Thoughts of a Mad Man

Taxonomy of Magi

Hexmasters, magisters, witches and sorcerers? Oh, my.





Some questions a writer must answer about a mage:





How did he come into power?


What does he feel about his power?


How well does he want to understand his power?


How does he use his power?


How does his power affect him socially?


World-building: How did he get the power?


There are two classical kinds of magic: the native and the educated. In your world, you must decide if magic is something that a common person could learn, and if so, how difficult is it. More importantly, what difficulties await the aspirant. Magic could be a complex art requiring vast memorization and drills. It might require massive concentration, or excessive confidence, essentially, faith in oneself. Perhaps it requires that another person cast spells to open your power — a magical hazing or initiation. Or perhaps, it is both simple and easy if you know the right words. In my own fantasy world, all of the above apply. Peasants can be trained to gather magical power through hard work and discipline. There are spells that can open them up, making them magical creatures — called trueborn sorcerers. And there are repositories of magical energy which open up if you know how to access them.


How does he feel about being a magus?


Now that you know where his power came from, it may help you answer how he feels about his power. Is it a curse, a responsibility, a mere craft or profession, or something else entirely?


How well does he understand magic?


Level of understanding is a rich place to mine a character. Some wizards may be so engrossed in the theory of their art, that to write from their point of view renders the story a bizarre form of science fiction, as the character is, in essence, a mystic scientist. Other characters may only study the theory to expand their competence; they only wonder: why did it work this time, and not the last? And others simply take it for granted. Spells work; these men focus on tactics. Each of these options (and the gradings between) will have huge repercussions for the writer, defining the character's behavior in nearly every scene.


What is the power intended for?


And How does he use it?


Now that we can define how he feels and thinks about his power, we come to another very basic question that defines all characters: Knowing the mechanics of his power, we look into what he does with it. This is the basic question that defines every character in every story, but here, it may be a little different. First, you must define the basic motivations of your character. What does he want and what rules must he follow in getting that. Then, with your magus, you must define the role he believes magecraft (or whatever he calls it) plays in his desire to achieve it. Believe it or not, many magi may believe their power to be essentially useless in the pursuits they actually care about. Or, it may be dangerously tempting, but not permissible.


Superman is a good example of how power affects a character's story. Stories about an invulnerable man trying to survive are dull to the point of being silly. Instead, Superman's stories are usually about protecting other people from the consequences of his power, about resisting the temptation to play god, or shielding them from the people who would make them pawns in battle with him. Any mage of sufficient power would likely find himself in similar situations.


For another example, think of my character Carolie, a healer. She becomes upset when asked to use her power to heal a knocked-out foe, to keep him from waking early. She feels, her gift is "not meant to give us advantage over other people. It's just for helping them." (She relented after it was pointed out that the man still deserved to be healed.)





Does he play well with others?


Which brings us to the social ramifications. Does our mage find that power draws him into the lives of the people around him, or does it separate him? Possibly it would do both, as a man with so many options might become dreadfully tired with all the decisions. He might look upon normals as animals, either pets or prey, or he might think they are children. Meanwhile, a mage with lesser power might not feel much different than a doctor or a musician, and feel very much the same as his mortal fellows.





Bonus: Are there unforetold, secret consequences?


Power has consequences; if it didn't, it would be something else. But sometimes, there is a hidden cost, a side effect. There could be slight tricks of 'magical hygiene' or 'magical ecology' which the Texts don't explain. Your teacher was supposed to teach you. Perhaps the use of a spell attracts the attention of spirits, or actively involves them. Perhaps those spirits might be friendly, or they might be demanding payment. Then again, they might be simply overzealous. Summon an angel to help you clean your room, and he'll do it gladly. But if you don't send him away, he might give you a case of OCD, forcing you to wash your hands until they are raw. You might be stuck with him until you can get help. More importantly, the cleaning-spirit is downright civilized; what if you made a similar mistake with the spell that helps you with your swordsmanship?





Case studies:


Three magic users in the same book, that I'm writing.





Carolie is a trueborn healer, who has been able to heal since before she could walk or talk. Boundless energy arrives at her slightest whim. She has no other trauma than the vague sense that everybody's life depends on her. She loves the people around her, and worries about them because they seem crippled, insanely fragile. They worry her with their proud recklessness. These feelings make her willing to sacrifice for her people. She would never think twice about risking her own life, yet she feels driven to fuss and preach to her friends about their safety. This has led to her friends keeping secrets from her, to spare her 'feelings.' This isolates her and stops her education. Being untrained, she hasn't even a name for the source of her power. Essentially a priestess, still she must wander around the world with nothing to guide her except her inborn intuition, 'innocent as a little girl.'





Verdenten is a wizard, who aside from a bit of supernatural intelligence, had to work for every bit of magic he ever used or knew. He has to study for hours before the first time he casts a given spell. And then, even the simplest magic bullet requires half an hour's preparation, drawing the energy and binding it so that it will be ready when called upon. (Similar to Vancean magic, I understand, or Dungeons and Dragons.)


Magic, for him, requires planning and foresight, so he thinks carefully before every action. He is the first to recommend escape or retreat. He shuns violent magic where possible — in part because battle is so unpredictable — preferring to spend time in his sanctum growing a garden. When faced with a tense situation, he immobilized the opponent with a giant hand, turned the dirt beneath his feet into mud about a foot deep, then hardened the mud into rock, causing him to be temporarily rooted to the ground. (These spells had been planned for moving a tree. One must improvise!)





Gregor is a peasant who was "initiated" into power by an Order, the once heroic "Order of Soren." They read a magical Text to him, which altered his understanding of the universe. Now, he has access to nearly boundless magical energy, but he must steal it from the living things around him. Doing so gives him a surge of pleasure, power and youth, but it quickly fades, leaving him empty and hungry for more. Also, he is tasked with initiating others. He struggles, looking constantly for ways to slow the damage he does. When Carolie's friends promise to stop him, he says, "Stop me? Put things right? I so hope that you do." He is weighed down as much by tragic shame as by the gnawing effect of "The Hunger", as the Order of Soren calls it.





Carl is a little boy, Carolie's son, full of energy like his mother but with a different outlet. He can summon lightning at will. His hair crackles with static when you touch it. He runs like the wind, never stopping (except when sickened under Gregor's curse.) He never thinks about magic, nor ever refrains from saying what's on his mind. But he does see what's going on, and tends to think of the adults as children, because they don't.





As you can see, the decision to begin a story about a magic user conjures more questions than it answers. Magic will have a pronounced impact on the character and personality of the person who relies on it. Two mages may vary due to circumstance and personality, or they might vary due to the nature of their personal gift. Whatever the limits and nature of power in your world, be sure that it causes enough problems to keep your characters busy! Otherwise, they're not your main character — or you don't have a story.