r/magicbuilding 10h ago

Resource The Magical Code of Regulations hit 4.5k sales yesterday! 500 pages of pure, unadulterated magical law. Appreciate all the support from this sub!

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42 Upvotes

Have been posting here for a couple of years now about my fictional laws, way back when it was just random ones with no actual plan for an entire book. Received a ton of kind words and encouragement here, and I've now just hit my 4,500th sale of the book!

It's 500 pages of super detailed magical worldbuilding in the form of laws. Covers everything from necromancy to protected creatures to fireball environmental impact assessments. Good resource for anyone that wants to implement law into their worldbuilding in any form. Tons of humorous sections to keep it a light read as well.

Even have a foreign language localization that will be coming out, and hoping to trick my worst enemy into narrating an audiobook at some point!

Just thought it was a good milestone, and wanted to celebrate. Even been hosting weekly giveaways over on r/DnD.

For anyone curious that would like to support the project outside of the giveaway, it can be bought off of Amazon and DriveThruRPG. Appreciate any and all support, and always willing to work with people who may be a bit tight on money!

Amazon:

https://a.co/d/06PYpPp3

Anyways, appreciate all of you guys, and can't wait to unveil my next mega worldbuilding project in the future: a magic physiology book!


r/magicbuilding 6h ago

Mechanics How Magic is actually performed in your world?

11 Upvotes

In my universe, magic is strictly ceremonial. Mages must inscribe circles, draw symbols, and recite incantations for half an hour or more before anything happens. It isn't a power they can summon just by snapping their fingers; it requires time and preparation. When a mage decides to perform magic, it is practically an event; the most elaborate magical rituals closely resemble religious ceremonies.

I’m curious to know how this is handled in your worlds. When a mage performs magic in your universes, what does it look like? What does the process itself entail?


r/magicbuilding 27m ago

System Help Help with a System

Upvotes

So it's still a new idea, I'll need to flesh it out a lot more.

But the main thing I needed help/discussion around is the 6 "Families" of magic. (I might change the name, but it works for now.)

The 4 Main types of magic that are more common in the world of magic, your classic elements

Wind, Water, Fire, Earth.

And two much more rare types, Light and Dark.

Within each of these Families are different branches of magic related to one another.

Water has Ice

Fire has Lightning, maybe Explosion?

Earth has Metal, Sand

Wind has... Spirit? Astral Projection type magic?

Light ? I can see it being a construct type magic, but not sure what other branches it could have?

Darkness has Blood, Illusion, maybe Poison?

The problem is the numbers are all over the place. I'd like each family to have the same, or close to the same number of branches.

A witch is born with an affinity for one type of magic, as they get stronger, they may learn other magic types within the same family, but can't normally use magic in different families.

If you have an idea for a magic, let me know. I just need some ideas for thematic magic types that can fit neatly in the families.

Thanks for the aid.


r/magicbuilding 4h ago

General Discussion What is your views on wands and magic mirrors?

6 Upvotes

And if you can integrate them into your magic system, how would they work in your system?


r/magicbuilding 10h ago

General Discussion Need help coming up with powers based on the Fears from TMA Podcast

3 Upvotes

Hi, I'm trying to come up with stupidly overpowered abilities and superpowers based on the 15 Fears from the Magnus Archives Podcast, basically Godlike Entities who rule over their respective fears, for an Essence I'm trying to make. I have some ideas for possible powers for certain fears like The Corruption, The End, The Eye, and The Stranger, I am facing a block towards certain fears like the Hunt and the Slaughter. I want to create cosmic/divine levels and scales of power for possible powers.

The 15 Fears are:

The Buried (The fear of small spaces, suffocating, drowning, being buried alive. Fear of everything crashing down around/on oneself. Fear of being trapped without enough space.)

The Corruption (The fear of corruption, disease, filth. Fear of the feelings of disgust, revulsion and the things or beings that might evoke such feelings.)

The Dark (The primal fear of the dark, of the unseen, and the creatures hiding from our view.)

The Desolation (The fear of pain, loss, burning, and destruction, especially with a senseless cause.)

The End (The fear of death itself)

The Eye (The fear of being watched, exposed, followed, having secrets exposed. Can also pertain to the drive to know and understand, even if your discoveries might destroy you.)

The Flesh (Born from the fear held by animals bred for meat, and in the human realization that we are just animated meat and bones.)

The Hunt (The animalistic fear of being chased or hunted; the primal fear of being prey.)

The Lonely (The fear of isolation, of being completely cut off and alone or disconnected from the rest of society.)

The Slaughter (The fear of pure, unpredictable, unmotivated violence. The fear of pain coming at sudden, random moments.)

The Spiral (The fear of madness, that the world you know is wrong, that your mind is lying to you. Fear of deception, lying, deceiving of the mind and senses.)

The Stranger (The fear of the unknown, the uncanny, the unfamiliar. The creeping sense that something is not right.)

The Vast (The fear of heights, falling, and large open spaces including sky, space, and deep water. More broadly: the human fear of insignificance and meaninglessness, of losing oneself in too much space.)

The Web (The fear of being controlled or trapped, especially being unaware of one's own entrapment. The fear of being forced to do things against one's own will, of being manipulated. Also the fear of spiders.)

The Extinction (The fear of catastrophic change, destruction of nature, destruction of human skin and tissue, the destruction of humanity itself and its replacement by something different; all of this especially via mankind's own causing.)

Some of these Fears can blur together and merge to create new powers and techniques, so any ideas on what those can be would be greatly appreciated.

I would really appreciate the help, thank you!

Not sure if this against community guidelines because this isn’t really a magic system. I know I should probably come up with my own ideas instead of asking for help but I need help brainstorming. I have some ideas for superpowers of certain Fears but I have hit a wall regarding certain ones. I'm looking for new perspectives and ideas on them.


r/magicbuilding 7h ago

General Discussion My Power System

2 Upvotes

This is the first power system I’ve posted so please don’t hate on it too much. It was heavily inspired from Nen and Cursed Energy, and took a while to work on. Sorry it’s long, and it’s a rough basis on how it works. I hope it’s simple enough to understand but complex enough to get ideas flowing. Feel free to ask questions, criticize, or even think up a technique!

Vibe
The inner energy of all life. It is also referred to as “breath” or “stamina” because of how similar it is. Plants, fungi, and small animals possess a small amount. Larger animals and humans have more.

Vibe and Life Energy are similar, but not the same. Life Energy relates to health, longevity, and recovery. It is also referred to as “vitality”. Injuries do not impact it very much, but too much damage can shorten lifespan. As people live, their vitality is gradually depleted. The older they are, the less they have. Death happens when there is no more Life Energy.

Vitality is the lifeblood, Vibe is the energy.

Some animals have a higher amount of vibe, often called Beasts. Beasts have either harder skin, sharper claws, stronger muscles, etc. Young born from beasts possess both physical enhancements and vibe. After generations of breeding, most animals are bigger and stronger beasts.

Beasts are a common problem around settlements and towns. Less so in cities but they still thrive in many environments. If left alone beasts could cause property damage and even kill people.

Some people can innately use their vibe. Under extreme cases, they can output more strength than normal. Athletes can also use vibe slightly. Most of these people aren’t aware of it.

Vibe works in two ways: Enhance and Alter. Beginners can enhance one ability or sense at a time. Experienced users are able to enhance more than one. Greater mastery over vibe can allow one to change its properties. Condensing vibe further can create solid structures or objects.

Quality over quantity. Strength determines how efficient a user is with their vibe. Less energy usage means more versatility.
Less area, more power. Vibe works best in concentration. Enhancing a fist is better than an arm.

Vibe can be used to strengthen items and weapons, but the effect is only temporary. The enhancement only lasts as long as the user's vibe is touching it.

Using vibe takes a toll. Once this energy is used up, the user collapses from exhaustion and becomes extremely hungry. Eating food or resting can restore their vibe.

If a user pushes past exhaustion to use vibe, they will begin using Life Energy. Using one’s life force gives great power, but comes with a heavy toll. Any techniques using Life Energy will drain it permanently and take years off of life. One can even use too much and die shortly afterwards. This is considered very dangerous and taboo, but the choice is up to each user.

Basic Vibe Applications
Enhance: strengthening the body
Physical abilities
Strength, speed, endurance, etc

Senses
Sight, hearing, etc

Harden
Nails, hair, etc

Alter: changing Vibe
Physical
Hard, sharp, stretch, etc

Chemical
Hot, cold, sticky, etc

Color
Red, blue, light, dark, etc

Tier 1
Novice level, inefficient vibe usage, can only enhance one ability at a time.
Tier 2
Beginner level, more efficient than Tier 1, can enhance two abilities at the same time.
Tier 3
Intermediate level, efficient with vibe, can alter vibe into one property at a time.
Tier 4
Advanced level, very efficient, can alter vibe into more than one property at the same time.
Tier 5
Expert level, the most efficient vibe usage, complete master of vibe.

Basic Techniques
Vibe Sense - using vibe to enhance the senses, usually eyes to see vibe output
Vibe Attack - using vibe to enhance a punch, kick, or other physical attack
Vibe Defense - using vibe to enhance the durability on a specific part of the body, usually to defend against an attack

Advanced Techniques
Barrier - condensing vibe into a hard surface, used to nullify or block attacks
Pierce - condensing vibe into a sharp point, used for piercing through barriers and people

The techniques listed are the most common among users, but they are not the only techniques to be created. Below are the rules of vibe which cannot be changed.

Vibe cannot change volume.
Training or growing older does not increase or decrease one’s vibe. Neither can it be given or taken by another user.

Vibe cannot be separated from the body.
Vibe can’t be disconnected or shot out like a projectile. It will stay connected to the user despite changing its shape.

Vibe cannot manipulate matter.
Users can’t use vibe to manipulate the elements, nor can they change matter. Vibe doesn’t work like telekinesis. It can affect physical objects by damaging them, but it cannot move them.

Vibe cannot create permanent objects.
By changing the shape, vibe can form structures and weapons, but these are not permanent. Vibe can imitate other things, not create them.


r/magicbuilding 13h ago

Mechanics Stable world-physics. Let me know what you think!

5 Upvotes

The Natural Forces:

Space

Time

Foundation

Anti-Foundation

Thermal

Technique (What the people are doing with the energies they're manipulating):

Additive(+), Subtractive(-)

(Affecting the attractive charge between foundation and atomic elements)

The Foundation (What the people of the world are using to manipulate the energies):

The particle that keeps all things together. Can carry a positive or negative attractive charge. Foundation is the binding force that holds together all forms of energy and matter. Produced by seeding sapience onto planets and letting it grow, it feeds the ever cycling array that makes up the universe.

All sentient creatures grow and create their own internal foundation. It enters the body mysteriously upon birth, and exits the body upon death.

Only sapient creatures can willfully control this internal growth and further manipulate the foundation using Ego

Anti-Foundation: A mysterious particle and force nullifier. Foundation and Anti-Foundation are the main actors on the cosmic stage. Areas of foundation scatter Anti-Foundation, but when the particles interact it nullifies the attractive force of Foundation, eliminating its ability to elementally bond and returns it to a stateless particle. Over much time in foundation lacking environments Anti-Foundation multiplies.

Because of the dense concentration of foundation inherent in sapient life Anti-Foundation can only access the body through willful utilization or “contagion”. By using your Ego energy as a medium for Anti-Foundation to latch onto. It slowly degrades the Ego, mind and soul then finally the body. Specialized care must be taken with an “infected” individual as the release of Anti-Foundation from the brain of the deceased is “contagious”.

States of Foundation(the material state of what is being manipulated):

Gas, Solid, Liquid, Plasma, HyperSolid

The Atomic Elements

Air, Water, Earth, Light(Like photonic energy), Life(manipulating cellular energy)

The elements are split into to category:

Stable elements and Spectrum elements.

Earth and Life are known as the “stable elements.”

Light, Air and water are known as “spectrum elements”

{Listed by particle weight}

Note: Particle weight greatly affects foundational attraction. Less weight=Less attraction.

.01

Light(+)↦ additive

Light(-)↦ subtractive (note: you can scatter/disperse the “photonic” light energy in an area to create darkness.)

1

Air(+)↦ Compression

Air(-)↦ Vacuum

2

Water(+)↦ Hydration

Water(-)↦ Dehydration

3

Life(+)↦ Growth

Life(-)↦ Decay

4

Earth(+)↦ Solidification

Earth(-)↦ Erosion/disintegration

Examples:

(f)+(Water+)+(Thermal-)↦ Ice

(f)+(Water+)+(Thermal+)↦ Vapor

The internal/Ego Foundation:

Ego is the emergent energetic field produced by the interaction of Mind, Soul and Will;

Mind determines cognition.

Soul is the life-derived energy.

Will is directed intent.

Ego is the total usable energy produced by their interaction. An entirely distinct energy that has tangible effects on the foundation.

Ego is spent when Will is used through conscious effort to manipulate the foundation. It is spent in little to no quantity if the Foundational manipulation is as easy as, say, breathing. This means many species that have some biological, foundational adaptations, take little to no effort or ego to stimulate.

The higher the quantity of Ego, the larger these effects although none come close to breaking the physics of Valkai. Ego can also contain a charge and the mind and soul are highly subject to varying effects based on what elements it is used with.

Ego also greatly affects what scale of foundation a species can interact with. Higher ego species are more capable of bigger foundational feats.

Mind manipulation is not mind control in the traditional sense. It is the manipulation of the energetic conditions underlying cognition.

Hatred can be induced from the Complex equation: (f)^Ego(-)+Thermal(+)+Life(-)=Hatred

And Lust from the Complex equation:

(f)^Ego(+)+Thermal(+)+Life(+)=Lust

Of course this presupposes these effects are being projected onto a living Ego.

Space is the universe. Each solar system and galaxy is a node and an etching in a massive, self sustaining magic array that generates and consumes…. Foundation.

Time. Under normal conditions Time returns all things to base foundation (f) but since time does not exist in a vacuum the existence of elemental forces on valkai sway what “base” is depending on geological location.

This means an area with low thermal foundation and high water foundation will have more ice.

Or a place heavily exposed to the blazing radiant(light(+)) foundation and (E)Thermal energies of the suns of Valkai will be hot and bright.

Worldly interactions

Foundation is attracted to the Atomic elements and vice versa. The higher the particle weight, the stronger the attraction.

Light is a near massless white particle that must be attached to the foundation to give off light.

Once it is attached to an element its wavelength shifts and it gives off colored light.

Light and the elements have a strong bond. Utilizing Light(-) techniques allows one to dim or bend this light by tweaking the foundational or elemental bond. Anti-Foundation is the only true nullifying force capable of completely separating foundation from light.

The base, lit particle still creates its own “elemental vacuum” and slightly attracts local elemental particles. Only being able to bond with one to three elements at a time. The lighter in weight the particle the higher the attraction to light, having the opposite effect as foundation.

With enough force, the collision of nullified light particles strips colliding particles of their foundation with atomic force and creates a hyper-dense pocket of collapsing elements.

Atomic Elements and thermal energy affect the frequency at which light travels, creating a wavelength of light. Most light carries some elemental charge, positive or negative. The color of said light is highly dependent on the elemental and thermal charge.

Light=white

Air=Yellows, golds

Earth=Reds and oranges

Water=blues and purples

Life=Greens

Thermal energy is the excitation of particles. It is produced in (+) quantities by dense, positive elemental forces. Especially those of heavier weights like Life and Earth because the density of foundation and elements creates natural atomic excitement.

Because lighter elements are better diffusers of heat due to their unstable nature, thermal energies do not stick to spectrum elements as easily as stable elements.

Extreme Thermal excitement destabilizes the bond between foundation and element making them more susceptible to state changes and outside forces. Especially temporal degradation.

Foundation becomes less attracted to its attached element(s) the more negative the charge, thus thermal energies are not produced as heavily by Negative(-) forces. An exception is when dense positive(+) elemental energies are spontaneously released/degraded with sudden(-) energy. The natural thermal production of said dense element greatly affects the size and heat of the corresponding thermal release.

The denser the element, the less prone it is to shifting or varying states. This means heavier elements like Earth and Life usually produce relatively consistent outcomes in Minor-Complex and Complex Foundational equations even when quantity is adjusted between elements. Elements like air and light are prone to shifting states and produce varying sub-elemental reactions depending on the mixture of air/light to other elements.

This makes air and light “Spectrum elements”. Air having a spectrum of forms between states and Light having a spectrum of wavelengths dependent on elemental charge and formulaic direction.

Different “sub-elemental foundations” can be made using combinations of additive and subtractive foundational techniques, but each formula must use basic foundation as the base/neutral state because the existence of foundation is necessary for any reaction. Thermal and Ego forces can be used to create different reactions while maintaining base complexity of an equation.

Foundational Complexity rating

The “Complexity rating” of an equation depends on the number of variables introduced after the base formula.

(f)= Foundation

a(f) = Anti Foundation

(a)±-Atomic elements

r=result/reaction

E±= Energy (Thermal/Ego)

Et= Thermal

Ew= Will

EM = Mind; Mi, Mo (i= inward, o= outward)

ES= Soul;Si, So (i= inward, o= outward)

Full Base Formula (can add more “steps” as needed to increase complexity, a step is (E±/a±) )

This equation is the method that manipulates the base elements and forces into their charged sub elements

(a(f)/(f))Ew+(E±/a±) = r

Foundational formulas are split into categories of complexity. After the most basic, a “Stable, Minor-Complex” equation is as follows:

(f)+(E±/a±)+(E±/a±)↦r

Above these most basic formula are:

Complex: (f) + (E±/a±) + (E±/a±) + (E±/a±)↦

Major-complex: (f) + (E±/a±) + (E±/a±) + (E±/a±) + (E±/a±)↦

Grand-Complex: (f) + (E±/a±) + (E±/a±) + (E±/a±) + (E±/a±) + (E±/a±)↦

(Note: Almost every Grand-complex, even most Major-complex equations, are a complex system or event of natural phenomena not wieldable by the normal individual/people.)

Spell stability.

The most Stable form of any foundational equation takes a 1-1 variable reaction.

Examples:

ICE is one unit of negative thermal charge to one positively charged atomic elemental particle of water.

STONE is a one to one particle of positively charged earth element to one particle of negatively charged water.

Equations successfully meeting the balance and returning a mostly stable reaction makes them: Stable formula.

The more pure additive and negative energies one injects into a spell also greatly affects the stability of said reaction.

Both because of Foundational instability(-)

And thermal instability(+).

To collect energy from an elemental l reaction one must make sure the proper formula for a stable reaction is being utilized. You also must consider the natural capacity limit of the storage medium and the structure of the energy disperser/system.

(f) + (Thermal+), or

(f) + (Thermal+) + (Thermal+) Stably creates a usable reaction by correctly utilizing the one to one ratio of formulation.

(f) + (Thermal+³) Creates an unstable, compounding thermal reaction more susceptible to the destabilization caused by thermal excitement.

This instability can be created with any element by improperly injecting unstable quantities of energy into a formula. Because of the density and, subsequently, the amount of thermal excitement caused by these particles, heavier elements are more subject to this instability when in massive, unequal quantities, but do a better job actually storing the energy created by said reactions.

Instability Formulas are created when the bases are significantly unbalanced by a unit of 3 or more.

Example: (f) + (Earth+³) + (Water-)↦Dense, hard, dehydrated highly brittle stone substance not good for much. Easily shattered.

The disproportionate bond causes an unstable reaction even among the most stable elements like Earth.

Proportion scaling affects Spectrum elements significantly more than Stable elements. Many positively charged instability formulas produce thermal results because of the unstable excitation of dense particles.

Some foundational formulae are reversible for the same or similar results, known as: Equilibrium formula. Mostly balanced around energies and heavier elements, returning consistent results for the “reversed” formula.

Pure Spectrum or energetic reactions do not contain Equilibrium states. Light and heat or Air and Ego would have varying results for reversed formulae.

(Thermal+) + (Water-)

(Water-) + (Thermal+)

Both result in vapor forms. The first formula is the steps of natural occurrence but the same/similar results can be achieved with a flipped equation.

Note: Thermal and Ego energies are simply measured in a base quantity equal to particle number: 1Energetic unit(Eu)

Ego is not infinite and is utilized to shape all conscious spells. A being can only utilize spells/reactions that require less Ego than a being's max capacity to store. Overdrawing this energy permanently damages the mind or soul.

Biological affinity

A peoples/species connection to the elements and sub-elements is heavily dependent on their geological location and species history.

In the primary focus Era, the peoples of the world have a primitive scientific knowledge on the subject of manipulation and can utilize the system of reactions for specific results. Practitioners of intentional foundation manipulation are called: Fundementalists.

The foundation can be utilized in massive ways with a complex system of spells. Written, cast, chanted, alchemical, etc.

Because Will is a fundamental part of ego, intent has drastic effects on foundation. Even if a people's religious beliefs are objectively untrue, their collective will has tangible results on religious spells/effects.

If a people's collective ego is high enough they can create an external ego that takes on the characteristics of the believers deity. Creating a pseudo-deity of sorts. Though most of them are just disembodied egos that quickly dissipate, if given long enough with enough energy they can condense a physical form.


r/magicbuilding 6h ago

General Discussion Qweslor

0 Upvotes

Welcome to Qweslor (What do you think about the faeries?) ... Chapter 1: A Sickness - Qweslor Besieged | Royal Road


r/magicbuilding 10h ago

Lore Introduction to fervors! Thermal regulators.

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2 Upvotes

This is a part of my larger series explaining my magic system.

Today's focus: Fervors

These are the particles responsible for maintaining thermal regions within the concord.

Constant use of kinetic energy by individual roch(previous post) produces thermal energy. On one hand, thermal energy can cause roch to move faster and interact with more particles per second. On the other hand, it can cause them to move faster than their attraction field permits, leading them to go astray.

In order to maintain stability, the two types of fervor are formed. These are the radiant and non-radiant fervors.

Non-radiant fervors absorb thermal energy in High Thermal Energy Regions.

Radiant fervors release thermal energy in Low Thermal Energy Regions.

Upon contact with other particles, fervors transfer thermal energy to them, including other fervors.

If you made it this far: thank you very much for taking time out of your day to read this!

:)


r/magicbuilding 1d ago

Feedback Request Anti-Kantian Magic System

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33 Upvotes

My goal with this system was to expand two themes within my story:

1. Love without benefit

2. What happens in a society where the harm of others is not only encouraged, but beneficial with minimal repercussions

This is my first time creating a hard magic system. Let me know how the mechanics can thematically better match with what I'm going for

Kantian is referring to the philosopher
See page 9 for context of the system within the setting


r/magicbuilding 1d ago

Mechanics Wizer charter of Basics (elements) and their known connections

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15 Upvotes

As a sort of Keystone to this post and expansion of these elements, this should be my last post as this one completes the system and let's it come full circle.

What are Basics

Basics are what Wizer's call the elements, technically there are 2 types of magic school, Methodist which focuses on a sole methodology, and Basical which focuses on a sole base, however Wizers (my world's current authority in magic) refuse to recognise Methodists as a genuine school and only recognise Basic schools, a Wizer who doesn't pick a Basic is called an 'Abasic' caster and is inelligible for practice funding (that is money for actually using magic, instead of just researching or investigating it).

What are the Basics

The current Basics are thematic elements drawn from Saltmaid scripture with it's context removed (except Knot), in an attempt to mimic what Saltmaids did early Wizers realised the meaning, metaphor and lines of logic behind their miracles had connections and relations to each other, each one drawing on a hard-to-define web of aspects that could be mapped out, where points in this web crossed they labelled them 'Basics' and made this the sole focus of their work, reading through scripture and skimming it for those same Basic themes to use as a basis for magic.

Theoretically there are billions of Basics, however research is slow, hard and rife with danger so only the most shallow, easiest to use and non-emotive Basics could be accurately researched, thus there are 9 Known Bases, several unknown (currently 2 are recognised and focused) and millions of even less known basics. The currently known Basics are: Refuge, Revival, Formation, Trophy, Journey, Agony, Vanish, Doom and Knot, with 2 unknown basics currently dubbed Blasema (the top one) and Aganap (the bottom) with more research being done to study the first but not the latter.

When casting a Basic spell you could use any Method but some basics are better at certain methods than others, for instance a Restoration spell using Revival would work excellently (flesh weaving together like roots, scars covering over like leaves and falling away) but the same Restoration with Journey or Agony would still work but far less effectively (Journey may jettison gravel from the wound and rapidly increase blood flow but do nothing to close it, Agony may lay burning hands across the wound and painfully repress blood flow yet rip and burn skin as it pulls away)

They're all a bit wobbly by nature, even Wizers who've studied the same basic for years find odd little connections to other elements and actions (as Basic casting involves less Disconnectivity than Method casting, there's much less random chance from spells taking unexpected shortcuts, but still little surprises here and there) but compared to Method catering they're much more consistent. To improve consistently Wizers must study context (what elements are around) and form (where to direct the element) and make minor changes to align better with the Basic and produce better and more effective spells, for instance the above Revival-Restoration spell may improve closer to wet soil, away from blood or fear and by directing the healing from above while standing in front of a light source.


r/magicbuilding 1d ago

System Help Help deciding a name for a magical concoction that alters DNA?

7 Upvotes

Hi all! I'm not sure if I set this post to the right flair--apologies if I didn't! I was looking to get some help on my novel, since I'm working on the lore right now. It's a paranormal romance, and the only REAL magic is directly related to vampires.

In my story, vampirism originates in the early 1500's, by my deuteragonist's father, a Mayan scientist. He accidentally created a concoction that turns the subject into a fledgling vampire by altering their DNA. It was originally described by him as a medicine/antidote that would grant immortality and immunity (so his daughter would never get sick). However, we jump to the present, 2014, where she has to describe the antidote in dialogue. I don't know what word to use for it! Technically, it isn't an antidote, panacea, or remedy, because it isn't just granting healing properties, but also alters the DNA of the subject.

I was considering a few other words: potion, elixir, theriac, and physic. However, I have my hesitations.

  • Potion, to me, sounds to game-y. I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it, but as a lover of RPGs, using "potion" feels like a cop out, because it's such an incredibly common word.
  • Elixir is the closest to what I'm looking for, but in the book series I'm reading (Immortals by Alyson Noël), she uses the word elixir as well. It's the recurring name throughout all the books (so far, I'm on book 4), and I think it would be too similar, considering I've gotten some inspiration from the series for my book already. But that's all from my perspective! I could totally be overthinking it, and I'm also looking for a second opinion on that.
  • Theriac and physic sound cool, but I'm also trying to consider the time in which the antidote was created. Theriac has been around since the first century, and physic since the 1300's. I'm concerned about how likely it would've been for either word to get to Mexico, considering colonization hadn't really taken effect until 1519.

The antidote itself is comprised of herbs, water, and the eye and left canine/fang of a vampire bat. Parts of the antidote must be separate before combination to undergo a specific process (like the water has to sit under a full moon for exactly three minutes before being added to the crushed herbs). I've never been one to read fantasy, or even watch it, so I wasn't sure what else to add to the ingredients list that would've been available in 1500's Mexico... I feel like it's a little lackluster.

ALSO, to clarify, the antidote changes DNA because consuming it adds the "vampire gene" to the human body. It has several effects, but mainly, it turns that human into a vampire. That means that: eating human food, in large amounts, makes them sick; they only feel full after feeding on a human; their body no longer requires vitamin D (therefore, no need to be exposed to the sun).

Maybe I really am overthinking it and should just use whatever word, since Google existed back in 2014 and my deuteragonist could've used it to discover whatever she ends up calling the antidote. I've had such writer blindness since I started primarily focusing on the lore now that I have a better idea of how my story will go, and I feel like I'm going crazy! If you would be so kind, I would love some input/feedback on my list so far and any other ideas you might have! I referenced this post to get a better idea of what might work. Sorry for the long read!!


r/magicbuilding 1d ago

Lore I created a magic system that involves saying a god's true name or name in general.

11 Upvotes

In my story Project Evergreen, there are two magic systems, one deals with some elements due to the environment. The second is an ancient magic that is practiced by a select few people. The second magic system deals with gaining temporary powers from a god by saying their name (true or alias). However there are down sides to this power. Too much usage can damage the body and mind. You can only use one name at a time and you can only use it once. Trying to use the same name again can cause severe problems to the person's body and mind. The only people who use this ancient magic are priests or people with deep connections to religion. Though there are special cases where people tried to use the ancient magic without having a connection to religion, only for those people to be driven insane and later die. The power of the gods is different depending on the god. Saying their true name gives a person plenty of power while saying their alias gives a person a little bit of their power.

The ancient magic isn't widely used across the world, just in small places that still practice it.

I am still figuring out this magic system, but things are slowly making sense.

What do you think?


r/magicbuilding 1d ago

General Discussion What is main form of magic in your world?

26 Upvotes

In many Fantasy worlds magic has multiple types, but one (or more) of them is much more common than others. These can be called main forms of magic. Examples are 8 winds of magic from Warhammer Fantasy, or magic of five main elements from Legend of The Five Rings. How does it look in your worlds?


r/magicbuilding 1d ago

General Discussion Pretty basic power system, but what do you think?

10 Upvotes

It's something i made last week for fun, wanted to know what you guys thought of this and most importantly for those who read it, if this looks too much of a ripoff of lotm power system

I started to read lotm and realized it has some similarities with lotm's system and I want to understand if it seems like its cheap copy

the core idea is that there are 9 entities called Symbols (think of them as gods), they each want to create a world that has their core idea as its main principle, but since they were unable to actually create a full reality themselves, they mostly wandered this kind of chaos space called the formless wastes waiting to find a suitable vessel for their principle.
(Bit of lore)
With the birth of the Egg (which is theoretically a symbol too representing creation, but is impersonal because it's "creation with inability to act on it afterwards) all the symbols rushed to the egg gain control of it and enforce their principle onto this reality.
After a series of events which i won't explain in detail right now, all 9 symbols arrived, and realized the best way to apply their principle was through the spreading of knowledge and power from them around the world, thus creating the power system.

The power system
Through either bloodline (the symbols shared some of their blood to some humans, creating stable dinasties), random chances (sometimes a random person is born with a Sign, which means they get to access the power of that symbol but cannot transmit it to later generations), extremely delicate chirurgical practices (needing at least two or more dead users), or cannibalism (extremely rare and unstable, it would require a dozen of users killed by a non-user or someone hired by them) one can access one of the nine symbol powers, through a linear progression of 7 stages where each stage has its own name and abilities.
This is the point i think is the most similar to lotm because there is a specific symbol which determines the general abilities (pathway) and there are steps to it (sequences)

Anyway, the symbol are as it follows:

Egg: represents creation, but isn't seen as a standard symbol because it's impersonal and doesn't give power

Snake: represent transformation through cycle and assimilation, reincarnation, and most importantly, inevitable change.
Its powers are about regeneration, assimilation, and structured mutations

Eye: represents knowledge, observation, analysis, truth, discerning of good and evil, but also inability to be self conscious, with a rusty nail driven into it
Power include perception, analysis, judgement, replication, prevision

Rose: represents desire, which can manifest in many forms: beauty, power, etc. And since desire inevitably forms a ladder, the rose is also hierarchy, authority, nobility. Their thorns represents obtaining those desires through pain and sacrifice
Powers include charisma, authority, desire and pain manipulation, hierarchy establishment

Goat: represents the boundary between civilization and wilderness, instinct, freedom, adaptability, but also the wild side humans try to push away from themselves, thus becoming symbol of evil and the scapegoat
Powers include instinctive reactions, freedom of movement and from restrictions, authority over sins, and attack/damage transfer (scapegoat)

Hand: the hand represents action, and also change, but unlike the snake, it is a strong yet momentary change, which will eventually be destroyed, it also represents intervention, breaking, initiative, all limited however by their impermanence, as those changes are not included in the cycle
Powers include physical augmentation, structures alteration, temporary law breaking

(Snow) Crystal: it represents stasis, order, structure, conservation, deceleration, and seals
Powers include ice manipulation, slowing things down, sealing powers, fixing objects in time, and in general not letting something be affected by change

Crow: it represent end, ultimate destruction, decay, entropy, stealing, and oblivion
Powers include rotting, decay, stopping regeneration, weakening, stealing objects and progressively powers, deleting memories, and destruction

Sun and moon/The supreme: it represents divinity, transcendence, light, the sky, and holiness.
It presents itself in two forms: sun, or raw form, strong, warm, absolute but potentially hurtful, and moon, or soft form, more faint, healing, soothing and gentle but more "distant"
Powers both include light, warmth or healing, purification, raw power (no control of who gets hurt) or protection and spiritual influence.

Homeless: it represents misery, humility, stealth, dreaming, alms, cunning, discrimination
Powers include low presence, gradual invisibility, tricking, evading, exploiting, dream manifestation, high survivability

Of course some symbols or concepts regarding those will be similar to some of lotm concepts, but i think it's kind of inevitable

I have not yet defined all the steps (almost though) but i will post them later if i receive some feedback (even negative it's good as long as it's constructive criticism)


r/magicbuilding 14h ago

System Help Help me design a lore-accurate Copy Gear Sacred Gear for High School DxD

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0 Upvotes

r/magicbuilding 1d ago

Mechanics A few messey notes on a salt magic system I'm working on.

5 Upvotes

Salt portals are doorways drawn with loose salt that allow the mind to wander through. These formation follow strict linguistic rules to determine what the mind sees on the other side. And always there mist be a witness to walk through.

Basically, salt in my world can be arranged into certain patterns to allow one to transfer their mind across time and space to another pattern of the same make. Allowing people who step onto the aforementioned salt portal to see and hear into the past or present of other portals since their creation.

However, there must be a witness on the other side, at the other portal. A witness is used almost as a host for the mind as it travels to these various portals. You can only see through their eyes and hear through their ears if they are within the space of the portal. Otherwise the mind can travel, but will experience nothing.

This has led to the creation of forced witnesses. People tied or otherwise forced to remain within the portal at all times. They are fed, they are kept alive, but only as long as they remain useful.

And when a witness dies, they are submerged in the salt to preserve their knowledge. Meaning anyone who mentally I travels via salt portal will have access to their memories.


r/magicbuilding 1d ago

Mechanics Magic System: Circles (Magic) vs Core (Murim Style)

13 Upvotes

Hello everyone. I'm writing a medieval fantasy novel (a world that has already experienced several wars and has magical beasts) where the protagonist is a reincarnated being.

I'd like to know what you think of the rules and limitations I've established.

The Basic Rule:

In this world, attempting to absorb raw mana into the human body is lethal; it's like drinking lava. To survive and use this energy, humanity developed two methods of control.

1. The Path of Circles (External Management / Spells)

This is basically using psychic abilities to absorb mana, swirl it around the heart, and expel it into the environment to alter reality. It's classic mage magic, often used in sieges and for clearing dungeons.

How it works: It's based on Runes (which act as isolated variables/concepts): There are between 10 and 15 runes that represent things like fire, water, light, wind, acceleration, recoil, etc. And Sigils (geometric patterns): Imagine a 3x3 grid where, depending on how you connect the points with mana (straight lines for physical impact, curves for temperature/concepts), you achieve an effect on reality. Combining the two can form magic circles.

Incantations: Words guide mana.

Long Chant (safe and efficient): "By the energy that flows within me, condense the air, cool and project: Ice Spear."

Combat Chant (fast but consumes a lot of energy): "Condense the air, cool and project: Ice Spear!"

The Cost: Magic does not create matter from nothing, it only transforms it. Furthermore, it demands a brutal mental effort. If the mage exceeds their limit, for example, they may suffer severe migraines, strokes, or nervous system collapse.

Later I will also post the runes and some examples of sigils and magic circles here.

2. The Path of the Core (Internal Management / Murim-Style Aura)

Instead of casting magic into thin air, this involves forging an artificial container within the body through meditation and physical training. It serves to enhance the user's physical capabilities. This is what knights and warriors (swordsmen, lancers, etc.) use.

Internal Arts (Consolidation): Mana circulates internally to harden bones, increase muscle density, and accelerate reflexes.

External Arts (Emission): Mana flows from the pores, coating the skin like invisible armor or enveloping a weapon (Sword Aura) to cut down magical beasts.

The Cost: The body functions like a cauldron, and mana is the heat. If you inject more mana than your body can handle, you will be torn apart from within. This is why warriors train physically, so their bodies can withstand greater mana pressure. If someone uses their full power at once without being prepared, they will destroy their muscles and become crippled or die.

Extra: Anti-mana

Ordinary people see it as something demonic or forbidden magic, but it is simply mana with a "reverse charge." If you throw a fireball (mana exciting the air), an anti-mana user can cast the exact reverse wave to extinguish the spell mid-air by cancellation, or use it to rust metals and rot things.

To better understand: There are, yes, incantations or spells of magical interruption, but these only interrupt the casting process. Anti-mana, or anti-magical spells or incantations, are capable of nullifying something already cast. This is obviously only used by master sorcerers or mages, since channeling anti-mana could kill you. It pursues mana, and they annihilate each other, releasing raw energy. This also happens as a side effect when canceling a spell already cast, to a greater or lesser degree depending on the spell. Anti-mana is capable of destroying or breaking the very nature of things.

What do you think? Do you see any logical flaws, or do you feel that the limitations and costs are well-balanced for the battles?


r/magicbuilding 1d ago

Mechanics Rune effect ideas help - energy focused magic system

6 Upvotes

I'm trying to think up some basic and more advanced rune spell ideas for my magic system.

it absorbs an ambient magical energy in the air or directly from the earths mantle. Over concentration of this energy can be toxic to living things.

My world's version of souls act as a channel or catalyst for all living things to perform magic. Though not all living things do.

At its most basic it's spells revolve around shifting energy. With alterations to the energy coming in later on.

For more detail.

My runic system is manmade, but in addition to Souls being the catalyst for them. There is sort of a secondary system in how the souls work.

Having a soul that refuses to relinquish it's lived experiences when reincarnating leads it to either eventually NEED to do that, or, absorb or cohabitate a vessel with another soul. The latter eventually leads to both souls merging and eventually if this happens enough then the soul becomes powerful enough that it no longer needs a vessel to exist in the world.

Even more powerful and they can become what is known as a Numen. Though becoming a Numen is basically becoming a function of the world itself, and as such you lose who you were as the soul but who you were as the soul changes, the very physics of the world from that point on. Becoming a numen requires a level power that is basically on par with the finale of fullmetal alchemist brotherhood.

Runes are found throughout the earth's nature, there are some trees that have runes inlaid in their tree rings giving them certain effects. Using a rune alone leaves it unrefined and unstable, and the more power a rune uses the more unstable it is.

You can link runes together to make incantations, incantations delay and effectively mix the runes together giving the energy more space it has to travel through before it rebounds or leaks. Arrays meanwhile hold the runes or incantations and make them loop, stabilizing the energy by giving it an infinite path.


r/magicbuilding 1d ago

Feedback Request Working on a magic system with Magic, Monsters and Machines. Would appreciate feedback on my progress so far.

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10 Upvotes

My first time building a magic system, feel free to ask questions if you have any.


r/magicbuilding 2d ago

Lore The Concordance Codex

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48 Upvotes

These three symbols represent a massive project spanning two entirely different kinds of cards. First, I am building a multiverse through custom Magic: The Gathering cards created in Magic Set Editor. Separately, I am creating YouTube playlists organized like a deck of playing cards, with every concept assigned its own rank and suit, such as A♥ — Kindness From Every Color. The Concordance Web and its related diagrams provide the magical system connecting both projects. Every color and force has a specific function, and the cards, playlists, characters, and worlds all grow from that shared foundation.

The poem illustrates what happens when the elements interact and combine. Adjacent elements joined by blue lines are elemental allies that naturally reinforce one another, while elements connected by pink or black lines oppose each other more strongly, creating tension or conflict. The poem at the end demonstrates these relationships by revealing the result of each elemental combination.

To the owners of r/magicbuilding: I'm sorry it took so many posts for me to get this right. I was trying to get the images to work, I was not trying to spam you.


r/magicbuilding 2d ago

General Discussion Magic system without magic-users?

35 Upvotes

Can you have a magic system where the magic has no (human) wizards/witches/warlocks?

Does that count as a system or high fantasy, if the magic is the fundamental core of the world, but humans are unable to wield it?


r/magicbuilding 2d ago

Feedback Request Magic system based on virtues

10 Upvotes

Hi! This is the 2.0 version pf my magic system and I'd like some feedback. It's my first time posting here.

Creation of Virtues

Humans that show a virtue through their lives can become Virtues when they die, incarnating said virtue, if there isn't already another human who got that role. A virtue is an excellence of character, some examples are: patience, prudence, bravery, ambition, perseverance, trust, honesty, justice, discipline, etc.

However, these can be lost or perverted: patience can become impatience (if lost) or inaction (if perverted), justice can become injustice or vengeance, bravery can become cowardy or recklessness.

The Contract

Virtues can appear to humans who prove to have its virtue and offer a contract. The human can choose an ability/power (there are some restrictions, like no omnipotence or very broad powers) but the virtue will impose a limitation. To name a few:

Certain cooldown

You need fame/popularity to keep using the power

You can use your power as long as no one knows you have it

Requires blood/lifetime/memories sacrifice

Requires a certain physical state (sleeping, without shoes) or emotional state.

You can only keep one contract active at a time. Sometimes, the contract creates magical objects known as reliques.

The dangers of making a contract

As I said, virtues can be lost or perverted. By losing the virtue, you lose control of your power; by perverting it, you lose control of yourself.

If you make a contract with, let's say sincerity, to get the ability to know when others lie; your limitation is that no one can know you have it (I'm coming up with the example as I go). If you lose sincerity (by lying for example) your ability can fail. If you pervert it, you won't be able to lie ever again, which can be brutal if you are saying things directly always, and could cost you lots of friends and gain you lots of enemies.

Examples of contracts made

Sebastian: ambition contract. When his movements are on sync with the music he makes, the effects are stronger. Waves, tides, rivers, lightning, etc. can be controlled with the music. The limitation was his own skill playing the instrument.

Federick: modesty contract. Can speak to animals and shapeshift into them. The limitation was he could lose himself in the transformation and no shift back to human, or forget he was one at all.

Anyways...

I'd like some feedback on the system, some limitations I could add? Problems that could arise? Questions in general? I'd like to talk to someone about it.


r/magicbuilding 2d ago

General Discussion Does anyone have categorization for casting ?

9 Upvotes

Does it require resources?

Does it require energy?

Does it require knowledge?

Technically, humans mastered science to the point of magic. I suppose a Magic system assumes that an individual has access to a unique resource or ability from birth.

Or the ability is an extension of their bloodline.

If the magic was a soft magic system, then could it could be cheated with artificial brains and synthesized drugs.


r/magicbuilding 1d ago

General Discussion Explain your magic circles rules

1 Upvotes

Hi

I wanna read how magic circles works on your worlds/systems. Honestly i was robbed a few hours ago and i need to drown my though in something. If you can share any link to your own post here I'll appreciate it.

I love magic circles because of card captor Sakura, and reading about them amazes me.