Making Magic Systems: The Only FOUR Types of Magic
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
- Hello, fellow story-tellers, in today's video we discuss the four common forms of magic in media and how they're used. I hope this helps you get started on your own magic system whether it be for a DnD campaign, that new book you're starting, or video game you're making. If you are interested in more magic-ey stuff check out my Making Magic playlist, more videos coming soon.
Check out my first Magic System video here, Sanderson's 3 laws of Magic (beware the quality, it is one of my first videos ever) -
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Timecodes:
Intro - 0:00
Spells - 1:58
Magical Items - 7:08
Divine Intervention - 11:27
Enhancements - 15:02
Music -
Kevin MacLeod
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"I don't want to give you rules necessarily, I want to give you inspiration, because that's where magic systems are born." is an amazing line.
The sole purpose of this comment is to get the algorithm to push this video to more people :)
It worked, thank you.
Yes thank you.
It succeeded 🎉
It worked
It worked!
I had a similar conversation last month. I classified them in a differrent way.
- Magic as Discipline
- Magic as Science
- Magic as Mystery
- Magic as Emotion
Magic as Science is when the magic is completely understood and is based primarily on knowledge. Obtaining new powers comes from learning secrets, or having them taught to you. Training often does very little to make your magic stronger, if you want to become a more powerful wizard, you need to discover more secrets, find more synergies, learn things that others do not know, or do not dare to know. In these worlds, Magic is almost never intrinsically good or evil, it is just a tool. Basic example would be Harry Potter.
Magic as Discipline is when knowledge is not enough, you have to train, you have to practice. The more you train your supernatural powers, the stronger they become, merely understanding how they work is not enough, it takes effort and commitment. And this training often come with rewards, a wizard who has strong discipline and practices regularly, will manage more powerful spells than another who might have a better understanding of magic, but does not train it hard. Examples would be Avatar, Star Wars and My Hero Academia.
Magic as Mystery is when magic is not only unknown, it is unknowable. Magic powers cannot be well understood, you cannot train them, you cannot reproduce them, and study often provides very little understanding. Wizards have rote rituals for the small parts that they can reproduce and understand, but there is a vast iceberg of 'true magic' under the small parts that are understood, and most people with magical powers have obtained them by accident or being gifted by a powerful/divine being. Curses that cannot be broken unless specific conditions apply, or are created by the magic of the world itself as punishment are examples. Most divine interventions fall into this group, because the magic user simply doesn't know if the divinity will answer, it is not predictable. Magic items that may or may not work. The magic of The Elder Scrolls, or the Ctulhu Mythos or the Blasphemous game series, are examples of magic which *cannot* be understood.
Magic as Emotion is when the key feature is emotion. The magic only works when the user is emotionally attuned, either from being true to their feelings, or being attuned to their anger, or zen detachment. A wizard with all the training and knowledge will be unable to use this type of magic, if they are somehow cynical or not genuine in their attempts to use magic. This is the realm of Magical Girls, and most kinds of Divine Intervention, since the Divinity can typically judge if the user is being truthful when they beseech for a miracle. This differs from magic as Mystery because it can be understood, even if you cannot train to be more truthful to your emotions, another magic user can correctly explain that your magic didn't work because you didn't truly _believe in your friends._ Examples would be... almost every magical girl show ever, and a lot of Disney/Pixar magic.
Some worlds fall very solidly into one category, while others are kind of in between. For example, in Dragon Ball Z, characters power is affected by their emotional attunement, but discipline and training are the primary factor. Any Saiyan can get angry, but getting angry and channeling that anger correctly can lead you to a super Saiyan transformation. Goku's Ultra Instinct requires a state of zen-like empty mind, but this is not something that can be reached without a lot of discipline and training. In the world of Harry Potter, almost all spells are a matter of knowledge, if you want a potion to do a specific thing, just research the proper materials, but no amount of knowledge and training can significantly change your Expecto Patronum.
Understanding which type of magical world you are dealing with is important, because certain genres have certain expectations for the audience, and switching them can lead to betraying those expectations. For example, one of the big beefs people had with the Star Wars sequels is that they changed the genre of magic. In the previous movies the Force had been solidly Discipline magic, because the force was eastern-inspired supernatural martial arts, but in the sequels it became a mix of Emotion and Mystery, with force users being able to perform unpredictable magical feats that made no logical sense, characters emotional attunement becoming more important than their discipline, and the force itself seeming to make conscious choices like a divinity at some points.
One of my favorite is Fake Magic. Where a supposed stage magician is doing his parlor tricks but they're beyond what normal earth physics would normally allow. I don't see that too often as an actual magic system, probably since people don't want to pin that with actual magic but it could definitely follow the same rules and be intriguing.
Oh! I didn't think about that! The only example I can think of right now is Mumbo from Teen Titans. Do you have any other examples?
@@moonangel97 I like the Bard from D&D for this. They do have real magic, but almost their entire spells can be flavored as mechanical tools and slight of hand. I also played a stage magician in a Dresden Files campaign that could do the stuff, which unfortunately,and fortunately for writers, is pretty much where it ends, with incredibly fertile ground.
Though the Now You See Me movies skirt with it.
So pretty much all the "sleight of hand" tricks in the Now You See Me movies?
@@Mercadian Pretty much, though there are a few tricks even I can do. Which is why it might be one I like, being a dabbler with the goal of becoming a magician so I'm biased.
@@angrytheclown801I know how some are done (I used to want to be a magician but I gave that up after some issues with my joints), but, especially in the 2nd movie, there are just some impossible feats of sleight of hand.
I remember in high-school I read a book about what was essentially Dream Magicians- they lived in a dream world, creating dreams for mortals to visit in their sleep and they could visit the mortal world in their own dreams. The cool thing I remember was the main character spent his time in lecture halls and university classes to learn and understand physics and chemistry- the idea being that the more he understood how our world worked, the more realistic and believable the dream worlds he could create. I loved that idea, a magic system based on verisimilitude- where believing the dream made it more real, where the more specific the effect, the more powerful the effect.
So far the most comprehensive magic system is likely from Mage: The Ascension TRPG. Where magic is basically build purely on 'world view' also call 'paradigm' of a mage. If your world view is one of science, then you perform magic via hyper-science. If you are taught & believe in hermitic style, you use magic like spell & rituals of wizards. If you are of religious order, so on so forth. So all the factions, sub-factions encompass all kinds of magic users. Voodoo priest to Egyptian cults to cyberpunk hackers.
@@biocapsule7311 That actually sounds really cool, magic based on being exceptional at just about anything. Makes me wonder how the Guinness world records would work there lol
I like when authors think about how the magic in their world was first discovered. Most of the time it's just "it just exists" or "the gods did it that way."
Yes well the magic from gods can work too. Particularly if it is kind of activated by prayer.
@@elderscrollsswimmer4833 sure but "clerics" are warlock's. And "gods" is a very blurry term.
The point however is that even if the author never says where or how magic came about limits magic and you can feel the effects in the story. For example a universe where "magic" exists would have massive impact on the way societies develop and depending on what the magic does it would shape societies differently.
As an example magic may cause societies to skip the need for metal making wooden swords and armor more practical and speed up social development. It could also eliminate the need for metal in skyscrapers.
Magical chants were made by a powerful mage/god for the people
@@Vugtis_El_VillaVODS mages are gods, but that doesn't really address the problem. It's the difference between saying when you drop something it falls, and teaching me about gravity.
How/why is it that vibrations (a chant) work? Is a chant nothing more than pinging Alexa or Google with a verbal prompt?
@@Vugtis_El_VillaVODS also how did that God discover magic and begin to understand the principles?
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
Seems to work in Pokémon:
Moves - spells
Abilities -enhancements
Legendaries - Divine intervention (until you catch them)
Held items - magical items
berries - the most powerful magical item
@@maksymiliank5135 the *most* _most_ powerful item: ball
Another common division is Right-Hand, Left-Hand, and Middle-Path sources of magick.
Right Hand path earns power. You get it through meditation or through service to a divine being.
Left Hand path takes power. It usually, but not always, involves harming someone else.
Middle Path shares power. The user makes connections, usually to natural forces, that the user channels.
Left Hand vs Right Hand is much more common since it sets up a conflict between benevolent/malevolent people. The conflict with Middle Path magick is that it normally erodes the humanity of the user - the magick gets to shape the user for its purposes.
I disagree with the last part.
Left, right, and middle path will swallow your base nature, for better or worse, for elevation or self desructive changes that may play out over years or even decades.
Generally, the more foreign and the more the source of magic demands, the greater the changes. Some change will be required if one is to increase one's power. The question is, if it changes one's own true nature, or frees it.
man this is like the entire magic system of mistborn
I feel like that is not really a distinction between magic system but the plot significance of the magic. Many magic systems have two or all of them is some aspects, where which is used when and by whom often signifies the morality of the situation.
"Middle path" feels like right hand path to me. What's the difference?
I came to the video doubting that it's possible to categorize magic systems into just four types in a way that wouldn't be meaningless because of the oversimplification -- but I am so glad I started watching anyway, because this classification is very good and useful! It certainly did make me think about my own magic system from a new perspective
There is one other way I have seen Magic categorized into 4 types as well. Just done very differently, while this video does it through the flavor of spells, magical items, divine intervention, and enhancements. The other one doesn’t give a quality, but adds more limits to it, I guess. Effectively, ever Magic system lies somewhere within a quadrant between two axis: either Soft vs Hard or Rational vs Irrational. Under those rules, if something is say a Soft Rational system, then you get something like Tolkien’s work. Tolkien’s work is mostly Soft Rational, because there is typically very little explained in the Magic system within the plot, but that very little is only the tip of the iceberg in a much larger and expansive system. Or there is Soft Irrational, which a lot of superhero material lies where its origin and mechanics aren’t really explained because there isn’t much need to. While something more Hard Rational would be much of Brandon Sanderson’s work or maybe Nen from Hunter X Hunter, in that you could get a college degree on it. Lastly Hard Irrational a lot of times you might see in horror, like Lovecraft where there are extensive rituals but those sources of power are unexplainable.
@@fenrirsilver6441 the way you explained it, and then gave broad, well known examples so people like me can understand I have 2 words for you: thank you.
I read a book once that the magic was based on reading and writing, and the protagonist was dyslexic
Edit: wish I could remember the title
Could it be Spellwright?
Fablehaven. It totally isnt but I liked the magic in it
@@ravecutabodiu2544 “Spellwright” is a hilarious title for this scenario 😂
@DCGolden247, that’s not a coincidence
Okay, let me guess from the thumbnail:
1: Crafted magic, which comes from powerful materials the magician makes into objects which can then be used by anyone.
2: Cast magic, which comes from specific actions on the part of the magician which activate laws inherent in the world’s reality. May or may not be used by anyone aware of the correct actions.
3: Self-powered magic, wherein the power comes from and is limited by the magician themselves. Obviously can’t be used by just anyone.
4: God-powered magic, which is given, taken, and ultimately controlled by a force outside of the magician’s power.
Dude...that was sooo spot on...I'm impressed.
I'm guessing that "The Gerosha Chronicles" employs the Marlquaan as a sort of "god energy" then. Because only a connection to it grants anyone that kind of power in that world. From there, specific types of connection result in each user playing by slightly different rules. And yet, the Marlquaan only can operate so long as another God tolerates it doing so. And even then, very few are bestowed it automatically. Most have to actively acquire a bond, usually through utilization of Marlquaanite rubies. Which are not always easy to obtain. And then there are differing schools of thought on the use of them. Which is what leads to the two biggest at-war religions in that world:
- The Order of the Oraphim, which wants God, not raw power, to become man's focus, and believes the Marlquaan is a tool that few should ever be allowed to use, as it can become a distraction. It wants to find and hide Marlquaan rubies, so as to ensure that they don't become too widespread of knowledge, and that they don't become widely used, nor that their trade become a large enough economy in its own right that one should ever fall into the wrong hands.
- The Society of the Icy Finger, which wants to overthrow God, and believes in controlling the rubies and world supply of them, to maximize and concentrate them toward the creation of a new Abdygalis Shard, for the express purpose of their cult concentrating power unto itself to achieve its ultimate goal.
The Order will limit even its own power, lest it go to their heads and they become conceited, because they don't want mankind to think that the gift of the Marlquaan is an adequate substitute for God, lest mankind destroy itself with such delusion. But will do so at the expense of limiting access of it to those who could sometimes use it effectively for a good cause. Thus enabling mediocre evildoers to commit more crimes with less resistance from the enhanced, if only to ensure that its power cannot corrupt.
The Icy Finger will knowingly try to maximize its own power, so they can wreak havoc and bombard regions with assaults too chaotic to be combated.
The Order has always been more efficient at winning the arms race; but that has only made the Icy Finger more desperate to do whatever is necessary to turn the tide.
And then every other faction in that world is affected by the arms race one way or another. Some are able to ignore it completely. Some are forced to choose sides. Yet, every faction has its own distinct priorities.
- The Order is preoccupied primarily with stopping the Icy Finger from gaining more power and influence. Not necessarily so it can have that power and influence for itself, but only so that the evil that the Icy Finger represents can't grow, and can be dealt with by others. Winning the ruby arms race and keeping "magic" in that world under control and out of the hands of those unfit to have it is their primary focus.
- The Sodality Church and Sodality of Gerosha are primarily concerned with the spiritual welfare of those who've been affected by the arms race, and also with keeping the monsters created by the arms race under control. They're the guys that send missionaries to a region affected by something like a Hebbleskin werewolf attack, that evangelize the locals and help rebuild homes that get torn apart. And also that form a league of superheroes to deal with threats such as whatever monster-of-the-week the Hebbleskin Gang sends out.
- The Navyropes are primarily concerned with stopping the enemy's ability to cement political power, as well as becoming a force to push back against abuses of the state.
- The Hebbleskin Gang wishes to serve the Hebbleskin Dynasty back on the planet Metheel, and gain control over much of the Earth by using its evil mutant Frankenstein experiments to create monsters that will help it enslave humanity. It believes that with enough of this, it will eventually be able to graduate into being a legitimate power body in its own right, and not have to rely on being involved with things like human trafficking and drugs to finance itself. They're willing to become lackeys to the Icy Finger, and share power, if only to continue serving their main goal.
- The Phaletori want to establish their own equivalent version of a Hebbleskin Dynasty on the world of Phaeleel, and overthrow the Phaelite Society there that they see as "weak," "outdated," and "shortsighted." Earth is merely their backwater base and storage warehouse for all their supplies for this insurrection. The Triumvirate, and Icy Finger, are a means to an end.
And then there's Nordreichdun. A bizarre Krampus cult that merely wants to do Krampus things, and only aids the Order and its other allies because the Icy Finger's power lust and Hebbleskins' human trafficking operations make the Triumvirate as much a threat to the Krampus cult as to the hero factions.
They're a major thorn in the side of the main villain factions, because of their tendency to abduct / eat minions of these factions. They're also the most embarrassing and creepy ally the hero factions have, whom they wish to minimize association with. It'd be like an Eskimo goth nazi from out of nowhere randomly helping you out of a tight spot against the NWO. You're grateful they saved your life against a greater evil; but you're still hesitant to call them an outright friend. After all: you're pretty sure they'll betray you at some point.
Crafted magic just is a permanent version of magic. It could come from any of the other 3 types. Doesn't feel like it's own type.
@@charleshaines9715 No, the magic is inherent to the object itself. No spells are put on it. It just has a magical effect once it’s been made.
@@dodiswatchbobobo but the item didn't have magic until it was made to be so. How did it obtain that magic? Was it divine intervention? Was it by some sort of recipe with ingredients? What was it's activation. Magic items are just spells that keep on going. Sometimes they are giving the effects of a speel that resemble ability augmentation. Any and all of these classifications are just lines in the sand. Draw them however you would like, and whatever makes it easier for you
7:34 "Hello Potion Seller, I am going into battle and I want your strongest potions."
"My potions are too strong for you traveler."
So wizards, artificers, warlocks, and sorcerers from D&D.
Warlocks _or_ clerics. They're really two sides of the same coin, and it annoys me that D&D doesn't play with that dichotomy at all.
Clerics, paladins, druids, rangers, and warlocks are all variations on deriving power from something outside yourself. I feel like they should all have mechanics for keeping the source of their power happy, and consequences for failing to do so.
I know technically 5e says that paladins get their power from their oath and not a god, but that's just one line in a description, and otherwise they didn't change anything.
Original DnD also had psionics. Mostly super powers of thought that could break your opponent’s brain. Killing, stunning or controlling them. Then it mostly got dumped onto mind flayers. The movie Scanners is a good “real world” example. Not sure how you’d categorize this. Later psionics allowed for spell like abilities.
@@dearthditchthere are also a lot of spells that are flavored around this-especially when you take Warlock of the Great Old One (you get telepathy at level one). For example, Dissonant Whispers, Charm Person, and Crown of Madness all mess with your opponents’ brains and can be flavored as psychics
For those wondering there is in fact a pretty decently big difference from a power system and a magic system :
Magic system is normally focus on the OG spells and magical techniques from elden stories, they're also mostly techniques and spells which everyone can use, a lot of magic systems nowadays are normally just : "this person can shoot a fireball." Because they have enough 'energy' or whatever it is inside of the verse, keep in mind that magic systems naturally look and feel supernatural so they can be 'completely ridiculous!' like stated.
Power systems : Power systems are basically magic systems but can be more focused around reality and feel less supernatural, Power systems a lot of the time are also about having a unique power which only you can use, an example of this would be nen abilities from hxh or quirks from mha
DC or MCU comics are actually REALLY Great examples of a power system, specifically because of your unique abilities could come from a species/race, supernatural event, cultivation, etc ( In this case it's kind of like multiple power / magic systems jumbled up to create a mostly power system ).
Nen is actually kind of weird because it's essentially programmed magic. Your unique ability is whatever you want it to be within the realm of your own capabilities and the restrictions you put on it, but once it's defined that's it.
Because of this there's not exactly anything stopping you from setting up your powers to function like someone else's other than your own abilities, though if you're doing this it probably won't be as effective as the other person's.
@@xdragoonzero0 I'm pretty sure the reason it's still counted as a power system is mainly because of the fact that even if you program Nen like someone else's it's still a unique ability and it's very much still yours, it's not like multiple people can automatically use it or can just learn to use it over time.
It's your unique ability, even if it's copying someone else's.
So unique manifestation vs shared learnable magic.. although even this is fiddly.
In most stories magic isn't something anyone can use?
The golem is an interesting example since it has elements of a spell, magical item, and divine intervention. The golem is created and destroyed through a spell. But while it exists, it's like a magical item. But since it can have something of a will of its own, it has an element of divine intervention.
Biblical magic is quite interesting when you think about it in relation to magic systems. Like, the magicians of Egypt can replicate miracles but they can’t create their own miracles (and even their miracle replication is limited since they can’t create something as small as an insect.)
Like any other aspects of your world building, I think the most important aspect of your magic system is internal consistency. Nothing can break your immersion more than inconsistencies throughout your experience. (Sure there can be exception here and there as long as they are justified in a way)
Regarding Sanderson's laws, I'd go a step further and say they primarily apply to Brandon Sanderson personally. The man has a very specific approach to writing hard magic systems because he's kinda obsessed with them (I'm not sure but I think he once said he wrote a book because he thought of a magic system and needed a story to go with it) and that's fine because it's obviously working for him. It makes sense he'd establish rules for his own very particular method, and they may be useful if you write magic in a similar way, but may less useful if you aren't into very specific hard systems.
To put it in more general terms: When writers dole out writing advice, they're typically describing their own personal style which will have been shaped by their preferences, habits, experiences and philosophy. And the more specific they are - especially when they start talking about "rules" - the more likely this is to be true. Thus, you have to always consider if a piece of advice makes sense to you and suits the way you tend to do things. Ultimately, you can't become a good writer simply by following instructions. Writing stories is a matter of self-expression, and you have to really think about what you're doing.
Regarding prophesies and Chosen Ones, I think it's worth keeping in mind that traditionally a prophet was not a fortune teller or soothsayer, at least not exactly: Prophets were people who received divine messages. It wasn't them seeing visions of the future so much as it was their god giving them a head's up because he's planning to, say, drown the whole world so building a giant boat might be a good idea. Of course, depending on what the god is capable of, the prophesy may _as well_ be an accurate prediction of the future. (For example, in the Judaeo-Christian tradition it works this way because God is omniscient and literally can't be wrong.) Still, I prefer to think of them as plans that the powers that be intend to put into action. That way, the Chosen One hero isn't guaranteed to win regardless of what choices are made, but it is how events have been set up to work out.
Speaking of which, to me the term "chosen one" implies that the character was actually chosen by someone or something to serve a specific purpose for a specific reason. That is to say, the hero isn't just arbitrarily the most important person in the world simply due to random chance or "because the prophesy says so." They were actively chosen because they possess certain qualities that make them the best one for the job. Of course, predictions of the future can still be part of all this, but I think I really like it when there's some sort of great plan at work and you can sorta tell how and why the hero fits into it.
Can you elaborate on the second paragraph more?
Definitely. Like how Isaac Asimov’s Laws of Robotics worked for his stories but aren’t something that be extended to the genre as a whole
Uh, I accidently hit all 4 types while also making them have to rediscover the magic multiple times as if it was the first.
This video actually inspired a thought, although this has probably been done before.
Context: I am building a world for a D&D campaign but was thinking of expanding it beyond that in the future.
The inspiration: A system of magic where everyone is innately magical, but magic can only be used by those within which it has ‘awoken’. Each user of magic has a unique way of controlling their magic based upon the circumstances of their ‘awakening’.
Example: if a persons magic awoke to save them from a deadly fire, their power is drawn from runes and other symbols drawn in charcoal.
This system would likely draw heavily from the spells part of your video, although magic items would likely also be present.
Edit: Awesome video
That's a really cool idea for a magic system! I love the idea that their manipulation of magic is based on how it awakens. So is each person unique in how they control magic? Or are there certain preexisting classifications? If each person is unique, how do they figure out how to control their magic?
@@moonangel97In terms of the mechanism for control, that is unique to each person (the example above). To expand on the idea, I think I would have the spells be a combination of how a person focuses their power, like the charcoal runes example, along with some type of mana/willpower from which they draw their power. I think this would allow for a baseline “every day” power level which can be furthered with training, alongside a heightened “life or death” temporary surge in power level, which could show the true power of magic/the wielder.
As for magic within the world, I think that the mana/willpower works well, as it allows for a fast and loose system (although with some structure from what is “known”) where arcanists can use magic to manipulate the world. What people see/have heard about is possible if they have the will to manifest it, hopefully removing the obstacle caused by such a variety of focus mechanisms. It could also allow for limited spell casting without a focus, although perhaps rare and exhausting.
I might also add that a person’s awakening, as well as the discovery of a focus, would give that person an affinity with magic surrounding the circumstances of the awakening. Going back to the charcoal runes example, this person would have an affinity with fire magic, although would be more than capable of wielding other magic too.
Edit: to be clear, I am coming up with this as I write the comment, feedback appreciated
That’s cool! Would the event that triggered the awakening be the reason a person’s magic takes a certain form or was their magic always going to take that form and being in the situation just caused them to awaken?
@@buttercupup3687 The form taken by a person’s focus is predetermined, the awakening is more akin to an experience of discovery. It also cannot be forced (think something along the lines of the film Deadpool) so while everyone could wield magic, only some are destined too.
This reminds me of the trigger events from Worm. People gain a unique super power in an extreme traumatic moment. The powers are mostly in the spell and enhancement categories, but they vary in application from area of effect to touch based to line of sight and more.
It's always easy to spot someone who has watched _Harry Potter,_ but not read it. The nmagic system is intriate in the books, but the movies basically just go with it because of the time constraints. In late Hogwarts you learn non-verbal magic, but the movies never bring that up so the movies magic system seems inconsistent.
True
I got a lot of the inspiration for the magic systems in my book (yes multiple magic systems in one book, I hate myself apparently) from anime. I actually have a magic system that could fall in all four categories you named here. Now I just need to hope the book ends up actually good.
What exactly is this magic system and what's your book about?
Here's an offering to the great Algo Rithm. May your numbers soar ever higher.
Magic is just science that we don't have a formula for
I like magic systems a ton, it’s always interesting to see what new stories can come from a well made magic system
I love talking about Magic Systems, and Atla has one of my favorite magic systems of all time.
3:54, In the sixth book, Snape teaches a class on how to cast non-verbal spells. And the thing is, the magic that Harry accidentally uses in the first and third books isn’t based on verbal commands though it’s still chaotic. The verbalized spell is pretty clearly meant to keep it from becoming chaotic and uncontrollable while by sixth year, they do have to learn how to cast the spell by saying it only in their head instead of out loud. And even something like a wand may be the equivalent of something like a ski pole in real life where it’s a tool to make what you’re doing easier but isn’t necessarily essential to it (though there are canonically some spells that always require wands.)
I love that you showed Lucy from Fairy Tail. I still think to this day that the magic in Fairy Tail is so cool!
I’ve been working on a magic system for a while but it’s still only conceptual. It’s for a world designed to deal with mental health; the continents are based on regions of the brain, the monsters are mental illnesses and fears, the characters arcs go over the struggles of said mental health etc. I can tell that it’s mostly an emotional based magic system but half the time I don’t know what it should do
That's a really deep concept and I love it. Sounds a little Persona-esque. It's gonna be a struggle though; there isn't really a good way to do this unless you're pretty on the up with actual psychology or are willing to just say, "Screw it, it's fictional. Let's have fun!"
My approach would be this; a dualistic system of Cleansing and Binding Magic. Cleansing is the practice of healing oneself and cleansing enemies of their maledictions, thus pacifying them and perhaps turning them to your side by bringing out their better natures.
Binding would be the practice of harnessing the Monster's power by literally binding it to serve the Mage or even destroying it entirely. In this way the Mage gains control of the regions of his mind by culling Monsters that do not serve him and using those that do as slaves.
@@user-th9jt4es5i thank you for the input. I have been trying to study psychology to refine said magic system so I know it needs to cure the affliction set by the dream demons which your cleansing proposal wonderfully encapsulates but it’s also used to physically enhance the users and to attack said dream demons so they are weak enough to cleanse- said magic needs to be done with a clear mind as it can go haywire without one to show how a negative mind can have negative impacts on the body
@@user-th9jt4es5i Sorry for messaging again but apparently my comment got deleted. Thank you for the input and I think I’ll use the cleansing recommendation so I thank you highly for it
FFXIV has a specific class with a move that takes despair and then banishes it. Perhaps you can start with something simplistic like that, removing a supposedly bad emotion?
@@iantaakalla8180 Thank you, I’ll try that
you said something about Celestial Bronze in this video. it's not correct that Celestial Bronze weapons are enchanted to not harm mortals. it's a fundamental property of celestal bronze that mortals are just not important enough to be harmed by it. otherwise a very good video
While, semantically, you're correct, I think calling it an enchantment to not hurt mortals does get the point across. I noticed this too but I thought it was basically harmless, and only those of us who have read the books would even know that there is a difference, let alone if that difference really matters in the grand scheme of things
I came here to look for this comment and make it myself if I couldn’t find it but the person above is right 🤷🏽♂️
A great Video. Way too less people talk about magic that way, but more, how to incorparate them into the story. Dont get me wrong, its good to know that and very importantly affecting the magic and vice versa, but you have to decide first, what magic in general you want to include and how it fits into the worldbuilding. I think to speak of magic in the terms we got presented here, is very helpfull with that. Thank you.
"There ARE more types of magic"
The title: "The ONLY Four Types of Magic"
It's all clickbait.
Most people know Arther C Clark's "sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." And I think Andrew Rowe was extending that in the title "Sufficiently Advanced Magic" (good book) which would conclude with 'is indistinguishable from Devine Intervention'. To extend the concepts further, I'd say, Sufficiently advanced Devine intervention is indistinguishable from Natural Order. Meaning that if it's advanced enough the manipulations are like the Butterfly Effect, you don't see the little changes till they become something big. Then the next step is Sufficiently advanced Natural Order can be quantified with Science and Technology, completing the circle.
Nope, it's circular: just as sufficiently advanced science is practically magic if you don't understand how it works, sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from *science* . If it is explained enough and grounded in laws of nature that is.
@essneyallen6777 from the standpoint of the person using the magic/science, yes the term changes based on how well you understand the subject.
What I was talking about is a third party trying to understand an event they observed. If they understand it, then science. The farther from their understanding, the less they observed.
There is a book series that I enjoy that uses potions quite a lot in it's story, and I think this just proves the point. The series is called potion masters, with book one being named the eternity elixir, for anyone who is interested.
One of my favorite magic systems which is fairly common in Anime is what I like to call Anti-magic
Basically doing certain actions or things to block or nullify magic.
Not really my thing, but i watched for the hell of it. Well done video. I like that your outro is pachelbel, very classy👍
I love this. Compared to Sanderson's work, it feels like you've given an actual set of classifications, vs his tip on maintaining an audience's suspension of disbelief. ("Your ability to solve problems with magic is directly dependent on the audience's understanding of it," applies to all ways of solving problems in a story. Anytime it happens in a story without magic, we call it an asspull just the same.) I'm gonna save this for while I'm working on my own stuff, thanks!
First time viewing this channel, absolutely love this.
6.7klikes but only 3.48k subscribers? Come on people! Show the lass some love!
Thanks for sharing the star-zine. It’s a great thought I’m gonna save to remind myself I don’t need permission to be. -and that’s what you said about why these are so great. You do great work. Thank you.
The four characters of magic:
The nerd
The mechanic
The hermit
The chad
Thank you, this really helped me. I started writting a story a while ago about a girl who could speak with animals, an enhancement by all definitions, I wanted to slowly work more abilities into it, but I didn't want to make her to over-powered, I will now include some activations maybe even some magical object or potions. She is the only one with her ability, the last StarThief, but there were many before her, some artifacts, some jurnals, some history. The story nearly finished in my head, now I just have to writte it down
My favorite magic system I've found is in The Dresden Files. The magic in this universe has rules and structure, but it also manifests uniquely for each individual in an already restricted pool of people born able to use it. It also addresses non magic people being able to over time learn the basics at a lesser level of ability, God tier sources of divine magic, and it's all set in the modern age focusing on Chicago. I absolutely adore the series.
Side note, if Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden ever got a DADA job offer, then Harry Potter would have had a completely normal(ish) school career.
Glad to see Andrew Rowe getting talked about
How in the world does this video only have 71k views?? This is amazing!
5:04 Witch Hat Atelier. GORGEOUS artwork, AMAZING story, and a PHENOMENAL drawing-based magic system!
I have a magic system! Just not any characters... Or even a setting... BUT I HAVE A MAGIC SYSTEM!!!!
🤣 That's great! You gotta start somewhere, right?
My favorite magic system that I have read was Brian McCellan's powder mages. They were able to cast spells that used up black powder, primarily in the form of remote explosions. They also could ingest black powder to become super-human but with an addictive property if taken consistently over a long period of time. It was so unique compared to other systems I had seen that it really got my imagination flowing.
(Not here to argue, I'm just opening a discussion) IMO Powder Mage's magic system isn't that unique, fundamentally it's about ingesting X material to get abilities. What I find more unique is the setting - there's a lot of medieval/ancient civilisation ones out there, or modern urban fantasy, but flintlock ones are rare in comparison. And in those, you usually get a division between the magic users and the fighters (aside from some enchanted items or specific-effect enhancements). Western-style fantasies tend not to have mages who are also good at physically fighting as well, but this is one good example and the fact it's gunpower-based gives them some nifty restrictions.
So for any work, the magic system doesn't need to be 100% unique to feel fresh, how it fits within the world can do the trick too.
@@TF_NowWithExtraCharacters I think the uniqueness does come from the Victorian setting as well. I would also say having a limit on what one can do magically based upon a consumable physical object on the user's person is fairly unique and it is really fitting with that Victorian setting that black powder was the chosen consumable.
I also agree that unique is not a 1:1 for a good magic system.
18:20
"I am so close to 1.000."
So she said and two months later it is already 3.000.
nice video! I am working on creating a role playing game, so this has given me a lot of inspiration! Subscribed, thank you!
i've watched quite a few videos about making magic systems and this one is on the better side.
though i would have added a few guiding rules to follow. something about how to make a magic system fit your world building or some traps like how making the magic able to do everything could make an otherwise good story feel boring, or how limitations and strict rules and lead to creative use and fun and interesting experimentation.
well, i haven't watched any other video from you yet, so maybe you already touched those subjects and if i just gave you ideas for future videos, you're welcome~
anyways, watching this video has made me remember a discussion about being able to make even the most mundane things into a fun magic system that ended with me saying i could even make bread into a system and getting challenged to actually do it.
the end result was an alchemy based semi-hard magic system where the recipe decides the 'spell' and different ingredients change different aspects of that spell.
a gingerbread-man recipe would result in a loyal servant and using the wrong kind of salt could make that servant be making snide remarks at any opportunity.
or a melon bread would result in a hungry monster that can and will eat EVERYTHING. and the type and amount of sugar used could decide whether it is a patient lurker or a hyperactive hunter.
and you can control that melon bread monster with a bread stick-wand.
i don't plan to write any story with this but making the system was a lot of fun!
and the pun potential for possible titles is great too~ 'the magic bakery', 'the half-baked magician', 'how to bread your magic', 'the sandwich of the sand-witch', ...
needless to say, i had a good time that evening 😄
well i hope i got any reader inspired to do the same and just take any random object, action or whatever else you can think of and try to make a magic system with or around that.
it is both a nice exercise to come up with ideas for stories or short oneshots or for events to include in your main stories, and also a way to have fun either alone or with friends to bounce ideas.
oh, and if anyone wants to write a story with my bread system, feel free to do so, just please tell me if you post it online somewhere, so i can enjoy it too!
2:19 when you say shooting fire from our hands I can only think of 3 words... "I cast fireball"
Best spell word:
"Whatever!!!" - Atreus, enchanting an arrow.
Holy crap, this sounds way smarter and well thought out than my brain is prepared to handle, this is some REALLY good and insightful stuff, thank you for sharing, this is like genius level to me😂
I already have a fully developed magic system and i was nodding along to see where it fit in this system. Turns out it's all of them. It's based on a set of magical items which have minds of their own and offer spell casting only to those who align with their ideals. There's also a bunch of characters with enhancements but those are more often extensions of their personalities rather than a part of the main magic system.
I like your take on magic system design. I’ll subscribe.
There's an old game named Arx Fatalis with an interesting twist on the subject... You need to learn runes, which you can find or purchase. Then experiment with their combination. The thing is that you have to use your mouse to draw the runes on screen. I really loved that system.
_Did she say that Captain America can't get stronger?_ 😂😂
Haven't you ever seen him exercising in the movies? 😅
I absolutely love your vibe ❤
This is also *exactly* the video I needed!
I subscribe because of your voice. Hearing it is like I’m in a fantasy world.
Hello Emma Roberts! 😆 I'm shocked but glad to see that you're into writing, and magic systems to boot! Seriously speaking, thanks for the classification break down.
First video i’ve seen from you i think.
I’ve never considered the fact that potions are magic objects before, like, obviously they are, but they are so standard everywhere that i never thought about it
Commenting to boost, I love the thoughtfulness and creativity from this video!!
Enhancements and spells seem to have a lot of overlap when they aren’t just “is strong” or “is smart”
I've been watching a lot of videos about magic lately cause I want to create one myself. Yours is definitely one of the best.
Very informative and thought out video essay. Sticking around to watch you grow into the next "Hello Future Me"
He's one of my top 5 favorite youtubers btw
Thank you so much!! "Hello Future Me" was the first channel to really get me into the booktube world. I love his videos.
Time magic would still be either a spell, enhancement, item, or intervention. What effects magic has is a completely separate question from the four categories discussed in this video.
I really like reality warping. Like there is a game called Control with really unique magic systems. Search up more about the AWEs
Commenting for the algorithm bc it was helpful :)
How the hell do u have so little subs ur content is amazing
Thanks so much!
One of my favourite magic systems is in Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea's series where the wizard has to learn the true name of an object, person, or creature in order to fully have power over it. In Le Guin's Earthsea novels, language helps to shape reality. This is in contrast to a witch's magic in the Earthsea novels which is viewed as dark, chaotic, and untamed and sometimes demands sacrifice.
ua-cam.com/video/163Cb1bAW7U/v-deo.htmlsi=s_UV7-pRAL7u74mK
Another magic system that I enjoy is from the book series; Wings of Fire. Both Animus Dragons and the abilities wrought from a Nightwing being born under a full moon
so I had a couple of stories. I'm glad you touched on "Full metal alchemist" when my boys were young they fell in love with that cartoon. I love the fact that while it was innate to the person and each person was unique there was the rule that it wasn't free. There was always a "price" to magic and usually a very bad one.
second I was playing a "Jedi" campaign with the Star Wars universe. my GM was facinated in all of these prophecys and gave my character foresight power. a power she eventually came to feel was useless. no matter how many times she saw something it always came to be. She saw the betrayal of the Jedi before she was allowed to become one. She saw the destruction of alderan years before the battle of Yavin (she just missed because she was getting supplies). She would get these visions no matter how horriable and could do nothing about it. no matter what she did they continued to be the same. She would become relieved when it happened as others around her tried to shape the universe and prevent these foresights. It made her really jaded as her best friend became elated by it.
one of the other players played "Lugnut" who was convinced that her ability to use the force got her knocked up with the Chosen one. While My Character "Trist" tried to stop the clone wars, joined the rebellion, and eventually defeated the Emperor (she was at endor she didn't defeat the emperor personally) Lugnut hid away in the Cradle of the Jedi and raised her child as "The Chosen one" of prophecy. Lugnuts Son (played by the same player named bolt) met Trist and she infurated him by pointing out being the chosen one was nothing special, it was already done. what he did was his choice. I now play Trist "Adopted Daughter" Trixie a pilot who laughs at prophecy. Jedi, and everything holy. She thinks its just enchantments and illusions and prophecy is the biggest illusion of all. a lucky roll on a wheel of fortune no better than a guess.
So I guess in our cannon when you look at prophecy as magic. its less magical though it comes true, and more of a curse. having knowlege that is beyond our ability to control. We deal with it in different ways. much like life.
Interesting. My book unwittingly incorporated all of these and even both hard and soft magic lol
I'm working on a ttrpg and have all 4 of these things! Great and instructive video.
i do enjoy it when the algorithm shows me more story / system break down type channels to sub to :D ty for the video.
I have a feeling this is gonna be helpful to my magic system. Thank you. You’ve got a subscriber.
1:16 (Pirate voice) Arrrrh, they be more like…guidelines.
"Items don't have to be like Excalibur that make you king of Europe"
Pax Britannica intensifies.
please, do more videos about it
it's a good subject and you showed some new ideas/perspectives
You see, I was actually inspired by the thumbnail before watching any of the video. To flesh out my magic systems more in the setting I've been writing, I've been struggling to define where magic came from, but seeing the concept of "Four Types of Magic," and the examples listed, the answer kind of came to me. In my setting, there are 4 pillars on which magic is built, and every spellcaster falls into at least one of these categories: Innate Magic (like Harry Potter), Awakened Magic (like Spider-Man), Learned Magic (like Emperor's New Groove), and Bestowed Magic (like Fullmetal Alchemist).
Now, not all of the magic/supernatural elements present in each of the example settings are exactly as described, but the concept is embodied in the visual examples. Harry Potter's Wizards are born with supernatural abilities, and it manifests with them as they grow up. Spider-Man started out as an ordinary person until an external force awakened superpowers within him. In the Emperor's New Groove, Yzma is the only one who appears to be capable of supernatural feats through her potion-making, which she was able to do through her deep exploration into science (or at least, what approximates science in the Emperor's New Groove). Lastly, in Fullmetal Alchemist, Truth is an otherworldly being/concept/god that must be encountered in order to achieve the great power of the Philosopher's Stone.
Now, in my setting, I've come up with 13 different types of Spellcaster: Cleric, Druid, Empath, Mystic, Necromancer, Oracle, Sage, Sorcerer, Summoner, Syphon, Warlock, Witch, and Wizard. All of these Spellcasters are capable of performing magical feats, such as the casting of spells, or the various magic abilities that come from their type of magic. However, what I really needed was a foundation on which to build, a reason for their magic that wasn't simply "because I decided they were magical." Therefore, this concept of the Four Pillars of Magic gave me exactly the explanation I needed.
Sorcerers are the embodiment of the Innate Magic Caster, whose magic is literally inherited as if it were a part of their genetics. Mystics are the embodiment of the Awakened Magic Caster, who were exposed to something of great power which caused magic to flourish within them. Wizards are the embodiment of the Learned Magic Caster, whose magic is obtained through trial and error, study, practice, and reproducibility. Lastly, Warlocks are the embodiment of the Bestowed Magic Caster, whose magic is granted from an outside force alone, requiring no effort on their part, making it the easiest to be taken away.
Sorcerers and Wizards are opposites on their Axis, while Mystics and Warlocks are opposites on theirs, and so the other casters fall somewhere between them all. Between Innate and Bestowed Magic are *Druids,* who get their magic by attuning themselves to nature around them, and *Summoners,* who get their magic by synchronizing their own soul wavelength (Soul Eater concept) with those of others, bringing them from afar to lend assistance. Between Innate and Awakened Magic are *Empaths,* whose magic is a combination of their own powerful emotions and their sensitivity to the emotions of others, then the *Witches,* whose magic is a manifestation of their cruelty, spite, and desire to have vengeance upon those who have wronged them in the past, and *Sages,* whose magic is born from the complete synchronization of their body, mind, and soul. Between Awakened and Studied Magic are *Syphons,* whose magic is born from a deep understanding of the body which they use to manipulate flesh and blood directly, and *Oracles,* who have put incredible amounts of time into understanding destiny, possibility, and potential, to the point that they can guide fate towards desired outcomes. Then, between Studied and Bestowed Magic are *Necromancers,* whose magic is closely related to Wizards, but with the end goal being to separate the soul from the body as a means of achieving immortality, which requires the intervention of a higher power, and *Clerics,* whose power is both granted by their chosen deity, but also cultivated and enhanced through their various acts of faith.
After watching the video, I can definitely say I took the concept in a radically different direction, but thankfully my setting is flexible, and already includes the room for the other discussed types of magic to exist as well. I just felt like sharing the process of how much the thumbnail was able to give me in terms of ideas.
There is one magic system you should consider: The Mechanics of Spellcasting in Role-Playing Games!
I've been using a closely related breakdown: personal abilities, relationships, technologies, and rituals. Personal abilities are like enhancements and relationships are like divine intervention. Rituals and technologies are both like spells except technologies require some understanding by the caster but rituals can be cast by anyone who follows the recipe. All 4 of these can make magic items. Making magic items with personal ability may seem odd, but is like Lord of the Rings where the elves make magic rope, food, or clothes by just making rope, food, or clothes. The act of making something inbues the item with a part of the maker (their personal ability).
Perfect example of Divine intervention -Kane chronicles
*time "magic"* (time travel hell yeah) is my favourite, but i think it's THE MOST delicate one - unless you have really strict rules and a strong grasp of how it works in your universe, it fucks up everything REALLY fast
the best way to counteract that is to focus the story _solely_ on time travel
the other way is to make your story *really* tighly knit so that even time travel cant really modify the events that much - but then you might fall into the uncomfortable question of _whether free will is real_ (which you might think you want... but you probably dont)
I want more writers to see this. So here’s a comment ❤
Brilliant!!!!
My personal favorite magic system is probably the one Bleach uses. Kido, Hado, Bakudo, Kaido, Ceros, and Quincy magic is so cool
Great video! Very good job!
I actually created a fantasy world where magic was something that could be bought and traded but all magical abilities had a limited supply. so for example lets say you buy the ability to shoot beams of fire, then it goes out of stock. somebody walks up to you asking if you would be willing to sell/trade your fire beams in exchange for being able to make inanimate objects invisible, you accept the deal, he writes some fancy magical symbols on the wall and signs his name, you sign your name, the symbols glow and the trade is complete. you now have the ability to make inanimate objects invisible and he can now shoot beams of fire
I wish this video was around when I was making my magic systems years ago because I was struggling 😅
Shoot-fire-from-hands fantasy is now dead for me. I want the hoogly-boogly-undead-kitten-army spell.
This hit my recommended at just the right time! Finally started world building for the story I want to write.
3:42 The way I like to think about incantations is that they are a guidance for novice wizards which help them focus their magic to do a specific thing by associating a magical word with it. It's like mnemonics they teach you at school (sohcahtoa for trigonometric functions, etc). As the practitioner gains proficiency, they no longer need to say the word to do the thing they wanted to.
I love that you dare to speak the truth that sanderson's laws do not apply to everyone everywhere.
Big ol like
I personally think Sanderson is kind of a Hack in terms of his ideas about magic systems. He treats fantasy like Science fiction, and that is definitely a way it can be done, but it doesn't have to be, and it's not superior to do so.
To be fair, Sanderson acknowledges that (it’s several of his fans who don’t).
It kind of feels like many super hero enhancements are enchantments because they aren't born with this power, but they get it as a result of something. Like Spiderman kind of got " cursed" by a radioactive spider to get his powers, Hulk got his powers from gamma rays... but then you can look at Superman who was born with his powers, but only learned he had powers/ had them activated because of the light from our red sun.
Lol the clip of Katara was great
I was shocked that you mentioned Sufficiently Advanced Magic. No one I know has ever heard of it let alone read it.
Really interesting video, I watched it whole and gave you a like :)
I have to say something though, because it bugged me out in the middle of it and I don't know if anyone told you that before but... I think you and Jaiden Animations have really similar voices lol
Love the breakdown. One caveat/addendum: some systems are hybrids. FREX: Sure, at first take, Excalibur is a magic item--but it's one that can only be wielded by the One True King of Britain, so Arthur is both a magic item-user, and an enhanced individual resulting from his status as the rightful heir.
Some thoughts on the magic item category in general: I'd add a couple more manifestations:
Magical Creatures. This can be a djinn or efrit from the Arabian Nights, or something like the soul-animals of The Golden Compass. While one can categorize them as characters in their own right (and typically examples of Divine Intervention), their role in the story is much more akin to that of a magic item, where they are something the protagonist wields or uses. The big difference is that there's usually an element of negotiation, barter or contesting of wills to make the creature perform.
Magical Places: Sometimes, these are simply fixed-location magical items, such as the throne that Frodo rests on in Lord of the Rings. However, they can also form an entire environment unto themselves--for instance, in the TTRPG Feng Shui, there's a kind of 'backstage' area to reality itself, called the Netherworld. If you go through one of the portals to our world, you can travel through the Netherworld and emerge in a completely different time (in the game, there are openings to four specific dates--AD 50, AD 1950, whatever the current date you're playing the game in, and 2050). Another example is from a Ray Bradbury short story, where space explorers come across a planet that has achieved crude sentience, and is thus able to produce anything a visitor wants. when the captain orders his men to leave because they're all getting too comfortable, the planet turns hostile and tries to stop them with storms and such. One who stays behind, on the other hand, essentially gets to live in Eden.
5:19 This part brought to mind two series of books I love, Spellsinger and A Wizard in Rhyme.
I just looked up Spellsinger. It sounds awesome! Thanks for the suggestion!