McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft

To wand or not to wand...?

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hank the ancient:
I would suggest bypassing anything you find too constricting with a larger and more adaptable system. For instance you could have the magic be inherent to a system of printed designs or glyphs which operate more like components on a circuit board then letters in an alphabet, that way characters can focus from whatever they chose to write/engrave on, be it wands, books, staffs, stones, jewelry, tattoos, graffiti, etc.

As a bonus it can provide a rule set similar to modern electronics. Most vanillas don't understand how it works, just that it does. With a bit of basic understanding, you can get a vague idea of what simpler magic crafted items can do just by looking at their layout, while the really complex stuff is like trying to interpret the schematic for an f-16 guidance system. Theoretically, you can do anything from a set number of components, but as the functional sophistication rises, so does the physical complexity of the item. Lastly using anything in a way it wasn't designed for can seriously damage it or cause it to explode.

Shecky:
Not to be adversarial, just playing Devil's advocate: instead of going with a larger, more adaptable system, you could figure out what you want it to do and work backwards from there to a VERY precise, rigidly constricting system, one that requires dead-on accuracy for magic to work (which would conveniently explain why people don't just stumble upon it). Just an option, not a disagreement with Hank.

arianne:

--- Quote from: Shecky on March 19, 2012, 01:47:10 AM ---Is the wand the method of passing on the magic? If so, how does it work? Is the wand itself an heirloom, an item with its own power, or is it just something purpose-made in a purely utilitarian way? Would making one's first wand be a step towards becoming a full wizard à la Jedi lightsaber? Would they maybe be made with a portion of the wizard's own life-force, or maybe even a bit of their body?

There's SO much that can be done with wands story-wise, and as has been pointed out, they don't even have to be the classic wooden stick.

--- End quote ---

The wands aren't really ay sort of rite of passage item, and they're not custom made by the wizards themselves. As of now, the wands are things that can be bought in stores located at the ends of dark alleys. There isn't really a "matching" process for wizards and their wands (not like in Harry Potter where they have to see if they have to test the wands to see if they're good with each other), since most wands are created equal.

I'm just worried that in a modern urban environment it would feel out of place to have something like a wand (which may be an awkward thing to get out of one's pocket in emergency situations). The wand itself is only a conduit of the magic inside the wizard, so at this point I've having doubts as to whether I really need a focus at all. Would it simply be easier and less complicated to just use one's hands to shape one's will?

DragonEyes:

--- Quote from: arianne on March 19, 2012, 09:09:58 AM ---The wands aren't really ay sort of rite of passage item, and they're not custom made by the wizards themselves. As of now, the wands are things that can be bought in stores located at the ends of dark alleys. There isn't really a "matching" process for wizards and their wands (not like in Harry Potter where they have to see if they have to test the wands to see if they're good with each other), since most wands are created equal.

I'm just worried that in a modern urban environment it would feel out of place to have something like a wand (which may be an awkward thing to get out of one's pocket in emergency situations). The wand itself is only a conduit of the magic inside the wizard, so at this point I've having doubts as to whether I really need a focus at all. Would it simply be easier and less complicated to just use one's hands to shape one's will?

--- End quote ---

So why not make a joke of it? Have the wands made of modern stuff so they can be disguised. Call it a wand, but maybe it looks like an old  cell phone with an antenna or a chewed up pencil. Maybe its built into a briefcase or an umbrella. In an homage to the Dresden files tv series, maybe one has a drumstick that he uses as a wand. They, of course, aren't the things they look like, but they are disguised to fit in with the modern world.

For me, though, this question would depend on what system of magic I'm borrowing my insights from or whether I'm creating a new one out of whole cloth. If its a new system, I'd suggest you use something new. If you are borrowing from existing myth and lore, you have a literal world of choices.

Lanodantheon:
I personally support the "Make a joke of it" and "Use modern Materials" ideas, but that's just my sensibilities.


At the end of the day, 1) Wands being associated with magic is older than dirt and certainly older that Potter. As are Staves, which you could also update. Both of them I believe are related to the Axis Mundi Concept, a solid connection between two worlds...but don't quote me on that. 
2) It's your story. If you don't like wands in your urban fantasy, don't use them.


My personal advice is for you to have fun with it. Do what you think is cool or best for the story. It all depends on the tone you're going for.


I can give a dozen ways to make it funny but from a practical side a Wand is portable, concealable and can get past airport security.  Wood doesn't set off metal detectors.


Jim Butcher himself has a story in WOJ talking about having to tell a security guy, "It's a Magic Wand" and the guy just leaving him alone. Who's going to look twice at a guy holding a stick?

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