My magic system
There are four types of magic:
Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual.
There is very little limit to what each type of magic can use... but there is a huge difference in how that magic is sourced/powered.
Physical magic is garnered through incantations, physical components, "allakazam!" etc. It is a natural understanding of the physics of the metauniverse, and pulling its resources from the ether into our world. In our history, wizards and alchemists were physical magicians.
Emotional magic comes from the sheer untapped power of passion. This, and mental emotion, are natural functions of the human mind, but unlike mental, emotional magic is the Id of spellcasters. The people who can generate enough passion to form it into magic very often cannot control its intensity or results. Firestarters are emotional magicians. Thomas Covenant was an emotional magician.
Mental magic translates in many ways to what we call telekinesis, or telepathy, or astral projection. It is the controlled use of untapped resources in the brain to affect the metauniverse. Dr. Strange, in a way is a mental magician. Most of the people in "Push" were mental magicians.
Spiritual magic is the power bestowed upon you by a god, demon, religious artifact, or other metaphysical being. St. Paul was a spiritual magician, and could fight demons, or heal injuries with this power.
The most powerful magicians are the ones who can tap multiple magic sources. the problem is that this is never as easy as it seems.
Merlin, for instance, is considered one of the greatest wizards ever, and for good reason. He clearly had a mastery of physical magic, his background with the celtic druids gave him a background in spiritual magic, and there's some evidence to support that he had at least a precursory working knowledge of mental magic.
My upcoming NANOWRIMO (yes, I'm outlining it in April. What?) will use this magic system to explain how several characters obtain their powers, and help limit each one's ablities accordingly (for instance, a priest, who can slay the undead but is worthless against human foes, or a witch who has the physical magic skills to heal a wounded person, but only so long as she has the herbs and medicines she requires.
What say you?
There are four types of magic:
Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual.
There is very little limit to what each type of magic can use... but there is a huge difference in how that magic is sourced/powered.
Physical magic is garnered through incantations, physical components, "allakazam!" etc. It is a natural understanding of the physics of the metauniverse, and pulling its resources from the ether into our world. In our history, wizards and alchemists were physical magicians.
Emotional magic comes from the sheer untapped power of passion. This, and mental emotion, are natural functions of the human mind, but unlike mental, emotional magic is the Id of spellcasters. The people who can generate enough passion to form it into magic very often cannot control its intensity or results. Firestarters are emotional magicians. Thomas Covenant was an emotional magician.
Mental magic translates in many ways to what we call telekinesis, or telepathy, or astral projection. It is the controlled use of untapped resources in the brain to affect the metauniverse. Dr. Strange, in a way is a mental magician. Most of the people in "Push" were mental magicians.
Spiritual magic is the power bestowed upon you by a god, demon, religious artifact, or other metaphysical being. St. Paul was a spiritual magician, and could fight demons, or heal injuries with this power.
The most powerful magicians are the ones who can tap multiple magic sources. the problem is that this is never as easy as it seems.
Merlin, for instance, is considered one of the greatest wizards ever, and for good reason. He clearly had a mastery of physical magic, his background with the celtic druids gave him a background in spiritual magic, and there's some evidence to support that he had at least a precursory working knowledge of mental magic.
My upcoming NANOWRIMO (yes, I'm outlining it in April. What?) will use this magic system to explain how several characters obtain their powers, and help limit each one's ablities accordingly (for instance, a priest, who can slay the undead but is worthless against human foes, or a witch who has the physical magic skills to heal a wounded person, but only so long as she has the herbs and medicines she requires.
What say you?
