TheSword
Legend
No this isn’t in the D&D forum because it’s not about the PHB or game rules. The question is which Magic systems in fiction - written or screen - do you like? By principles, I mean conventions, and restrictions that put limits on magic and make it interesting and engaging to you?
I thought I’d talk about some of the things that make magic unique in my favourite novel series - the Wheel of Time.
Over to you folks. What are the rules and traditions of magic that you like from your fiction? Or do any of these peak your interest?
[Edit: amended rules to principles, just to make things clearer]
I thought I’d talk about some of the things that make magic unique in my favourite novel series - the Wheel of Time.
- Magic is a weave of threads of power corresponding to the classic elements plus spirit.
- Everyone has a strength of magic that can increase over time
- Holding the source of magic in yourself causes a light to surround you visible to other magic users with the brightness corresponding to your strength.
- Holding Magic feels amazing, almost ecstatic, and while holding Magic, senses are amplified.
- Male magic users can only see the weaves and power of men and women for women.
- The male half of magic is tainted by evil and drives male magic users mad and inflicts a rotting disease on them eventually.
- You can learn new ‘weaves’ by watching them demonstrated by another magic user.
- Magic can be held and maintained or ‘tied off’ and it will usually unravel over time or become vulnerable to another channeled cutting the weaves
- A magic user can cut another off from magic - called shielding - though it’s much harder to shield someone who is already holding Magic. While you might shield someone by taking them by surprise you can usually only maintain the shield on someone weaker.
- Magic users can link together to share and increase their strength. A circle of up to 13 women can link. One person has to control the circle and direct the threads.
- Some magic users possess Talents. Unusual strength in a type of weave or a lost ability like Foretelling.
- A channeled can permanently lose the ability to use magic either as a punishment ‘severing/stilling’ or as a result of drawing too much magic - ‘burnt out’.
- Magic item creation is lost to time and creating new ones almost unheard of.
- Some magic items can increase the strength of a magic user - Angreal - and the more powerful version Sa’angreal. The latter can allow the user to perform phenomenal feats particulary when the user is already strong.
- Other magic items - Ter’angreal - have various effects, some requiring magic to power, others just by contact. These include portals, a bowl that can control the weather, power wrought weapons etc.
Over to you folks. What are the rules and traditions of magic that you like from your fiction? Or do any of these peak your interest?
[Edit: amended rules to principles, just to make things clearer]
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