So, I'm building up a Sanderson-esque epic fantasy mega series, and I've also been following his concept of rules based magic, otherwise known as "hard" magic (i.e., what the magic can do is known and relatively understood). I find that these types of magic systems are really cool and dynamic (Brent Week's drafting from The Lightbringer Saga is a great example), but I know that a lot of people use softer magic systems, similar to those of J.R.R Tolkien and Terry Brooks. So, on a scale of something like Allomancy from Mistborn to the magic of The Lord of the Rings/Middle Earth Saga, how hard/soft is your magic?
I am trying something that seems to roughly fall under Hard magic but i seem to be stuck on what such would do to the user ? The user cannot very well go blasting a mountain without a side effect right ?
Right. Most hard magics follow 3 rules in some degree (taken from Brandon Sanderson):
- An author's ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic. J.R.R Tolkien doesn't use magic to kill Sauron or destroy the Ring, but uses the Fellowship's dependence on magic to introduce problems and challenges, such as Gandalf's death or allowing Sauron to spy on their movements.
- A magic's limitations are greater than it's power. There should be a cost of using magic - something has to be used to blast a mountain. (This one answers your question, I think.)
- Expand on what you have already, before you add something new. More powers does not equal better, and can run the risk of creating "Swiss Army Magic", where the magic has a power for very problem.
(Expand on what you have already, before you add something new. More powers does not equal better, and can run the risk of creating "Swiss Army Magic", where the magic has a power for very problem.)
This is exactly what i want to avoid .. thanks for the advice and with a Great readers favorite at that.
My world has kind of evolved away from magic, you could say. There are specific magical beings that most people know about but think are myth. There's one tribe high up hidden away in the mountains that still practices a certain type of magic, where all their citizens openly practice it with each other, but that's hidden from the rest of the world.
I didn't want to pick and choose so I shoved like seven magic systems into one frankensystem, so I wouldn't say it's very hard magic…
My magic users train their entire lives to properly use magic, and expand their knowledge of it. It really depends on what type, and who is learning it.
Let's be honest. The magic from D&D 5e, while some spells can be OP, is a pretty good list to follow. Throw in some spells from the previous versions and boom, instant magic system.
I would actually say that doing that only gives you half of a magic system. Yeah, you know what your magic can do, but how does it do that? How does skill and power manifest in the system, and what's the cost of using magic? If you follow D&D exactly, you actually end up with a poor magic system prone to falling into the trap of deus ex machina, because it feels more restricted than it actually is.
I would actually say that doing that only gives you half of a magic system. Yeah, you know what your magic can do, but how does it do that? How does skill and power manifest in the system, and what's the cost of using magic? If you follow D&D exactly, you actually end up with a poor magic system prone to falling into the trap of deus ex machina, because it feels more restricted than it actually is.
That's true and I agree. Because it is an incomplete magic system, I think the writer should be the one to form the logistics behind the magical power.
I really need help with believable "magic" I am writing a series of books called "The Irregulars" and it's about six teenagers who are kidnapped and find they have a certain "magic" they were all born in the same month and year and those who are older are more powerful. the first book is called "where is irregular number one?" because there was one who was born a whole year before everyone else. I want it to be because of some sort of experiment, but I'm struggling with the why. Why do they have powers? why wouldn't they do it again if they have powers? help please!
I really need help with believable "magic" I am writing a series of books called "The Irregulars" and it's about six teenagers who are kidnapped and find they have a certain "magic" they were all born in the same month and year and those who are older are more powerful. the first book is called "where is irregular number one?" because there was one who was born a whole year before everyone else. I want it to be because of some sort of experiment, but I'm struggling with the why. Why do they have powers? why wouldn't they do it again if they have powers? help please!
Idea. What if a god gave them the powers to accomplish a series of missions? Like each of the six have a separate mission, but they can only accomplish the missions if they work together. Would that work?
I am having a problem with Creating a (lets call it object of expansion). this problem is that cretin an object that can enlarge any enclosed space just seems too powerful too many possibilities … how do i limit this make it believable , i have already decided that only a few will have the ability and that they can only enlarge one space at a time but still i feel like even those limitations will make it too easy to fall into that big black hole of god like power ? please help!
I really need help with believable "magic" I am writing a series of books called "The Irregulars" and it's about six teenagers who are kidnapped and find they have a certain "magic" they were all born in the same month and year and those who are older are more powerful. the first book is called "where is irregular number one?" because there was one who was born a whole year before everyone else. I want it to be because of some sort of experiment, but I'm struggling with the why. Why do they have powers? why wouldn't they do it again if they have powers? help please!
well it could have been a universal event ? they were after all born in the same year and what not so it could be that, or some experiment went wrong and they were effected and here they has to find out why? our mother nature gifting them these gifts to save her? there are many that would slot in nicely with your story.
In my world, it is kind of hard to say. There are many different forms of magic. Physical magic (the manipulation of the physical world) is thoroughly understood in various different methods to become more powerful in it, its limitations, and all that good juicy stuff. Spirit Magic (the manipulation of the Astral Plane) is very well understood as well, but certain questions about how ti would work have never been asked and certain facets never explored. Then there is Shadowwalking, which is hardly understood at all. Shadowwalking is not a normal type of magic, and even those who have and use it do not truly understand much of what they are doing when they have mastered it. Besides that, there are still various forms of magic that have highly unknown origins, limitations, and rules. Magic in my story is described as the "innate ability in some, due to certain factors, to manipulate one of the many many layers of existence." Some of these layers are understood very well, while others are unexplored and in some cases even unknown to exist.
Hard Magic?
You mean uh…
I think he means how difficult your magic is to learn, cast, and/or ritualize. If not, then I don't understand.
Oh lol, I thought he meant whether the limits were clearly defined so I'm a little lost as well…
I am having a problem with Creating a (lets call it object of expansion). this problem is that cretin an object that can enlarge any enclosed space just seems too powerful too many possibilities … how do i limit this make it believable , i have already decided that only a few will have the ability and that they can only enlarge one space at a time but still i feel like even those limitations will make it too easy to fall into that big black hole of god like power ? please help!
You can limit the amount of times a space can be enlarged by. For instance, you can only enlarge this one-by-one cm box 20 times, but you can also enlarge the 12-by-12 cm box 20 times.
