I really love "magic" or rather alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist. It's really cool and really logical, also fits into the "everything (magic) comes at a price" theme from fairytales.
And yet ... *SPOILERS* at the end, the equivalence is decided by some vague deific being who is willing to trade physical components with emotional and experiential ones, as if they can be measured, compared, and contrasted consistently.
@@Nazareadain well they can. We as humans simply don't have the tools to do so. The only reason we can't objectively measure things like pain or love are because we can't know how anyone else experiences them. The Truth is not an orthodox abrahamic god, but more of a pantheistic sapiant universe. It knows the measure of both your pain and love precisely, as well as what a person could accomplish if their soul were entirely dedicated to a certain cause, or the value of a given soul. Also the potential value of an alchemist as compared to the soul itself.
Death Note is a good example of going deeper with the magic system and not wider. Light starts off knowing only a handful of the rules concerning the Death Note but he experiments and makes hypothesis based on what he already knows to work out the limits of the Death Note and ways to use the Death Notes that even the death gods weren't aware of because they had no use to a death god but to a human like Light it does.
@@seb.7334 Their was a rule written in the Death Note that says that you can control the circumstances of the death such making a person write something before they die. Well, Light learned that can only control the circumstances of death as long as it’s reasonably possible. For example, he wrote that a person were to go to die tomorrow and go to France or something like that. But of course you cannot travel from Japan to France in a single day so he simply dies of a heart attack.
I was thinking of Avatar when she was talking about the Prism. That just sounded exactly like the Avatar in so many ways (able to wield all four elements instead of just one, only one can exist at a time, etc). I guess that is kind of a popular trope.
it's just anthropomorphization of elements. It's pretty much just every video game bossfight diluted across societies. It's more a testament to the writers making the adventure to achieve personal insight and attune to the elements interesting than the system itself.
+[Nazareadain] Honestly, just replace the "Nazarea" in your name with the letters "D", "i" and "s"...... Snide, rude and unfunny jokes aside, what makes A:TLA's Magic System great is the Martial Arts movements that are needed to perform the various Elemental abilities. In this way, learning to master an Element is essentially learning to master that Martial Art.
My favourite magic/power system is hunter x hunter’s nen and it is one of the most balanced systems out here. Nen is the manipulation of one’s own life force thus everyone has the potential to learn to use nen. Each individual has an affinity to one aspect of nen (enhancement, transmutation, emission, conjuration, manipulation and specialization). Everyone’s nen is unique and fights are determined by how an individual utilizes their nen to counter attack their opponents nen (which they usually have to figure out during the fight) which always leads to interesting showdowns determined by the mastery and ingenuity of nen by its user and the wits of the user.
It's one of the best anime of all time. The world-building, the character development, the story and best of all the antagonists in this anime are out of this world.
I still never understood that, since I always believed rainbows were composed of 6 colors based on the color wheel (I considered indigo a subset of blue). It doubly doesn't make sense from a lore perspective as indigo & violet are not draftable. Ultraviolet (or superviolet, according to lightbringer) & sub-red (a.k.a. infrared) are outside the visible spectrum, so should not appear in rainbows. But who knows. Maybe Brent Weeks based his system around the concept of the rainbow & decided infrared & ultraviolet would be more interesting to mess around with. 🤷♂️
That's the thing. Newton chose seven (possibly because it's bizarre importance to the church) but violet and indigo are both the same- purple. But let's not forget black and white being accessible to the highest powered drafters.
My favorite is propably Eragon's magic sytem. It's so simple yet has infinite possibilties. Not to mention it is scientific, it takes the same amount of energy to do something with magic to doing it without magic.
Umut Çağın Bozacı it was a good one. Rothfuss’s naming magic seemed very similar, if not identical to Eragon’s. If you know someone’s true name, then you can control them.
anAccountMustHaveAName I’m listening to it just now I’m on book 3 and honestly if I had picked it up at a library I would not have finished the first book. There’s so much detail that doesn’t need to be there. It’s a shame because I would not have read any of roran’s parts which are the best. I wouldn’t know murtagh or just a little. Dedd inside really made a big difference by making fun of it.
I love eragon, I do, and it's a book I enjoy quite often, but the magic system as it stood was not good. First, the whole "doing something with magic takes the same amount of energy as doing it for real" thing just did not make sense. Yeah, that translates to pushing a pebble or something, but the energy amount isn't transferable once you broached anything else like fire or light or mind control or anything like that. And then secondly, the system glossed over all kinds of other stuff like naturally occurring magic, magical creature magic, etc. Like how do those work?
@@silverYolo Well fire and light makes sence since they are just energy aswell you can calculate energy based on lumons and heat. The only thing thats wierd is teleportation since we really don't have an idea how to do that.. I agree they glossed over somethings but that didn't bother me.
Did not expect Death Note to be here considering the title of the video. Also did not expect that you read Death Note. I'd recommend Full Metal Alchemist more if we're talking about magic systems.
@@Bored_Barbarian I call it a supernatural ability to commit murder and force people to commit acts against their will not a magic system I don't mean this to strike an argument I just saw this and thought it would be funny to use you're words against you even if it doesn't make sense
I feel like "naming" magic systems - ones where you use "true names" of things to take control, are actually pretty common. I always thought the first author to use it was Ursula K. LeGuin, but I may be mistaken. Still, her magic system in the Earthsea series is also worth checking out.
I really respect the Dresden files magic. Basically, when you use magic, it calls on your mind/will for shape and emotion/spirit for power. The human mind is more like clay, so using magic changes you without careful attention. If you call on anger, you get angry more easily(real world wisdom in that) The seven laws of magic are enforced to keep the magical community civil. Example: If you use your power for murderous reasons, you BECOME more murderous. You want people to bend to your will, you get addicted to bending people to your will. Wizards also have a death curse, basically you nuke whoever kills you, with the most horrifying idea you can think of; so all the monsters are a little scared to snack on you. Potions contain 8 ingredients: a base, aspects for mind and spirit, and the 5 senses. Another idea is Ritual magic is a cosmic vending machine, you do the listed steps some other being wants and poof out pops the effect. All kinds of rules exist, running water grounds magic, sunrise is like a magic eraser, homes have thresholds, oaths have power. 15+ books and it has way more consistency then anything else I've seen.
I really love the alchemy in the anime: Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood. The law of equivalent exchange is really interesting and balances the power of all characters
Have you read the Witch Hat Atelier manga? It has a system similar to FMA but they actually delve into what each symbol of the rune does. pbs.twimg.com/media/DxpPcjvXcAYJ1oj.jpg i.pinimg.com/originals/3d/dc/c9/3ddcc9f993269ccfec7222c24bb72d9e.png
Problem is it will probably never get finished. Also the Chimera Ant arc is SO much darker than the ones that came before it, it was jarring enough I just stopped watching because I was tired of grimdark.
@@praetorxyn chimera ant arc is far from grimdark. dark? Yes, but is also filled with moments of humor and also a mostly good ending. If you haven't finished the arc you are doing yourself a disservice the ending is perfect imo
Try the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. The magic system is based on lineage and ‘walking the pattern or the logos’ enables it to be activated. The story is based around the battle between Law and Chaos from their ultimate realms to the shadow worlds in between. Classic Fantasy by with a pretty unusual spin.
Best magic system of all time imo is Nen from Hunter x Hunter. There are entire arcs best around mechanics in the power system and it both logical and creative. It’s never talked about enough.
It's not logical. It's vague. Every character's power is themed around their history and personality, which is honestly great - but the categorization is desperate at best.
+[Nazareadain] You know, whether a Magic System is good or not, and how good it actually is, depends on more than whether it is of the "hard" variety or not..... The snobbery of what I will call "Hard Magic purists" is one of the most galling things in the Fantasy community, honestly.
Sorry but it's not logical and it's not creative, its just lazy writing and undeveloped world building. This is not to knock soft magic systems (The Eternal Chapion is one of my favourite series and its magic is super soft) but to point out that often author's employe them as a crooked crutch.
Nazareadain That special power cooperates with the person’s category, it can be firing nen missiles which you would think it’s vague for some reason but it’s actually not because that ability is perfectly categorized as conjuring and emission. The only soft element in the magic system is specialism which is possessed by a handful number of people anyway (the magic doesn’t need to be either completely soft or hard, it’s a spectrum)
I like the system that is used in the Harry Dresden books myself. It consistently follows the rules it sets up. I also like the system used in the Belgariad books by David Eddings.
I'm a fan of the magic from Belgariad myself. Essentially limited only by the user's imagination and strength of Will, but costly to use and the noise means you don't dare use it if you need to remain hidden.
A fellow death note fan, shounen anime/manga in general tends to have great magic systems, and as many have written already, Nen from hunter x hunter is awesome, and it is just an amazing anime in general
I think I'm going to read Mistborn after I finished reading The Witcher ! It seems really cool. I read to learn English, but I still struggle with vocabulary and expressions when reading, it's kind of frustrating sometimes. Your videos are amazing by the way ! They made me want to read anew ! ^w^
If you're reading to learn English, then Mistborn is a great book for you. Really, any book by Brandon Sanderson. Sanderson writes in a very straight-forward style and is almost like conversational English rather than what you would expect from a book. Highly recommend any of his books.
Aw, thank you for the advice 😊 I will do so ! It will perhaps be easier, because I sometimes spend around 2~10mins to read a page depending on how many words are unknown to me. UwU I'm not so far in the first volume of the witcher so maybe I will even just read Mistborn first to improve my English not too "brutally" X)
Also if you really enjoy Mistborn, there's a second era after the first trilogy that offers a ton of world building with new characters and explores the world a lot deeper. Highly recommended, and carrying on with it, Mistborn is part of a bigger universe called the Cosmere that might really capture you, of which the Stormlight Archive is the main series at the moment, with the fourth Stormlight Archive book die for release in November. Also his books have been translated into many languages, so you might just find it in the language you speak.
Everybody says Deathnote goes down hill after no.6!! … well, yes it's true, but I thought the ending was totally worth it! I got really hooked again on the last 2 mangas!
Mistborn is also one of my favourites, as well as Wheel of Time. Name of the Wind for a magic system is cool. Most of the magic systems in Brandon's books are great for magic, Elantris, Warbreaker.
Most of my favorites you've already mentioned, but one I've not seen anyone else mention yet is the rune magic in Death Gate Cycle. This magic is driven by the forms of runes -- which can be expressed in different ways like writing, carving, tattooing, and dancing -- and how they are linked to each other to select specific outcomes in the sea of possibilities that make up reality. I wouldn't consider the magic system itself to be a central focus of the story but rather a central pillar of the world that the story is set in. It is powerful enough to literally reshape the entire world in an even more extreme fashion than the breaking of the world in the Wheel of Time series. In the narrative it is primarily a historical force that is prominent but lightly used throughout a long story where the characters explore the state of the world, learn their own motivations and limits, and each decide for themselves what is right and wrong. The inner workings of the magic are expanded upon in appendices that are written as in-world journals, histories, academic studies, and other texts.
My favorite magic system is one used by a visual novel called Fate/Stay Night, and it also used in several other series made by the people who made Fate/Stay Night. The magic system is VERY intricate and complicated, not just how the magic works, but the people who use 'magic' and their entire culture and history. There's so much of it, that not everything about it can be explained in only one of franchise. There are multiple franchises that share the same world and magical system, and touch on different aspects of the magical system. For instance, the first thing that anyone needs to know some terminology. Such as Magecraft vs Magic. The difference between the two is that Magecraft is "to bring about what is possible through science with supernatural means" meaning that the results created by Magecraft can be replicated by science and technology, but only the process of Magecraft is actually supernatural. For example, elemental magecraft can easily be replicated with science. Just like there is a spell to shoot fire, we have a flamethrower. Just like there is a spell to control the wind, we have many inventions that manipulate the air, such as something simple as a vacuum or fan. Back in Medieval times when technology wasn't as developed, elemental magecraft could have been considered Magic, but in the modern age, its science can control the elements with the simplest of inventions. As of the modern age, there is only actually 5 True Magics, with a hypothetical 6th one. And not only that, there is only one person who can use the Second Magic and one who can use the Fifth Magic.The users of the other 3 are either dead or unknown, and the details of some of the Magics themselves are still unclear. Users of Magecraft are referred to as a Magus/Mage, and there is an entire association for Mages in London known as the Mage's Association, and these people keep the supernatural world and Magecraft, in general, a secret from the public. This is because Magecraft draws magical energy from the Root/Akashic records. What is the Root? Well thats a whole other thing that i'm not sure im qualified to explain so i wont. But basically, since all branches of Magecraft draws magical energy from the Root, the more people learn that type of Magecraft, the more the magical energy is divided between the users and the weaker the magecraft is. For example if someone knew a branch of magecraft that allows them to create 100 bullets, if another person learns that branch of magecraft, then both users will only be able to create 50 bullets. So Mages keep the secrecy of Magecraft, and even keep their branch of magecraft from themselves and wont share their teachings/research with any Magus that isn't affiliated with their bloodline. And thats another thing. Magus have no sense of morality. For their research, they will slay thousands of newborn babies and no one will bat an eye, but it is only when the secrecy of Magecraft is threatened will the Mage's association act. They will eliminate anyone and anything that threatens the secrecy of magecraft, and also any non-magical person who accidentally stumbled upon Magecraft And this is only a tiny sample of the magical system and everything behind it. If you read this far thank you, and I hope i piqued your interest in the magical system of this very developed and great fictional universe shared by multiple franchises that the fans like to call the Nasuverse (The creator of all the franchises is Kinoko Nasu).
My favorite is Steven Erikson's Warrens & Holds system in Malazan Book of the Fallen. How it's revealed in stages that you're warping reality between multiple worlds or even dimensions. The path of ascendency & how it relates to the Warren Thrones, Di'vers, Soletaken, and veering. Like everything in Malazan, it's audacious in scope & reveals the Ancient nature of a world that's seen civilizations & races rise, fall, and revive countless times.
Though I tend to prefer hard magic, I have to say, I really like how Gaiman writes his magic. Favourites here would be The Sandman & American Gods (which have some similar underlyig concepts, but differ somewhat in execution)
Gaiman doesn’t so much create magic systems as he translates and codifies ideas from fairy tales and religions. Ideas from American Gods are basically consistent with Gnosticism in many ways, and Sandman is largely influenced by Sumerian mythology
Mistborn era 2 really pushed the magic system forward so well in a way that makes it feel like there's always so much more to learn about it (you could say there's always another secret). I would really recommend anyone carry on with the series if they loved the magic system of era 1.
I really love the potential Twinborns and Ettmetal bring to the table. Also has really fun characters ("Framed for murder, it is on page seven of that list I gave you!" made me laugh so hard).
I love your discussion of this topic and all the artwork makes me so happy! 😊I love hearing about magic systems, and I just started Wheel of Time, so it was nice to hear what the Magic system actually entails. They don't say much about it in the first book.
So I love all the Brandon Sanderson magic systems but Warbreaker is one I think I really enjoy just cause of how visual it is and all the possibilities. Really excited to explore it more when that trilogy continues!
Speaking of manga there are some very nice magic systems in some of them. The one I always put forward is the one in Hunter x Hunter. Might be interesting to look into if you have not already.
I think that a magic system that often gets overlooked is the magic system from the manga series Magi. At first it seems extremely generic with its "use innate power source to do elemental stuff" but it goes way deeper. Now so everything is made of rukh which are small bird like things, so of course they exist within humans as well and basically are their souls. Rukh produce magoi. There are 8 types of rukh. Magicians give the rukh inside their body commands in order to perfom magic, such as "gather water, freeze it". The stronger spell the more complicated set of commands. The rukh love these 3 individuals called "magi" and therefore the magi can use the rukh around them aswell as the rukh inside of them. Magi are also capable of raising "dungeons" which humans can conquer which gives them a djinn wihin a "Metal Vessel". Metal Vessel users use the rukh within them to produce magic through their djiins. If somebody ever is about to run out of magoi they can absorbed the same type of rukh from an external source such as natural fire to restore your fire magoi. My favorite part is easily the magic systems political importance due to the political standing that magis and king vessels (metal vessel users) gain in the world. Sorry for the entire essay.
My favorite is Forgery (from The Emperor's Soul). Changing the history of an object or person with a stamp is just so cool and imaginative. Actually I think all the magic systems on Sel are great... The Elantris sequels are some of my most anticipated Cosmere books (after SA and Mistborn 7).
Some of my favorites: Wizards Bane by Rick Cook, The Pawn of Prophesy by David Eddings (The beginning of The Belgariad series), Master of the five Magics, Secret of the sixth Magic, Riddle of the Seven Realms by Lyndon Hardy, The Magic of Recluse by L.E.Modesitt Jr. (lots of good books in that series/universe!) With a Single Spell by Lawrence Watt-Evans (Another fun magical universe there!)
The Light Bringer series was one that i held on through some of the stumbles and was glad I did. It has its ups and downs but the realization of some of its characters and the magic system alone is worth finishing it.
My personal favorite is Feruchemy, due to how easy it is to apply to mundane, day-to-day life and how it effectively runs with the idea of "saving up for a rainy day."
One of my favorite magic systems is from Steven Brust's Drageara novels. The main character is a Witch, and in the world of Drageara being a Witch means you use your soul and body's energy in different rituals that can do things like bond your life with a familiar, penetrate barriers, view things across vast distances, and recover the soul of someone who had their soul stolen, and more.
And then their sorcery is pulling raw chaos through the imperial orb and shaping it into various effects using mental and physical skills. I love that series too.
I really love the Magic system in The young Elites by Marie Lu, where a fraction of people who survived a disease get powers from the gods/angles that are linked to crystals and really reflect personality and they all have a mutation and I just loved the system and villainous perspective even if the story was a bit tropey
I love the magic in The Wheel of Time! I agree that it gives you a good idea of how it works, but it can also be expanded based on a persons creativity and precision with the weaves. also you explaining some of the magic in the Name of the Wind has made me more interested in it than anything my best friend has said, and it's one of her favorite books. I might actually give it a try.
some mangas really do have awesome "magic" systems. besides deathnote, I always have to think of Hunter x Hunter which has an absolute awesome "hard" magic system. Avatar and full metal alchemist as mentioned by someone else are fantastic aswell
If you like manga with hard magic system i recommend this manga (Tongari Boushi No Atelier) it is not as famous as hunter x hunter, but it is a good series, and the magic system amazing.
I don't know if you have came back to the lightbringer series but you should. It does bring the character development around in the rest of the series.
It's so enjoyable to hear a break down of magic systems from books that I've read and enjoyed. It's also enjoyable to hear about cool magic systems in books that I now want to read. It's a little bit of a tangent but my favorite magic system is from the manga/anime Hunter created by Yoshihiro Togashi. MMMmmm super hard to explain, but it's all about the flow of chi, maybe, and will power, intention and character.... Merphy, I'd love to hear you break down some graphic novels or manga.... They're super interesting and there is some superb literature in manga... The Watchmen graphic novel by Alan Moore is decently accessible and a great beachhead into the world of graphic novels.
I love your videos because most of the time I feel validated on my opinions on what makes a great fantasy book! Growing up as an awkward nerdy dude where I did, I didn't had many people who shared my tastes (not many bookworms or nerds) so its so cool to find content made by someone who not only loves fantasy books like me, but also loves them for the same reasons! LOVE IT
Its aa huge magic system. Half of it is basically physics and chemistry, while some of it trully is unique and magical. But all of it can be learned prwtty much by anyone and its beautiful!
I love you and your channel so much. I've been in quarantine for 21 days now. I'm not allowed outside my home and books are the only thing keeping me sane. Thank you so much for your content
I was so excited to see Mistborn on your list! Sanderson has a gift for inventing fascinating magic systems and I adore how his world-building and allomancy play together.
Abit surprised that you didn't mention Alchemy from Fullmetal Alchemist as well when you mentioned Death Note. Most people when talking about manga/anime magic systems usually mention one of the three: Alchemy from Fullmetal Alchemist; Nen from Hunter X Hunter; and Stands from Jojo's Bizzarre Adventure. You should give the latter two series a go after finishing FMA.
@@winkblue6851 Aren't you insecure abit yourself right now? You're acting like a wrote a hate comment when I didn't criticise the choice and I complemented the Death Note magic system in a different comment. Just expressing my surprise.
@@christinam81 Yeah I know, just abit surprised, not the usual example people go for, but quite a great example non the less. Death Note is a perfect example for Brandon Sanderson's rule to go deeper and not wider into a magic systems, we begin with so few rules but by via hypothesis and experimenting we learn quite alot about how a Death Note can be used, in ways even the death gods never considered.
My favourite magic systems tend to be elemental ones!! (similar to avatar the last airbender) I recently read the sword of kaigen and absolutely LOVED the magic system in that!! It was kind of waterbending to the extreme!! I also adore the magic system in stormlight archive - for some reason I just love how complex and scientific it is!! And the spren are so cute!! I also love the magic system in Warbreaker! I really excited to get to the wheel of time this year and hearing the magic system is great has me even more hyped!!!
If you love elemental magic, you NEED to read Codex Alera by Jim Butcher. I'm now reading the last book of the series and it gets better and better! Totally in love.
While Glen Cook's Black Company books give my favorite descriptions of magic, the most interesting magic system that I've come across is in Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos novels. It's actually three separate systems, one heavily ritualistic system drawing on your own essence, one utilizing a link to an artifact that takes the raw power of chaos and focuses it to make it easier to use, and one in which the caster tries to manipulate raw chaos without a focus. And the main character is not primarily a magic user, he just hangs out with some heavy hitters, so the workings of magic are revealed little by little, rather than in an expository dump.
@@PlagueKing_LordFalix Exactly lol. In fact, the reason why it's 7 years specifically isn't even laid out in the series at all. They just expand on how the prism becomes prism.
Not from a work of literature per se, but I really like the magic system in Onyx Path's "Changeling: The Lost". Basically, there is a magical force called the Wyrd that magically enforces oaths. Through this, Fae creatures can make magical deals, trap people in their idle words, write 'spells' out of contracts with aspects of reality, and much much more. It manages to be incredibly complex and powerful, but all of it boils down to a very simple system of magically binding contracts, promises, and geasea. It draws so well on the old fairy tales of Faustian bargains and magical limitations, but it also explores them and changes them in very clever and unique ways.
I’ve recently started The Final Empire and I love the magic system, it’s complex and full, but the fact that we discover it with the main character makes it easier to assimilate. I’m really enjoying the book, the plot, the characters..., but the magic system, wow amazing. I also loved the magic in an Unkindness of Magicians. It’s simpler than Allomancy, but really original compared to many magic systems, especially for a originally standalone book. The thing that I love in both systems is the limitation of magic use, it isn’t illimitate or comes out of nowhere, there are exchanges and consequences to its use
A song of ice and fire has a pretty cool magic system. Magic is really rare because it usually requires some form of sacrafice or has some limit, which makes it alot cooler when it happens. Also alot of the religions in that world are mostly based off of certain characters using magic and misinterpreting its source which i think is a really cool concept
Yeah, my two favorite systems by far are Tolkien's and Martin's magic systems. They both do a great job at keeping the magic feel like magic and very rewarding each time it comes up. I feel like scarcity and unpredictability are really important tools to look into when creating a magic mythology.
I'm so glad you talked about Deathnote! I was just thinking about it this morning and then I came across your video. I haven't read the manga, only watched the anime, but MAN, this story is awesome.
Absolutely agree with Mistborn. It's a simple hard magic that consistantly does exactly what it does and you don't get a sudden change for plot convenience or something. Wonderful series and I'm looking forward to the next Wax and Wayne book. Also, thank you for the recommendations. Wheel of Time has been on my short list for a long while; but I may check out this light magic book before I let Wheel weave as it wills.
I really like the system of eragon you manipulate items by using the true name of the item, but also the better your imagination the more effectively you can use the magic. For instance “Brisingr” means fire and is used to light camp fires, powered up an arrow to explode on impact, used to melt locks, and wrap weapons in fire. The cost of using the magic is how much effort it would actually take and trying to use a spell that you don’t have enough strength for can cause instant death.
While I really like Allomancy, there is something special about Feruchemy that draws me to it. Every feruchemical ability is arguably two powers in one, and it is full of mundane, day-to-day potential. It's the ultimate "for a rainy day" system. Mindlessly watching stuff on Netflix out of boredom and won't be moving for a while? Well you don't need to move fast, be strong, or think particularly well, so store that stuff away for later. Heck, it might even be easier to exercise if you intentionally make yourself weaker while lifting weights or something. Live in the tropics? Better invest in a lot of brass, with the bonus effect of being able to easily vacation up north without buying a lot of clothes. Also useful for cooking, as you can fill brass while taking something out of the oven without a mitt. Sleep schedule needs to get back on track or need to study for an exam? Yay to bronze and copper. Trouble staying on a diet? Well you don't need it, because bendalloy/cerrobend has you covered. Bonus, because you don't need to worry as much about food shortages during a pandemic. Need a minute away from family or to relax, or are you socially awkward and need assistance making friends? Duralumin handles both scenarios with ease. (Edit: Also, don't forget about going to another country and not knowing the language)
I really like the magic system of the Long Price Quartet. Priest-like people known as poets use poems to describe an abstract concept so thoroughly that the abstract concept takes on a human form (strongly influenced by the poet's subconscious). These are called "andat," and are like minor deities having any powers associated with the concept they were made from. In the first book, "A Shadow in Summer," the setting city's main andat is Seedless who has the power to make seeds fall out of cotton without any labor or machinery (also used for other things on the side like abortions). The poet can channel the same powers from the andat they are bound to, and they can control the andat if they choose to. However, andat inherently hate existing, wishing to return to the freedom of abstraction, so there's always a battle between the poet and andat over this.
My favourite magic system is the one from Carry on by Rainbow Rowell. Spells are well known phrases and their power is dependant on how well the nearby nonmagical population knows them. So catchphrases are super powerful but only for a short time and nursery rhymes are the most powerful spells. Magicians also have to stay connected to humanity to know what spells are active.
A magic system I believe you would appreciate is the one in Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelasny. It's a magic that belongs to that particular lineage of godlike people, closely tied with blood magic. As a bonus, Chronicles of Amber have AMAZING world building, as do basically all of Zelasny's works, a set of charismatic and complex characters and a dynamic, although quite insane plot, not to mention Zelasny's beautiful style. If you don't feel like starting another 10-books series, Jack of Shadows, his really short (like 120 pages maximum) standalone novel, also has a great magic system - the world is litterally divided on half at the equator between the night side, where magic rules, and the day side governed by technology. Jack, on the other hand, can move wherever shadows are casted, which grants him considerable power. Another extraordinary magic system is the one in Dragaera series by Steven Brust. I don't know how to emphasize the fact this series is the most underrated masterpiece of all times. It has multiple types of magic and while some are not unlike our traditional perception of magic, others are so deeply explained they overall are just technology done differently. Magic is deeply rooted in everyday life, similar to technology nowadays and basically every peasant knows at least a couple spells. I really do believe you'd appreciate those series, with very few romance but a lot of amazing platonic relationships, every character being ready to go to any extent to protect their friends. It has a really smart protagonist and one of the best humor I've encountered in fiction - this book is but hilarious in every possible way. There are 15 books out there, true, but, while connected, the first one can be read as a standalone, and basically a lot of them can be read as standalones. You've mentioned you are not a fan of talking animals, but Loiosh, the smartass talking lizard with no respect for anything is the most precious thing in existence. I am frankly terrified myself at the length of this comment...
Short and simple recommendation: Robin Hobb. Great Ideas, well integrated into the worldbuilding, hard but not without mysteries. I seriously can't remember any plot holes/ frustrations linked to the magic.
I like what Lyndon Hardy came up with in “Master of the Five Magics” & “Secret of the Sixth Magic”. Very well thought out and explained via defined “Meta” laws for each discipline: Thaumaturgy, Alchemy, Magic, Sorcery, and Wizardry.
My favorite magic system is Codex Alera. But I really love all of Brandon Sandersons investiture magic, especially Stormlight. And shout out to The Lightbringer magic system.
For me the most interesting and complex magic system is in the Malazan series by Steven Erikson and Ian Esslemont (it is based on their extensive anthropological knowledge). The main system is organised in "warrens", where most mages have access to one, but some have access to several. Also, different species have access to different "warrens" or categories of "warrens". Other people and tribes though use "older" systems, like "holds", elemental magic, nature magic, etc., etc. Towards the end of the series a new system emerges and I am hoping that in the future series they will expand on that. The series (and the related offshoots) have also a very interesting concept of what gods and their origins are, as well as their relationship with mortals...
I’m so glad you read manga! Most booktubers I watch don’t so it makes you feel more relatable to me. And, I agree that DeathNote is amazing but should’ve ended around book 6 or 7. P.S: The author of Death Note actually wrote a short story, which is considered canon to the Death Note series, recently if you haven’t checked it out yet.
Agree that the magic system in The Kingkiller Chronicles (The Name of the Wind is Book 1) is one of the best magic systems out there. I love that it's almost like a science, or a learned/acquired skill, more so than innate. While some natural gift comes into play, it seems like hard-working and/or clever students tend to advance more rapidly and grow stronger in the magic than lazy, unimaginative, or unintelligent students. Lucky for us, Kvothe is both exceptionally clever and...driven...
If you love true name concept in a book you can read earthsea. Ursula use the true name so wisely and the story it self is so good, most of the time symbolic.
Master of the Five Magics by Lyndon Hardy 1980 High Fantasy. Breaks magic into Thaumaturgy, Alchemy, Magic, Sorcery, and Wizardry. In the first book the PoV character is learning Thaumaturgy.
Mistoborn is one my my favorite Magic Sytems as well! I also really love the Magic system in the STormlight ARchives... seems like I really just love Sanderson's Magic systems LOL
Honestly, I'm amazed you got the magic system of The Name of the Wind and even managed to explain it so articulately. I have a problem with overly complex magic systems like the examples you gave in this video - I mean, it's cool and intriguing when there's thought put into this, but sometimes it's more confusing and very hard to wrap my head around it. Maybe it's just me, but that's how I feel.
My favorite Magic system is the one from the TTRPG Mage: the Ascension. You can literally do anything with it! Including everything you mentioned in every magic system you brought up in this video! Near unlimited ability to warp reality given your imagination. Just watch out for paradoxes and paradox backlash (which happens when you violate consensual reality)! Nothing eats a Mage's lunch quite like Paradox.
My 3 favorites come from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Re:Zero and My Hero Academia Everyone knows Avatar so i won't get into that. Re:Zero - On a first look it's your basic mana based elemental magic, but where it shines are the details. The ways person can access magic, consequences of a misuse or the scope of what every element is capable of (for example both Water and Fire mages are capable of using Ice, one by changing properties of water, and the other by controlling heat in the atmosphere) My Hero Academia - simple concept - a world where people are born with mutations giving them superpowers similar to x-men, but almost everyone has those powers. From simple pyromancy or super strength to powers that makes you look like a monster. The most interesting thing are not the powers themselves (tho there are some really interesting ones), but how big of an impact they have on the individual, his psychology, social standing, sense of self, and on the modern society as a whole.
Man I wish there was more discussion like this around video games.... like this happens to be the one thing I am truly jealous of book people for is that you get such better magic than TV or Video Games.
Found you because I enjoy Harry Potter videos. But Deathnote I LOVE. You're even cooler to me now! Maybe could you do a review of the manga??? That would be amazing!!!
A few old ones I never see on lists that were sorta fun back in the day: Lyndon Hardy's trilogy (Master of the Five Magics, Secret of the Sixth Magic, & Riddle of the Seven Realms), Dave Duncan's 4-book series A Man of His Word, CS Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy.
I love magic systems, it really creates such a unique world. One of my favorites is Fury-Craft from Codex Alera, you gotta check it out Merphy I think you would really love it!
Most of the magic systems I love have already been mentioned, like Avatar, Eragorn and Fullmetal Alchemist. But one that noticeably hasn’t is Madoka Magica. A story about regular high school girls who are granted one wish in exchange for their souls and become magical girls who fight off evil witches. Each of the girl’s powers is unique and tailored to the very wish and circumstances they asked to be granted. It’s starts out real light but don’t let it fool you. It’s one of the most gut wrenching and heartbreaking animes out there.
My absolute favourite magic system is from Garth Nix's Abhorsen series, wonderful stuff! His most recent book Angel Mage also has a wonderfully detailed system in it and very unique. :)
My absolutely most favourite magic system is in Codex Alera series from Jim Butcher. Yeah, the Furies are awesome and after I learnt what was the inspiration for them, it's even more genius! Next is pretty much anything from Brandon Sanderson, although from those I like Rithmatics the most, it's really cool! Also, a nice magic system is in Not the Time for Dragons from Sergei Lukyanenko - especially combined with the environmnent there.
Brent Weeks has written a few great magic systems, if you haven't read it already I'd strongly recommend the Night Angel trilogy for another one from him
I really love "magic" or rather alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist. It's really cool and really logical, also fits into the "everything (magic) comes at a price" theme from fairytales.
And yet ...
*SPOILERS*
at the end, the equivalence is decided by some vague deific being who is willing to trade physical components with emotional and experiential ones, as if they can be measured, compared, and contrasted consistently.
Hard agree.
@@Nazareadain well they can. We as humans simply don't have the tools to do so.
The only reason we can't objectively measure things like pain or love are because we can't know how anyone else experiences them. The Truth is not an orthodox abrahamic god, but more of a pantheistic sapiant universe. It knows the measure of both your pain and love precisely, as well as what a person could accomplish if their soul were entirely dedicated to a certain cause, or the value of a given soul. Also the potential value of an alchemist as compared to the soul itself.
Tyzy I agree
I like how they make it seem scientific.
I wish other booktubers took booktube as seriously as you do. Im always excited to watch the original content you create. Thank you!
I thought this too. She really dives deep. There are others, but she stands out!
@Mike's Library "booktube" .. nice :)
Merphy and Daniel Greene are the dopest of the dope.
Death Note is a good example of going deeper with the magic system and not wider. Light starts off knowing only a handful of the rules concerning the Death Note but he experiments and makes hypothesis based on what he already knows to work out the limits of the Death Note and ways to use the Death Notes that even the death gods weren't aware of because they had no use to a death god but to a human like Light it does.
that may be the most concise and articulate way you could have described how Death Note artfully breaks down its magic system
You just made me love death note even more... didnt think that was possible
@@seb.7334 Ripping off a page of the book? And making Ray Penber kill other FBI agents without making him realizing it?
@@seb.7334 Their was a rule written in the Death Note that says that you can control the circumstances of the death such making a person write something before they die. Well, Light learned that can only control the circumstances of death as long as it’s reasonably possible. For example, he wrote that a person were to go to die tomorrow and go to France or something like that. But of course you cannot travel from Japan to France in a single day so he simply dies of a heart attack.
Avatar has a great magic system.
Agreed!
I was thinking of Avatar when she was talking about the Prism. That just sounded exactly like the Avatar in so many ways (able to wield all four elements instead of just one, only one can exist at a time, etc). I guess that is kind of a popular trope.
it's just anthropomorphization of elements. It's pretty much just every video game bossfight diluted across societies. It's more a testament to the writers making the adventure to achieve personal insight and attune to the elements interesting than the system itself.
+[Nazareadain]
Honestly, just replace the "Nazarea" in your name with the letters "D", "i" and "s"......
Snide, rude and unfunny jokes aside, what makes A:TLA's Magic System great is the Martial Arts movements that are needed to perform the various Elemental abilities. In this way, learning to master an Element is essentially learning to master that Martial Art.
Yea
My favourite magic/power system is hunter x hunter’s nen and it is one of the most balanced systems out here. Nen is the manipulation of one’s own life force thus everyone has the potential to learn to use nen. Each individual has an affinity to one aspect of nen (enhancement, transmutation, emission, conjuration, manipulation and specialization). Everyone’s nen is unique and fights are determined by how an individual utilizes their nen to counter attack their opponents nen (which they usually have to figure out during the fight) which always leads to interesting showdowns determined by the mastery and ingenuity of nen by its user and the wits of the user.
My man
It's one of the best anime of all time. The world-building, the character development, the story and best of all the antagonists in this anime are out of this world.
That’s true just hope togashi gets better to come back from haitus
I literally was going to make this comment before I saw yours hahaha Nen is sooo creative, strict and fun
Yea nen is probably the best magic system in manga from what I have read. But it doesnt show up until the heavens arena arc.
Lightbringer: a possible reason for the seven year span is there are seven colors in the rainbow. (Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet).
Sounds gay (I’m just joking around)
Though the characters would probably divide it into "sub-red", red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and "super-violet", instead.
Certainly the luxiates pushes that view but what about the other 4 colors?
I still never understood that, since I always believed rainbows were composed of 6 colors based on the color wheel (I considered indigo a subset of blue).
It doubly doesn't make sense from a lore perspective as indigo & violet are not draftable. Ultraviolet (or superviolet, according to lightbringer) & sub-red (a.k.a. infrared) are outside the visible spectrum, so should not appear in rainbows.
But who knows. Maybe Brent Weeks based his system around the concept of the rainbow & decided infrared & ultraviolet would be more interesting to mess around with. 🤷♂️
That's the thing. Newton chose seven (possibly because it's bizarre importance to the church) but violet and indigo are both the same- purple.
But let's not forget black and white being accessible to the highest powered drafters.
My favorite is propably Eragon's magic sytem. It's so simple yet has infinite possibilties. Not to mention it is scientific, it takes the same amount of energy to do something with magic to doing it without magic.
Umut Çağın Bozacı it was a good one. Rothfuss’s naming magic seemed very similar, if not identical to Eragon’s. If you know someone’s true name, then you can control them.
The magic system was what made me drop Eragon. Maybe the system itself is not bad but the world and the story don't mix at all with the system.
anAccountMustHaveAName I’m listening to it just now I’m on book 3 and honestly if I had picked it up at a library I would not have finished the first book. There’s so much detail that doesn’t need to be there. It’s a shame because I would not have read any of roran’s parts which are the best. I wouldn’t know murtagh or just a little.
Dedd inside really made a big difference by making fun of it.
I love eragon, I do, and it's a book I enjoy quite often, but the magic system as it stood was not good. First, the whole "doing something with magic takes the same amount of energy as doing it for real" thing just did not make sense. Yeah, that translates to pushing a pebble or something, but the energy amount isn't transferable once you broached anything else like fire or light or mind control or anything like that. And then secondly, the system glossed over all kinds of other stuff like naturally occurring magic, magical creature magic, etc. Like how do those work?
@@silverYolo Well fire and light makes sence since they are just energy aswell you can calculate energy based on lumons and heat. The only thing thats wierd is teleportation since we really don't have an idea how to do that.. I agree they glossed over somethings but that didn't bother me.
Did not expect Death Note to be here considering the title of the video. Also did not expect that you read Death Note. I'd recommend Full Metal Alchemist more if we're talking about magic systems.
Yeah I don't get how Deathnote has a magic system.
I mean what else do you call the supernatural ability to commit murder and force people to commit acts against their will? XD
Yea FMA is great
Yes, yes, yes FMA is my favorite manga I've read.
@@Bored_Barbarian I call it a supernatural ability to commit murder and force people to commit acts against their will not a magic system I don't mean this to strike an argument I just saw this and thought it would be funny to use you're words against you even if it doesn't make sense
I feel like "naming" magic systems - ones where you use "true names" of things to take control, are actually pretty common. I always thought the first author to use it was Ursula K. LeGuin, but I may be mistaken. Still, her magic system in the Earthsea series is also worth checking out.
The idea of true names comes from folklore. A fey never wants to reveal their true name or else whoever knows it would have power over that fey.
I really respect the Dresden files magic. Basically, when you use magic, it calls on your mind/will for shape and emotion/spirit for power. The human mind is more like clay, so using magic changes you without careful attention. If you call on anger, you get angry more easily(real world wisdom in that) The seven laws of magic are enforced to keep the magical community civil. Example: If you use your power for murderous reasons, you BECOME more murderous. You want people to bend to your will, you get addicted to bending people to your will. Wizards also have a death curse, basically you nuke whoever kills you, with the most horrifying idea you can think of; so all the monsters are a little scared to snack on you. Potions contain 8 ingredients: a base, aspects for mind and spirit, and the 5 senses. Another idea is Ritual magic is a cosmic vending machine, you do the listed steps some other being wants and poof out pops the effect. All kinds of rules exist, running water grounds magic, sunrise is like a magic eraser, homes have thresholds, oaths have power. 15+ books and it has way more consistency then anything else I've seen.
I love the Dresden files, it's one of my favourite fantasy books.
Plus, you get zombie dinosaurs!
I really love the alchemy in the anime: Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood. The law of equivalent exchange is really interesting and balances the power of all characters
Have you read the Witch Hat Atelier manga? It has a system similar to FMA but they actually delve into what each symbol of the rune does.
pbs.twimg.com/media/DxpPcjvXcAYJ1oj.jpg
i.pinimg.com/originals/3d/dc/c9/3ddcc9f993269ccfec7222c24bb72d9e.png
What does Roy Mustang exchange when he makes fire? Nothing. That show's magic system is really bad.
@@Allen-qs2xr Oxygen?
@@ThePreciseClimber lol
@@Allen-qs2xr Isn't the Law of Equivalent Exchange related to transmutation and not alchemy itself?
The Nen system from Hunter X Hunter is really cool. You should check that one out!
Problem is it will probably never get finished. Also the Chimera Ant arc is SO much darker than the ones that came before it, it was jarring enough I just stopped watching because I was tired of grimdark.
And the specialist powers are basically xgene from X-Men.
@@praetorxyn chimera ant arc is far from grimdark. dark? Yes, but is also filled with moments of humor and also a mostly good ending. If you haven't finished the arc you are doing yourself a disservice the ending is perfect imo
she added it into her updated list!
The lightbringer series has my favorie magic system ever!
OMG YOU TALKED ABOUT IT!
Haha, same! I was so excited when I saw the Black Prism in the thumbnail!
Try the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. The magic system is based on lineage and ‘walking the pattern or the logos’ enables it to be activated. The story is based around the battle between Law and Chaos from their ultimate realms to the shadow worlds in between. Classic Fantasy by with a pretty unusual spin.
Best magic system of all time imo is Nen from Hunter x Hunter. There are entire arcs best around mechanics in the power system and it both logical and creative. It’s never talked about enough.
It's not logical. It's vague. Every character's power is themed around their history and personality, which is honestly great - but the categorization is desperate at best.
+[Nazareadain]
You know, whether a Magic System is good or not, and how good it actually is, depends on more than whether it is of the "hard" variety or not..... The snobbery of what I will call "Hard Magic purists" is one of the most galling things in the Fantasy community, honestly.
Sorry but it's not logical and it's not creative, its just lazy writing and undeveloped world building. This is not to knock soft magic systems (The Eternal Chapion is one of my favourite series and its magic is super soft) but to point out that often author's employe them as a crooked crutch.
@@dreadywolf9974 Oh, really? Tell me some magic system with more rules and restrictions then nen.
Nazareadain
That special power cooperates with the person’s category, it can be firing nen missiles which you would think it’s vague for some reason but it’s actually not because that ability is perfectly categorized as conjuring and emission. The only soft element in the magic system is specialism which is possessed by a handful number of people anyway (the magic doesn’t need to be either completely soft or hard, it’s a spectrum)
I like the system that is used in the Harry Dresden books myself. It consistently follows the rules it sets up.
I also like the system used in the Belgariad books by David Eddings.
I'm a fan of the magic from Belgariad myself. Essentially limited only by the user's imagination and strength of Will, but costly to use and the noise means you don't dare use it if you need to remain hidden.
A fellow death note fan, shounen anime/manga in general tends to have great magic systems, and as many have written already, Nen from hunter x hunter is awesome, and it is just an amazing anime in general
I think I'm going to read Mistborn after I finished reading The Witcher !
It seems really cool.
I read to learn English, but I still struggle with vocabulary and expressions when reading, it's kind of frustrating sometimes.
Your videos are amazing by the way !
They made me want to read anew ! ^w^
If you're reading to learn English, then Mistborn is a great book for you. Really, any book by Brandon Sanderson. Sanderson writes in a very straight-forward style and is almost like conversational English rather than what you would expect from a book. Highly recommend any of his books.
Aw, thank you for the advice 😊
I will do so ! It will perhaps be easier, because I sometimes spend around 2~10mins to read a page depending on how many words are unknown to me. UwU
I'm not so far in the first volume of the witcher so maybe I will even just read Mistborn first to improve my English not too "brutally" X)
Also if you really enjoy Mistborn, there's a second era after the first trilogy that offers a ton of world building with new characters and explores the world a lot deeper. Highly recommended, and carrying on with it, Mistborn is part of a bigger universe called the Cosmere that might really capture you, of which the Stormlight Archive is the main series at the moment, with the fourth Stormlight Archive book die for release in November.
Also his books have been translated into many languages, so you might just find it in the language you speak.
Everybody says Deathnote goes down hill after no.6!! … well, yes it's true, but I thought the ending was totally worth it! I got really hooked again on the last 2 mangas!
Mistborn is also one of my favourites, as well as Wheel of Time. Name of the Wind for a magic system is cool. Most of the magic systems in Brandon's books are great for magic, Elantris, Warbreaker.
He is the master of creating them
Really, just pick a series by Brandon Sanderson, Cosmere or not, and you'll find at least one amazing magic system.
Most of my favorites you've already mentioned, but one I've not seen anyone else mention yet is the rune magic in Death Gate Cycle. This magic is driven by the forms of runes -- which can be expressed in different ways like writing, carving, tattooing, and dancing -- and how they are linked to each other to select specific outcomes in the sea of possibilities that make up reality. I wouldn't consider the magic system itself to be a central focus of the story but rather a central pillar of the world that the story is set in. It is powerful enough to literally reshape the entire world in an even more extreme fashion than the breaking of the world in the Wheel of Time series. In the narrative it is primarily a historical force that is prominent but lightly used throughout a long story where the characters explore the state of the world, learn their own motivations and limits, and each decide for themselves what is right and wrong. The inner workings of the magic are expanded upon in appendices that are written as in-world journals, histories, academic studies, and other texts.
My favorite magic system is one used by a visual novel called Fate/Stay Night, and it also used in several other series made by the people who made Fate/Stay Night. The magic system is VERY intricate and complicated, not just how the magic works, but the people who use 'magic' and their entire culture and history. There's so much of it, that not everything about it can be explained in only one of franchise. There are multiple franchises that share the same world and magical system, and touch on different aspects of the magical system. For instance, the first thing that anyone needs to know some terminology. Such as Magecraft vs Magic. The difference between the two is that Magecraft is "to bring about what is possible through science with supernatural means" meaning that the results created by Magecraft can be replicated by science and technology, but only the process of Magecraft is actually supernatural. For example, elemental magecraft can easily be replicated with science. Just like there is a spell to shoot fire, we have a flamethrower. Just like there is a spell to control the wind, we have many inventions that manipulate the air, such as something simple as a vacuum or fan. Back in Medieval times when technology wasn't as developed, elemental magecraft could have been considered Magic, but in the modern age, its science can control the elements with the simplest of inventions. As of the modern age, there is only actually 5 True Magics, with a hypothetical 6th one. And not only that, there is only one person who can use the Second Magic and one who can use the Fifth Magic.The users of the other 3 are either dead or unknown, and the details of some of the Magics themselves are still unclear.
Users of Magecraft are referred to as a Magus/Mage, and there is an entire association for Mages in London known as the Mage's Association, and these people keep the supernatural world and Magecraft, in general, a secret from the public. This is because Magecraft draws magical energy from the Root/Akashic records. What is the Root? Well thats a whole other thing that i'm not sure im qualified to explain so i wont. But basically, since all branches of Magecraft draws magical energy from the Root, the more people learn that type of Magecraft, the more the magical energy is divided between the users and the weaker the magecraft is. For example if someone knew a branch of magecraft that allows them to create 100 bullets, if another person learns that branch of magecraft, then both users will only be able to create 50 bullets. So Mages keep the secrecy of Magecraft, and even keep their branch of magecraft from themselves and wont share their teachings/research with any Magus that isn't affiliated with their bloodline. And thats another thing. Magus have no sense of morality. For their research, they will slay thousands of newborn babies and no one will bat an eye, but it is only when the secrecy of Magecraft is threatened will the Mage's association act. They will eliminate anyone and anything that threatens the secrecy of magecraft, and also any non-magical person who accidentally stumbled upon Magecraft
And this is only a tiny sample of the magical system and everything behind it. If you read this far thank you, and I hope i piqued your interest in the magical system of this very developed and great fictional universe shared by multiple franchises that the fans like to call the Nasuverse (The creator of all the franchises is Kinoko Nasu).
My favorite is Steven Erikson's Warrens & Holds system in Malazan Book of the Fallen. How it's revealed in stages that you're warping reality between multiple worlds or even dimensions. The path of ascendency & how it relates to the Warren Thrones, Di'vers, Soletaken, and veering. Like everything in Malazan, it's audacious in scope & reveals the Ancient nature of a world that's seen civilizations & races rise, fall, and revive countless times.
Though I tend to prefer hard magic, I have to say, I really like how Gaiman writes his magic. Favourites here would be The Sandman & American Gods (which have some similar underlyig concepts, but differ somewhat in execution)
Agree
Same! IMO Gaiman’s magic system (and Tolken for that matter) tends to focus on how it will feel more than what it will do.
Gaiman doesn’t so much create magic systems as he translates and codifies ideas from fairy tales and religions. Ideas from American Gods are basically consistent with Gnosticism in many ways, and Sandman is largely influenced by Sumerian mythology
Mistborn era 2 really pushed the magic system forward so well in a way that makes it feel like there's always so much more to learn about it (you could say there's always another secret). I would really recommend anyone carry on with the series if they loved the magic system of era 1.
I agree i read era 2 and i loved it
I really love the potential Twinborns and Ettmetal bring to the table. Also has really fun characters ("Framed for murder, it is on page seven of that list I gave you!" made me laugh so hard).
I love your discussion of this topic and all the artwork makes me so happy! 😊I love hearing about magic systems, and I just started Wheel of Time, so it was nice to hear what the Magic system actually entails. They don't say much about it in the first book.
If you’re okay with more manga, Nen from Hunter x Hunter is an unbelievable magic system and my personal favorite in all of fiction
So I love all the Brandon Sanderson magic systems but Warbreaker is one I think I really enjoy just cause of how visual it is and all the possibilities. Really excited to explore it more when that trilogy continues!
Speaking of manga there are some very nice magic systems in some of them. The one I always put forward is the one in Hunter x Hunter. Might be interesting to look into if you have not already.
Oh heck yeah. Nothing compares to nen!
That's what I always think of when I hear magic system. So many possibilities for such a hard magic system
I really enjoyed full metal alchemist's system too
I think that a magic system that often gets overlooked is the magic system from the manga series Magi. At first it seems extremely generic with its "use innate power source to do elemental stuff" but it goes way deeper.
Now so everything is made of rukh which are small bird like things, so of course they exist within humans as well and basically are their souls. Rukh produce magoi. There are 8 types of rukh.
Magicians give the rukh inside their body commands in order to perfom magic, such as "gather water, freeze it". The stronger spell the more complicated set of commands.
The rukh love these 3 individuals called "magi" and therefore the magi can use the rukh around them aswell as the rukh inside of them.
Magi are also capable of raising "dungeons" which humans can conquer which gives them a djinn wihin a "Metal Vessel".
Metal Vessel users use the rukh within them to produce magic through their djiins.
If somebody ever is about to run out of magoi they can absorbed the same type of rukh from an external source such as natural fire to restore your fire magoi.
My favorite part is easily the magic systems political importance due to the political standing that magis and king vessels (metal vessel users) gain in the world.
Sorry for the entire essay.
This is definitely gonna be a good video. I haven't read too much fantasy but magic systems are definitely fascinating.
My favorite is Forgery (from The Emperor's Soul). Changing the history of an object or person with a stamp is just so cool and imaginative. Actually I think all the magic systems on Sel are great... The Elantris sequels are some of my most anticipated Cosmere books (after SA and Mistborn 7).
Some of my favorites: Wizards Bane by Rick Cook, The Pawn of Prophesy by David Eddings (The beginning of The Belgariad series), Master of the five Magics, Secret of the sixth Magic, Riddle of the Seven Realms by Lyndon Hardy, The Magic of Recluse by L.E.Modesitt Jr. (lots of good books in that series/universe!) With a Single Spell by Lawrence Watt-Evans (Another fun magical universe there!)
The Light Bringer series was one that i held on through some of the stumbles and was glad I did. It has its ups and downs but the realization of some of its characters and the magic system alone is worth finishing it.
the magic system in the 4-book-saga "la passe-mirroir" or the "mirror visitor" in english is so creative ! the protagonist's powers are so original :)
If you like the naming magic systems, Earthsea is a classic example :) it's definitely one of my favorite magic systems.
Hemalurgy is probably the best magic system in mistborn. It is soo cool and scary at the same time, i loved it
My personal favorite is Feruchemy, due to how easy it is to apply to mundane, day-to-day life and how it effectively runs with the idea of "saving up for a rainy day."
One of my favorite magic systems is from Steven Brust's Drageara novels. The main character is a Witch, and in the world of Drageara being a Witch means you use your soul and body's energy in different rituals that can do things like bond your life with a familiar, penetrate barriers, view things across vast distances, and recover the soul of someone who had their soul stolen, and more.
And then their sorcery is pulling raw chaos through the imperial orb and shaping it into various effects using mental and physical skills. I love that series too.
I really love the Magic system in The young Elites by Marie Lu, where a fraction of people who survived a disease get powers from the gods/angles that are linked to crystals and really reflect personality and they all have a mutation and I just loved the system and villainous perspective even if the story was a bit tropey
I love the magic in The Wheel of Time! I agree that it gives you a good idea of how it works, but it can also be expanded based on a persons creativity and precision with the weaves.
also you explaining some of the magic in the Name of the Wind has made me more interested in it than anything my best friend has said, and it's one of her favorite books. I might actually give it a try.
My favourite is absolutely nen system from Hunter X Hunter
some mangas really do have awesome "magic" systems. besides deathnote, I always have to think of Hunter x Hunter which has an absolute awesome "hard" magic system.
Avatar and full metal alchemist as mentioned by someone else are fantastic aswell
If you like manga with hard magic system i recommend this manga (Tongari Boushi No Atelier) it is not as famous as hunter x hunter, but it is a good series, and the magic system amazing.
I don't know if you have came back to the lightbringer series but you should. It does bring the character development around in the rest of the series.
It's so enjoyable to hear a break down of magic systems from books that I've read and enjoyed. It's also enjoyable to hear about cool magic systems in books that I now want to read.
It's a little bit of a tangent but my favorite magic system is from the manga/anime Hunter created by Yoshihiro Togashi. MMMmmm super hard to explain, but it's all about the flow of chi, maybe, and will power, intention and character....
Merphy, I'd love to hear you break down some graphic novels or manga.... They're super interesting and there is some superb literature in manga...
The Watchmen graphic novel by Alan Moore is decently accessible and a great beachhead into the world of graphic novels.
I love your videos because most of the time I feel validated on my opinions on what makes a great fantasy book! Growing up as an awkward nerdy dude where I did, I didn't had many people who shared my tastes (not many bookworms or nerds) so its so cool to find content made by someone who not only loves fantasy books like me, but also loves them for the same reasons! LOVE IT
The best thing about the magic of the name of wind is that to learn it you only need sharp mind not randomly chosen by luck.
Its aa huge magic system. Half of it is basically physics and chemistry, while some of it trully is unique and magical. But all of it can be learned prwtty much by anyone and its beautiful!
I love you and your channel so much.
I've been in quarantine for 21 days now. I'm not allowed outside my home and books are the only thing keeping me sane. Thank you so much for your content
You got the name of the wind. Earthsea series is the next on my list. It too uses naming as its main power but in a vastly different way
I was so excited to see Mistborn on your list! Sanderson has a gift for inventing fascinating magic systems and I adore how his world-building and allomancy play together.
Abit surprised that you didn't mention Alchemy from Fullmetal Alchemist as well when you mentioned Death Note. Most people when talking about manga/anime magic systems usually mention one of the three: Alchemy from Fullmetal Alchemist; Nen from Hunter X Hunter; and Stands from Jojo's Bizzarre Adventure. You should give the latter two series a go after finishing FMA.
JoJo is great.
I mean she could just not like it as much as the others, hate when you get insecure anime fans tryna push their opinions onto others 😩
But isn't this video called "my" favorites? They're hers 🙃
@@winkblue6851 Aren't you insecure abit yourself right now? You're acting like a wrote a hate comment when I didn't criticise the choice and I complemented the Death Note magic system in a different comment. Just expressing my surprise.
@@christinam81 Yeah I know, just abit surprised, not the usual example people go for, but quite a great example non the less. Death Note is a perfect example for Brandon Sanderson's rule to go deeper and not wider into a magic systems, we begin with so few rules but by via hypothesis and experimenting we learn quite alot about how a Death Note can be used, in ways even the death gods never considered.
My favourite magic systems tend to be elemental ones!! (similar to avatar the last airbender)
I recently read the sword of kaigen and absolutely LOVED the magic system in that!! It was kind of waterbending to the extreme!!
I also adore the magic system in stormlight archive - for some reason I just love how complex and scientific it is!! And the spren are so cute!!
I also love the magic system in Warbreaker!
I really excited to get to the wheel of time this year and hearing the magic system is great has me even more hyped!!!
If you love elemental magic, you NEED to read Codex Alera by Jim Butcher. I'm now reading the last book of the series and it gets better and better! Totally in love.
While Glen Cook's Black Company books give my favorite descriptions of magic, the most interesting magic system that I've come across is in Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos novels. It's actually three separate systems, one heavily ritualistic system drawing on your own essence, one utilizing a link to an artifact that takes the raw power of chaos and focuses it to make it easier to use, and one in which the caster tries to manipulate raw chaos without a focus. And the main character is not primarily a magic user, he just hangs out with some heavy hitters, so the workings of magic are revealed little by little, rather than in an expository dump.
I haven't read the lightbringer series but I assume the prism is born every 7 years because of the 7 colours in a rainbow. Just my guess
Not exactly. But VERY close and an absolutely great guess!
Seven is also just a number heavily associated with magic in general
@@dylanbivins847 Not close at all. What are you talking about? Have you actually read all 5 books?
@@PlagueKing_LordFalix Exactly lol. In fact, the reason why it's 7 years specifically isn't even laid out in the series at all. They just expand on how the prism becomes prism.
Love the mistborn artwork in your video. One of my favourite fantasy series
Not from a work of literature per se, but I really like the magic system in Onyx Path's "Changeling: The Lost". Basically, there is a magical force called the Wyrd that magically enforces oaths. Through this, Fae creatures can make magical deals, trap people in their idle words, write 'spells' out of contracts with aspects of reality, and much much more. It manages to be incredibly complex and powerful, but all of it boils down to a very simple system of magically binding contracts, promises, and geasea. It draws so well on the old fairy tales of Faustian bargains and magical limitations, but it also explores them and changes them in very clever and unique ways.
I’ve recently started The Final Empire and I love the magic system, it’s complex and full, but the fact that we discover it with the main character makes it easier to assimilate. I’m really enjoying the book, the plot, the characters..., but the magic system, wow amazing.
I also loved the magic in an Unkindness of Magicians. It’s simpler than Allomancy, but really original compared to many magic systems, especially for a originally standalone book. The thing that I love in both systems is the limitation of magic use, it isn’t illimitate or comes out of nowhere, there are exchanges and consequences to its use
A song of ice and fire has a pretty cool magic system. Magic is really rare because it usually requires some form of sacrafice or has some limit, which makes it alot cooler when it happens. Also alot of the religions in that world are mostly based off of certain characters using magic and misinterpreting its source which i think is a really cool concept
Yeah, my two favorite systems by far are Tolkien's and Martin's magic systems. They both do a great job at keeping the magic feel like magic and very rewarding each time it comes up. I feel like scarcity and unpredictability are really important tools to look into when creating a magic mythology.
Your darkwood bookshelves always look so nice. You have nice collection. So few out there nowadays have The Wheel of Time. Sad to me.
I'm so glad you talked about Deathnote! I was just thinking about it this morning and then I came across your video. I haven't read the manga, only watched the anime, but MAN, this story is awesome.
Absolutely agree with Mistborn. It's a simple hard magic that consistantly does exactly what it does and you don't get a sudden change for plot convenience or something. Wonderful series and I'm looking forward to the next Wax and Wayne book.
Also, thank you for the recommendations. Wheel of Time has been on my short list for a long while; but I may check out this light magic book before I let Wheel weave as it wills.
I really like the system of eragon you manipulate items by using the true name of the item, but also the better your imagination the more effectively you can use the magic.
For instance “Brisingr” means fire and is used to light camp fires, powered up an arrow to explode on impact, used to melt locks, and wrap weapons in fire.
The cost of using the magic is how much effort it would actually take and trying to use a spell that you don’t have enough strength for can cause instant death.
While I really like Allomancy, there is something special about Feruchemy that draws me to it. Every feruchemical ability is arguably two powers in one, and it is full of mundane, day-to-day potential. It's the ultimate "for a rainy day" system.
Mindlessly watching stuff on Netflix out of boredom and won't be moving for a while? Well you don't need to move fast, be strong, or think particularly well, so store that stuff away for later. Heck, it might even be easier to exercise if you intentionally make yourself weaker while lifting weights or something.
Live in the tropics? Better invest in a lot of brass, with the bonus effect of being able to easily vacation up north without buying a lot of clothes. Also useful for cooking, as you can fill brass while taking something out of the oven without a mitt.
Sleep schedule needs to get back on track or need to study for an exam? Yay to bronze and copper.
Trouble staying on a diet? Well you don't need it, because bendalloy/cerrobend has you covered. Bonus, because you don't need to worry as much about food shortages during a pandemic.
Need a minute away from family or to relax, or are you socially awkward and need assistance making friends? Duralumin handles both scenarios with ease. (Edit: Also, don't forget about going to another country and not knowing the language)
I really like the magic system of the Long Price Quartet.
Priest-like people known as poets use poems to describe an abstract concept so thoroughly that the abstract concept takes on a human form (strongly influenced by the poet's subconscious). These are called "andat," and are like minor deities having any powers associated with the concept they were made from. In the first book, "A Shadow in Summer," the setting city's main andat is Seedless who has the power to make seeds fall out of cotton without any labor or machinery (also used for other things on the side like abortions). The poet can channel the same powers from the andat they are bound to, and they can control the andat if they choose to. However, andat inherently hate existing, wishing to return to the freedom of abstraction, so there's always a battle between the poet and andat over this.
I have to admit... Sometimes I watch your videos that I've already seen. This one is fun! Lbs.
My favourite magic system is the one from Carry on by Rainbow Rowell. Spells are well known phrases and their power is dependant on how well the nearby nonmagical population knows them. So catchphrases are super powerful but only for a short time and nursery rhymes are the most powerful spells. Magicians also have to stay connected to humanity to know what spells are active.
A magic system I believe you would appreciate is the one in Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelasny. It's a magic that belongs to that particular lineage of godlike people, closely tied with blood magic. As a bonus, Chronicles of Amber have AMAZING world building, as do basically all of Zelasny's works, a set of charismatic and complex characters and a dynamic, although quite insane plot, not to mention Zelasny's beautiful style.
If you don't feel like starting another 10-books series, Jack of Shadows, his really short (like 120 pages maximum) standalone novel, also has a great magic system - the world is litterally divided on half at the equator between the night side, where magic rules, and the day side governed by technology. Jack, on the other hand, can move wherever shadows are casted, which grants him considerable power.
Another extraordinary magic system is the one in Dragaera series by Steven Brust. I don't know how to emphasize the fact this series is the most underrated masterpiece of all times. It has multiple types of magic and while some are not unlike our traditional perception of magic, others are so deeply explained they overall are just technology done differently. Magic is deeply rooted in everyday life, similar to technology nowadays and basically every peasant knows at least a couple spells.
I really do believe you'd appreciate those series, with very few romance but a lot of amazing platonic relationships, every character being ready to go to any extent to protect their friends. It has a really smart protagonist and one of the best humor I've encountered in fiction - this book is but hilarious in every possible way.
There are 15 books out there, true, but, while connected, the first one can be read as a standalone, and basically a lot of them can be read as standalones. You've mentioned you are not a fan of talking animals, but Loiosh, the smartass talking lizard with no respect for anything is the most precious thing in existence.
I am frankly terrified myself at the length of this comment...
I loved the last few chapters of Death Note. They were so satisfying to me.
@G L naw man I was rooting for light man ride or die dawg lmaooo
Fax I don't think he was morally correct, but watching him get smarter and stuff was so cool
Short and simple recommendation: Robin Hobb. Great Ideas, well integrated into the worldbuilding, hard but not without mysteries. I seriously can't remember any plot holes/ frustrations linked to the magic.
I like what Lyndon Hardy came up with in “Master of the Five Magics” & “Secret of the Sixth Magic”. Very well thought out and explained via defined “Meta” laws for each discipline: Thaumaturgy, Alchemy, Magic, Sorcery, and Wizardry.
A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony 1977 Middle Fantasy. Has a fun magic system. Especially if you like puns. Quick read.
I also like the magic in the Apprentice Adept series
Big fan of the Stormlight magic systems with it yet to be fully revealed is very conpelling
My favorite magic system is Codex Alera. But I really love all of Brandon Sandersons investiture magic, especially Stormlight. And shout out to The Lightbringer magic system.
For me the most interesting and complex magic system is in the Malazan series by Steven Erikson and Ian Esslemont (it is based on their extensive anthropological knowledge). The main system is organised in "warrens", where most mages have access to one, but some have access to several. Also, different species have access to different "warrens" or categories of "warrens". Other people and tribes though use "older" systems, like "holds", elemental magic, nature magic, etc., etc. Towards the end of the series a new system emerges and I am hoping that in the future series they will expand on that. The series (and the related offshoots) have also a very interesting concept of what gods and their origins are, as well as their relationship with mortals...
I’m so glad you read manga! Most booktubers I watch don’t so it makes you feel more relatable to me. And, I agree that DeathNote is amazing but should’ve ended around book 6 or 7.
P.S: The author of Death Note actually wrote a short story, which is considered canon to the Death Note series, recently if you haven’t checked it out yet.
I am glad you did that list. Thank you, Merphy.
Agree that the magic system in The Kingkiller Chronicles (The Name of the Wind is Book 1) is one of the best magic systems out there. I love that it's almost like a science, or a learned/acquired skill, more so than innate. While some natural gift comes into play, it seems like hard-working and/or clever students tend to advance more rapidly and grow stronger in the magic than lazy, unimaginative, or unintelligent students. Lucky for us, Kvothe is both exceptionally clever and...driven...
If you love true name concept in a book you can read earthsea. Ursula use the true name so wisely and the story it self is so good, most of the time symbolic.
Master of the Five Magics by Lyndon Hardy 1980 High Fantasy. Breaks magic into Thaumaturgy, Alchemy, Magic, Sorcery, and Wizardry. In the first book the PoV character is learning Thaumaturgy.
Mistoborn is one my my favorite Magic Sytems as well! I also really love the Magic system in the STormlight ARchives... seems like I really just love Sanderson's Magic systems LOL
Honestly, I'm amazed you got the magic system of The Name of the Wind and even managed to explain it so articulately. I have a problem with overly complex magic systems like the examples you gave in this video - I mean, it's cool and intriguing when there's thought put into this, but sometimes it's more confusing and very hard to wrap my head around it. Maybe it's just me, but that's how I feel.
Discworld's magic system absolutely my favorite.
discworld.com/products/artwork/sticker-hex-anthill-inside-holographic-sticker/
😂 we all pretend it ends after vol. 6
Is it the point when L died?
@@salmanbehen4384 yes
@@salmanbehen4384 ...spoilers bro. Why even comment that, just google it
My favorite Magic system is the one from the TTRPG Mage: the Ascension. You can literally do anything with it! Including everything you mentioned in every magic system you brought up in this video! Near unlimited ability to warp reality given your imagination. Just watch out for paradoxes and paradox backlash (which happens when you violate consensual reality)! Nothing eats a Mage's lunch quite like Paradox.
I suggested this video! I contributed to the community!
(I realize it was probably not the first time someone asked for it but I'm still excited haha)
My 3 favorites come from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Re:Zero and My Hero Academia
Everyone knows Avatar so i won't get into that.
Re:Zero - On a first look it's your basic mana based elemental magic, but where it shines are the details. The ways person can access magic, consequences of a misuse or the scope of what every element is capable of (for example both Water and Fire mages are capable of using Ice, one by changing properties of water, and the other by controlling heat in the atmosphere)
My Hero Academia - simple concept - a world where people are born with mutations giving them superpowers similar to x-men, but almost everyone has those powers. From simple pyromancy or super strength to powers that makes you look like a monster. The most interesting thing are not the powers themselves (tho there are some really interesting ones), but how big of an impact they have on the individual, his psychology, social standing, sense of self, and on the modern society as a whole.
Man I wish there was more discussion like this around video games.... like this happens to be the one thing I am truly jealous of book people for is that you get such better magic than TV or Video Games.
Found you because I enjoy Harry Potter videos. But Deathnote I LOVE. You're even cooler to me now! Maybe could you do a review of the manga???
That would be amazing!!!
I personally love wired powers I feel devil fruit in one piece is good for that.
A few old ones I never see on lists that were sorta fun back in the day: Lyndon Hardy's trilogy (Master of the Five Magics, Secret of the Sixth Magic, & Riddle of the Seven Realms), Dave Duncan's 4-book series A Man of His Word, CS Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy.
I hope the Mistborn books I've ordered will arrive soon. Can't wait to delve into it.
I love magic systems, it really creates such a unique world.
One of my favorites is Fury-Craft from Codex Alera, you gotta check it out Merphy I think you would really love it!
I loved the magic system in Warbringer, much more than Misborn's.
my favorite magic system is the primary one in David Edding's Belgariad called Sorcery aka The Will of the Word.
The will and the word. One of my all time favorite fantasy series too!
I love the Wheel of Time... great mention...
Most of the magic systems I love have already been mentioned, like Avatar, Eragorn and Fullmetal Alchemist. But one that noticeably hasn’t is Madoka Magica. A story about regular high school girls who are granted one wish in exchange for their souls and become magical girls who fight off evil witches. Each of the girl’s powers is unique and tailored to the very wish and circumstances they asked to be granted. It’s starts out real light but don’t let it fool you. It’s one of the most gut wrenching and heartbreaking animes out there.
The lightbringer magic system is awesome. Makes the books
My absolute favourite magic system is from Garth Nix's Abhorsen series, wonderful stuff! His most recent book Angel Mage also has a wonderfully detailed system in it and very unique. :)
My absolutely most favourite magic system is in Codex Alera series from Jim Butcher. Yeah, the Furies are awesome and after I learnt what was the inspiration for them, it's even more genius! Next is pretty much anything from Brandon Sanderson, although from those I like Rithmatics the most, it's really cool! Also, a nice magic system is in Not the Time for Dragons from Sergei Lukyanenko - especially combined with the environmnent there.
Brent Weeks has written a few great magic systems, if you haven't read it already I'd strongly recommend the Night Angel trilogy for another one from him