My Magic System(feedback appreciated)
So context first: the world of Hollow Lake is a dark fantasy world that takes place large pit that’s surrounded by cliffs on all sides, it’s substantially larger in surface area than the earth(not sure by how much but yea), it’s part of a flat plain. While there are plants and animals who serve similar functions as ones in the real world there are none directly from the real world. The environment is rather hostile and deadly, for example there are gigantic storms that constantly rage across the world, the hottest desert is too hot for people to survive, some places the winter is said to flash freeze a fire. The ocean is unforgiving. And in the middle of the world there is something called the Iris, which is a large impact point in the middle surrounded by a ring of mountains that crosses land and sea. There are straits but storms don’t pass through. The waters within the Iris are calm to an eerie extent. But that’s not to say the this is a less hostile area. Within the Iris the sun is at its hottest(where the previously mentioned desert is btw.) but oh well that’s enough of that, species that inhabit the world are Humans, then there is a subterranean race of anthropomorphic eusocial bugs called Myr, and then there are the Nobilis, and the Morior, which are from other dimensions but bound to this one, and stand ins for typical good and evil. At least in perception. So last two are Automatons and what I call “tourists” which yea they’re spirits or entities that don’t belong in this realm. Also the technology level can be compared to the sixteen hundreds
Anyway the magic system:
So there are two types of magic and three general types of magic users. Those being, sorcery and Alchemy. And the magic users are Sorcerers, Alchemists, and Casters. With those last two overlapping a fair bit usually.
The natural world is full of magic, but it’s not something that is acknowledged if that makes sense? It’s just seen as part of nature. Sorcery is when it is tied to a person. Only humans can be sorcerers, the reason for this is that humans are the only ones who can breed with “tourist” entities, and that entity’s magic passes on to the offspring, but the inherent magic such an entity passes down, which is usually far less than itself has, is still far greater than a human can actually use so it is then again passed down a few generations at least.
Anyway! Alchemy would be using natural resorces to “make” magic, that is to say extract its properties and use it to make something else. This includes spells which must be carried for a wizard to use them. Which is what a caster is, someone who uses items or tools made my an Alchemist, and that often means they overlap, since most Alchemists would use their magic items. but casters are more numerous because using items is easier than making them.
Sorcery kinda just ends here because all I really can say beyond this is that it’s instinctual but can be practiced, and it’s cost is the same as any other muscle in the body, so sorcerers have fast metabolisms usually.
Now back to alchemy, the cost of making is just knowing what to use and how to use it, really that simple, though it is a difficult field to learn, so it’s usually elitist too since the average peasant can’t afford to learn it I’m sure you get the gist. Casters too but less so since it’s easier to learn but also you need to be able to afford the items. Casting has a heavier price too on the user since it effects the body, mainly spells have a heavy drain on their mental health.
There are restrictions on what it can do, but I’m still struggling to decide what it can do, if you feel that makes this pointless, yea probably I just wanted to share what I have and maybe get some advice on how to make it good.