GojiBean
Your resident irradiated Kaiju King
Hoooooooo boy.
This was arguably the most difficult tutorial for me to put together! Not necessarily the longest or the most in-depth I've gone with tutorials in the past. But definitely the hardest in terms of how much research went into finding good examples and information worth sharing for the points being made!
Here we go!
Hard Magic
Hard Magic involves a set system of rules and limitations for all users of magic within your world, and they are either shown or conveyed through exposition to your audience exactly where those limitations lie. Take Avatar: The Last Airbender as an example. This is a Hard Magic system wherein a Bender (minus the Avatar themselves) can only bend a single element. A Fire Bender bends fire. A Water Bender bends water. An Earth Bender can bend earth. And an Air Bender can bend air. Period.
The Avatar is the only exception. But even as the Avatar their ability to use all four elements is only at its peak when they enter the Avatar state. Otherwise they'd always be a walking nuke of a Bender with little to no chance of defeating them as opposed to simply being another powerful Bender in their regular daily life. That's why Aang had so much trouble with so many enemies throughout his adventure. He was just a 12 year old who happened to be capable of wielding all four elements. But being the Avatar did not inherently make him more powerful than he was naturally. And his struggles with Fire and Earth Bending specifically were a handicap in many a situation.
Soft Magic
Soft Magic is more of a system of mysticism and the unknown wherein which there are no hard lines drawn in the sand as to what a magic user can and cannot do. A good example is the Lord of the Rings series, specifically in regards to how Gandalf the Grey is resurrected as Gandalf the White. As explained in small bits and hints throughout Tolkein's works, Gandalf is a Maiar, which is a primordial spirit. TLDR about their purpose is that they were originally sent to Middle Earth to help the Valar shape the world. He and four others eventually became the Istari, or "Wizards," as we know them in more recent works and appearances.
But how did he become Gandalf the White?
There were a number of triggers which served to prompt the change. Though it is never explicitly stated, Saruman's betrayal was the first of the triggers. The second was Gandalf's death. Or, more specifically, the death of his physical body after his battle with the Balrog. He did defeat the best. But he too fell into the depths which, as described by Tolkein's narration, sent him "out of thought and time." His spirit remained tethered to Middle Earth, and his body's wounds were healed by the Elves who draped him in white and presented him with a new and powerful staff to aid in his service to Middle Earth.
The means and reason as to how his spirit found its way back remains less thoroughly explored, though it can be implied that it was the Elve's treatment of his body's wounds that prompted his spirit to return.
When he came back, it was as Gandalf the White.
Could this have happened to any of the five wizards? It's likely, but never stated openly that it is possible. By what magic did the healing of his physical body allow a spirit to return to it from being "out of thought and time?" It's never stated.
A good saying to remember both as a guideline and a cautionary warning about Soft Magic is this: You cannot break rules which are never established.
Tolkein's works do have some vague rules here and there. But magic as a whole in Middle Earth is largely left up to imagination as to what their true limits and maximum capabilities are.
Regardless of which system of magic you are using, limitations are the backbone of creating a compelling and, arguably more importantly, understood magical reality within your world.
What can the magic not do?
Can the dead be revived with all their memories, will, and personality in tact as if they never died in the first place? Can the sun be blocked to plunge the world into total darkness? Can the hands of time be reversed, sped up, or stopped outright? Can everyone use magic freely, or are there restrictions on who and/or what can do so?
Without limitations, magic systems become a danger to the story's integrity and believability for the reader/audience.
For example, let's take a look at the recently released Doctor Strange And the Multiverse of Madness. Wanda, aka Scarlett Witch, is presented with a plethora of abilities throughout the film. Many of which seem to be one-time only used powers which were tailored specifically from scene to scene. For example, she manages to melt the mouth of Black Bolt after Reid Richards (supposedly one of the smartest men alive) tells her that Black Bolt can kill/subdue her with a word. And where did this ability come from?... Your guess is as good as mine. It was cool to watch.
Oh, and then she made his head explode inside his mask. That too is an ability she never previously displayed, nor ever used again. She healed herself after clawing her way through a magical mirror/barrier, but later on limped after the heroes with a broken leg as if she'd totally forgotten she could basically insta-heal herself with a healing factor that would make Deadpool and Wolverine blush. She made people literally disintegrate, countered and overpowered Charles Xavier's psychic abilities, and much more.
And, as said before, literally none of these abilities were ever explained or used more than once. They were used on scene by scene basis and there were never any limits set on Wanda from the start of the film. As a result, the believability of her character struck rock bottom almost instantly and made the entire film a giant question of "why didn't she just use that one ability from before?"
Another problem within the Marvel MCU as a whole is the rings Strange and other magic users use. They can create portals. How far away can those portals be created? Never stated. But in theory Strange could simply have opened a portal next to Wanda with the other end out in the middle of space and she'd be sucked in by the vacuum and boom. Dead. Movie over, problem solved. Why didn't he? No idea. We saw Wong close a portal on the big alien guy's arm which lopped the arm off and cauterized it. Why didn't he open a portal under Wanda and as she fell through just close it to either lop off her legs, or chop her in half? He could have, according to the arm lopping scene. But he didn't use it on Wanda.
Wanda, throughout the film, demonstrates that she has no limitations or weaknesses to exploit. She can do whatever the screenplay writer wants/needs her to do in order to keep the movie going.
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, specifically, is a classic example, as well as a masterclass, of how not to design a magic system.
Establish the Rules Early
Limitations are a gateway to creative freedom.
Allow me to state that again.
Limitations are a gateway to creative freedom.
It may sound counterintuitive, but it's the truth. When you create a set of limitations to work within, you are setting your mind free to explore anything and everything that can be done within those boundaries.
For example, let's say you create a Hard Magic system wherein which you know the rules are hard drawn in the sand from the start, and are stated either in your Interest Check, Lore OOC page, or through conversation with other role-players interested in your roleplay. You want to use a classic elemental magic system with fire, water/ice, air, earth/metal, lightning, light, dark, etc.
Here are just a few examples of limitations you could theoretically place on such a system:
1) Fire Magic - Can only burn within a given temperature range (which is why it's separate from lightning magic), cannot extend beyond fifty feet of the user, is weak to water magic which douses it out of existence like real water does to real fire, and once its cast it cannot be strictly contained, only directed (basically meaning you can't turn it into a specific shape like a fire sword, a giant spire, a cylinder, sphere, etc).
2) Lightning Magic - Is the control and manipulation of real lightning, meaning it can only be done when the atmospheric conditions for generating real lightning are present.
- TLDR about real lightning is that it's a discharge of electricity which happens when negative charged electrons in the cloud layer are excited to the point of seeking the positive charged electrons on Earth's surface. A single lightning strike can heat the air in its path to around 30,000 degrees Celsius, or around 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This heat turns the air in the lightning's path into plasma, which is why it's physically visible and glows during the brief moments it has once triggered. This also causes the air to expand at an enormous rate which results in the thunderclap that follows.
- Once a lightning strike happens, the user can take control of it for between 2-3 seconds. During that time they are controlling and directing real lightning, burning at the aforementioned temperatures, making those 2-3 seconds the most dangerous moments of the lives of the user's enemies.
3) (As an alternate option to number 2) Lightning Magic rapidly drains the user's magical energy, is brief and momentary in its use, and causes long-term post-use exhaustion. TLDR, the user creates a real strike of lightning which lasts a fraction of a second, so it has to be aimed correctly the first time. Doing so drains an enormous amount of energy meaning that the user can only do this a few times before they become too exhausted and drained of magical energy to continue.
4) Light and Dark magic are pure elemental and do not affect the physical realm. TLDR, they're used purely to blind/disorient one's enemies and cause confusion and chaos, or to directly counter the other if one's enemies are using it and maintain a sense of balance on the battlefield.
These are just a few examples of the kinds of limitations one could impose on these elemental magic forms in their world. And while these limitations might seem steep at first glance and be a turn off for many, consider what the possibilities are within the given limitations.
Fire Magic, for example, burns within a set temperature range. The lowest temperature that a fire can burn is around 225 degrees Celsius, which is around 440 degrees Fahrenheit. The hottest a fire can burn with natural fuels is around 34,000 degrees Celsius, which is around 61,230 degrees Fahrenheit. So you can pick literally anything within that range for your fires to burn, and go from there.
If you look up "the melting point of ---" on Google, you can figure out what kinds of things your fire could feasibly melt and/or cause extreme damage to. For example, brick melts at around 1,800 degrees Celsius, which is around 3,300 degrees Fahrenheit (rounded up from 3,270). If your Fire Magic burns above and beyond that temperature, you can melt a brick bunker or home in a matter of minutes if your magical energy and stamina can withstand the lengthy effort. Of course, the hotter your magic burns, the easier this task would become.
Conversely, the opposite is also true. If your magic does not burn at or above 1,800 degrees, you aren't going to be melting any brick structures any time soon.
But what can you melt? Anything with a lower melting point than the brick. Google is your friend on this one. And you could create a list for yourself of the kinds of things that are melt-able which would give you quite the good idea of just how far you can push your magic within the temperature range limitations you've chosen for the story. If your Fire Magic burns between 1,500 degrees Celsius and 3,000 degrees Celsius, for example, that's hot enough to melt both steel and brick which, if you're in a medieval fantasy magical world, means basically anything man-made is not safe from your flames.
This would in turn create another limitation: Being responsible and in proper control of that magic.
If flames that hot run out of control, you could cause massive harm to the environment and civilization around you which would turn the world against you something awful, and right quick. Some might even call for your execution if you take things too far and allow too much collateral damage. This would then become an important factor in your character's personal sense of morality and responsibility, and would be a large determining factor in their decision making process throughout the story.
You can only cast it around 50 feet out from where you are. But those 50 feet are in an extreme danger zone where basically anything/everything that you set ablaze would basically become a puddle if you let the flames get out of control for too long. And that's a heavy burden to bear.
For every force within your magic system there must be an equal and opposite force to oppose it.
If your magic system is elemental, then each element should have its natural opposite. Fire to Water. Earth to Air. Light to Dark. Etc. If your magic system is based on rituals and incantations, then if those incantations are broken, flubbed, or interrupted, the magic is either corrupted and incomplete, or is dissolved before it fully manifests and becomes worthless until the ritual/incantation can be attempted again from scratch.
Magic must have a natural counterbalance and point of opposition, just as everything else does in reality. If it does not, the consequences for your story become those of the Doctor Strange example. The magical forces become unbelievable to the point of being a meme, and it won't hold the attention or interest of anyone for too long. If anything people will simply become more and more irritated by the lack of consistency and lack of logic inherent within it and walk away to find something that's easier to wrap their minds around.
The consequences in-world of a poorly constructed or poorly thought out magic system become apparent as well, as you'll find that other players and their characters will start coming up with and using techniques and methods you didn't think of or intend for your system. And if you approach them saying "hey, that's not how that works," their natural response will be to point to the information you've presented them in the Lore pages, or in DM's, and say "You said we could do this, this, and this. What I just did IC is basically the first example you gave."
Nobody likes to have their own information and established rules turned against them because they weren't thinking of something happening a certain way. Lord knowns it's happened to me in the past. So don't make my mistake.
Establish the rules early for your magic system. Establish limitations for it. Set your mind free to explore the creative wonders of what you can accomplish within those limitations. And your story, and the roleplay itself, will thank you for it in the long run.
When a magic system is crafted properly with clear rules and limitations within which to explore and be creative, everyone benefits from being set free within it.
Cheers!
This was arguably the most difficult tutorial for me to put together! Not necessarily the longest or the most in-depth I've gone with tutorials in the past. But definitely the hardest in terms of how much research went into finding good examples and information worth sharing for the points being made!
Here we go!
Hard vs. Soft Magic
Hard Magic
Hard Magic involves a set system of rules and limitations for all users of magic within your world, and they are either shown or conveyed through exposition to your audience exactly where those limitations lie. Take Avatar: The Last Airbender as an example. This is a Hard Magic system wherein a Bender (minus the Avatar themselves) can only bend a single element. A Fire Bender bends fire. A Water Bender bends water. An Earth Bender can bend earth. And an Air Bender can bend air. Period.
The Avatar is the only exception. But even as the Avatar their ability to use all four elements is only at its peak when they enter the Avatar state. Otherwise they'd always be a walking nuke of a Bender with little to no chance of defeating them as opposed to simply being another powerful Bender in their regular daily life. That's why Aang had so much trouble with so many enemies throughout his adventure. He was just a 12 year old who happened to be capable of wielding all four elements. But being the Avatar did not inherently make him more powerful than he was naturally. And his struggles with Fire and Earth Bending specifically were a handicap in many a situation.
Soft Magic
Soft Magic is more of a system of mysticism and the unknown wherein which there are no hard lines drawn in the sand as to what a magic user can and cannot do. A good example is the Lord of the Rings series, specifically in regards to how Gandalf the Grey is resurrected as Gandalf the White. As explained in small bits and hints throughout Tolkein's works, Gandalf is a Maiar, which is a primordial spirit. TLDR about their purpose is that they were originally sent to Middle Earth to help the Valar shape the world. He and four others eventually became the Istari, or "Wizards," as we know them in more recent works and appearances.
But how did he become Gandalf the White?
There were a number of triggers which served to prompt the change. Though it is never explicitly stated, Saruman's betrayal was the first of the triggers. The second was Gandalf's death. Or, more specifically, the death of his physical body after his battle with the Balrog. He did defeat the best. But he too fell into the depths which, as described by Tolkein's narration, sent him "out of thought and time." His spirit remained tethered to Middle Earth, and his body's wounds were healed by the Elves who draped him in white and presented him with a new and powerful staff to aid in his service to Middle Earth.
The means and reason as to how his spirit found its way back remains less thoroughly explored, though it can be implied that it was the Elve's treatment of his body's wounds that prompted his spirit to return.
When he came back, it was as Gandalf the White.
Could this have happened to any of the five wizards? It's likely, but never stated openly that it is possible. By what magic did the healing of his physical body allow a spirit to return to it from being "out of thought and time?" It's never stated.
A good saying to remember both as a guideline and a cautionary warning about Soft Magic is this: You cannot break rules which are never established.
Tolkein's works do have some vague rules here and there. But magic as a whole in Middle Earth is largely left up to imagination as to what their true limits and maximum capabilities are.
Creating Limitations
Regardless of which system of magic you are using, limitations are the backbone of creating a compelling and, arguably more importantly, understood magical reality within your world.
What can the magic not do?
Can the dead be revived with all their memories, will, and personality in tact as if they never died in the first place? Can the sun be blocked to plunge the world into total darkness? Can the hands of time be reversed, sped up, or stopped outright? Can everyone use magic freely, or are there restrictions on who and/or what can do so?
Without limitations, magic systems become a danger to the story's integrity and believability for the reader/audience.
For example, let's take a look at the recently released Doctor Strange And the Multiverse of Madness. Wanda, aka Scarlett Witch, is presented with a plethora of abilities throughout the film. Many of which seem to be one-time only used powers which were tailored specifically from scene to scene. For example, she manages to melt the mouth of Black Bolt after Reid Richards (supposedly one of the smartest men alive) tells her that Black Bolt can kill/subdue her with a word. And where did this ability come from?... Your guess is as good as mine. It was cool to watch.
Oh, and then she made his head explode inside his mask. That too is an ability she never previously displayed, nor ever used again. She healed herself after clawing her way through a magical mirror/barrier, but later on limped after the heroes with a broken leg as if she'd totally forgotten she could basically insta-heal herself with a healing factor that would make Deadpool and Wolverine blush. She made people literally disintegrate, countered and overpowered Charles Xavier's psychic abilities, and much more.
And, as said before, literally none of these abilities were ever explained or used more than once. They were used on scene by scene basis and there were never any limits set on Wanda from the start of the film. As a result, the believability of her character struck rock bottom almost instantly and made the entire film a giant question of "why didn't she just use that one ability from before?"
Another problem within the Marvel MCU as a whole is the rings Strange and other magic users use. They can create portals. How far away can those portals be created? Never stated. But in theory Strange could simply have opened a portal next to Wanda with the other end out in the middle of space and she'd be sucked in by the vacuum and boom. Dead. Movie over, problem solved. Why didn't he? No idea. We saw Wong close a portal on the big alien guy's arm which lopped the arm off and cauterized it. Why didn't he open a portal under Wanda and as she fell through just close it to either lop off her legs, or chop her in half? He could have, according to the arm lopping scene. But he didn't use it on Wanda.
Wanda, throughout the film, demonstrates that she has no limitations or weaknesses to exploit. She can do whatever the screenplay writer wants/needs her to do in order to keep the movie going.
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, specifically, is a classic example, as well as a masterclass, of how not to design a magic system.
Establish the Rules Early
Limitations are a gateway to creative freedom.
Allow me to state that again.
Limitations are a gateway to creative freedom.
It may sound counterintuitive, but it's the truth. When you create a set of limitations to work within, you are setting your mind free to explore anything and everything that can be done within those boundaries.
For example, let's say you create a Hard Magic system wherein which you know the rules are hard drawn in the sand from the start, and are stated either in your Interest Check, Lore OOC page, or through conversation with other role-players interested in your roleplay. You want to use a classic elemental magic system with fire, water/ice, air, earth/metal, lightning, light, dark, etc.
Here are just a few examples of limitations you could theoretically place on such a system:
1) Fire Magic - Can only burn within a given temperature range (which is why it's separate from lightning magic), cannot extend beyond fifty feet of the user, is weak to water magic which douses it out of existence like real water does to real fire, and once its cast it cannot be strictly contained, only directed (basically meaning you can't turn it into a specific shape like a fire sword, a giant spire, a cylinder, sphere, etc).
2) Lightning Magic - Is the control and manipulation of real lightning, meaning it can only be done when the atmospheric conditions for generating real lightning are present.
- TLDR about real lightning is that it's a discharge of electricity which happens when negative charged electrons in the cloud layer are excited to the point of seeking the positive charged electrons on Earth's surface. A single lightning strike can heat the air in its path to around 30,000 degrees Celsius, or around 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This heat turns the air in the lightning's path into plasma, which is why it's physically visible and glows during the brief moments it has once triggered. This also causes the air to expand at an enormous rate which results in the thunderclap that follows.
- Once a lightning strike happens, the user can take control of it for between 2-3 seconds. During that time they are controlling and directing real lightning, burning at the aforementioned temperatures, making those 2-3 seconds the most dangerous moments of the lives of the user's enemies.
3) (As an alternate option to number 2) Lightning Magic rapidly drains the user's magical energy, is brief and momentary in its use, and causes long-term post-use exhaustion. TLDR, the user creates a real strike of lightning which lasts a fraction of a second, so it has to be aimed correctly the first time. Doing so drains an enormous amount of energy meaning that the user can only do this a few times before they become too exhausted and drained of magical energy to continue.
4) Light and Dark magic are pure elemental and do not affect the physical realm. TLDR, they're used purely to blind/disorient one's enemies and cause confusion and chaos, or to directly counter the other if one's enemies are using it and maintain a sense of balance on the battlefield.
These are just a few examples of the kinds of limitations one could impose on these elemental magic forms in their world. And while these limitations might seem steep at first glance and be a turn off for many, consider what the possibilities are within the given limitations.
Fire Magic, for example, burns within a set temperature range. The lowest temperature that a fire can burn is around 225 degrees Celsius, which is around 440 degrees Fahrenheit. The hottest a fire can burn with natural fuels is around 34,000 degrees Celsius, which is around 61,230 degrees Fahrenheit. So you can pick literally anything within that range for your fires to burn, and go from there.
If you look up "the melting point of ---" on Google, you can figure out what kinds of things your fire could feasibly melt and/or cause extreme damage to. For example, brick melts at around 1,800 degrees Celsius, which is around 3,300 degrees Fahrenheit (rounded up from 3,270). If your Fire Magic burns above and beyond that temperature, you can melt a brick bunker or home in a matter of minutes if your magical energy and stamina can withstand the lengthy effort. Of course, the hotter your magic burns, the easier this task would become.
Conversely, the opposite is also true. If your magic does not burn at or above 1,800 degrees, you aren't going to be melting any brick structures any time soon.
But what can you melt? Anything with a lower melting point than the brick. Google is your friend on this one. And you could create a list for yourself of the kinds of things that are melt-able which would give you quite the good idea of just how far you can push your magic within the temperature range limitations you've chosen for the story. If your Fire Magic burns between 1,500 degrees Celsius and 3,000 degrees Celsius, for example, that's hot enough to melt both steel and brick which, if you're in a medieval fantasy magical world, means basically anything man-made is not safe from your flames.
This would in turn create another limitation: Being responsible and in proper control of that magic.
If flames that hot run out of control, you could cause massive harm to the environment and civilization around you which would turn the world against you something awful, and right quick. Some might even call for your execution if you take things too far and allow too much collateral damage. This would then become an important factor in your character's personal sense of morality and responsibility, and would be a large determining factor in their decision making process throughout the story.
You can only cast it around 50 feet out from where you are. But those 50 feet are in an extreme danger zone where basically anything/everything that you set ablaze would basically become a puddle if you let the flames get out of control for too long. And that's a heavy burden to bear.
Balance and Consequences
For every force within your magic system there must be an equal and opposite force to oppose it.
If your magic system is elemental, then each element should have its natural opposite. Fire to Water. Earth to Air. Light to Dark. Etc. If your magic system is based on rituals and incantations, then if those incantations are broken, flubbed, or interrupted, the magic is either corrupted and incomplete, or is dissolved before it fully manifests and becomes worthless until the ritual/incantation can be attempted again from scratch.
Magic must have a natural counterbalance and point of opposition, just as everything else does in reality. If it does not, the consequences for your story become those of the Doctor Strange example. The magical forces become unbelievable to the point of being a meme, and it won't hold the attention or interest of anyone for too long. If anything people will simply become more and more irritated by the lack of consistency and lack of logic inherent within it and walk away to find something that's easier to wrap their minds around.
The consequences in-world of a poorly constructed or poorly thought out magic system become apparent as well, as you'll find that other players and their characters will start coming up with and using techniques and methods you didn't think of or intend for your system. And if you approach them saying "hey, that's not how that works," their natural response will be to point to the information you've presented them in the Lore pages, or in DM's, and say "You said we could do this, this, and this. What I just did IC is basically the first example you gave."
Nobody likes to have their own information and established rules turned against them because they weren't thinking of something happening a certain way. Lord knowns it's happened to me in the past. So don't make my mistake.
Establish the rules early for your magic system. Establish limitations for it. Set your mind free to explore the creative wonders of what you can accomplish within those limitations. And your story, and the roleplay itself, will thank you for it in the long run.
When a magic system is crafted properly with clear rules and limitations within which to explore and be creative, everyone benefits from being set free within it.
Cheers!