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McAnally's (The Community Pub) => Author Craft => Topic started by: arianne on March 18, 2012, 05:38:39 PM
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I'm working on an urban fantasy with wizards, where the ability of magic is passed on from wizard to wizard (think JB's summer/winter knights method of passing on power), and I've been writing the story with everyone using wands, for no particular reason I can remember, but I guess it must have made sense at the time.
Now I've had time to read back, I wonder if wands are too Harry Potterish? Should I go for a different item to focus power? A staff or chains or something like that for example? Or should I skip the item altogether and just let them have fireballs in their hands or do what they did on Charmed?
Any thoughts, advice, or personal preferences?
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Wands are well established in lore, but they are by no means the only method of magical focus. Orbs are usually well liked. For a more sinister flavor, bones or bird talons. For the Norse it was braided ropes with different magic woven into different braids. For Native Americans, it was totems, pieces of representative "gods" or at least their likenesses. You have a whole array to choose from and I see no reason for their to be only one available choice.
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personly don't use them my selth
i think you should use what ever feels right in your univers
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I personally am not a fan of wands, especially in a world with heavy combat magic if that is the case in yours, because their really is nothing very threatening about them. I would use them for more creative magics, to me a wand is more like a paint brush and not a .45.
For me a focus is more based on the personality of the individual wizard. If a character is passive then their focus is probably not going to be a knife and if they are a warrior their focus is probably not going to be a feather.
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I'm working on an urban fantasy with wizards, where the ability of magic is passed on from wizard to wizard (think JB's summer/winter knights method of passing on power), and I've been writing the story with everyone using wands, for no particular reason I can remember, but I guess it must have made sense at the time.
Now I've had time to read back, I wonder if wands are too Harry Potterish? Should I go for a different item to focus power? A staff or chains or something like that for example? Or should I skip the item altogether and just let them have fireballs in their hands or do what they did on Charmed?
Any thoughts, advice, or personal preferences?
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 ŕ 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.
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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.
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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.
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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 ŕ 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.
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?
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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?
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.
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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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Why not have them use walking sticks, or cane umbrellas? Another idea would be vintage clothing.
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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.
Actually agreeing with Shecky here. Going either way you still come up with the system first, then invent whatever mechanism you want around it. The idea is to try to fit wands or not wands around your story, not vice versa. Jim had a quote somewhere about a story of an old knight, a farm boy, a wise old teacher, and an evil empire. done poorly it's a cliche. Done well, it's Star Wars.
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I personally am not a fan of wands, especially in a world with heavy combat magic if that is the case in yours, because their really is nothing very threatening about them.
Maybe, maybe not...This could make a nice "wand." After all, it's essentially the same thing as your typical wizard's wand: a wooden stick. This one's just a bit bigger. And it has the added bonus of being useful for adjusting unwelcome attitudes. ;)
(http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae92/big_joe555/walkingtall.jpg)
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Maybe, maybe not...This could make a nice "wand." After all, it's essentially the same thing as your typical wizard's wand: a wooden stick. This one's just a bit bigger. And it has the added bonus of being useful for adjusting unwelcome attitudes. ;)
(http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae92/big_joe555/walkingtall.jpg)
By definition that would be a rod not a wand. lol semantics i know but still.
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By definition that would be a rod not a wand. lol semantics i know but still.
Ah, but by definition a wand is a rod...
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^ if you are going to play this game you could just pick up any old stick and use that as well if you wanted ;D
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^ if you are going to play this game you could just pick up any old stick and use that as well if you wanted ;D
I like that idea, very much. It throws the trope from Harry Potter back upon itself. If the power is handed down from person to person rather than something that is built through learning, maybe the wand acts as simply a guide for the magic and requires no preparation or sigilry. You could even make a Jackie Chan wizard who goes through half a dozen wands in a fight trading up for better ones as he goes.
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that would be rather amusing
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So if Im understanding you correctly, the ONLY purpose of the wand/rod/whatever you decide upon is for the focusing of the casters magic. There is no special construction/preparation/glyphing etc... necessary to make the wand function. IF that is the case then I personally would consider the particular item type irrelivant. Case in point, in JB's world of magic Harry uses multiple items. His wand, his blasting rod, his shield bracelet, multiple rings and a slew of other things I wont bother to go into. Maybe they could use any item available, but the more personal the connection to the item the more effective it is. For example, a character purchases a ring at Wally World and uses X amount of effort/focus/energy through that ring to blow up a house. That same person could use their wedding ring with the same amount of effort to destroy an office building. Then they use the wedding ring of their grandmother who raised them and was the only family they ever knew yada yada to nuke a town.
Point is that if the only purpose of the item is to focus the magic and no special preparation is needed then ANY item is fair game. Making it personal to the caster gives you the opportunity to kind of get crazy with it! Imagine if Harry could only ever focus his magic when he was in the Blue Beetle! Not very practical for a main character but potentially very amusing and situationally appropriate for a minor or one time character.
As far as it needing to be threatening, that isnt necessary. If you were to go back in time with a 357 magnum and threaten a group of Knights Templar with it they will probably laugh at you....until you pull the trigger. It would be the same today if somebody pointed a stick at you and said they were going to cast a spell and burn you. You would probably laugh unless they actually did it.
Anyway, my whole point is that based on what you have said, you can use whatever items you choose to since no special preparation is needed. Good luch and I hope I wasnt too long winded!
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it depends on the univers you have created but basicly you sumed it up in the first sentence yes ;D
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If you haven't yet, I highly recommend you read Sanderson's First and Second Law of Magic (actually of writing magic in fiction)
First Law (http://brandonsanderson.com/article/40/Sandersons-First-Law)
Second Law (http://brandonsanderson.com/article/100/Sandersons-Second-Law)
These are pretty good guidelines on the do's and dont's of what to do with your magic.
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Maybe, maybe not...This could make a nice "wand." After all, it's essentially the same thing as your typical wizard's wand: a wooden stick. This one's just a bit bigger. And it has the added bonus of being useful for adjusting unwelcome attitudes. ;)
(http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae92/big_joe555/walkingtall.jpg)
Shalala? I can never remember the name of the thing, but thats what Pikel calls it in the Drizzt novels! ;D
Shillelagh?
If you haven't yet, I highly recommend you read Sanderson's First and Second Law of Magic (actually of writing magic in fiction)
First Law (http://brandonsanderson.com/article/40/Sandersons-First-Law)
Second Law (http://brandonsanderson.com/article/100/Sandersons-Second-Law)
These are pretty good guidelines on the do's and dont's of what to do with your magic.
Excellent advice, those articles really helped me polish up my own notes for how my magic system will work.
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Honestly, I'd say the only person who's done a better job than Sanderson of writing a magic system for his books is Patrick Rothfuss.
And that is using "better" loosely. Sanderson's magic systems are intricate and are practically a character in and of themselves in how he reveals it in onion layers. And they are usually incredibly internally consistent and creative.
Patrick Rothfuss's magic system is all that (not quite as innovative maybe) plus it's incredibly poetic which wins.
Of course I've only seen one by Rothfuss, and nearly half a dozen by Sanderson, so if you add em up...
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I agree that a wand specifically may not need to be the end-all of the form of focuses in your world, but i also agree with those saying don't broaden the system too quickly. If the story took shape in your head with everyone using wand, see if you can make it. So you obviously seem to like the idea of a focus requirement for the magic (it gives us something to send skittering waaay across the floor when we need to, after all ;-))
So Why would a system need a wand shaped Focus?
Maybe casting requires an external conductor for the energies, and it needs a point to focus it; then a wand is the typical for ease of use and transport, but a spear or sword would to it too (but maybe the bulk makes them unprecise), and even a good fountain pen, drumstick, or radio antenna would do it too, and most practitioners simply prefer something custom made to something scrounged.
Or maybe the casting is a gesture-based magic, something that has been studied and accumulated in secret for generations, and so using a wand is literally the only way they know how to do magic, though the most experienced might be able to pull it with just a finger.
I read a story once (cycle of fire) where the magicians bound energies into object to cast spells ward-style. It could be any old object, though some held different energies better than others. But the cool thing was that each needed a primary focus (traditionally a staff, but the MC made his in a sword with sentimental value) that was sort of a storage battery for their energy. The idea was that they gave off energy naturally, but needed to channel it into a sort of capacitor, so that it would be lost and that large amounts could be called up at short notice.
That could work with your idea of a mantle: maybe the Mantle isnt passed from generation to generation, maybe its something that has been /accumulated/ over the generations. Maybe the wand itself isnt whats important, but it is the current storage container for a Bloodline cache of power.
0.02
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It comes as no surprise to anyone that I'm just now discovering I should have thought it through before I decided to wand up my characters. Like Quantus said, the idea of something that rolls away or breaks or whatever just when you need to use it.
I did consider using a cell phone or something as a similar focus, but it sounds a bit oxymoronic for this universe, though I'm liking the idea enough that I might use it for another story.
I did kind of change the wand from “any old stick” to a stick made with special material that is useful for focusing power, although as of now the wands don't have an owner user issue, meaning that anyone who's a wizard can use anyone's wand.
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That sounds cool. What kind of material? Is it a single one for everybody, like a special metal or crystal or some such? Or do different groups use different materials for their magic? Like some favor a special metal while others use a special wood. Maybe a single ingredient that can be added to several things, like alloyed into metals, or fed to trees to make special wood. Just random thoughts.
Edit:
Let me say though, that I am a big fan of Focus items for magic. They provide a visual anchor, imposes physical actions to what may otherwise be dull internalized stuff that is difficult to describe from the outside, and give opportunities for creative limitation. A wand needs to be brandished, and can be taken away. A tattooed symbol is nicely visual and cannot be stolen, but may not lend itself as easily to action poses when the spells start flying. A magic ring is a classic, but has some of the issues with an inert image that the symbol would. I like to tie actions to the spells when I can. It gives me a nice visual to keep coming back to, and makes its use a bit more deliberate. Dresden has to actually point his blasting rod any time he uses it, only has to ready his shield bracelet by "shaking it out" (and that may just be habit) and doesnt have to do anything to get the Duster going. Change those limitations and you have a completely different feel. Imagine if he had to activate the Duster, or if his shield were a constant bubble. What if his blasting rod were a ring, then he could cast and carry stuff at the same time, could cast more readily while immobile, and it would indicate an attitude that doesnt hold the Fire at arms length (injury not withstanding).
Jumping to the Owner issue, you could always do it the star wars way. According to the RPG books, which Im told are considered cannon as far as the world mechanics go (keeps all the different writers on the same page I guess) anyone can use a lightsaber, but its owner had time to attune to it, and so could use it better, and could override your Force control to do things like take it back from you if you aren't careful. Most apprentices start with a generic loaner until they build their own. It takes a special crystal or two, but they can be artificially manufactured, though everyone says the natural ones are best. The crystal determines the colors, which have slightly different behaviors (reds do more raw damage, i think one of the other ones was defensively superior...)
Its shading closer to Harry Potter than you were wanting to go with the attunement, but the construction system is at least less restrictive than one that has like three wand makers in the whole world.