Tag: magic in fantasy

Saturday Setups – Magic: Consequences

Featured Ariel Paiement

Introduction

This week’s discussion is the last on magic for now. We’re going to go over consequences to magic. We’ve already hinted toward this a bit, but a closer look at it is important because there’s so much variation in the topic. So we’re going to examine this area in a little more detail. Since I already covered the importance of having structure to the magic system and the need to have boundaries as well as consequences that limit magic use, we won’t go into that with too much detail. Instead, we’re going to look at some of the kinds of consequences and how they can be used. Let’s get started!

Types of Consequences

Okay, so this particular topic is pretty vast in that the possibilities for consequences to magic and why you have them vary so widely. But let’s take a quick look at some different types of consequences. You can have mental, physical, emotional, or tangible consequences for things. The first three are relatively straightforward. The consequences in these categories will end up affecting the user directly in one of those three areas, so there may be restraint in how much magic is used depending on the severity of the consequences. The last is a little less obvious. Tangible consequences are ones that don’t fall under the other three. They affect the user indirectly instead, usually by affecting his loved ones or by taking something from him that is precious to him.

Examples of Consequences

Obviously, the consequences for using magic change a great deal depending on what category they fall into. A magic system whose consequences are mental might include anything from losing memories to going into a coma. Obviously, the severity may vary depending on the magnitude of the magic used, but the type of consequences allowed will be dependent upon what you choose to use for the consequence category. A physical magic system wouldn’t include losing your mind or losing memories, but it could include illness, losing body parts, blood sacrifices, or some other physical consequence for using the magic or even for making it work. And still yet again, emotional consequences won’t be the same as either of the previous two. This type of consequence isn’t necessarily as common as the first two because it’s a bit harder to come up with things to use. But emotional consequences might include losing the ability to feel a specific emotional, temporarily or permanently, or could even include a heightening of some negative or positive emotion for a time period as well. Or, perhaps the consequences emotionally result in some sort of “mental” illness that affects only one’s emotions or perceptions of the world around them. Typically, emotional consequences are going to go hand-in-hand with mental consequences simply because the two categories often impact each other, even in the real world. 

The category that’s most expansive is the tangible consequences category. This is because the consequences are taken out on those around the magic wielder. So, a mage’s sister could go insane because he tried a spell that was really strong. Or, perhaps a close friend dies as a result of the use of magic. Really, the possibilities are endless. The key to note here is that when it comes to consequences, I don’t mean direct consequences that occur because someone used magic wisely or unwisely. Think of consequences here more as a price that is exacted after magic is used. In some systems, that price might be the drain on some sort of extra energy reservoir that the magic wielder possesses or use of life force. In others, the price could be something else entirely. The magic will work, but you don’t get it for nothing.

Practical Use of Consequences

Now that we have a foundational understanding of the topic, we need to understand how to use consequences practically in a novel. This can take many forms because, as noted above, the choices and combinations are pretty limitless. And you aren’t bound to staying with only mental or only physical consequences. You could have differing prices depending on the type and magnitude of the magic. For example, in Pathway of the Moon, I have three different consequence systems for three different situations of magic use.

The first is the normal type of magic almost everyone uses. In this consequence system, people draw on an energy reservoir inside of them. That reservoir will replenish, but those who try to do magic that requires more than what is in that source will end up drawing on their own life force. Obviously, this is a strong incentive for people to understand their own personal limitations and to avoid overdoing it.

The second system is in place for those use dark magic or shadow magic. Since both have similar workings and both can draw on the life force or energy source of other people around, the system is the same for both. In this case, those who have and use this kind of magic pay a different price if they choose to use someone else’s energy instead of their own. They suffer mental consequences as the blackness of the magic used can overwhelm them and will eventually drive them mad.

The final system is in place for, again, those who use magic drawing on the force of others. But in this case, it is for light-wielders because their magic doesn’t operate the same way as the magic of the shadow-wielders or dark magic users. In this system, drawing on the life force of others results in physical consequences, not mental. Using magic this way here results in the loss of physical senses over time, and each subsequent use of others’ life force comes at a higher and higher cost.

All of these systems operate in the same world and series, but they’re all very different types of consequence systems. Hopefully this helps you to see how you can weave consequences into your own book and your own magic system. How you choose to do it will vary to one degree or another from how I’ve done it, but this was just an illustration to underscore the fact that you can combine things as you like.

Conclusion

I hope this article has been helpful to you and has brought you some useful advice on how you can work with this very important area. It’s not a matter of right or wrong in this case, so have fun with this and don’t be too concerned with whether or not it’s “correct”. Have questions or suggestions? Feel free to leave those in the comments below!

Saturday Setups: The Extent of Magic

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

We’ve been discussing magic in our Saturday Setup posts the last few weeks, and this week is no exception. This time around, though, we’re going to talk about extent of magic use and some tips for how you can determine that. Figuring out how much magic to use and how many characters can use it is a bit of a daunting task, so hopefully, this will shed some light on that for everyone!

Consideration #1: Sub-Genre

Before you do anything else, stop and think about the sub-genre you’ve chosen to write. If you don’t know much about it, do some research and learn about the different common elements, such as magic, in the sub-genre. I’ve posted quite a few articles on different sub-genres of fantasy on my Sunday Sub-Genres section of the blog, so if you’re looking for somewhere to start, you may find something helpful there.

Regardless of where you do the research, you need to understand how much magic is incorporated into your sub-genre. If there’s not a lot, you’re already starting at a less intense starting point than you would with a sub-genre that throws it in everywhere! Key takeaway here: know your genre.

Consideration #2: Consequences

Okay, when you built your magic system, you probably built limitations into it. If you didn’t, see my post on building magic systems to gain a better understanding of why you should! But, assuming you have limitations and rules in place, these are a great place to start in determining how much magic use should be involved.

If you have a system that is built on the premise that everyone has magic, then magic use is going to be quite high. Almost everyone, if not everyone, will be using some form of it, and there won’t be a ton of dreadful consequences for normal magic use. For instance, in the Aurelai universe, most types of magic don’t exact a high price. There is regular magic use, and no one dies or loses something precious to them just for using their magic in a responsible, every day manner. In a system like this, magic can be expected to be seen everywhere.

But if you created a system where magic requires a high price even if one can wield it… Well, your protagonist, at least, and maybe even your antagonist, are not going to be so keen on using it. For example, in Pathway of the Moon, there is a way that those trying to perform extremely high-powered magic can gain the energy they need to do so from other people to avoid draining their own life source. But you have to pay an extremely high price: your own sanity and physical health, depending on what the magic chooses to target. You don’t get something for nothing. So, most people aren’t willing to perform that kind of magic. It’s a powerful deterrent for those who are sane and even a little bit concerned about their own health, if not that of others. While this doesn’t limit my whole system in this series’ case, it certainly does place a limitation on the extent of magic. It means that certain kinds of magic aren’t so likely to occur on any regular basis.

Consideration #3: Likelihood

This sort of goes hand-in-hand with the previous point, but take a minute and think about how common magic is. Does everyone have it? Only a select few? Does everyone know it exists or is it something that’s kept hidden? The answers to these questions and others like them end up determining if it’s likely that a character could use magic to solve a problem or in every day life. Sure, it might exist, but if the likelihood of use is low, then you’re probably not going to see magic everywhere in the book. On the other hand, if the likelihood is high, you’re likely to see it everywhere.

Consideration #4: Usefulness

Let’s face it. Some magic just isn’t all that helpful on a quest to save humanity or when facing down a man-eating, fire-breathing dragon. And in those cases, characters probably won’t be using their magic to help themselves out. The extent to which this consideration affects your story really depends. If it’s limited to certain types of magic a person might end up with, then it might not change how often magic is used or the extent to which it is used. Of course, if this extends to every kind of magic, then magic, while it may exist, is fairly useless for the purposes of the characters, and it will end up sidelined unless needed to heat a can of soup. You get the idea, hopefully.

Consideration #5: Society

One other major thing to consider is society itself. While there might not be a limit on what magic is capable of doing, there may be a societal stigma against it or a ban that prevents it. Or, the opposite may be true. Perhaps society ostracizes those who aren’t able to use magic of some sort, so those who can’t must find a way to pretend they possess it. The possibilities are pretty endless, but if you have a society like this, it’s going to affect the extent to which and the way in which magic is utilized in your story.

Conclusion

There are, of course, many other ways in which magic can be limited or expanded in its extent and use within a book. But these are the main things I’ve seen and used in determining the extent of magic in my books. Really, you have to tailor your approach for each series or each novel/story. No one story will be the same as another, and some may call for more magic than others, even within the same series. It all depends on the focus of the story or series and what you’re trying to accomplish. However, these key considerations should help you get started.

Have other considerations that have helped you to decide how much magic is enough? Feel free to drop them in the comments below! If you have a suggestion for a future discussion topic on Saturday Setups, please don’t hesitate to either email or leave a comment!