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Developing a magic system

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blgarver:
So I'm developing the use and nature of magic for my fantasy series.  I was wondering if anyone had any advice about what to think of when approaching the development of a magic system.  Thanks!

the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:

--- Quote from: blgarver on October 28, 2008, 02:47:16 PM ---So I'm developing the use and nature of magic for my fantasy series.  I was wondering if anyone had any advice about what to think of when approaching the development of a magic system.  Thanks!

--- End quote ---

What scale of logic does it follow ?

With options being such things as; rational/scientific; behaving in accordance with people's character/poetic logic; following a certain mythic shape.  Magic system suggests the first, I suppose.

Also, how many people have access to it, and how used are they to it ? Is it a big special deal, or is using magic as common and unremarkable as checking your watch ?

Also also, the thing that most quasi-medieval fantasy novels Just Don't Get; if you have magical healing such that you're not working with real-medieval levels of infant mortality for any amount of time, you need an explanation for not having a population explosion.

blgarver:
What I have so far:

Everyone knows it exists, but its use is uncommon because magic is illegal.  Highly illegal.  It is more scientific as it is based in nature.  The energy to power the magic has to be harvested from a source...and the sources are are very rare.  For one to practice magic, first they must find a source.  But then they must be able to harvest the energy.  And then after they harvest it they have to know how to contain it and use it to power their spellwork. 

In short, it isn't common, and to practice magic is highly risky and extremely difficult.  But for those who are bent on pursuing the use of magic, there is always a way. 

There are vampires that can absorb and manipulate various energy - these make very effective magic users.  For that reason they are essentially racially profiled.  Others who have no natural affinity have to find other ways to absorb the magic.

I've got an idea that the ungifted ones have to inject the energy into their body.  So it's like a stimpac, where they have a period of magical ability, the length of time depending on the size of the dose of energy.

So that's the rough base I have for the magic system so far.  I was just trying to come up with some other ways people would use the energy once they managed to get it harvested.

the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:

--- Quote from: blgarver on October 29, 2008, 01:28:59 AM ---So that's the rough base I have for the magic system so far.  I was just trying to come up with some other ways people would use the energy once they managed to get it harvested.

--- End quote ---

My notions for how one would split possible uses of magic;

Sensing things.
Telekinesis-type manipulation of existing matter and energy.
Generating/creating new matter and energy.
Affecting people's minds directly.

Each of these could then split into subspecialisations - Aristotelian elements for the second or the third, for example.

The techniques and the development that the magic would go into would of course depend on the environment, so I would expect things like concealing it from the authorities, and fighting off the vampires you mention, to be places where there would be some work already done.

blgarver:
Yeah...I haven't developed any type of colleges or schools of thought for the magic.  I'm not sure I want to categorize it that way or not.  I'll have to think on that and make a decision. 

I've always been more fond of the Gandalf-esque magic; the source of his power being unexplained and mysterious.  But I think I need to be a bit more structured than that.

Maybe the type of things people can do with the energy depends on what source they pulled the energy.  Say...if they harvested energy from a boulder, they can only do earth-based things.

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