Magic in Fantasy

[Kitsune]

If you were creating your own Fanatsy World, what style of magic would you use? These are the ideas I have:

1. Object based, Magic Wands, Magic Staves, Magic Crystals - These objects are used as focuses for the magic.

2. Elemental Based - All magic is based on Elemental forces and elemental creatures such as Salmanders, Undines, Sylphs, and Gnomes.

3. Magic Comes from inside - The magic user focues magic enemrgy from themsleves and as they cast more spells, they get tired. Some extreme cases may litterly have a wizard burn themselves out.

4. No Magic, Psionics instead - The universe has no magic but all 'Spells' are psychic abilities

5. Spells are Memorized and Forgetten when cast - Like Dungeons and Dragons


I would probably go with number three

[SirNitram]

Beleif based. The more firmly you know something will happen, the more likely.

Probability manipulation. The user manipulates the liklihood of something happening until it does occour.

Reality twisting. The user forms a brief link between the real world and a potential world with the result happening.

[Dalton]

Mix of 2 and 3, like in Chrono Trigger and X. I like that.

[thecreech]

no objects or incantations (sp) just simple hand motions kind of like what they do in Phantasy star

[Ghost Rider]

1-3 is usually what I use.

Even a bit of reality twistng of Nitram's.

[Shinova]

1. Object based, Magic Wands, Magic Staves, Magic Crystals - These objects are used as focuses for the magic.

3. Magic Comes from inside - The magic user focues magic enemrgy from themsleves and as they cast more spells, they get tired. Some extreme cases may litterly have a wizard burn themselves out.

4. No Magic, Psionics instead - The universe has no magic but all 'Spells' are psychic abilities

These three. Artifacts could give owners big boosts of power and capability.

As for the other two, they're different powers with different sources, with some overlaps.

[Keevan_Colton]

In my world, magic takes many different forms.....
There are the Surani and the Estori who's main magics come from manipulation of thier personal power.....thier "will".....then there are others who have crafted rune artifacts that allow the channeling of energy through the object....it still requires the use of "will" but allows power to the "lesser" races such as humans.....
There's other things aswell....demons tend to use elemental magic connected with thier own nature....

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Mix of three and five, based on (but not limited to) the "magic elements", i.e., fire, lightning, ice, etc.

[Cyborg Stan]

It depends entirely on the universe I'm inventing for the day.

[fgalkin]

I think that the system created by the Russian writer Nick Perumov works out the best.

According to that system you:
1) Combine the components of your spell. These can be artifacts, words, incantations, gestures, or mental concepts or images, or any combination thereof.

2) Find a power source to activate the spell: either the internal energy resources, or an external source, such as a magic artifact.. The uber-beings there power up by literally spinning the world around them, and harnessing the energy released, while lesser spellcasters get to use what's left.

Also, becuase the Perumoverse is really a mutiverse with an infinite number of universes, the spellcasting times and power vary greatly from world to world. For instnace, some spells may require an elaborate combination of symobls, magical ingridients, etc, and take hours to complete, while some spells are cast subconciously as a relflex.

Similarly, the power of the spells varies from foretelling the local weather, to litelaaly snapping your fingers and making a universe dissapear.

Also, since all spells are a collection of ingreadients+power source, it is possible to all of the spell components via the astral dimension. Thus, a skilled wizard can disrupt a spell by "cutting the strings that connect these components".

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Shortie]

Mix of 1 and 3, with maybe some psionics and 2 as well. That is, magic\psionics is normally internally powered, but you can use objects as focuses and power stores, and appeal to magical beings for help (if they exist). The whole forgetting thing seems kinda silly to me.

The important question is just how powerful it is. I tend to the lower end, so that there is a reason for technology, and that the world is mostly recognisable in our terms. (D&D mages say are so ridiculously powerful that the place should bear no resemblance whatsoever to anything historical).

[Crown]

I like Feist's Lesser and Greater Paths myself. The 'Lesser' path mage is more in tune with nature, and uses devices (scrolls, talismans, staffs, etc) to perform Magic.

A Greater path mage, uses the magic that is inherent in the world to work his spells, however it wasn't fully qualified whether it was outside magic or magic inside. I think for most Greater Paths it is magic inherent to themselves, with the exception being Milamber (Pug) and Macros.

And of course there is temple magic which works on faith.