I love magic. It rarely comes up in most of my stories, but when it does, I go all out. Magic opens the possibility to do anything: fly, destroy, heal, create. It’s a powerful tool, but like anything in life, you need to understand it before using it. Now I’m not talking about using magic in the real world (I’m not a believer in that), but in a fictional world like Hogwarts or the School for Good and Evil, the magic used needs to have purpose and not simply be some funky words and a wave of a wand.
Borrowing systems from others is good, but I definitely enjoy creating my own. Like other concepts I’ve been breaking down, here’s a list of what you need to know in order to create your own system of magic.
History
Allan Maurer and Renee Wright go into some general details about the history in Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction. I highly suggest reading the chapter (huge fan of the book), but some of the highlights follow:
- Religion is an appeal to higher power; magic forces higher power to work
- Mana = universal force in everything
- Two worlds: natural and supernatural
Basics are good, but this point is primarily to define the start of your magic system. What caused the barrier between both worlds to cross? Who wields it? Understanding where it started can give you ideas of how it works and how civilizations react to magic. This process also makes the system more believable.
Principles
Maurer and Wright discuss some staple principles as well. I’m condensing here, so definitely read the above mentioned book for more.
Sympathetic
Sympathetic magic has to do with the connection between two objects. If one resembles another, they’re magically connected. Two concepts follow this: Homeopathy and Contagion. Homeopathy is most common and is seen as imitative magic because it’s “like affects like” (e.g. voodoo dolls)(Maurer and Wright, 208). Contagion is if one thing comes in contact with another, they’re now magically connected despite distance.
Antipathetic
Antipathy regards physical items like charms. The overall thought is that said item combats evil (e.g. rabbit foot gives luck). Taboos fall in this category in order to “prevent magical contamination” (Maurer and Wright, 210).
I didn’t know about these when I created my own magic systems, and that’s fine. Getting some basics covered, even if you don’t use them, provides an arsenal of information and ideas to pull from.
Enchantments vs. Rituals
This point might be more so for wording in your writing or dialogue, but it’s interesting to know the difference. Enchantments or spells are what’s said while rites or rituals are what’s done. Precision for both is key, but the level/difficulty of a spell might determine whether it needs a motion or not.
For example, my School for Good and Evil fan fiction The Never Prince features a whole new magic system that I came up with on the fly. Blood magic started because I had a villain who wanted to change his destiny, go from Evil to Good. Two spells were done, one “off camera.” The first was an incantation, changing an animal back into a person but for a short time. The second was a ritual, involving being dipped in the blood of both Good and Evil and reciting a chant. The second is more powerful and so requires more effort.
Creating Magic
The top three points above are some places to start. Lots of books include magic and reading those will give you ideas as well.
Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction suggests looking at magic through the eyes of a folklorist or collector. Both would gather as much information about magic and charms as possible, perhaps for sale or telling myths and legends. Either way, the more you develop the system, the more it will become real. And the less stress you’ll have about creating spells; believe me, I’ve gone through it. Do the background work so readers see the magic.
Combat
In most cases, I use magic for combat. I’m turning to Rayne Hall’s Writing Fight Scenes for this section. She mainly discusses combat with a magical weapon, but some of these can follow for magic blasts.
When it comes to combat, the mind is stronger than the physical action. Magic requires thought and that can pass through obstacles. Some ways magic can manifest as a wound would be an outer wound or inner damage, breaking one’s spirit or slowly killing from inside. Earth, fire, water, and air are usually a factor too.
Magicians can’t be perfect, so there has to be some drawbacks. Charging a weapon magically is a must, but perhaps it only works for a certain time after charging. Specific people, moods, or elements can influence the effectiveness of magic. Other such weaknesses can be added, just be sure the universe is not an easy puppet to control.
Warfare for wizards is a mental sport; they’re not necessarily on the front lines but act as strategists and perhaps elite warriors. Spells for protection or healing are possibilities. Defeating a magician is, again, a mental sport. Magic requires focus, so distractions are a strong possibility. A magic-wielder would be most vulnerable after a spell because of the mental toll and perhaps physical exhaustion.
Final Thoughts
Orson Scott Card emphasized the importance of having clear rules for magic. Like a character, world, or creature, the more thought is put in, the more realistic and well-defined it is. And with something as complicated and diverse as magic, it’s important to be clear where it came from, what forms it takes, what words/actions need to be performed, and how to combat with it.