Five Types of Magic Systems to Inspire Your Worldbuilding
Photo by Anton Darius on Unsplash.
With magic, as with most things worldbuilding, your imagination's the limit. However, here are five categories of magic that might inspire your story’s world.
1. Elemental Magic
There are 118 elements on the periodic table, but elemental magic systems tend to deal with far fewer than that. The "classic" elements of fire, water, earth, and air are much loved in fantasy literature, though variations abound. Mages may be able to pull these substances out of thin air, while others can only control those that already exist in the world around them. While elemental magic might seem overdone, there's plenty of room for creative storytelling here.
In the Netflix series The Dragon Prince, there are six Primal Sources of magic (sun, moon, stars, earth, sky, and ocean), and each source is connected to a subrace of elves. Cultures form around these magics; for example, Skywing Elves are known for quickness, agility, and prizing freedom, while Moonshadow Elves are known for secrecy, illusions, and valuing privacy. There is also a seventh source known as Dark Magic, which isn't connected to a Primal Source, but draws upon the energy within magical creatures to fuel spells. Dark Magic is commonly practiced by humans. The elves and dragons of the world divided the continent and drove humanity West because they were appalled at the humans' practice of hunting creatures to harvest their magical energy.
Elemental magic is an exciting way to explore power dynamics and culture. What elements will be included in your magic system? How is society treat these mages? Are some elements prized more than others? How do elements interact with each other—can they be used together? Do they counteract each other?
Other examples: Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan; Elemental Masters by Mercedes Lackey; Circle of Magic by Tamora Pierce
2. Superpowers
In superhero stories, every hero has a different ability. These powers might fall under a theme (for example, everyone can shapeshift into animals), or they might involve a hodgepodge of superhuman abilities. In some worlds, characters gain superpowers in unique ways (such as by radiation or the bite of a genetically-altered spider), while others are born with them. The possibilities are endless, and the lines can blur between superheroes and other types of magic systems.
In My Hero Academia, a superhero high school anime, 80% of the population are born with superpowers, a.k.a. quirks. This has deeply impacted culture and society. People idolize Pro Heroes, professional crime-fighters with pwoerful quirks, and the media keeps track of the "top" Pro Heroes. Since quirks are passed on from parent to child, some people even choosetheir partner based on their quirk with the hope that they will have a powerful child. The Number Two Hero, Enndeavor, can control and manipulate fire. The quirk's downside is that he gets overheated easily, which is why he married aw oman with an ice quirk in the hopes that they would have a child who inherited both.
What are the limitations or weaknesses of the superpowers in your story (such as Endeavor's overheating problem)? How are you going to reveal the "rules" of your heroes' abilities? What are some character flaws or limitations, that are unrelated to their powers, that could introduce? For example, All Might, the Number One Hero, has a chronic ocndition thanks to an old injury that severely affects high health, and tension rises when he can't transform into his hero form for more than a few minutes at a time.
Other examples: X-Men; Animorphs series by K.A. Applegate; The Avengers
3. Incantations
Higitus figitus! Avada kadavra! Double double, toil and trouble.
As powerful as words are in the real world, they get even more powerful when they are imbued with magic. Incantations are spoken words that produce a magical effect. Usually they involve mystical, made-up languages, and they are often accompanied by gestures or physical components in order to get a spell to work.
In Eragon by Christopher Paolini, spells require intense focus, and people find it easier to focus on magic when they speak their thoughts aloud. Magicians use an ancient language to cast spells. So, for example, saying the word brisingr, which means fire, could produce a flame. But creativity and imagination are also at play; as long as the connections are clear in the spellcaster's mind, they could say brisingr and produce something that appears entirely unrelated. Casting a spell requires energy from somewhere, usually the caster, and requires as much energy as it would take to accomplish the action by mundane means. So maigcians need to be careful, or they could kill themselves by using too much of their own life energy.
Do incantations have meaning in your story? Are magic users aware of what they are saying, or is it just gibberish to them? Where did these words originate? Can you combine different words to create new effects?
Other examples: Supernatural; The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher; Scholomance by Naomi Novik
4. Alchemy
Alchemy involves transmuting matter. The goal of alchemists is often turning lead into gold or creating an elixir of immortality. Ancient beliefs about alchemy are centred around the idea that all matter consists of four elements—water, earth, fire, and air—and by adjusting the percentages of these elements, you can turn something into something else (of course, atomic theory refutes that, though alchemy paved the way for the periodic table we use today).
In Fullmetal Alchemist, alchemy is a science based on understanding the composition of matter, deconstructing it, and then reconstructing it. It's founded on the law of equivalent exchange, meaning matter cannot be created or destroyed, and material can only be transmuted into something else that has the same basic makeup of the original material. Alchemists draw transmutation circles in order to transmute objects. In the show, alchemy looks a lot like magic, and alchemists often develop individual superpowers based on alchemy. For example, Roy Mustang, the "Flame Alchemist," is known for fire-based combat. He uses custom-made gloves, embroidered with flame alchemy transmutation circles, that allow him to make a spark by rubbing his fingers together.
Alchemy allows for many philosophical and scientific questions—what is matter? What is equivalent? Can you transmute a soul? The premise of Fullmetal Alchemist is that the show's protagonists, Edward and Alphonse Elric, want to bring their dead mother back to life, but they are unable because there's nothing "equivalent" they can offer for her soul.
Other examples: The Lady Alchemist by Samantha Vitale; A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe; The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
5. Witchcraft
Witchcraft generally involves pagan spellcasting and nature. Witches cast spells through incantations, rituals, runes, herbs, amulets, potions, or other means. Witches often have a bad reputation and are feared by society. In our own world’s history, people accused of being witches were persecuted and killed. People also conducted bizarre tests to determine if someone was a witch, such as tying them up and throwing them into a lake; if they floated, they were a witch (this was based on the idea that, because witches were unholy and spurned baptism, the water would reject them).
Magic using bric-a-brac is visually interesting, and there are lots of ways it can go wrong—for example, what happens if you say the wrong incantation while trying to bind a demon? What if you put a different flower in your potion? What if your rune inscription is slightly wonky?
In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, witchcraft becomes increasingly prevalent throughout the TV series as one of the main characters, Willow, learns to become a witch. Spells can be achieved through a variety of means, including incantations, magical artifacts, herbs, crystals, and blood.
There’s not much you can’t do with magic in Buffy, but there are things you shouldn’t do, because they have serious consequences—like raising someone from the dead. The show also explores magic’s addictive nature; Willow becomes so addicted that she nearly kills another character before quitting. This is a refreshing take as, more often than not, stories explore the physical limitations of magic, but here we see a mental/emotional cost.
What are the methods of spellcasting in your story? How do various components work together, and what are the pros and cons of each medium?
Other examples: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina; Discworld series by Terry Pratchett; The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
This article is part of a chapter from Making Myths and Magic: A Field Guide to Writing Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novels, which I co-wrote with fantasy author Shelly Campbell. I lightly edited the text for the new format. The book is available here.
Published Aug 1, 2024
