18 Ways to Write Unique Magic Systems

Here's 18 techniques for creating unique magic systems that make your fantasy novel stand out from the crowd.
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⏲️ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction
00:19 - Relate to social status
00:41 - Food based
01:43 - Place specific
02:12 - Core emotion
02:47 - Group reliant
03:08 - Seasonal
03:45 - Limits
04:32 - Modern tech
05:55 - Memory manipulation
06:53 - Art based
07:18 - Limited use
07:54 - Backwards from consequence
08:36 - Ancestral
09:26 - Sacrifice
10:02 - Inter personal transfer
10:27 - Natural phenomenon
11:00 - Astronomical alignments
11:27 - Niche interest
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[@Jed_Herne]

My next fantasy novel, Kingdom of Dragons, launches on Kickstarter on November 2nd! Check it out here: bit.ly/kingdom-of-dragons

[@turtleninja16tn66]

This isn't really 18 methods but more 18 examples.

[@OfficialHazardRPG-wj6dg]

Thank you! I was just thinking that.

[@Derekivery]

came to say this

[@joelhusted]

True, but still helpful

[@paulbarbat1926]

Yep, imo he should have brought it closer to his other videos, do some "7 tips" or whatever, tip 1 : base your magic off an uncommon base (taste, seasons, niche hobbies), tip 2 experiment with limitations, tip 3 : weaknesses, tip 4 : consequences, etc, he's the expert on storytelling, he could find more tips on how to write magic that you can all implement in a single world without bloating

[@EchoF0xtrot]

i saw the title of the video and immediately thought "i bet this will just be 18 examples". "ways to write" is a much more nuanced concept

[@MatrixQ]

I've written a short story once with magic based on music. It was an epic battle between a religious protagonist and a biker gang bad guy. Pretty cliche, yes, but they ended up battling above the city and the bad guy was blasting heavy metal from speakers which powered his magic, until the protagonist lured him close to a nearby church and used the power of the gospel choir inside to overpower him.

[@kailanerman5090]

Okay, but that's so METAL!!! AND the use of the choir was genius for both plot, character, and the emotions just hit That legit sounds so awesome

[@manuelfriend4060]

@@TBBudak Unfortunately it closed. And I managed to miss it by 3 hours >_

[@yaaeerrgghhh]

​@@manuelfriend4060I've been through the same thing 😂

[@Jed_Herne]

That sounds sick

[@m.j.johnsonbooks7856]

I would read that story.

[@captainladybug8881]

With the magic system in my current story, the characters have to chase after fireflies and use things that glow to do magic. It can't be something like actual fire, but they can take the glow from bioluminescent mushrooms and do little cleaning spells.

[@Jed_Herne]

That's cool

[@ashymitchell917]

Ppppp

[@ashymitchell917]

Ppppppppp

[@princessthyemis]

Ooo! Cool!!

[@starfish5599]

I love One Piece's system, it's so original. You can obtain a specific power by eating a devil fruit at the cost of unable to swim. Also, "only" one fruit power for one person. And the author, for 20+ years, has keep the mystery of the fruit's origin. it intrigues us.

[@Jed_Herne]

That's awesome

[@Wolltazar]

The fruit's origin is linked to one piece..

[@aaronellorimo7010]

One of the Yonko tho has two fruit powers (the strongest of each type: paramecia and logia) 🤔

[@calvinwarlick8533]

The beat oart is the Devil Fruit are only one of the many Magic systems in One Piece.

[@tarrare337]

not being able to swim kinda understates how this affects characters in this world if you havent seen or read one piece. at first, it doesnt really seem like it would be that much of a downside for supernatural powers, but the world itself is mostly ocean with only one continent, and most of the characters who benefit from the fruits are pirates or marines and therefore spend most of their time in the ocean on boats. also, it doesnt just make them unable to swim, it makes it so when they are in water it drains them of their stamina and makes them unable to use their devil fruit abilities

[@TheKulu42]

You've given me a lot to think about. One magic system, as one could call it, in a steampunk alternate history I'm writing involves psychometry, learning by touching objects. Alas, it's a skill that must be learned, and not easily. And constantly "reading' the wrong items can lead to madness. You've made me realize I must consider other rules, too.

[@Jed_Herne]

Sounds interesting, good luck with the writing!

[@syranaellaenarys5965]

You aren't Christelle Dabos by any chance? If not, she had a similar idea in her Mirror Visitor series. The world is very steampunky with automatons and flying ships and long pipe delivery systems and after a world-shattering event all that is left are huge floating islands - the so called arcs. On each arc different people with different gifts live. The protagonist is called Ophelia and was born on Anima, an arc where people have the gift to animate objects, be it houses, mufflers, books or anything else. Ophelia has the ability to touch stuff and see/hear/feel events in it's past (so she has to wear special gloves, to not get totally overwhelmed by everything in her common-day life). It's a great series and I can really recommend it!

[@TheKulu42]

@@syranaellaenarys5965 No, I'm not Dobbs, but thanks for the recommendation!

[@IgnumC]

The seasonal One reminds me of Avatar the Last airbender like how during the day, Fire benders are stronger while during the night, water benders are and the moon phase also effects it

[@pineforest1442]

Exactly.

[@onskupvp360]

I cant believe you have only 20k subs

[@Jed_Herne]

Ha, thanks!

[@zanebrewer0]

Fr this stuff is so good

[@codyvanderzwaag8031]

Yeah, he's helped me a lot and his channel deserves way more attention

[@baitposter]

_Only_ 20k? That's still 20,000 human users, nothing to sniff at

[@rudemence5721]

I can’t believe it’s not butter

[@marvingray9758]

These are so useful! The last one especially is really easy to use. I used to be into origami, but I only ever learned the pattern of folds for a lily, so I used that to create a character that gave origami lilies as gifts only to find out that he had the unfortunate and unintentional ability that wove a death-curse into every paper flower, killing every recipient one by one.

[@Justanotherqueer7476]

That is SUCH A COOL ideas!!!

[@marvingray9758]

@@Justanotherqueer7476 If you’re also a writer and you think you can do something with the idea, run with it! I’d love to see what happens!

[@Justanotherqueer7476]

@@marvingray9758 wOW! Really? Thank you SO much! I have been meaning to get into writing and this concept would be a perfect main event for either a main character or the big accident that caused a civilization to crash.

[@marvingray9758]

@@Justanotherqueer7476 Of course! That sounds totally awesome! I felt really bad for not ever doing anything much with the concept, so I’m just super happy you like it!

[@user-wq1zo5bf9w]

I am truly fascinated by how this absolute unit of a man reveals every writing secret entirely for free. Hope there will be a lot of great fantasy books this decade.

[@Jed_Herne]

I hope this video leads to some great fantasy books for sure!

[@MGDrzyzga]

Bit of a concept for a magic system: Start with the idea of everyone (or at least every magic-user) having a spirit animal or patron spirit, and the powers are thematically linked to said spirit. *However* it's possible to do some sort of "blood brothers" kind of ritual to borrow some of another user's - but even then, it's colored by your own aspect. If I could create an analogy with color - we have a red mage. They could create a pact with a blue mage to access purple magic, or with a yellow mage to access orange magic. Except these aren't actually colors. It's lion magic or goat magic or viper magic - and then we could have a trio of chimera magicians, but the mix of lion, goat, and viper magic would be tainted by what's their fundamental type and what's they're blood-bonded type.

[@maskedchicken8746]

Please make a story around this, it has too much potential to ignore

[@MGDrzyzga]

@@maskedchicken8746 I'm a little all-in on a different project that's sci-fi and doesn't have room for a magic system like this to shine. But I leave the concept up for grabs. Anyone who wants to use it has my blessing.

[@princessthyemis]

COOL!!!

[@MGDrzyzga]

@@maskedchicken8746 I'm working on a different story in a sci-fi setting, so I am ignoring this concept. That said, I do keep sharing it in worldbuilding videos and posts - and I freely make it available for anyone else who'd like to run with it. Anyone who is inspired has my blessing to use it.

[@shieldgenerator7]

in one story im writing, the magic system is unpredictable. when people die, they bestow a certain power onto an item that they cherished in life, and then when their descendants inherit that item, they have a powerful artifact to help them through their troubles. but what power does the artifact have? it depends on the deceased one's wishes and goals, and the circumstances surrounding their death. for example, one guy died by falling through a frozen river, and now his detached foot freezes water in an AoE, making it safer to cross rivers for the other people who use the artifact.

[@timelordacaelus5959]

One magic system I found particularly unique was the Lux power system by Brent Weeks in his Light Bringer series. Simply put, its a magic system where you can split and focus light waves to create different forms of Lux based on the specific wavelength, this being referred to as Drafting. Some people can only use one color, some can use multiple, each color behaves in different ways and has different emotional responses that come with them. Starting with Sub-Red which is basically fire, its such a volatile substance that it almost instantly ignites upon creation, followed by red which is a thick sticky gel thats highly flammable. Orange is a slicker and more oily substance, where as yellow is straight liquid, however can be made into an extremely durable solid form. Green is rough and flexibly solid in a way similar to wood, while blue is smooth and rigid like crystal, but equally brittle and fragmentary. Super Violet/Ultraviolet is unique in that its invisible to most, typically only visible to those that can draft it, and it forms in a thin and fibrous manner like spider-silk.

[@Jed_Herne]

Loved the Light Bringer series. Finished it just last year!

[@TheMemeMachineMatt]

One of my favourites.

[@alnahdia3353]

I cant get over the fact how creative and amazing you are, i was just watching your video with huge smile on my face, you are the joy of writing!!

[@ShirleyCurryTheOlderGamer]

Enjoyed this so much! I copied every tip you gave us!! Thank you 👍

[@Jed_Herne]

Cheers Shirley!

[@kookiekitty9063]

Hi Shirley I watch your videos 😁

[@conanedogawa4798]

What tips? None of these were tips, they were concepts and ideas the video creator had come up with. A tip would be advice on how to come up with our own ideas.

[@indyz4329]

For an ancestral based magic system, what happens when each ancestor only has so much magic to bestow so frequently. Does that mean if you have a greater number of descendants, you’ve got less to give to each of them?

[@MemphiStig]

I love all the creative ideas for magic I'm seeing these days. I've seen several systems in the last few years that really impress me. And of course yt is filled with great videos like this. No one should ever want for inspiration anymore. Time however is another matter. (i don't think you mentioned that magic system...)

[@SafiExists]

In my magic system some of the characters have magic that feeds on specific negative emotions. The magic is highly dangerous to the characters’ mental states and they can easily go insane

[@bennysundance175]

I love hearing about ideas for magic systems, Hyped for the turnament!

[@MRSOMEAWE1]

Point 12 is what I use in my power system because losing your sanity is one of the things that you can rarely regain. Limitations are more interesting than powers so you have to vary them across your story. I also use point 17 because my world has 3 moons that are the cause of the worlds power system, so whenever one of them is full, the magic user becomes twice as powerful. Anyway, thanks for the tips and I hope to see everyones writing improve from them!

[@lazar3803]

This is the most somebody has stirred my brain EVER in my life. I have so many ideas now! Thank you so much!

[@PhoenixCrown]

#7 is so good. Placing limitations on magic is necessary for tension in your story. It's one thing for the reader to not understand exactly what the magic can do--that can inspire awe and wonder--and another to create constant deus ex machinas because now that the MC finds herself in a fiery pit, she just so happens to be able to create water to put it out.

[@TrentonBreske-dd2ln]

Amazing content, this has already helped so much! Great job.

[@SparklesClock]

Synchronised dance reminds me of TV show The OA. I loved the way that worked. Requiring a group in sync also created a found family which is one of my favourite tropes.

[@hiro4344]

This finally gave me the breakthrough I needed to develop my magic system that I've been putting off. It gave me an idea that actually ties in perfectly with a key important climatic moment, making it all the more impactful.

[@nothing_here.5]

1 : in my power system one of adventures a person's social standing is based off of two things bloodline, and adventurer rank. In a world of adventurers with the ranks going from bronze all the way up to Platinum every rank increase basically means a social standing increase along with that if a person has a certain bloodline that can be scaled between five people. Poor, commoners, casual, nobility, royalty. They're all so many individual subtypes of each of these stages but they all remain as the main ones. - ( Since this is really a type of power I'll just talk about all the abilities that are similar ) 2: by utilizing one's configuration skills etc etc a person can gain many abilities similar to a food-based power. For example one such skill known as *food prism* allows a person to generate a certain type of Aether ( not stronger than elemental aether ) which will allow the user to utilize a more diverse amount of skills and abilities. - ( Also practically ability however in this case I will talk about configurations ) 3: configurations are abilities invented created and given by the Advents many of which are place specific types. There are five types of configurations. Focused, Dominion, enhanced, elemental, soul. The Dominion sector of configurations focuses on utilizing the environment or maybe creating some sort of zone or dome to activate a person's configuration. Most of these configurations are also used by people with high energy reserves and the ability to utilize their own celestial terrain multiple times. - 4: The power system itself is based off of the wonders and joy that are supposed to be enjoyed by adventures. An adventure is supposed to enjoy their journey and go out to find things until they retire and feel as much joy they can while gaining strength to find more things to enjoy. - 5: group reliance abilities also go into the Dominion category however they also go into the enhanced category which is the first fused category I will be mentioning. The support category. The support category is based off enhancing multiple people at once with either a skill or configuration for example healing multiple people adding an attack boosting effects or maybe even going on to the opposite category known as the decrease category. For a type of configuration or skill like this to be used there has to be people and targets around the area whether it be monsters humans or some other race. - 6: seasonal based magic goes into the Dominion category or maybe celestial terrains. Celestial terrains otherwise he has the peak of configurations and skills focuses on the insignia ( Aether core ) inside of a person's body and releases it in a solidified form which takes extreme practice. Of course it wouldn't be really affected by the surroundings but really it would more be affected by what type of Aether a person has and if a person has seasonal Aether then it would definitely be possible for a person celestial terrain to change. - 7: there are multiple limits through using things like a celestial terrain or configuration. Some configurations take a large amount of energy or maybe just the entire pool of energy that a person has no matter what and some depending on how powerful they are even take away life force as well. A person celestial terrain if not mastered could also be potentially dangerous to the user especially life threatening or maybe even crippling. Aether control inn of itself is pretty hard to master therefore learning skills without some sort of skill book is also pretty hard unless a person has very good talent. This doesn't even include other things like an incarnation which solidifies a person's Aether while following the shape of their soul to create a sort of stand if you will but even that takes a large amount of practice to manipulate Aether and the fact that it takes a large amount of energy to use anyways. - 8: The modern technology inside of the age of adventurers is very much large. There are many such ways to cure currently almost incurable diseases like skin cancer or maybe normal cancer unfortunately along with that new diseases arise for example life draining which occurs when a person utilizes their celestial terrain without practice therefore some of their life force would be stolen and they would basically be temporarily crippled. There are even multiple ways of teleportation although trains and cars still do exist as teleportation and if itself is pretty expensive especially with how rare it is to actually find teleportation configurations or skills let alone someone with a space attribute. - 9: memories a strange concept indeed, memories are said to exist inside of the soul so people who want to work around memories normally work around the soul but the closest a person can get to materializing memories would therefore be an incarnation which is basically just energy revolving in the form of a person's soul and a partial fragment of their Advent so unfortunately there is no actual way to materialize memories however there is a way to send them to other people. By intruding your own energy into a person's body then you can infiltrate the system and go into their brain do this you can simply just upload a fragment of your incarnation ( which can easily be regenerated ) to give another person your memories while still keeping them basically it would be a duplicate. - 10 : art base stabilities already exist with paint Aether or incarnations which really just *sculp* out of person soul. - 7:26 ( Final one before i stop ) 11 : The limited use for all of these abilities is that they're practically is none other than configurations. For skills you can only learn a certain number of skills if you have an attribute for them. However other than that you could even use some sort of relic and learn that skill but can only use it with the relic or maybe you'll find some sort of item which can somehow give you an attribute so it is possible. For a configuration on the other hand once you upgrade adventure ranks the configuration is evolved in strengthened into a better version however other than that better version you can't just go back to its old one. -

[@libbylerricker4405]

Such a useful video to spark some different ideas!

[@bdup159]

Gossamer mage does a good job of limited use. As you use magic you sacrifice your age, so you grow older. Someone might be 60 years old because they were careless as a teen with use. Others use it as a power draw and popularity and riches and prestige belong to the ones who are oldest and sacrificed over 30 years of their life to magic. Because everytime you make a mistake you age; so they dedicated their life to learning it. This gaining respect.

[@JoriamRamos]

Hey Jed, love your videos :) really enjoyed how many of your ideas were not superpower-inspired. I feel like a lot of our discussions around magic systems tend to stir to a "who has what ability" place, and thought that's not bad per se, it's always refreshing to see some actual new takes on what magic could be or represent. (Also, on a less important note: I love how you apply this green filter to your shadows - it gives me a strong apothecary vibe hehe)

[@Jed_Herne]

Thanks Joriam, glad you found it useful. Looks like you've got an interesting channel yourself - keep up the good work!

[@JoriamRamos]

@@Jed_Herne yeah, we share some common themes, even if our video styles are very different :) I've got some collabs lined up, but if you'd be keen to make something together (something small, a short or something like that) later in the year, I'd be super keen! One way or another, looking forward to see who won the magic system contest :D

[@nerdywolverine8640]

the main this video highlights for me is coming up with a unique idea means finding something meaningful or interesting to anchor it too. the limitations framing as part of building magic systems never helped me much, because it seems way more helpful as an editing tool than a creation tool unless you're building around a specific concept, but really just finding any kind of anchor like that is the key. just as 18 says, anything you personally like and are interested in can be a really good anchor. so if you really like the concept of a limitation like time being finite or moral corruption or any more specific theme of loss or preservation etc, then that does work, but it's because of how it anchors the system that it works. thanks for making this!

[@blessedandbiwithahintofmagic]

Oh my this is literally a list of the best ideas of a power system I have ever seen

[@earendelonearth]

It's interesting and informative, advice is greatly appreciated.

[@seriphim123]

This is brilliant. And so helpful.

[@anamazing2297]

This actually inspired me to the point I now know how an entire planet forms, as well as the evolution of the people/creatures. I was really struggling with how to fit everything I wanted in my massive set of stories (it's huge, and I feel like I'll probably finish it in 50-60 years), but I finally have a foundation for the world thanks to your inspiration! I have smaller stories to tell in the meantime, but I was worried I'd near the end before figuring that one integral part out! 😅

[@cziter144]

i love your channel, im writing a comic and i've been suffering from worldbuilding desease because im not sure how good my magic system is, even tho its complete and i wont be using the examples from the video i still learned so much from the differences in each one that im much more confident about my own now. Thanks a lot

[@sixtenmller8452]

nice video jed. i know this is about unique magic systems in books. But the powersystem in Lord of Mysteries is very interesting and definitely worth taking out.

[@chrisjost8588]

Thanks for the helpful video 👌

[@derrickjohnson4952]

Iv always loved the light constructs from the green lantern trying to make that the magic system for my fantasy RPG

[@manget9016]

An interesting aspect of the food based magic system is that it could be expanded to bring cost to magic as some magic would require the magician to ingest toxins like heavy metals or venoms.

[@Fledhyris]

Or getting drunk, or eating too much!

[@dragontempest1983]

since i started watching your vids, i have been little things in my stories to try and improve them, and one of the other magic vids you did , i made my dragon magic wielder (who is a mentor to another character) actually over exert themselves since they haven't used their magic in such a manor in a while.

[@AtriasNaradan]

The magic system I created checked point 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 13. It's a magic system where every person who uses magics are basically relying on how much souls that exist in their world wants to help them, based on those souls memories and emotional allegiances. Like for example, a Paladin capable of Holy Magic by relying on the help of souls of past believers of the same god they're currently worshipping. Another example is souls of ancestors helping with their descendants magic casting efforts. Then there are also Druids who gained the favour of souls of the planet's nature itself to do their bidding in magic related stuffs.

[@ArtbyMSB]

Just purchased "Across the Broken Stars" the other day, can't wait to read it!

[@DamianAlexander-mo5qi]

Just subbed definitely helps with my own stories

[@EmelieWaldken]

5. This is what Fires of the Faithful did ! I really liked that the magic was coming from group dances ! Really liked nr 9, but it feels like it would very quickly get really complicated.

[@aix83]

Excellent video, saved in favorites.

[@Jed_Herne]

Glad you liked it!

[@marinomusico5768]

Amazing video 👏

[@adamkjp17]

The last bit, about niche interest, gave me an idea. Keto magic. Ketone bodies can be used to fuel spells. The more ketones someone's liver produces, the more powerful spells he can cast. Of course in the fantasy setting no one has knowledge about nutrition, so most people don't know they can access magic. In the old times everyone had it, but "the gods took it away" (after agriculture everyone started eating grains so ketosis is almost non existent). Some mages fast for a few days-weeks so they can access powerful magic constantly, but there is a limit - you can't fast indefinitely because you will end up starving yourself (and possibly dying). Some people drink a lot - which for a short time gives them access to very powerful and highly unpredictable magic. The same can be said about the few chosen ones, who die shortly after this sudden surge in power (alcoholic and diabetic ketoacidosis). Everyone can do some very very weak magic in the morning, after the overnight fast. The event that sets the story in motion - some race or nation discovers that they can eat a lot of fat and access powerful magic indefinitely, without fasting. This creates a power imbalance and will definitely lead to a magical war/conflict etc. This is so stupid XD

[@Fledhyris]

This isn't stupid at all, it's a really cool idea, I think you're onto something here!

[@perseus931]

Really nice tips!

[@Jed_Herne]

You're welcome! Hope they helped

[@finchbird2419]

I'm currently using # 3 😁

[@blessedandbiwithahintofmagic]

Oh my, sapphic dancing is such strong group-reliant coordination magic ♡

[@cryptid-artha]

I wish I'd known about your magic system contest, because I would have sent in the magic system for my world Azrimar... I think you would have loved it. I'm insanely proud of it!

[@jasminecaulden1089]

Aside from books, I'm also an anime fan and one that I liked very much was Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. In that story they did a great job of explaining and working within the rules associated with magic and consequences of using magic. One thing I don't see in most stories in all genre's is an explanation of how magic began in the stories world in the first place. I would think this would be very important and a tool for the story. One very good explanation of powers/abilities etc. is the comics and in particular The X-Men as it's explained mutants are a result of the human race mutating.

[@cameronclophus7998]

This gives me several ideas on ways i can make subcategories for magic in my novel. Already have some for the vampires and fairies next can be some of my originals

[@seanforbes1034]

Bro ur channel is awesome

[@happyowl6424]

I currently work on a magic system that is only composed of different types of transformation and the use of those types vary by different cultures. Some people use pelts of animals to transform into those animals, others animate statues for different purposes. A wandering wizard manipulates the smoke of his pipe, while merchants use magic to alter the size of objects. Even some animals use magic, some monkeys have the ability to solidify air temporarily, while some lizards can change the shape of their feet to either long sharp claws for climbing or wings to glide for hunting. A huge variety of magical abilities only based on the principle of “Metamorphosis” Feel free to comment any questions, criticism and suggestions!

[@deckardcanine]

Some of your points touch on something I decided years ago: In a world where some people do magic and others don't, it should be clear why. In my experience, one or more of the following reasons always apply: (a) You have to be born with a certain quality. (b) Magic takes a long time to master. (c) It's dangerous if not guaranteed to come at a cost. (d) It's controversial. (e) Few people even know it's an option.

[@hungariangiraffe6361]

In my world's case it's a mix of the first and third options. There are three different types of magic, which are then divided to forms, schools, classes, spells, and variants in this order (yes anyone could easely get lost in cathegorising it). The three types are: 1)Arcane. In this case the magic user is depending on their own abilities. In order to use it you must be born with a special organ called mana pool (I might invent a more creative name for him later) which isn't really an organ on it's own, rather a part of the brain. The mana pool holds the mana, magical energy which is needed to perform spells. The amount of mana that it can hold is limited, newbies only have a small "container" but it will grow as they learn more and more. If you run out of mana you haven't lost your ability to cast spells, you can regain it. There are different ways of it, with the most important being meditation. If it goes undisturbed your pool is filled up once again. The speed depends on how much magic is surrounding you, and not on how much energy you are missing. Sometimes you have to meditate for hours, which is obviously not ideal in many cases so potions and enchanted gemstones are also used (among other ways). The chance of someone being born with a mana pool depends on their species and family. All elves and most dwarves have it but only a few humans, and even fewer orcs and goblins. The genes needed for it are often, but not always passed down, and not magic user parents can have children who are gifted too. Plus if for example your uncle, your cousin, etc. is born with the talent you have a higher chance for it too. 2)Sacral. Priests, paladins, shamans, monks, cultists and partially druids are using this type. In this case you don't rely on your own talent but on the support of a) a god or gods (priests, monks and paladins), b) the spirits of ancestors (shamans), or c) a demon lord/lady (cultists). And druids are a quite weird and unique mix because they are serving two gods, but they also use their own talent and the energy that life and nature around them creates. Here the amount of mana you get depends on your patron and you don't even need a mana pool. Your patron decides about how much mana you get based on how loyal and useful you are and also how long you have been serving them. If you do something they don't approve then you may lose energy, or even the ability to use magic (temporarily or pernamently, depends on how sinful your act was in their eyes). And that's why many don't like it even though you don't need a talent for this. It makes you dependant on a higher being, plus it can control many aspects of your life on ways that you may dislike (oath of celibacy, not drinking alcohol, oath of poverty, etc., depends on the patron), it requires a certain mentality, and some gods only accept either male or female servants (or x god only has female clerics and male paladins, etc.). And of course there are cultists who worship a demon, which gives you great power but it's also risky since you need to give sacrifices, sometimes you can't control your (or rather the demon's) powers and you literally sell your soul in exchange. 3) and Psi. Although it's based on something different it's pretty similar to the Force in Star Wars. Anyone can use it on some levels but you need big self-control and you have to be really intelligent in order to control it (these traits are needed for normal magic too but even more for psi). Otherwise you can only use it unintentionally. Like you can run much faster if you are chased by a bear, you can lift heavier rocks if someone you love is stuck under them, etc.. That is actually a form of psi. And if you are talented + train hard enough you will be able to use it intentionally. Magic users generally can use psi too but most psi users aren't capable of performing magic

[@sladewilson9718]

Ancestral based magic. Both Priest and Thief by Matthew Colville are incredible representations of this system. Such an underrated series (Ratcatcher)🔥👍🏽

[@RayPoreon]

I'm working on a story with a magic system that draws power from people's emotions. Essentially, strong emotions = strong magic. I'm enjoying it so far since I've realized that this essentially means that my characters, most of which will be mages, are gonna be the most unhinged lunatics around, since they will have min-maxed their psyche to produce the most powerful magics they can.

[@hungariangiraffe6361]

Interesting contrast with my system, where you need not just talent and practice but also self-control and concentration to use magic. Sometimes you can cast powerful spells when you unleash your anger but it's very risky, and in that case usually magic uses you. So if your emotions control you and not the other way around you will have a hard time learning magic even if otherwise you are talented. Kinda reminds me of Star Wars, my system needs calmness like the Jedi but yours uses fear and anger (among other emotions) like the Sith. Both has great potential with the right storytelling though. :)

[@210rebelboy]

Hey man, I've been mulling over an idea in my head, I'm not actively a writer, most I've studied in the realm of creative writing was in high school about a decade ago. I've wanted this world to have a very mysterious and complex magic that is highly inconsistent. What works for one person may be difficult for another, and impossible for the next. In a way, it is very much meant to be a system based on a person's feelings and state of mind, but how magic manifests itself within each person is rooted in their life's experiences, who they are, etc. I'm realizing halfway through the video that most of the forms of magic you've discussed so far are ideas I've thought about incorporating, such as group magic associated with cultures or religious fervor. I'm wondering if there's a line where I'm going too far, letting magic be this chaotic, unpredictable thing rather than something that follows rules. Would love to talk with you about my idea!!

[@vihrintu]

I'm not expert-just an amateur-,but here is my opinion,which you can care about it or not: Yes,your ideea is generally good. But for a reader will be somewhat confusing at some point if things are *too* unpredictable. Because of that,better it would be if you let the main character discover little by little the world,give *subtle details*,but never know all the things,so it doesn't become ...idk(frustrating?something like the opposite of deux ex machina,if I'm right?). In a nutshell,keep in mind to make the twists as credible as you can and everything will be fine. I know it's hard to put into application,but try and try and try again until success👍 Hope it helped

[@EnriqueLaberintico]

My magic system is going to check 15 (at least one) and 18 exactly, and kind of 3, 4 and 8. When The Monarch was planning to create the universe, he started by creating 9 deities to aide, representing the 9 primary concepts of all and none: soul, life, mind, luck, empathy, space, time, nature and death. They had different views for how the universe should be, so The Monarch allowed them to make 8 different universes. Linked to their concepts are 8 colors of magic: Red magic being what souls are made of, all things emotional. Orange is what spirits are made of, this one dominated by the goddess of life and god of death. Yellow magic is sapience. It's not established completely, but maybe it can let you learn better and clear distraction, as well as the field of anti/memetics. Green magic is the fifth dimension: chance! By manipulating green magic one can write the future in stone. Cyan magic needs a healthy, authentic empathy to be used. It's exactly 15, great minds think alike, AHH! In my first tale, a lonely girl uses a cyan spell to share her conscience to a codex, making it come to life. Blue magic controls space. With space being not an abstract concept but a tangible one, blue magic lets you manipulate it against the laws of the natural - yes, you can simply use it to break the laws of physics. What we were waiting for! Violet magic is time travelling! It's the ghost across time kind of time travel, where you can't interact with the past or future and just be an spectator; with enough control you can melt into someone from other time to see it in 1st person. Brown magic enhances and embodies the natural way, the essence. In the brown universe, there's a huge concentration of brown magic in our planet that maintained humanity in the door of the Neolithic, living in tribes until all vertebrates had reached the same level of sapience. There are mages, shamans or however you want to call them in human tribes who have learnt to bend brown magic, to for example aid hunters before their travels by enhancing their strengths, or assisting a birth making a woman more able to make it. This is where 8 kicks in in some way.

[@pineforest1442]

I have an interesting idea for a magic system. In this system, some people have the natural ability to shapeshift into whatever animal they want. This has two limitations. First, the person has to see what an animal looks like in real life or art or descriptions. Second is energy. Holding a form costs energy. While the original form of the shapeshifter has no cost, other forms do. It is tied to hunger. The larger the animal, the quicker it becomes hungry. At that point they will revert back to their normal form. (Still working out the details on this magic system)

[@BWA85]

I started reading the Malazan series. The magic system is based on Old Gods and magic wielders pull from their chosen God's pocket dimension called a Warren. The premise is like this. Warren of Fire, Warren of Shadow etc. The Warren's are like the Nether in Minecraft. Distance is greatly compressed so wielders can use the Warrens to travel vast distances in fractions of the time. Example.. a 5 day ride between cities takes you 2 hours by Warren. The only issue is that the Warrens are hostile to visitors and try to kill you if you are in there. The power you pull from the Warren can consume you if you lose control over the door you open. There's even a courier company that charges eye watering fees to deliver stuff but guarantees delivery in rapid time, because they're crazy enough to use the Warrens.

[@steelmatter]

You are one of my greatest inspirations for writing thank you for your advice🙏

[@Jed_Herne]

Happy to help!

[@christopherdehner9362]

Jed herne+ good

[@ishansalamon]

Cool Major Plot Twist to end a book in a series: The Magic System would be Point 17, 11:00 , Astronomical Alignments. Everyone draw power from celestial being like stars and what not, but it turns out, the celestial bodies aren't in the traditional sense. They were laid there by an unnamed force that were made to act as a conduit for regular magical use. And maybe, just maybe, the unnamed force decides to take them away...

[@mirzunayedali1724]

working backwards from conseqeunces and the very last ones make the video honestly. Even if those two were the only ones in here it would have been worth it.

[@seanskre1717]

All of these have good potential on my world building magic system based on Philippine Mythology

[@groveri2]

0:43 bro really just stole half my magic system 💀 jk lol

[@groveri2]

welp time to explain it, i swear to god if i see a novel in a few years that stole this magic system without even trying to make it different i'ma cry. rule 1: different ingredients give different temporary abilities. rule 2: mixing ingredients mixes the abilities. example 1: gelatin=water, capsaicin=fire, gelatin with hot sauce sprinkled on top grants both fire and water abilities once consumed. example 2: gelatin=water, capsaicin=fire, make a spicy gelatin with peppers as part of the recipe, meaning capsaicin is equally mixed throughout the gelatin, this will give steam/smoke abilities once consumed. -remember these are temporary. -elemental powers aren't the only powers, this magic system is HUGE.

[@Jed_Herne]

Nice! Very cool to see a much more thought-out concept than my brief mention in the video :). Good luck with your writing

[@owenspears3114]

Jed at it again

[@redrumgmv161]

Being a philologist, I developed a magic system for my worldbuilding project that revolves around the use of language. Like, there are eldritch dark gods that speak primordial tongue that humans can't even comprehend, but there's a very simplified dialect of it called Invocarum that mages use to cast magic. And since Invocarum is very simplified version of the primordial tongue, the deeper one delves into the meaning of the words, the more they understand their meaning, the more powerful their magic is and the less human they become.

[@exile1412]

interesting ideas 👍

[@xiiir838]

😂 4:30 I'm actually doing this, but with firearms. I listened to a war news reporter telling about his experience in the Levant, being near the explotion of a napalm bomb. Not only his skin was burned just the the pure heat, but he couldn't breathe because the flames swallow the oxygen in the area near the landing. Incorporating those effects into, let's say, the typical fire based magic makes it more profound, not just an attack that hardly burns (like in Avatar 😒). Ever since I've been researching the effects of bullets of several calibers on the human body and such, or the effect of chemical weaponry, illnesses, and armour to incorporate it into my stories. Great video 👍

[@refaelsotto1386]

9:26 I think it’s called "equivalent exchange" (fullmetal alchemist for those who don't recognise)

[@VibingMeike]

I have a pretty big world (planet-sized) with different magic systems that also clash with each other (conflict yay!), but with one big source (insp: the Force, the gods from LOTR and godess Eywa from Avatar) and having a list of them laid out in such a conscise way has encouraged me to start working on it again

[@starchildofthesun]

Me and a few friends are working on an idea for a manga. And the idea of modern tech being replaced by magical items or spells reminded me of it, because while the main setting looks like it takes place in 1800s England, it actually takes place in modern day, they just had no need for technological improvements beyond what they have because everyone has some level of magic, and while not everyone can do super op or flashy spells. Simple spells like Teleportation portals are simple, and are considered basic by most people's standards. It's as simple as picturing where you want to go and projecting your magical energy into the spot you want your portal to open. Since things like levitation and teleportation are considered medium and easy level spells, almost anyone who has a decent skill level can do them. The point is, Why make a plane when a simple portal could take more people to the destination much quicker. Why make a crane when you can just pay or ask the mage down the street to lift the fallen over oak tree that's blocking your yard?

[@GoranXII]

Art based magic is older than dirt, in use as far back as the Sumerian civilisation, specifically Zisurrû (magic circles 'drawn' in flour).

[@user-cd5fm3hh9k]

Well, term "magic" itself older than dirt, and belief in existence of supernatural forces is probably older than writing Though, i am a fan of more "traditional" magic in fantasy. Imho, sometimes writers trying to create unique magic system so hard that they dont notice the moment when their system stops being like magic, and more like weird biological thing or some other "x-man like" feature I’m not criticizing, but often looking at this, the question arises “when does magic stop being like magic”?

[@williambeougher4944]

Tattoo based magic was used in a story where pain was used in the tattooing process and the person who had the tattoo had power. Once used you had to get tattooed again.

[@CosmicDuskWolf]

One of my favorite Syfy shows is The Magicians. Though I have to say they do end up flip flopping a bit or maybe they just changed how magic worked in it. 16 and 17 are both used in Avatar the last Airbender.

[@schmalzilla1985]

The taste one reminds me of shade of the evening, or the weirwood stew Bran is being fed. Not exactly taste based, but food and drink.

[@insectostrich4407]

The “natural phenomena” and “astronomical alignments” bit actually reminds me of Avatar the last airbender. Where not only are the Benders able to manipulate one of the four elements assigned to them, but specific ones like the Fire Benders are affected by eclipses and the comet.

[@elicradic5487]

In mine Magic is a primordial force, the thing that existed before the universe and created gods and such, and it comes in an unimaginable number of forms. A human soul contains a core that has magic within, and since the core is a very small and closed environment no further magic can enter, meaning the magics naturally start overtaking each other until the only one remaining is the user's magic. There is a seal around the core to prevent the magic from escaping into the rest of the soul, overloading and destroying it, but the seal is weakened overtime (though it never fully breaks), and magic can only be used when it weakens to a certain degree. The strength of the seal can vary from "it will weaken sufficiently on it's own in a few years" to "Won't ever break in their lifetime", and the strength is hereditary, meaning magic is a rare commodity among few families.

[@fluffytail5000]

i have this fun little concept for a magic system that i needed to talk about if a character experiences a near-death experience but survive, they transform into some part-animal creature and gain an ability that is somehow linked to one of the following elements: fire, ice, light, darkness, nature, time, water, life, death, storm. the element said character’s ability is depends on what element the character was closest to pre-transformation. the percentage of the transformed character that is an animal depends on how evil/much of a victim the character was, ranging to simple cat ears and tail for an innocent bullying victim who did nothing wrong to a part fox, part dragon, part unicorn, four-winged transformation for someone who committed unspeakable acts for no exact reason and faced no punishment except for what she is now. the strength of an ability also depends on how much of an animal the character is post transformation, ranging from very powerful for someone with little change (like that person with the cat ears and tail) to very weak for someone with a drastic change (e.g. fox-dragon-unicorn creature) an example of a transformed character is selene, who is that fox-dragon-unicorn hybrid thing i mentioned earlier. she loved astronomy before she almost died, and now her ability is “cosmic control”, which isn’t nearly as cool as it sounds. it basically means she can create an illusion to make others see a certain celestial event. thank you for listening to my rambling

[@denisemchaila]

This is my new favourite place to live on KZbin

[@austrociking4345]

When is the vid for the magic system competition releasing?

[@Jed_Herne]

No set date yet, but hopefully late this month/early next month

[@wernergebhart6994]

I am writing a fantasy story a the moment, and the magic is linked to the folk of the Fairys. The more of them live in the world the stronger the magic becomes.

[@thetoad.1251]

I'm writing a place specific magic where if you take care of the forest, the forest will move to your will and give you magical abilities while inside it. It will also endow your weapons and tools with its power.

[@celestialceilagor3802]

you are possible the most writer ive ever seen

[@steakwolf9]

This video got me thinking, I would be curious on your take of Avatar the Last Airbender's "magic" system! A review video of it I think would be cool

[@ProSkillzDragonGal]

With magic being related to social status, could it be flipped around slightly? Like in my book, instead of magic coming from a person's social standing, magic is a power that is disappearing from the world and is sought after, and the people can gain social status from magic

[@samueldrapeau9106]

In my World, I use performance magic : Music. E.g : Flying an airship needs a whole orchestra, and the symphony has X number of variations the maestro has to 'modulate' with in order to steer the ship and depending on the wind currents. If the first violin screws up his solo, chaos ensues, the maestro is knocked off off-board by a gust of wind, whole orchestra is disoriented, ship crashes.

[@DarkPegasus87]

Art-based magic is the basic premise behind the anime DNAngel. The Hikari Family was a family of very skilled artists, so skilled that their art took on a dangerous magical quality. The Niwa Family was a family of phantom thieves that stole the artwork so they could seal the power away, lest it wreck havoc. The Hikaris were planning their greatest work of all, The Black Wings. However, they grew afraid of its power before it was finished, and they tried to seal it. Problem: The Niwa heir tried stealing it during the ritual, and the power of the artwork split into two beings, Dark and Krad. Dark became bound to the heir of the Niwa family to be passed through the heir's bloodline, and Krad was likewise bound to the heir of the Hikari Family. Give the anime a watch. You may like it.

[@leolightfellow]

These are all very interesting, but what about the best magic system of all: midichlorians in the blood stream lol.

[@Jed_Herne]

I have it on good authority that my midichlorians are above average. I think it's because I eat so much sand

[@marcusreading3783]

I created a Magic system that relies on using items to create anything more complicated than lighting small fires or creating light. They can be anything, but require certain, often expensive, materials to create. Not only that, but they can also burn out if you over do it, which places a limit on what people can achieve, while also making those with access to better materials for creating foci more powerful.

[@reallifeanswers9764]

I'm a musician, and I'm creating a music based magic system for a fantasy world I'm working on. It's a middle magic system - hard in some ways and soft in others. The whole thing is going well except for one thing. How do you make it beautiful to the reader using only words? I want them to experience the joy of this system, but I don't have sound as a medium.

[@dingus290]

3:30 thats literally the climax of avatar the last airbender thats actually so cool

[@FlameWarRant]

Wait, is this going to lead into the video for the contest winners? Some of these ideas are from various entries.

[@Jed_Herne]

I haven't watched any of the contest entries yet, so this was just me spitballing. Will probably begin to sort through the applications over the next few days

[@colinmoore7460]

Have you seen the system used by Mercedes Lackey in her Heralds of Valdemar?

[@anthonyebie572]

Hey, I couldn't meet up to that magic system competition that you had, but I would like to share my magic system with you so maybe you can review it at your own time

[@danielcox7629]

The true method is to make magic unique to your experiences. Make it relate or function like something you already know.

[@VandarAlden]

Not gonna lie(not that anybody thought I would), I have various magic systems like these that I have come up with...one is a sacrificial magic system with animal sacrifices. Killing a living thing with a special metal allows you to take their life-force. You can't store it for long so for small tasks you either need small creatures or a secondary task to use up the excess energy. The magic itself is pretty free with some vague rules to keep somebody from instakilling people effortlessly

[@peterk7428]

I'm creating a world where magic is based on philosophy and bloodline. There's nature magic with fae bloodlines and druids, celestial magic with angel bloodlines and clerics/paladins, and artificers who infuse magic into machinery. Main character is descended from both bloodlines and raised by an artificer.