People in pointed hats spend 50+ years banging rocks together to learn to make really good sparks.
Advanced spellwork requires the power of all four cliche elements, but those with the potential to become mages start with an affinity for only one or two, and struggle with the most simple spells when they are young. Regular folk have an affinity to them all, and can easily do cantrips; however, they have supreme difficulty doing anything more. It's like too much of a good thing too soon spoils it for them.
Mage students learn to strengthen and control their own element by starting with one of the six traditional schools: degradation, regeneration, addition, subtraction, obfuscation, and detection. (The names don't quite touch on everything they encompass, but w/e). There's also two secret schools (space and time) which are the base of the forbidden ninth school (worldbreaking bullshit). The formers keep quiet and separate to prevent the latter's reassembly and abuse. With their bias, students are still very limited this early on, but this focus strengthens their control over time. An intermediate student can learn to invoke and control the other elements at the same level, and later, an advanced student can then specialize or dabble in elements and methods as they feel fit.
The other half of the system is the material: strong magic requires magic stones. They do not power the spells, but rather receive the waste - absorb the shock of doing magic, and pay for a small amount of the energy cost; mages would be short-lived without them. These stones are initially pretty bad at that, but can be used with any kind of magic; over time, they also become attuned -- they better circulate the kind of magic they are most used for, and become less efficient with others.
Spell scrolls, enchanted items, etc. which allow non-mages to do/use magic are made with the dust of stones which have been used for singular effects - these are typically made by students in their learning, e.g. an unnaturally sharp sword is dusted with the remains of a stone used by a student in their study of a particular form of degradation. The stones used by masters become so set they may even be 'tricked' into allowing lesser mages and regular people to do the spells the stones are used to.
All of this use quickly 'fills up' a stone. A set of master-fully degraded/subtracted/obfuscated or regenerated/added//detected stones, respectively, may be combined and put to use with time or space magic, respectively, and fully spaced and timed stones may be combined to facilitate worldbreaking bullshit.
And that's basically it. People in pointed hats spend 50+ years banging rocks together to learn to make really good sparks.
Last edited by kusuri on Tue Dec 27, 2016 6:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Share your Magic System
Nifty. The bits about normal people being better at simple magic faster than "mages" and using rocks for strong magic are really nice touches. It gives the system a unique feel.valiums wrote:The magic system for my current project is:
Tibetan Dwarvish - My own ergative "dwarf-lang"
Quasi-Khuzdul - An expansion of J.R.R. Tolkien's Dwarvish language from The Lord of the Rings
Quasi-Khuzdul - An expansion of J.R.R. Tolkien's Dwarvish language from The Lord of the Rings
Re: Share your Magic System
Thank you.
- Ryan of Tinellb
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Re: Share your Magic System
Each of my worlds has access to powers on a different plane of existence: emotional, physical, mental, and love magic.
The Zhaladi and the Fezhlê would be very surprised to hear you call it ‘magic’: humans so easily pick up oscillatory (sound) and electromagnetic (sight) signals; why is it so surprising to be able to sense another's emotions? The Brequèn may or may not agree - it depends if I give them full telekinesis, or just heightened physical senses. Tsarins are telepaths with a hive mind, but they probably don't think about it much. And the Solajin: who knows? Even I'm not sure what exactly ‘love-magic’ entails.
The Zhaladi and the Fezhlê would be very surprised to hear you call it ‘magic’: humans so easily pick up oscillatory (sound) and electromagnetic (sight) signals; why is it so surprising to be able to sense another's emotions? The Brequèn may or may not agree - it depends if I give them full telekinesis, or just heightened physical senses. Tsarins are telepaths with a hive mind, but they probably don't think about it much. And the Solajin: who knows? Even I'm not sure what exactly ‘love-magic’ entails.
High Lulani and other conlangs at tinellb.com
- CodeTriangle
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Re: Share your Magic System
I haven't really made a conworld yet, but if I do, there are some things I've thought about including. In fact, I've even thought about how magic could work. This thought popped into my head one day and I'm honestly not sure where it came from. It's not even a full magic system, just one small element that could set it apart from others. I'll try to explain it as best as I can.
So, the source of all magic would be the planet, and mages can tap into the planet's natural magic source to cast their own magic. But to use it, some part of your body directly has to be touching the ground, or another natural material, like a tree. It can be any body part, as long as a barrier like clothing doesn't get in between the source and the receiver. Different kinds of magic expend different magical energies from the planet. Like, casting a fireball spell would cool down the planet slightly, summoning a tornado would make the wind die down a bit, building a wall of water would drain a little from the ocean, freezing someone would take a bit of ice from the poles, etc. This all would lead to the eventual demise of the planet, since after so long, the wind would not blow at all, the planet would be cooled to dangerously low temperatures, there would be no water left, all the ice and snow would be gone, etc.
Again, this is just a random idea that I came up with, but it could lead to an interesting worldbuilding situation where magic slowly gets drained from the environment over thousands of years, starting with a prosperous society where magic abounds but leading to a post-apocalyptic scenario where the last humans are trying to survive on a planet where everything is terrible.
So, the source of all magic would be the planet, and mages can tap into the planet's natural magic source to cast their own magic. But to use it, some part of your body directly has to be touching the ground, or another natural material, like a tree. It can be any body part, as long as a barrier like clothing doesn't get in between the source and the receiver. Different kinds of magic expend different magical energies from the planet. Like, casting a fireball spell would cool down the planet slightly, summoning a tornado would make the wind die down a bit, building a wall of water would drain a little from the ocean, freezing someone would take a bit of ice from the poles, etc. This all would lead to the eventual demise of the planet, since after so long, the wind would not blow at all, the planet would be cooled to dangerously low temperatures, there would be no water left, all the ice and snow would be gone, etc.
Again, this is just a random idea that I came up with, but it could lead to an interesting worldbuilding situation where magic slowly gets drained from the environment over thousands of years, starting with a prosperous society where magic abounds but leading to a post-apocalyptic scenario where the last humans are trying to survive on a planet where everything is terrible.
I am Thethat, ancient recordkeeper and etymologist of the Sajem Tan tribe, as well as the foremost satirical poet.
Duhden duhden duhdenfeh keh duhden duhden: Distracted pasta is unproductive and distracts pasta.
Duhden duhden duhdenfeh keh duhden duhden: Distracted pasta is unproductive and distracts pasta.
Re: Share your Magic System
One of my side projects has an extremely intricate system of magic. The short version is that it's based on hermeticism, which is to say that magic is "tiered" and must be learned in order: alchemy, fate-reading (through astromancy or geomancy), and spellcasting. Humans do not actually possess the power to cast spells, however; the power must be channeled from a patron Fae, who must be willing and can be notoriously whimsical. Oh, did you need that fireball at that particular moment? Well, too bad, your patron Fae was curious what you'd do without it. There are higher and more reliable Powers than the Fae, but attracting (and keeping) one's attention is extremely difficult. One can also cast certain basic spells through necromancy, channeling the spirits of the dead, but this will corrupt the caster and is about the most evil thing you can do. Necromancy also only works for the most basic spells.
I would love to one day create a setting where the world itself is bristling in magic, yet the magic is subtle and mostly passive, much like Lord of the Rings, where even the resident wizard doesn't exactly go spell-crazy and typically relies on his sword and wits more than his magic.
I would love to one day create a setting where the world itself is bristling in magic, yet the magic is subtle and mostly passive, much like Lord of the Rings, where even the resident wizard doesn't exactly go spell-crazy and typically relies on his sword and wits more than his magic.
"But if of ships I now should sing, what ship would come to me,
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?”
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?”
Re: Share your Magic System
Lord of the Rings' lack of active magic was based on the idea that men shouldn't wait for Wizards (who are based off the angels) to save them. A lot of Tolkien's work had hidden spiritual meaning.
ìtsanso, God In The Mountain, may our names inspire the deepest feelings of fear in urkos and all his ilk, for we have saved another man from his lies! I welcome back to the feast hall kal, who will never gamble again! May the eleven gods bless him!
kårroť
kårroť
Re: Share your Magic System
I disagree in principle if not in practice. Tolkien was a devout Catholic, and his deeply held beliefs influenced his legendarium throughout, but from my many readings of both his works and his life I don't believe he deliberately wove in allegorical messages the way he (rightly, IMO) condemned Lewis for doing. That being said, the effect is still the same: of course his point was that, in the Third Age, the fate of Middle-earth was in the hands of Men. The time of the Elves had passed; they no longer cared what happened to Middle-earth. The Dwarves and Hobbits were too few in number. And the Istari had been sent to offer counsel only, as Gandalf repeatedly points out; they were not permitted to directly intervene in the affairs of the world. (Of course, Saruman and the two Blue Wizards didn't seem to mind breaking that particular directive, but that's why they're not heroes. And of course Radagast wasn't sent to help the people at all; Yavanna was worried about her growing things...)mèþru wrote:Lord of the Rings' lack of active magic was based on the idea that men shouldn't wait for Wizards (who are based off the angels) to save them. A lot of Tolkien's work had hidden spiritual meaning.
"But if of ships I now should sing, what ship would come to me,
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?”
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?”
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Re: Share your Magic System
Sharing my Magic System would first require me to:
1) Finish my fantasy conworld.
2) Finish my language families.
3) Explain the rules of the conworld.
4) Explain the Magic System.
I'm not even done with Step 1. And steps 3 and 4 would have to be done in a separate topic.
1) Finish my fantasy conworld.
2) Finish my language families.
3) Explain the rules of the conworld.
4) Explain the Magic System.
I'm not even done with Step 1. And steps 3 and 4 would have to be done in a separate topic.
~$ snappdragon
Linguistic novice, worldbuilding newbie. Also, wants to be a game developer.
Linguistic novice, worldbuilding newbie. Also, wants to be a game developer.
Re: Share your Magic System
Its not as much as allegory in the way of CS Lewis as a belief that his world should follow the same rules as he believed this one did.
ìtsanso, God In The Mountain, may our names inspire the deepest feelings of fear in urkos and all his ilk, for we have saved another man from his lies! I welcome back to the feast hall kal, who will never gamble again! May the eleven gods bless him!
kårroť
kårroť
Re: Share your Magic System
That I can agree with. That's also why Middle-earth is nearly devoid of religion, save for some disparaging references to Morgoth-worship (and Sauron-worship, to a lesser extent), a single hymn to Elbereth, and the quasi-religious ceremony practiced by the Men of Gondor wherein they face Númenór before eating. I chiefly objected to the idea of "hidden spiritual meaning," which in my mind is more along the lines of Lewis's allegories than what Tolkien intended. (Incidentally, despite being a Christian and despite having the deepest respect for Lewis as an apologist, theologian, and scholar, I've always found the Narnia books to be in poor taste. For me specifically, it's not even the transparent allegory--I can find a Medieval morality play amusing enough--but the complete lack of characterization. Edmund and Eustace are the nastiest children imaginable; the rest of his characters are blandly good. The only character, ironically, who really gets more depth than that is the White Witch, and only in The Magician's Nephew [which would probably stand out as the best of the series did it not invite negative comparisons to Tolkien's Ainulindallë--it's safe to say that, in my opinion, whenever Lewis and Tolkien did something similar, Tolkien did it better...].)mèþru wrote:Its not as much as allegory in the way of CS Lewis as a belief that his world should follow the same rules as he believed this one did.
"But if of ships I now should sing, what ship would come to me,
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?”
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?”
Re: Share your Magic System
Zaarin wrote:I disagree in principle if not in practice. Tolkien was a devout Catholic, and his deeply held beliefs influenced his legendarium throughout, but from my many readings of both his works and his life I don't believe he deliberately wove in allegorical messages the way he (rightly, IMO) condemned Lewis for doing.
Tolkien wrote: "The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work, unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like "religion", to cults or practices, in the Imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism" (Letter 142).mèþru wrote:Its not as much as allegory in the way of CS Lewis as a belief that his world should follow the same rules as he believed this one did.
So, yeah... He imbued the legendarium with the ethos of Catholicism. It's not an allegory, but a world view. And when it does come awfully close to allegory Tolkien would probably say no, it's merely an applicable interpretation:
"...I much prefer history – true or feigned– with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author."
Re: Share your Magic System
Yes, this is precisely what I was trying to say in a much less clear way.spanick wrote:Zaarin wrote:I disagree in principle if not in practice. Tolkien was a devout Catholic, and his deeply held beliefs influenced his legendarium throughout, but from my many readings of both his works and his life I don't believe he deliberately wove in allegorical messages the way he (rightly, IMO) condemned Lewis for doing.Tolkien wrote: "The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work, unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like "religion", to cults or practices, in the Imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism" (Letter 142).mèþru wrote:Its not as much as allegory in the way of CS Lewis as a belief that his world should follow the same rules as he believed this one did.
So, yeah... He imbued the legendarium with the ethos of Catholicism. It's not an allegory, but a world view. And when it does come awfully close to allegory Tolkien would probably say no, it's merely an applicable interpretation:
"...I much prefer history – true or feigned– with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author."
"But if of ships I now should sing, what ship would come to me,
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?”
What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?”
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- Sanci
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Re: Share your Magic System
Part of me just thought of the hilarity that would come if someone made a magic system based off of politics.
~$ snappdragon
Linguistic novice, worldbuilding newbie. Also, wants to be a game developer.
Linguistic novice, worldbuilding newbie. Also, wants to be a game developer.
Re: Share your Magic System
If I wanted to start a flamewar, I'd say that a religion is a magic system based off of politics.snappdragon wrote:Part of me just thought of the hilarity that would come if someone made a magic system based off of politics.
The conlanger formerly known as “the conlanger formerly known as Pole, the”.
If we don't study the mistakes of the future we're doomed to repeat them for the first time.
If we don't study the mistakes of the future we're doomed to repeat them for the first time.
Re: Share your Magic System
Apparently you DO want to start a flame war, because you just said it.Pole, the wrote:If I wanted to start a flamewar, I'd say that a religion is a magic system based off of politics.
Tibetan Dwarvish - My own ergative "dwarf-lang"
Quasi-Khuzdul - An expansion of J.R.R. Tolkien's Dwarvish language from The Lord of the Rings
Quasi-Khuzdul - An expansion of J.R.R. Tolkien's Dwarvish language from The Lord of the Rings
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Re: Share your Magic System
No flame wars please :3
~$ snappdragon
Linguistic novice, worldbuilding newbie. Also, wants to be a game developer.
Linguistic novice, worldbuilding newbie. Also, wants to be a game developer.
Re: Share your Magic System
But I merely posted a post that said that I'd say that, not that I said that. :<Vardelm wrote:Apparently you DO want to start a flame war, because you just said it.
The conlanger formerly known as “the conlanger formerly known as Pole, the”.
If we don't study the mistakes of the future we're doomed to repeat them for the first time.
If we don't study the mistakes of the future we're doomed to repeat them for the first time.