r/magicbuilding

Are there tools in your magic system necessary to use magic or to get stronger? How are they created and how do they interact with the users magic? I'm trying to get new ideas for a project

And by spells I mean basically to be casted

All I can think of are vines (no joke I swear nothing comes to mind)

Hi, I'm building my first magic system for my worldbuilding project.

Base ideas:

• Magic is fueled by a magic liquid substance "S"
• Magic runes/scrolls/wands equivalent are small sculptures made from another magic metal "M"
• for most of the users creating spells is mostly sculpting and creating new shapes from "M"
• Casting spells is mostly activating those sculptures in the presence of S near the desired area of effect.

There of course will be a few types S, giving different effects, there will be mistycism, there will be balancing usage of S and so on.

But doesn't it sound like devices with batteries too much?

Any feedback walcomed. Thanks

I thought of this system like an hour ago, not even sure how I'm gonna use it, maybe it's literally just for the fun of it.

There's twelve schools of magic, split into two groups of six, but I can't come up with a good name for the second group.

First up are the six Elemental schools:

Air, Earth, Fire, Lightning, Plants, Water

Simple name, they mix the classic elements of Greece and China, then throw electricity in there. Things like metal and ice are subtypes.

The second set however is a bit more abstract, and while their names are pairs of opposites, I lack a name to group all six together. They are:

- Life (healing)

- Death (necromancy, communing with the dead, exorcism)

- Light (illusions, specifically in the actual world, not tricking the mind)

- Shadow (summoning temporary copies, but maybe also teleportation)

- Body (enhancing or reducing physical attributes, mutation)

- Mind (reading thoughts and manipulating)

At first I thought about calling them the six Fundamentals, but I think I want to reserve that name for a group of extra special magic(Time, Gravity,...).
I can't just call them "The Other Ones" or "The Non-Elemental", but I also don't wanna call them something like "Advanced", since Elemental isn't meant as basic or beginner.

Appreciate any help

EDIT: Thanks everyone, there were some good suggestions, but Mystical from Silenced0124 really hit what I was looking for.

So I’ve never made a magic system or any power system, but I want to try it out. I’m just testing out my ability of creating unique ideas, so I just need to know if I’m going in the right direction. Basically on the world instead of breathing in oxygen, people breathe in Theer. By explosively breathing in or out Theer, they activate the magic; however, people can also use different methods and techniques to activate their abilities such as cutting into their lungs, or using a special tool that blasts Theer into their body. So all I need to know is if I’m heading in the right direction and what I should expand on/remove.

I recently got into the new show Dragon Strikers, and I really like it so far, but I do wish it was less "soccer but magic" at times (I do still really like it and will continue watching of course). Anyway, it got me thinking of other magic sports like Quidditch and Gobbowl, so now I'm trying to make my own fictional sport using magic. However, while I am not unused to making magic systems, it's becoming clear that I am more used to making combat focused ones, so I was hoping some of y'all could give me a hand brainstorming some ideas.

Oh, and while I don't need much help making the rules for the sport (partly because I'm pretty good at making games and partly because I want to settle on the magic system before making the game proper), I'm happy to hear any suggestions regarding that as well.

Thanks in advance.

This is my first time posting in this subreddit. I want to preface that my magic system is heavily inspired by a lot of media I've consumed, primarily belong to Genshin Impact and Coiling Dragon. I'll start with the lore because the magic system is inherently tied to the lore of my potential story (yeah, I'm not sure if I'm planning on writing it in the future or not).

First, the metaphysics (I think that's the correct word?) of magic. Everything in existence is governed by the Divine Order, the "perfect" system of laws established by the Resplendent Sovereign (basically the God Almighty of my world) at the moment of creation. The Divine Order governs every aspect of reality, from the movement of the stars to the cycle of life and death, the behavior of elements, and the fate and destiny of all living beings. Nothing exists outside of it. Magic can be defined as the means by which mortals (not necessarily humans) interact with the Divine Order because magic ultimately derives from it, no magic can violate or overturn the Divine Order. Even the greatest of mage is still bound by the laws imposed by God (for all intent and purpose, I'm gonna use this word to refer to the Resplendent Sovereign). Only miracles granted directly by Him possess the authority to temporarily bend or suspend these laws.

There are around fifteen types of magic and each is grouped into four based on their source: Divine Transcendence, Empyrean Mysteries, Tellurian Wonders, and Hermetic Arts. Divine Transcendence originates from the Eternal Sun, which represents the Resplendent Sovereign. Empyrean Mysteries (celestial magic) comes from the Three Immaculate Moons and the Twilight Star, each representing the Three Maidens and the Lightbringer. It is tied to a person's soul through their spiritual resonance with either of the four lesser celestial bodies. Tellurian Wonders (terrestrial magic) comes from the Seven Primordial Origins, each governed by the Seven Luminaries. This magic is tied to one's elemental affinity. Hermetic Arts is considered as mortal magic and comes from human ingenuity and innovation and require neither spiritual resonance nor elemental affinity.

I'll start with Empyrean Mysteries first. Individuals who practice this magic is called as a thaumaturge. It originates from the four subordinate celestial bodies: the Three Immaculate Moons and the Void Star. These celestial bodies are both astronomical object and also the manifestation of the divine order. They are simultaneously a heavenly law, a divine office, and a living divine will. They were preordained into existence by God and is neither fully impersonal or fully independent. The Pearl Moon governs life, the Crimson Moon governs death, the Mirror Moon governs time, and the Twilight Star (morning/evening star) governs space. Thaumaturges with spiritual resonance with the four subordinate celestial bodies can use life, death, time, and space magic depending on which lesser celestial body they resonate with. This spiritual resonance is like a "either you have it or don't" kind of thing and you can only possess a resonance toward one of them. So, a thaumaturge can wield only a single heavenly law.

Tellurian Wonders next and it is often called as terrestrial magic as the source is located on the world (I don't want to call it as the Earth I guess so world will have to do for now). They derive from the Seven Primordial Origins and, like the heavenly laws, every elemental wonder have a governing principles and a divine custodian collectively known as the Seven Luminaries who were also created by God. The seven primordial origins and their element are as followed: Core Flame (Fire), Primordial Sea (Water), All-Renewing Soil (Earth), First Breath (Air), Impermanent Flash (lightning), Boundless Radiance (Light), and Fathomless Abyss (Darkness). Practitioners of this magic is often called as either an elemental mage or a sorcerer. Anyway, they are tied to elemental affinity. Elements are ubiquitous building block of the material world as well as all living beings that inhabit it. As such, everyone have an affinity with all seven elements. However, elemental affinity is distributed in a zero-sum balance. Exceptional affinity with one element means a reduction of the rest. Only individual with an affinity that exceed a certain threshold (not sure what percentage, maybe 75% or something) can become a sorcerer. So, a sorcerer can only use one element in their lifetime. Also, spiritual resonance and elemental affinity aren't mutually exclusive. You can have a spiritual resonance with either one of the four lesser celestial bodies as well as having an affinity with one of the seven elemental wonders.

Hermetic Arts doesn't have any ties with any divinity. They are entirely the product of mortal observation, experimentation, and accumulated knowledge. Rather than drawing authority from celestial or terrestrial powers, adepts of the Arts study the Divine Order and learn how to mimic it. They are divided into three main disciplines (that I could think of): Alchemy, Divination, and Enchantment. Alchemy studies the composition, properties, and relationship between matter as well as the transmutation of it. It's like a mix between FMA's alchemy and Harry Potter's potions if I were to imagine it. Divination is the art of gathering information by studying causality, probability, and hidden relationships between things. Diviners calculate existing variables within creation to uncover information and anticipate future events. However, they can't accurately predict the future with anything more than 50% certainty nor could they glimpse into the inner working of fate for long as true fate remains beyond mortal comprehension. It wasn't that it's forbidden by the Divine Order, but more so that the mortal mind can't bear the brevity of fate I suppose. Enchantment is the study of magical language and symbols. Enchanters can impose structure, imbue powers, and even enchant spirit into object through the use of runes, sigils, symbols, sacred geometry, and written language. Hermetic Arts is essentially mortals trying to study and imitate God. He creates and ordains with Logos while mortals imitate Him through language, mathematics, and science. Alchemy imitates the act of creation, divination imitates divine omniscience, and enchantment imitates Logos.

Finally, Divine Transcendence. The Eternal Sun differs fundamentally from other celestial sources. It is the dominating celestial body that governs all other celestial bodies and the world. Rather than requiring anything like a spiritual resonance or elemental affinity, its power is bestowed solely by the Resplendent Sovereign. Those chosen bear a sun-shaped mark known as Stigmata somewhere in their body and are recognized as Saints. Instead of using the heavenly laws, saints perform miracles. Miracles are expression of the Resplendent Sovereign's own authority and divine omnipotence. Saints can use all four heavenly laws and seven elemental wonders without the need of spiritual resonance or elemental affinity. Miracles may temporarily bend, suspend, or even bypass some parts of the Divine Order such as resurrecting the dead, reversing cause and effect, shaping primordial chaos into a creation, influence the momentum of fate, etc. However, this authority remains entirely conditional and can be limited or revoked by the Resplendent Sovereign at any time.

Regarding limitations, every form of magic remains subordinate to the Divine Order. No miracles, heavenly laws, elemental wonders, or hermetic art can overturn the fundamental principles established by God. Magic grants influence over things, but is never the sovereign of things. Now, each magic can like fail differently. For saints and thaumaturges, their magic simply don't respond or not do anything if they fail or if they try to overreach their authority in the case of the latter. For sorcerers, failure can result from insufficient elemental affinity, poor control, or attempting to exceed their capacity, which can result in the elements resisting to obey. Hermetic arts resemble scientific experimentation so errors in theory, calculation, materials, execution, etc. can produce no effect, imperfect results, unstable things, or even catastrophic consequences (even more so for diviners).

I think that's it for the lore. As for other things, I'm not sure if I want magic to require spellcasting or innate manipulation but I think I'm leaning toward spellcasting because it gives magical vibes. I don't know if I want to use things like mana or magical energy. In my draft, magic is like your will that originated from your mind, passing through your soul, and channeled through your body, and takes effect in the material world. Essentially, your body and soul is a conduit for your magic while your mind is the source. So, a powerful mage typically have a strong body, mind, and soul. Also, overexerting yourself in spellcasting can cause physical exhaustion and mental fatigue (or even death I suppose). This is what I've come up with so far. I don't know where to go next from this and would like advices from you guys. Critiques are also welcome so I can improve this system as well.

Let me preface this by saying that there's no problem if you want to!!! It's fine you can do whatever you want! This is just my opinion and preference.

But I guess almost every post here always has a mythos or cosmic origin story where magical energy is from in their world. It does get a bit repetitive tbh, which doesn't really matter if the story is good, but maybe it's also nice to explore alternatives especially if you see a lot of people doing it.

What if you try not including it entirely? It gives a lot of mystery to your system, and a feeling of something more behind it, and your world. It also makes your magic evoke a sense of mysticism, making it feel arcane and esoteric. Plus, less things to write about LOL

OR maybe you can still include entities, gods, what have you; but those entities are not the origins or the source, maybe they're just messengers, or mediators or wtvr who also don't know where magic is from. OR maybe they do know, but they don't bother to tell any mere mortal. Or no mortal can comprehend that knowledge.

Also, there are still a ton of mysteries IRL that have never been solved yet, and we don't really know, and probably never will, the origins of everything.

EDIT:
For the record, i'm not saying everyone should be making softer magic systems, because hard magic systems can exist without having to explain everything. A great example is Vancian Magic from The Dying Earth. There are clear and very simple rules for how the magic works, that it became a huge influence on media now! But even though it had a huge impact, it still feels very distinct even though it's an old series, bec how the magic is treated and presented is very unique and compliments the story very well.

EDIT:
What i'm trying to say is that I think we can be a little more creative with how we design and present magic. I think it will really help if you tie the magic with what kind of story you're trying to tell bec it always goes hand in hand. Also, i think we don't have to reference or get inspired by what's popular or usual. Finding and exploring unexpected references and sources of inspo, I think, is a skill that needs to be developed.

World-building:

Mana: a natural resource in the universe with Its abundance being as infinite as such. It’s naturally symbiotic because of this. When one is born, their body is immediately flooded with mana. The cultivated mana the baby inherits from their parents is used to create a shell for the World’s mana to flow into, creating a Mana Core. The World then circulates and grows this mana within the Mana Core. When one reaches about 10, they naturally build an immunity to the World’s Mana and risk Mana Intoxication. This is prevented by one touching their Mana Core and taking over their Mana Circulation by “copying” how the World circulates it. The moment one “touches” their Mana Core, the World’s influence over it will immediately cease, leaving an individual to control their own Mana Core, circulating and growing it.

The World:

The World’s sentience is universally accepted knowledge. From the beginning of humanity, the World has always been known as “Absolute.” Its mana fills one’s empty Core and circulates itself until unneeded. Mana Cores are simply a natural byproduct from Mana flowing through. The Circulation of said Mana allows an individual to be able to control and maintain their Mana Core when ready. The World is not only thought to be the “Being of Absolute” but was more commonly known in Ancient Times as “Gaia, Mother Nature”.

Mana Cores: Mana has a symbiotic tendency; it will flow into any and all living creatures, and therefore a Mana Core will be created. It is as natural as wind. The World does not control how much Mana flows into someone to create a Mana Core; however, it is capable of circulating and maintaining the Mana throughout the individual’s body as they grow. However, at some point when one reaches age 10 or of similar maturity, their body’s gains antibodies and an immune system towards The World, leaving them with the risk of Mana Intoxication, which will cause the body to slowly deteriorate (like overwatering a plant constantly). One must then enter their soul through active meditation in order to “Touch” their Mana Core. This act takes deep concentration and long processes of Mana Resonance Building (the act of finding familiarity with one’s own Mana and beginning the process of developing an Innate Mana Signature). The World circulates Mana differently for every single individual; that means that one has to enter their Reserves to create a familiar feeling with said Mana and perform Mana Circulation. Since The World’s influence is cut off the second one “Touches” their Mana Core, an individual has to know how to circulate Mana properly before attempting such a process.

Commoners and Nobles:

Commoners have it the worst. If they don’t live in Dukedoms of the Kingdom or the Capital City, most families have to learn Mana Circulation and few are able to afford training Mana Resonance Building for themselves, unlike Nobles who not only are taught and trained from the moment they are 5 to 10 so they have the best chances to be able to Circulate their Mana, but most Nobles are descendants of Ancients (some of the first settlers and naturalists that were highly connected to The World, even knowing of her real name, (Gaia)). Their descendants that carry ancient blood have a better connection to The World and find it naturally easier to Circulate Mana. Commoners either have to be self-taught and pass this limited knowledge down or hope or be taught in a school.

Magery and Auramancy:

Magery is the field of science and spellcraft. To create a spell, one must fully understand the fundamental principles and concepts (the foundational, core ideas that underpin a subject, the axioms that guide understanding) and then they must be able to convince themselves and The World that they can logically and effectively manipulate said concept with their mana. Magery, in a sense, is an agreement with The World and a mage. If a mage knows what they are doing and how they are doing it, then their will is interpreted by their mana to The World, and then a spell is formed. Mages have categorized “Elements of Manipulation” that allow them stability and structure as to not succumb to mana intoxication. If a mage uses more than 2 different elements, they risk severely destabilizing their mana core. That’s why it is collectively agreed within the field of magery that a mage can only carry 2 elements. Elements can be sought out to learn through study or appear from natural affinity.

Auramancy: The act of intertwining mana into one’s physical body. This creates a uniquely energetic and fluid substance that leaks from one’s body. This energized byproduct is called aura. Aura can act as a stimulus to one’s physical abilities as well as be utilized as a weapon. With concentration, years of practice, and training, one can learn to control the natural flow of their aura, capable of shaping and manipulating it to their will. This ability is called Auramancy.

So, as all of us do when we try to actually write that one story we've been thinking of since forever, we try to make it good. And as you can already guess based on the title, yes, the magic system is based on wishes. The main problem is the sheer amount of possibilities this system can fit inside itself.

Like there are people in the story who can control gravity, bend the elements( Like in avatar) and even control concepts. Fucking concepts! to be fair, they do act as the gods of the world, but still, tell me someone who governs the concept of action isn't op. Or someone who wished to be beyond death and now represents Oblivion isn't powerfull.

How do I make this fair? Like i already have made some rules and restrictions, but i fear they'll just make it more convoluted and hard to understand. There are just so many little things for the reader to wrap their head around... I'll give you a few examples:

The Trial: This is the main barrier to entry ive placed. A sequence of painfull sensations that starts off as a migraine that expands to a throbbing headache. The second phase begins as heat slowly builds up in the chest, followed by the heart's sudden, rapid pumps that shakes ones bones. Then the last part comes, the coinflip. After enduring all of the pain, the Whisperer decides if you can live or die. It's a fifty fifty. (The Whisperer is the one behind the whole wish granting part)

Dreamers: People who have used their Wishing star and passed the Whisperer's trial. They get what they wished for based on the description they gave, and a Cost that gets told to them in short cryptic lines by said Whisperer. They are divided into Grades, from the First, to the Ninth. To move up a Grade, a Dreamer needs to consume a Wishing star of their own Grade and one higher. Each advancement has a small but not negligible chance of resulting in their death. (Another rule to balance things a bit. I'm not sure if it's a good rule, maybe I should change it?)

Will: The mana of this world. But It works a bit differently mainly because none magic users both have it, and can use it, they just have less of it and it's just harder for them to use it. In its raw form, it can be used to impose your will on the world in small ways. Like making yourself stronger, faster or change the color of your hair. For low Grade Dreamers, it is impossible to make any changes to something other than their own bodies, meanwhile, the Grades Six and above can reshape someone's bone structure with raw Will alone.

Nightmares: People who failed in the trail. They are monstrosities that have been completely misshapen by their wish and have lost their sanity. Nightmares are dangerous for two reasons: 1, they can advance just like normal Dreamers, 2, they have access to their wish. Good news, they still have their Cost and are generally stupid.

Artifacts and Anomalous Artifacts: When a Dreamer or a Nightmare dies, it has a chance to One, lose it's Wishing star if it was damaged, or two, For it to transform into an Artifact. These wonderous tools keep a small part of the Dreamer/ Nightmare's power in them. The same goes for the Cost.

Anomalous Artifacts however, don't take the shape of an object. Instead, they pick the form of a living creature. This is a rare phenomena, hence why they are called anomalies. These creatures have no solid form, instead acting more like a manifestation of the power the wish had granted to its previous wielder, the Dreamer or Nightmare it originated from. They are highly intelligent, meaning they can take full advantage of their powers and find work arounds for their Costs or even uses for them.

This, all of that you just read, was only halve of the basics for the system and still, I think this alone is already overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, i'm not going to info dump on the reader as i did to you (Sorry for that btw) but Still, I have no idea how I should go about making it coherent, less confusing, and stupidly unbalanced...

Can you help me?

I've been working on the magic system for my setting called Alden. I wanted a semi-hard to hard magic system, and I want some feedback and criticism to refine it.

Magic in Alden

Basics:

Magic in Alden is divided into 3 major subsets. Casting, Deific and Natural. Natural magic is the simplest, magic that exists naturally and comes in the form of crystals and enchanted regions. Deific magic is done through patronage or sacrifice to one of the eight gods, while it is costly compared to casting it can be done by every species. Casting magic is the most powerful and prolific, and is done by using your body and soul as a wire between the natural world and the Shroud

Shroud:

The shroud is an invisible field that covers the world and is the source of most supernatural activity. It comes from the presence of gods and demigods in their respective realities. Shroud energy travels across the planet like clouds or dust storms, in good times it is abundant and coats the region, while sometimes it is extremely scarce. Shroud energy must be channeled through the user to be turned into energy and spells, and your channeling is based on your biology and more specifically, lifespan. Species like elves, lithoids and photoids can use it basically forever as they live for millennia, while shorter-lived species like kobolds and thlixans can only do it in short bursts.

Deities:

The world of Alden is ruled by 8 main gods, they are

Entran: God of order. Created the world's rules and limits to stop mortals from surpassing the gods. Patron god of the Deogens. Her realm is dominated by a baroque compound, the center of bureaucracy and order in the higher realms.

Kohnrah: God of labour and work. Forged the foundations of the planet, the mountains islands and continents. His realm is a massive island resembling an anvil, with the top a deep crater from centuries of forging, with the village bellow housing his patrons

Nalten: God of nature. Created the world's flora and fauna. Her realm is a mountain-sized mangrove tree, which serves as the source of life for the planet. The top of the tree has dozens of tree dwelling homes for her patrons, with Nalten herself living inside the tree itself.

Axansh: God of adaptation. Responsible for the world's evolution and the advancement of civilization. Her realm is an endless plain of constantly shifting mosaics, always changing in their size and colour.

Riocons: God of war and violence. Created predation and competition to keep the world in check, from microbes hunting microbes to global crusades. His realm is a

Psicon: God of weather, responsible for the clouds, tornados, waves and seasons. His realm is in the center of a typhoon, with a shattered island chain in the center.

Antrel: God of the stars and moon. Created the moon, the stars, auroras, everything that makes the sky worth seeing. Their realm is a crystalline asteroid, with his patrons living on smaller rocks that orbit the main asteroid.

All-Being: God of time, creator of the universe and the only being the 7 gods answer to. While the rest can be seen in their full glory by mortals, the All-Being cannot be seen without the viewer going mad.

Demigods are the children of the gods, who's abilities are determined by their parents. While there is only 7 main gods there are dozens of demigods who each rule over smaller realms than the main ones. When in the mortal world, they can take whatever form they want but it's usually the form of whatever species they're talking to.

Spirits:

Spirits are another big aspect of Alden's magic. They come from 3 different sources

Deaths of sapient beings in times of extreme shroud activity

Deaths from overchanneling

Extreme devotion for an object or animal

Spirits are the fragments or personification of the being's soul that are imbued with shroud or deific energy. They tend to roam the world or ally with mages. They tend to have more shroud channeling than their mortal bodies thanks to being made of mostly shroud energy which is a far more effective channeling material. Their appearances aren't physical matter, but projections. Spirits come in a few types, such as

Elemental:

The most primordial form of spirit that can only use simple casting magic. Used in the forging of things like magic orbs, a practice only accepted in a few cultures and groups or under specific circumstances. They tend to come in the form of a blue or cyan coloured flame with a glowing crystal in the center

Bhakrtas:

More powerful and rarer than elemental spirits. Instead of feeding on shroud energy, most of theirs's comes from harvesting different emotions through different means. Ones that harvest awe will take the form of ancient ruins, ones that harvest fear will look like a terrifying monster.

Deogens:

A class of spirits who are most proficient in entrapment magic. Have dedicated themselves to containing dangerous beings. Tend to look like grey and cyan cloaked humanoids. One of the more intelligent spirit types.

Orabah:

Spirits especially honed in on floral and faunal magic. Looks like a mass of intertwined vines with fruits all over them. Often act as protectors of enchanted forests.

Natural:

Natural magic is created through natural means (obviously) thanks to large shroud presence. The main forms of Natural magic are

Crystals: Crystals are created when they're formed quickly after the god's fights. Normal fights between them can create semi-powerful crystals like communication crystals or channeling-boosters. Ones where a god is killed creates truly powerful crystals, powerful enough for entire civilizations to be built around them. The main types of crystals are

Communication Crystals, useless on their own and must be shattered to be useful. When one of the two crystals are vibrating (Crystal A), all audio near A is transported to any other shards. Is used like a radio, with "Resonance Studios" that broadcast music to their respective cites or nations. One of the more common variants

Channeling Boosters. A specific type of crystal that expands your channeling ability when held. Usually mounted at the end of a staff or wand, it allows species like kobolds and humans to compete with elves and lithoids in terms of raw magic energy.

Detonating Crystals. When triggered by a variety of methods (high temperature, specific elements, etc) they detonate, with explosive power density over 100x stronger than dynamite. Used by mining clans for excavation and Viningrad in combat.

Beacon Crystals. Similar to the Detonating Crystals, they are only useful with a trigger. They create a massive bright beacon that can be seen up to 100km away. Some variants can only be seen through a twin crystal, which is refined into a glass and crafted into a monocle or glasses. Once used, must be recharged with a couple days of light absorption

Radiance Crystals. The largest of the crystal group, they're often larger than an apartment building and the base of villages and enclaves.

Enchanted Regions: Enchanted regions are places that are imbued with shroud energy. The most common places to be enchanted are forests, canyons and mountain ranges. Effects of them vary, such as stronger magic, better channeling or unnatural phenomenon. Here are some major examples

- Rionaden Mountain Range: A vibrant alpine region with spiky mountains covered in runes and rich in rare metals and crystal. It stretches across Darikaar and is home to the Darikan Imperial Palace that stretches many miles and houses their royal family.

- The Encasement Atoll: A massive desolate island chain in a complex, unnatural geometric pattern. Inhabited by powerful spirits called Deogens, ruling the Liocan Prison, where the most dangerous beings are contained to prevent mass destruction. Dozens of large, stone obelisks surround the islands, which act as watchtowers and like a force field.

- The Shattered Skies: The home of photoids, it is a region the size of Algeria full of floating islands covered in white ash and strange orb-shaped trees. All flora and fauna in this region were transformed into light-based life. Instead of eating plants or meat, they feed on sunlight.

Arcane Lifeforms:

Animals and plants that evolved to use magic for survival. Here are examples:

Mesmerizer iguanas: Reptiles that live in the southeast rainforests. They reach up to 40cm and live for 30 years. They get their name thanks to an unfolding frill on their neck that can be used to hypnotize predators and prey. This only works on less intelligent creatures like bugs or amphibians.

Necroa Beetles: Metallic black and purple beetles, with bioluminescent markings on their shells. Their life cycle involves finding a recently deceased animal or human, reaching their heart, laying eggs and using the lasts of its life-energy to resurrect the body, though leaving it in a robotic state. The body will act as protection for the eggs and provide nourishment, before eventually dying again when they reach maturity.

Thermite Sea Dragons: Amphibious serpents living on the Kelayan coasts. They reach 12 meters long and come in shiny turquoises and navy blue. Under their throat is a transmutation sack that turns water into a stream of thermite fire. A nightmare for traders.

Deific:

Deific magic is used by sacrificing something to the gods, and them fulfilling your request. The forms of deific magic are

Blessed: A form of enchantment that instead of using shroud energy, is blessed directly by one of the eight gods. The god that blesses it decides its ability, as well as the gift you give them or their opinion on you. For instance: If you ask Krion to bless a crossbow and they are very fond of you, the blessing will be powerful and less costly than if you were cordial or negative.

Aid and Scourge: Deific magic that either improves a region in some way or harms it. Like for instance, aid magic could make a field grow food quicker or improve health over a town. While scourge magic would do the opposite, killing crops and spreading illness.

Gift: Giving a sacrifice or gift to a deity can be used to get either large amounts of resources or divine tools. Divine tools come in many types, from a blade that can slice through solid steel to a shield that can absorb and release energy in a beam.

While being the mostly costly form, requiring generous offers or a good standing with the gods, it is useful because it isn't connected to your channeling abilities while casting magic needs a good amount of it, which was invaluable for the early Vinigradi to rebuild their civilization.

Casting:

Casting magic is the most common and most powerful form. It is done by channeling shroud energy through your body to produce effects in the real world. Your body's ability to act as a medium for the shroud is mostly determined by your species' lifespan, though certain artefacts and crystals can expand someone's channeling ability. Species with long lifespans, like elves photoids and lithoids, can channel tons of shroud energy because they live either centuries or millennia, with some lithoids being over 10,000 years old. Species like humans, cobans, shroomfolk, plasmoids, most uplifted animal species, sirens and orcs can only channel a fifth of the long lived species. Meanwhile the thlixans, fleafolk, short-lived uplifted animal species and kobolds can barely use magic. If you exceed your channeling abilities, there are many possible consequences. On the low end it can cause temporary ageing or unconsciousness. In the worst cases it causes calcification in your body, turning your muscles and bones into a crumbly mix of calcium that is very fragile.

Casting magic is divided into 4 main groups and other subsets.

Creation:

The hardest form of magic which turns shroud energy into physical matter. The most draining magic since it uses the most amount of energy. Subtypes are:

Fauna and Flora Growth

Elemental Creation

Material Creation

Destruction:

A bit simpler than creation magic, its defined by destroying or damaging physical matter. Subtypes are:

Detonation

Deletion

Vaporization

Transformation:

Often simpler than destruction magic, it turns one thing into another instead of creating it from the ground up. Subtypes are:

Enchantment

Transmutation

Petrification

Illusion:

The cheapest magic type of the 4, it doesn't create physical matter, instead its more of a hologram. The subtypes are:

Mind Warping

Projection

Magic subtypes are more of a spectrum than hard groups. If you want to create fire, you need to mix creation and destruction. If you want to give a creature sapience you need to mix illusion and transformation.

I'm building a sin/virtue ocular power system where a character's pupils physically change shape when they activate their ability. I need a shape for "Weakness" and nothing I've tried is clicking.

What Weakness does: The wielder casts death on a target — but whether that death lands is entirely determined by resolve. It's a pure contest of will: do you want them dead more than they want to live? The weak die. The resolute resist. Death here is less a certainty and more a threshold that gets pushed against.

Design criteria for the shape — this is a bit important to me:

Geometrically simple and visually distinct (no two shapes in the system look similar)

Carries inherent symbolic resonance with the ability without being too literal

Works as a pupil shape (it needs to read clearly in an eye at small scale)

Existing shapes for reference — these will show you the aesthetic standard:

Sin

Star (pride), Circle (greed), Triangle (lust), X (wrath), Spiral (gluttony), Hexagram (envy), Square (sloth), Vertical line (apathy), Matau/fishhook (vengeance), Tilde (flattery)

Virtue

Pentagon (humility), Crescent (generosity), Triquetra (chastity), Cross (patience), Concentric circles (temperance), Hexagon (charity), Rhombus (diligence), Two eccentric circles (empathy)

I'm currently building the magic system for my fantasy world, and my main goal is to make magic feel like a scientific discipline instead of something mystical or sacred. I wanted to know if the overall concept feels interesting and whether it stands on its own.

Here's the basic idea.

---

Mana

Mana is a naturally occurring element that exists everywhere in the atmosphere, behaving similarly to a gas. Every living creature constantly absorbs and leaks mana throughout its life.

Every living being possesses mana, but not everyone can consciously sense or manipulate it.

Learning to sense mana is extremely difficult. Some people need months, while others spend years before they can even perceive it. Because of this, becoming a mana user is already considered a significant achievement.

---

Magic is an Academic Field

Magic is treated like engineering, medicine, biology, or physics.

People can earn degrees in magic, conduct research, publish papers, patent new spells, attend international conferences, and pursue careers based on magical knowledge.

Not every mage is constantly fighting monster or other mage. Many become doctors, lawyers, engineers, researchers, archaeologists, teachers, craftsmen, or countless other professions.

---

The Five Magic Majors

Instead of elemental affinities or traditional spell classes, magic is divided into five academic majors.

1. Elementalis

Core question: "What natural phenomenon do I want to recreate?"

Elementalists convert mana into artificial natural phenomena such as fire, lightning, water, wind, ice, plants, or even metal like Mercury, gold etc.

Their goal is not to create real matter, but to reproduce similar natural phenomena through mana.

---

2. Summoning

Core question:"What do I want to summon?"

Summoning has two different systems.

Contract Summoning

The user forms a contract with an existing Spirit or Spirit Beast and can temporarily summon that specific individual.

Manifest Summoning

Instead of summoning an existing creature, the user creates an entirely new lifeform made purely from mana.

Manifest Summons are divided into two categories.

Mana Beast

Standardized summons that are well documented and can be learned by anyone.

Familiar

A completely original summon created by a single individual.

Once another person successfully reproduces the same Familiar, it is no longer considered a Familiar and becomes a Mana Beast.

---

3. Manipulation

Core question: "What do I want to control?"

Rather than creating something new, Manipulation allows users to control things that already exist.

Examples include objects, or a person like some sort of hypnosis, body control etc.

---

4. Alchemy

Core question: "What do I want to create?"

Alchemy has two branches.

Rune Alchemy

Uses mana-infused ink to draw magical formulas.

Runes are highly mana-efficient but require preparation, accuracy, and physical materials.

A small mistake in the formula usually causes the spell to fail.

Conjuration

Creates objects directly from mana without requiring any external medium.

It is much more flexible but becomes exponentially more expensive as the complexity of the object increases.

The user must accurately imagine every structural detail of the object being created.

---

5. Enhancement

Core question: "What do I want to strengthen?"

Enhancement reinforces existing properties instead of creating something new.

Examples include physical strength, durability, regeneration, speed, senses, or reinforcing equipment.

---

Mana Control

Before learning magic, every student first learns how to control mana itself. There are four fundamental techniques.

1. Veil

Cover the body with stable mana while preventing natural mana leakage.

2. Hold

Completely seal the body's mana flow.

3. Release

Force a large amount of mana out of the body.

4. Casting

Convert mana into actual spells.

---

Advanced Mana Techniques

After mastering the basics, users can learn more specialized techniques.

1. Sensory

Extend Veil beyond the body to create a detection field.

2. Channeling

Transfer mana into objects.

3. Focus

Concentrate mana into one specific body part.

4. Void

A more advanced application of Hold that conceals one's mana signature without stopping mana flow.

5. Aegis

Maintain Veil across the entire body while simultaneously using Focus on a single point to greatly increase defensive strength.

6. Strike

Concentrate nearly all available mana into a single attack while minimizing mana throughout the rest of the body.

---

Mana Restriction

Mana Restriction is a technique that intentionally imposes limitations on oneself in exchange for greater benefits.

The greater the restriction, the greater the reward.

Examples include reducing the amount of mana one can use, limiting the activation conditions of a spell, sacrificing mobility, or accepting permanent drawbacks in exchange for increased efficiency or power.

The exact result depends on the restriction itself.

---

Mana Contract

Mana Contracts are magical agreements enforced by mana itself.

A Mana Contract can only be formed if every participant willingly accepts its terms.

Once established, all parties are bound to fulfill the agreement.

Breaking the contract results in a predetermined punishment determined when the contract is created.

The punishment can vary depending on the agreement, ranging from temporary penalties to severe consequences.

---

Hard Limits of Magic

Magic has several absolute limitations that cannot be bypassed.

1. Magic cannot reverse cause and effect.

2. Magic cannot truly resurrect the dead.

3. Magic cannot create genuine emotions.

4. Magic cannot instantly grant knowledge.

---

I'd love to hear whether this system feels distinct enough, whether it sounds internally consistent, and if there are any obvious similarities to existing magic systems that I should be aware of.