r/magicbuilding • u/akairojhon • 1d ago
General Discussion Explain your magic circles rules
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.
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u/EstimateAlone5867 1d ago
Magic circles are a crutch as well as a way to supply magical device to the public. Most beginner mages will create magic circles because in combat they dont have the available mental capacity or time to execute higher level spells.
There are also magic circles provided for teleportation, farming, and other public needs.
Some mages will outgrow the use of magic circles due to their mental capacity and overall physique being enhanced from constant interaction and manipulation of mana. For a while magic circles become obsolete until these mages hit a wall. In which their theory has widely surpassed the capabilities of their mana supply despite constant enhancement over time in which sometimes a mage will begin to supplement this lack or mana with a magic circle, however at this stage triggering a magic circle is too slow to be combat practical and is most often used in high level non-lethal or high level siege type magic.
There is also a much more common solution to the lack of mana and that is to begin walking on the path of divinity as their ideas have left the realm of direction and entered the realm of defiance.
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u/Bentu_nan 1d ago
Ive literally written a text book for my setting!
Its like programming with dream logic.
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u/CameoShadowness 1d ago
Robbed‽‽ I hope you're okay and can get your stuff back.
There are less of circles and more of a variety of shapes. The shapes control speed of which magic travels and some types of magic/spells need certain speeds.
Then there are "elements" which aren't elements in the traditional sense but in a more vague (almost religious like) way.
They come in 3 degrees because of fire magic- which is influenced by real fire. I need to make the post explaining soon.
I have a recent post explaining some of the elements and such recently!
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u/Syriepha 1d ago
(robbed?!)
Magic circles are typically a method that witches use to increase the efficiency or power of their magic usage. It's not something that they technically have to to in order to do magic at all, it's just a refinement that works because of how a witch's magic functions. A witch might not have enough magic on hand to do something on the spot, but something about the process of ritual draws out the supply (Which is why many witches dabble in herbalism. Brewing medicine is a ritual that helps make the most of the magic they have.)
Magic circles can be made of anything (Salt, ink, blood, ash, etching) and can vary a lot in pattern. But circle the shape in particular are magically significant, which is why they're used over something like a square. Different sects may have particular designs that they teach, but witches usually end up developing their own personal processes that's intuitive to their thinking. And some were never taught to begin with, fabricating the process because it just feels right to some degree. It's the process that's important, not the result, at least to begin with.
The fundamental law of magic is perceptive influence, meaning magic behaves in accordance with belief. Perhaps that's why ritual works at all for magically awakened individuals. Non-witches can also draw magic circles, and because of mass believe, it might even work (in ideal circumstances like an unusually high concentration of magic in the area), but usually not.