Developing a magic system

[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]

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!

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]

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.

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.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

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.

Not necessarily, I suppose. But I'm not talking about how magic works for Gandalf from Gandalf's POV here; to some random person watching Gandalf, what Gandalf does still causes some one specific effect rather than another.

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.

That would certainly be doable.

I'm currently working on an alternate world with magic where Newton followed the Principia with a similarly insightful formalisation of how magic worked, where there was another paradigm shift around about the start of the twentieth century (corresponding roughly to the introduction of relativity and quantum mechanics) that led to industrialised magic and the history of the twentieth century being wildly different from our own, and where as of now another paradigm shift is in the making; because as a working scientist myself, one of the places that even very good depictions of systemic magic pretty much always fall down for me is in not having the feel of the cutting edge of organised research, it's always either an established system, or individual magic-geek wizard types pottering about on their own; so I've given up on waiting for it and decided to write it myself.

[blgarver]

Not necessarily, I suppose. But I'm not talking about how magic works for Gandalf from Gandalf's POV here; to some random person watching Gandalf, what Gandalf does still causes some one specific effect rather than another.

That would certainly be doable.

I'm currently working on an alternate world with magic where Newton followed the Principia with a similarly insightful formalisation of how magic worked, where there was another paradigm shift around about the start of the twentieth century (corresponding roughly to the introduction of relativity and quantum mechanics) that led to industrialised magic and the history of the twentieth century being wildly different from our own, and where as of now another paradigm shift is in the making; because as a working scientist myself, one of the places that even very good depictions of systemic magic pretty much always fall down for me is in not having the feel of the cutting edge of organised research, it's always either an established system, or individual magic-geek wizard types pottering about on their own; so I've given up on waiting for it and decided to write it myself.

Cool...the cutting edge idea.  Good luck with it.  Sounts like an interesting new angle on the whole magic concept. 

Right now, for my system, I'm kind of leaning away from the Harry Potter-ish, D&D-esque spell system.  The things aren't so much spells as being able to connect to things around you and control them.  Like, if you had the skill, you could "grab" the essence of a tree and bend it over like it was made of rubber.  Or shape water by "grabbing" the essence of a puddle.  Though i don't want it to exactly be element based.  That's getting too much like Avatar the Airbender.

I think I like the idea of the natural energy of things being much like playdough in a skilled practicioner's hands - as long as you have enough material there, you can do anything.  But first the practicioner has to make a connection with the energy inside the thing.  Injecting/absorbing raw essence enables him/her to become essentially closer to a tree, a stone, a river, an animal, so he has a better handle over manipulating it.

Does that make sense?  Something about it feels a little weak to me...but I can't quite put my finger on it.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

Cool...the cutting edge idea.  Good luck with it.  Sounts like an interesting new angle on the whole magic concept. 

It's almost too much fun, some ways.

I think I like the idea of the natural energy of things being much like playdough in a skilled practicioner's hands - as long as you have enough material there, you can do anything.  But first the practicioner has to make a connection with the energy inside the thing.  Injecting/absorbing raw essence enables him/her to become essentially closer to a tree, a stone, a river, an animal, so he has a better handle over manipulating it.
Does that make sense?  Something about it feels a little weak to me...but I can't quite put my finger on it.

What that needs, then, is how people go about making the connection, how that varies among people, and what happens as you drain something - do they refill ? how fast ?

[KevinEvans]

I am not much for creating my own magic systems, however the person I know who does it the very best is a young writer named Brandon Sanderson.  And if you want Brandon's take on it, go listen to writing excuses episode 14 and episode 15 where Brandon talks about magic.  The thing I like about Brandon's magic, is that it's not like everybody else's magic, unique, plausible, it is internally self consistent, and different in every novel, thiese are his hallmarks.  Anyway here's the link to episode 14.

http://www.writingexcuses.com/2008/05/12/writing-excuses-episode-14-magic-systems-and-their-rules/

I hope this helps,
Kevin

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!

[blgarver]

It's almost too much fun, some ways.

What that needs, then, is how people go about making the connection, how that varies among people, and what happens as you drain something - do they refill ? how fast ?

Yes...I hadn't thought of that part if it yet.  Thanks for the prompt.  I shall take to my dark corner and ponder.

[kero319]

heres a really good link for this

http://www.writing-world.com/sf/magic.shtml


i glanced over it recently while doing research
good things to look at

[blgarver]

heres a really good link for this

http://www.writing-world.com/sf/magic.shtml


i glanced over it recently while doing research
good things to look at

Awesome, that will help out a lot!  Give me some things to think about.