Metal Magic before NANO starts

[SlimMason]

I'm playing with the basic concept of magic people controlling metal. I wanted to write this for nanowrimo, but I need to flesh this out quick.

Question: What makes one element harder to control than another element?
        My first thought was atomic mass, heavier elements are harder to move. Then I considered density, but I'm not 100% sure that works either. What physical property of metal makes it harder to move than others?

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

        My first thought was atomic mass, heavier elements are harder to move. Then I considered density, but I'm not 100% sure that works either. What physical property of metal makes it harder to move than others?

Internal chemical bonds being metallic rather than ionic/covalent ?

[SlimMason]

I don't know if anyone is interested in giving me advise, or if I asked a hard question. I'll continue 'cause I feel like it.

I have done some more brainstorming and decided that the magic I want and the characters I want would work best with the folowing system:

The only magic is people who can bend metal. Metal does not have magical properties. People with the ability to bend metal study the physical properties of metals. So the magic people bend metal and stab people, then go home and invent AA Batteries and transistor radios. The only thing the bending does is change the shape of the metal. One detail that is missing is the hierarchy of which metals are hardest and easiest to bend with this power.

I don't think this information makes the question any easier, so I’ll ask a deferent one.

Which would work better in this Metal Magic World?

         A) Giant golems made of copper, or tungsten etc.
         B) Normal organic animals that grow metal plates or horns.

Metal animals would blend in easier, but the titans would go a long way to make the location more magical. OR!!! Mythical creatures with metal powers like dragons that breathe magnesium flames or gorgons that spit mercury from their eyes! This last one is kind one weird but it could pan out.

[meg_evonne]

There are metals that have been developed that are flexible, but always return to their original shape.  Several years ago I played with some strands of this process and found it an intriging concept. You might try a little research on google for 'form memory' metal processes and see if anything comes up.  It's long enough ago that it would be out in the general knowledge.  By now they should have some studies on how well the process fairs over time and weather exposure.  :-)  I know that it's now used routinely in metal eyeglasses.  Go for it.   Nano starts in Oct?

[The Corvidian]

What about the crystalline structure of metals?

[gravesbane]

Why not make it so people are only attuned to specific metal ie. Stan here can affect Lead while Burt cam only bend Iron. Having someone bend the rarer elements is in fact very rare. Along that line have alloys only affected by a team of benders each working on that part of the alloy they can bend. Also maybe one metal that no one can bend except for one character and he is the first bender of that metal in recorded history.

Anyways that my two-cents. Wait a minute I forgot about inflation. That my quarter's worth.

[Roaram]

play with condutivity. like electrical, so gold would be nice and easy to bend(thank god for magic, cause gold is impossible to bend in real life) and science it out from there. or cheat and call it magic conductivity, letting you pick and choose the metals of your choice to be hard to play with

[SlimMason]

Cool Ideas. Only bending one metal is a good idea, made me think about the learning curve of each material. I'm trying to stick to a theme and not letting 10 different forms of magic squeeze into one plot. I'll have to put more magic in there somewhere. I do like a lot of the ideas i've uncovered for this metal is magic theme. I'll make something out of this - good or bad.

[The Corvidian]

There are also the changes that metal undergoes when it is smelted and tempered.

[InfernoMDM]

Well how about this, take it from Butcher a bit.  Some people are just better at one magic then others, who says someone wasn't either more interested in playing with one metal then another, and in so being you could add more depth to a character by explain it.  Copper because one guy played with electricity, Steel/Iron for strength and weight and power, aluminum for speed bla bla bla.  You get the point.

[SlimMason]

That one element thing grew on me. Everybody can bend one element, whether they know it or not. (how whould you know if you can bend einstinium? where would you get it? these people believe they have no magic.)

Also, each metal has it's own power. You can only bend one element, so you have to adapt and lern how to get the most out of your element's magic. Using the magic affect of the metal consumes it; bending its physical shape does not.

New metal comes from mines, or Dragons - if you dare!!

Dragons make their one metal by digesting everything they eat and recombining it into as much copper(for example) as possible. the rest is ejected as radioactive slag. Yeah... they're dangerous. Did I mention radioactive breath?