MAGIc

Acolyte01

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In the story you make can some people with considerable talent in magic can create magic or do you need some kind of gift/skill like magic creation?
 

Kotohood

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In my opinion.

I can see one might need a talent to create a new magic/spell but I do not understand the meed for them to specifically have a skill in order to do that.

Take real life for example. When one needs a spoon, you can either
1) buy it(Like buying a magic book/scroll and learning it)
2) Borrow it(get some other magic caster to lend you their skill) or

3) make a spoon(Carve it from wood or something)

So a spoon made from wood would be easy to make but it won't be the best spoon right? As to compare with someone who can make a silver spoon.

So think of the spoon like magic. You and me, we can just create a spoon of we wanted to. But the degree of its quality depends on the resources and skill we possess.

I think of magic as the same. Why does one need to learn the fireball skill? Why not create a fireball skill? And refine it to be a real good fireball skill? Sure there might be better fireball skills out there, but I don't see why someone can't just create a fireball.


Well, that's just my two cents.
 

tersjasz

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Here is my simple view of magic and what I like to see in the stories I read.

Like in real life, people having a talent for some things definitely makes sense. If your magic system has limitations, is based on learning, understanding and the application of knowledge, then just like with any other scientific field, certain outstanding individuals are bound to discover/create things that others would possibly never do, while dummies like me would just enjoy the fruits of their labor. :blob_salute:

I have a magic system planned out for my story with those specific assumptions in mind.

Gift/skill like magic creation?
Personally, I am really not a big fan of series based on RPG elements like attributes and skills, so nothing of the sort.
 
D

Deleted member 9915

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In my stories so far, the magical things they do are all about skill and understanding. This way the characters would be flexible in their approach in utilizing magic. Then they would have distinct styles or characteristics in their chosen field.

P.S. I might have misunderstood it but, did you just say "can create magic"? like "Playing god"? It would be a bore/bland if a character solves problems with a whish n' whoosh.
 

Ai-chan

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Ai-chan personally doesn't like these stuff about 'magic creation' and such. If you want to make an easy Mary Sue, then that's fine. But if you don't want to make a Mary Sue, 'magic creation' skill will certainly bring you down that road.

You see, everything in this world has a law. You throw stuff to the sky, it will eventually fall down. You punk people in the face, their face would be bruised. Magic has laws too, and you need to abide by the laws you yourself set up or it would be too boring.

For example, your magic system is based on elements and you want to use magic to cross a chasm. There are plenty of ways to cross it using elements system, but instead you summon an aeroplane to carry the protagonist over to the other side, much to the amazement of his party members who heap praises at such a wonderful vehicle. Now, that alone is already bad, but what if there is no such thing as a summoning magic in this world, he created this magic on his own using 'magic creation'?

This would remove the limitation on your character, and makes him a master of all who can solve all problems by just making magic that solves that problem. Don't have water, food, magic power or air? Just create magic that makes those out of thin air. Facing a dragon? Just make magic that instakill that dragon. It would be incredibly droll and there will be no way you can salvage it as you will need to make grander and grander stuff that borders on ridiculous just to keep the story going.
 

GDLiZy

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For my words, talent is only a gateway. Understanding and perseverance is the true master. As for spell creations, they are nigh-impossible for the lower-rung characters, and only the best of the best who got lucky with some powerful legacy could have a chance of creating one out of inspiration.
 

Llamadragon

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Yeah, people can create magic in my world. It’s not a locked system.

You can liken the freedom of creating magic to the freedom of human movement. The human species is pretty incredible when it comes to moving. We’re not the fastest runners, or the strongets climbers or the best swimmers, but we can run AND climb AND swim AND do a bunch of other things. If a healthy adult wanted to, nothing is really stopping them from parkouring between skyscraper rooftops. We can absolutely do that. People have done it before.

So why don’t we? Two reasons. The first is that most of us haven’t trained our bodies to be able to do it safely, and the second is that we haven’t learned the relevant skills (for example, even if someone is physically strong, that doesn’t automatically mean that they have good form and are good jumpers, or know how to do a safety landing). If someone have neither the strength or the skill, or they have one but not the other, trying to jump between rooftops = splat on the asphalt.

Magic is the same. My character wants to toss a fireball? Sure, no problem! Nothing is particularly stopping them! But they need to train their body for that specific activity. Like, becoming resistant to heat so they can safely toss a fireball might be a different process than building resistance to electricity so they can shoot thunder from their hands. Then they need to know how fire works so they can create it and safely handle it.

It’s the same as parkour. Nothing is stopping me from building up the strength and skill to move well, but I’m not doing it because it’s hecking hard.
 

Megamink

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Having Magic creation in a story is fine, but I think it's best done in either moderation or with clear limitations. Like for a example, a character can't create whatever magical spell they want on the fly. To make the story interesting, magic creation should be allowed but only when the character has gained a good clear amount of knowledge and understanding of said magic and can only do it when they fully understand and have figured out every component, every rule and every requirement necessary. Otherwise, we'll just have a main character who has not done anything to show that they are worthy of this feat and will just do such a thing brazenly.
 

CupcakeNinja

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meh. I kinda find the normal isekai kinda magic boring, im more into mysticism. But rather than talent, i prefer thinking it as affinity for certain elements if its elemental type magic, or better ways of usage if its of another. For example taking a spell and just applying it differently to create different effects, or making it more efficient.

Ever since reading Wheel of Time I think of ideally magic should be thought of as "weaving" and a spell as a "tied off weave" Like knitting. You start knitting and tie up the loose ends, then its done. Thus when its magic the "weave" becomes a spell. Some people are better at weaving than others, creating more intricate and larger weaved. And some have higher affinities with certain elements, a better understanding of the element, and combine it with others and control(weave) it to a degree where you have these awesome spells. A min-max effect if you will.

I find a practical approach is rather neat too. Like fireballs. Lob one at a person and it wouldnt even hurt. Wht? cuz fire itself is intangible. It wouldnt hurt you. The HEAT hurts you. Now look at a ice spike. Its tangible and sharp, so itll cut you up real good. The cold effect would be secondary. Thats a common sense sort of thing. A lot of times fire is considered OP in destruction, when really, there's a limit to how hot it can burn naturally. So you would have to use it in other ways or figure out how to make it hotter.

When it comes to elemental magics i always look to Avatar TLA for examples, they pull it off magnificently.

And the dude above made another good point, resistance to your own powers. You shouldnt be automatically immune to lightning or thunder or fire and heat just cuz you can use it. You should build up resistance to it so you can bear its power, and that could also be another factor in combat. Who can resist the opponent;s attacks better?

Im planning to introduce all those aspects into magic when i get around to writting it in. I want a solid foundation instead of writting, "cuz magic"

A bit of mysticism, critical thinking in usage of magic spells, and practicality in combat spells. I hate when writers just say "its a simple spell but because this guy has such huge reserves of mana pumping into it, the spell is twenty times more powerful than a nornal person;s would be!"

As if nothing matters except how much mana you have, which is fucking bullshit in my book. Nah, you get by on skill or sit the fuck down.
 

feirut

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Magic creation should be bound by rules. They need an appropriate amount of time and testing. A proportional cost to effectiveness ratio. They should never be some sort of miracle where 'Oh, I just created a new magic out of my imagination'.

Even magic creation as a skill in lit rpg stories should have limitations.
 

YuriDoggo

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There's something similar in a novel called Mech Touch, but with mechs. The MC can design mechs and hammer out its flaws, but he openly admits there are many areas he can improve given more time, and huge mech corporations design mostly better mechs than he does except for one factor.

To me, creating magic is similar to designing mechs.

Sure if you can cast fire magic and you are knowledgeable enough to shape it into a ball shape and maybe have it explode, but all else equal, one or all of power, cast time, and resource efficiency will suffer compared to the highly optimized fireball spell that's already around. Without dedication, all you'll end up with is a pale imitation liable to blow up in your face.
 
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