![](/rails/active_storage/representations/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBN0huQVE9PSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--a2a20c60c1573dd2f3ca0faea3334e273e0460f6/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdCem9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVZWcFZRPT0iLCJleHAiOm51bGwsInB1ciI6InZhcmlhdGlvbiJ9fQ==--d2507fcc12d1d292ded2562d99a09b363d63afc3/book.jpg)
@Kiwi_Writes_Books
Well hello there!
Okay, so I'm curious how you guys approached this. I struggled with this for a LONG time, and this is what I ended up with. Warning - it's very messy, inconsistent and chaotic, so please bear in mind that it probably won't make sense. Anyway, here's my system (sorry it's so long):
Okay, let's start with the basics. There are four different categories of magic:
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Fire
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Ice
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Light
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Darkness
These all originate from a different country, and most people from the country have the same type of magic, but there is of course some overlap, due to people moving to different countries. Your magic will always be inherited from your biological mother (or the one who gave birth to you).
Think of this magic as a sort of second spirit that lives inside of you. You have to tame it to wield it but even the most experienced sometimes mess up when provoked by strong emotion. It can be unpredictable and get messy sometimes.
There are also variations on each magic. This is when a person is not capable of wielding their magic as a sort of Play-Doh to create weapons + stuff (as most people can), but they can use their magic in other ways instead.
For example, some people with Light magic can't wield it, but they can use it to heal other people by touching them and releasing their magic into a wound.
Here are the other examples of this:
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Darkness: Seers (can get glimpses of the future and/or past, but its very hard to control)
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Fire: Shapeshifters (usually can only shapeshift into one other form, a rare few can shapeshift into more than one other form. must have a clear image to shift. shifting can be provoked by extreme emotion but can be trained to do at will)
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Ice: Telekeni (can use their ability as sort of extra invisible hands to move objects which they aren't touching physically. hard to use the ability - have to train to be able to pick up heavier things and to have more agility and control over telekinises)
Magic can be given to someone else. However, both people must be willing to be able to do this. And yes, this means that people can have more than one type of magic, and some people can have none. (This comes into play a lot in my book :) )There are also special metals which have magical properties:
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Silver can be used to control someone else's magic (effectively controlling them). However, the controller must give up a piece of their magic in order for this to work.
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Iron will turn the colour corresponding to the magic (or magic last used) of the person it is touching. E.g. black for darkness, white for light, blue for ice and red for fire. If a person has no magic then it will not turn a different colour and will remain iron-coloured.
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Copper can put a stopper to magic, however to do this is must be touching the person's bare skin and/or be ingested. These are sometimes made into pills and sold in secret to people who want to hide their magic. If you are touching and/or have ingested copper then any iron touching you will not turn any colour.
As well as this, you control your magic through your hands (you have to sculpt your magic like Play-Doh otherwise when summoned it kind of hands around in a cloud-like thing, which is pretty useless), so if someone's hands are unable to work (say they are tied up or smthn) then you basically can't use magic anyway.
There is a consequence to using too much magic, and that is called Draining. Basically, if you use too much, the magic kind of dissolves you. Warning signs are kind of like a tingling pain at first and a glow of magic. The glow gets bigger and the pain gets worse the longer you ignore the signs and stop. Eventually, your magic erupts (kind of like a big tsunami/volcano thingy) and floods the surroundings (the more magic you have, the bigger the eruption). Any living thing in the vicinity of the eruption dies, and so do you. They are very dangerous, so lots of times, if someone has Drained to a point where their death is inevitable, they will often be killed to protect bystanders.
There is a way to stop Draining. Someone with the opposite magic (Darkness - Light or Fire - Ice) can use their magic to help stop it. However any magic which goes towards stopping a Draining is lost forever.
That was much more than I expected it to be… Anyway, I'm really interested to hear what kind of magic systems other people have. Also would really appreciate if anyone spots any inconsistencies in this or have questions (I don't think I explained it very well).
So yeah :D (have a nice day btw)