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My magic system (opinons sought after...but beware this post is long)

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belial.1980:

--- Quote from: seekmore on April 19, 2009, 03:18:55 PM ---You magic system is intriguing because it, from my understanding at least, dismisses the scholarly aspect that many magic systems get bogged down in. No rote memorization, no magic words, no gray-haired old men hoarding knowledge. Your system is chaotic and dangerous.

--- End quote ---

I try not to totally dismiss the scholarly aspect. In fact, one of the most effective spells my MC casts is a very formal ritual of medieval tradition. He works a spell taken almost verbatim from the medieval text, Liber De Angelis (Book of Angels) I found it in a book called Conjuring Spirits, Texts and Traditions of Ritual Magic. (http://www.amazon.com/Conjuring-Spirits-Traditions-Medieval-Ritual/dp/0271025174/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240204100&sr=8-1) It contains translations of actual magical texts from the middle ages. Interesting stuff.

I guess what I'm getting at is that the shaman with the face paint and wolf skull fetish, and the gray beard, with his arcane tomes, have equally valid methods. Do what works...ends to a means.

 

Slife:

--- Quote from: seekmore on April 19, 2009, 03:18:55 PM ---You magic system is intriguing because it, from my understanding at least, dismisses the scholarly aspect that many magic systems get bogged down in. No rote memorization, no magic words, no gray-haired old men hoarding knowledge. Your system is chaotic and dangerous.

--- End quote ---

But those with more experience will have more contracts, contacts, and confidence.  A lifetime of favors accumulated.

Weaverchilde:
The idea of the system is interesting and one I have found used in similar fashion to the spirit magics of the old White Wolf games, especially Werewolf: the Apocalypse. They used a cool old word, Chiminage to sum up the act of getting a spirit to bend to your will. Different groups went about this in different ways, usually either through kissing spirit butt and flattering them into action, bribing them with favors and idolatry, or forcing the spirit into action by sheer force (dangerous in that setting due to the hierarchy of spirits and insulting a more powerful spirit by harming their underling).

Chim´i`nage
n. 1. (Old Law) A toll for passage through a forest.

Then there is Mage: the Ascension... both games have really good resources to dig through for idea, plus their reading lists are good for researching such things.

belial.1980:

--- Quote from: Weaverchilde on April 29, 2009, 05:44:33 PM ---
Chim´i`nage
n. 1. (Old Law) A toll for passage through a forest.


--- End quote ---

Awesome. Thanks! I'll see about scaring up some of those books for reference.

belial.1980:

I've done some more thinking on this "system" of magic. (I use the word "system" loosely.) It seems to me that the trend in fantasy is to treat magic much like one would treat a form of science. I want it to treat it as something more akin to an art form. I want it to be a bit dangerous and unpredictable, and I wanted to find a way to reconcile the shaman, the druid, the magician, etc. and synthesize most forms of historical magic.

As stated earlier, magic is the act of compelling entities such as demons, spirits and ghosts, and such, to follow the sorcerer's will. I got to thinking, "how exactly does this work?" Symbolism. When someone says to their girlfriend, "I love you honey" they're not literally comparing her to the byproduct of small, flying insects. They're ascribing her with a favorable quality of said substance—sweetness. Waving goodbye, blowing a kiss, shaking hands—these are all symbolic gestures that connotative of something deeper. Most human communication involves symbolism on some level, so why would communication with the spirit world be any different?

This is where sympathetic magic and rituals come into play. Symbols are set and coordinated through ritual magic to compel entities to follow the sorcerer's will. Words, gestures, sacrifices, etc. are all symbols to communicate the sorcerer's will. The forms of these symbols are limited only to the sorcerer's imagination, and as long as they construe the sorcerer's meaning, there's no reason why they shouldn't work. Thus the greybeards with their lengthy moonlit rituals, the cave dwelling shaman with their animal masks and fire lit dances, and the modern day sorceress with a summoning circle in her basement are all using the same method. The art in magic comes from constructing effective symbols that properly direct the entities the mage is attempting to compel.
   
So, then I got to thinking, "Okay. That's a working concept. It's a bit vague at this point in the game. How would this apply to an actual spell?"

It's back to applied symbolism. Let's say, for argument's sake, that a medieval sorcerer has turned the dusty pages of his grimoire to a ritual is designed to call the demon Asmodeus, up from The Nethers and compel him to destroy his enemies with fire.

Asmodeus is not actually a single demon or entity. Asmodeus is a symbolic being, like a character in a play. This particular spell calls for a powerful devil to destroy the sorcerer's enemies with fire. When the sorcerer crafts said spell, he creates a script of symbolic language for 'Asmodeus' to follow. If successful, he'll succeed in calling a devil with the powers and resources that fit the bill for Asmodeus. (Again, like an actor called to fill the part. Just as Jim Carey couldn't pull off the role of Vito Corleone, Marlon Brando wouldn't have made a very good choice for Ace Ventura) The summoned devil assumes the role of Asmodeus and steals upon the sorcerer's enemies to smite them with flame. Whether the demon breathes fire, or wields a flaming cutlass, or calls tongues of fire to fall upon them really makes no difference, since the end result is the same. The role has been filled successfully.
   
The spell, like a play, is subject to improvisation, miscues, prima donnas, etc. A poorly crafted spell may end with "Asmodeus" deciding the story should end with him incinerating the sorcerer that summoned him.

Eh, the concept is still pretty rough, with lots of holes to fill, but I'm pretty sure this is the direction I want to take it.

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