  Fantasy
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** Image ID #1169323 Unavailable ** Fantasy! In the realm of the imagination, boundaries become meaningless. I'll be pointing out different styles and offering advice on key elements of fantasy writing. Enjoy  |
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~ Magic Systems ~
When developing role-playing games, you have to write out the mechanics of how magic is going to work. As worldbuilders, it's also useful for authors to consider these fundamental points:
Power & Possibility
What scope does magic have in your world?
 Low: Magic exists in the world, but it's rare and only a few advanced magicians have access to it. Society is enhanced by magic but not dependent on it. (Lord of the Rings)
Medium: Magic exists and there are even rare schools. Everyone will probably encounter it sometime in their lives, as often or uncommon as traffic accidents in a society with cars. (Forgotten Realms)
High: Magic is everywhere, in every kitchen, schoolyard, and government office. Civilization (as they know it) would suffer if the magic ran out. (Harry Potter)
What kind of effects should magic have in your world? This relates to whether magic is learned, innate to people, or innate to the world.
Plot Device: Your story doesn't focus on magic, but you'll use magical aspects of the world (or background characters) to make the plot go where you want. (The Lost Regiment)
Decorative: Magic's purpose is to add color to your story. While there are only a few ways to swing a sword (and well-known, at that), magical effects can come in any color, sound, and flavor. Spells should be wondrous and awe-inspiring in order to be a signature effect in your world. (Xanth)
Definitive: Magic is the end-all be-all of the story. The main characters are probably magicians, and being in charge is everyone's goal. The world is up for grabs to the magician who gathers the most power. (Sword of Truth)
Fixed or Freestyle?
Magic systems can roughly be divided up into two categories: ones with fixed spell mechanics, and freestyle magic.
Fixed spells can be defined by formulas and recipes. Certain movements and words and ingredients can produce predictable results of known power levels. The spells can be codified and passed on through conventional teaching methods. Given a certain situation, you could predict what magic a mage would call upon to deal with the problem.
Freestyle magic isn't so cut and dry. While there might be known methods for causing certain effects, the results vary widely between practitioners. Magic is created on-the-fly to deal with any situation, and each magician's personality determines the effects.
Limitations
Since magic is so powerful a force, most games and stories have some method of balancing out its use. Game systems generally use the idea of magical energy (mana, power, spell points) that gets used up when casting spells. This power must be replenished later through time, sleep, or meditation.
In stories, other factors protect the story from being a fireworks display of magic:
limited access to spells
unpredictable results
practice causes exhaustion
hard-to-find ingredients
narrow range of application
long concentration requirements
risky to cast spells
 I hope the above points have massaged your imagination to better help you flesh out your story's magic system.
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billwilcox wonders: Magic and spells are intriguing, but I always yearn to know the wizards story; I wonder how they got started and what made them decide to become people of magic.
 Sounds like a fantasy contest waiting to happen, Bill! *hint hint* 
 Last week cwiz  asked the question: What is fantasy?
Breezy-E ~ In College : Fantasy is, well, fantastic! The hero, or usually heros, combat evil. There is often a magic system in it, and sometimes a damsel in distress. Fairytales could be considered a type of fantasy
dareng: To me, fantasy is anything that involves fantastical happenings, or is set in a fantastical place, and is not so technological as to be science fiction. It doesn't have to have elves and dragons, although that's certainly the common perception of fantasy. Fantasy is where your dreams come true.
dogfreek21: The opposite of reality- fantasy is the result of wild imagination.
John~Ashen : Chocolate syrup and whipped cream strategically placed on Alyson Hannigan's body. Oh wait, not that kind of fantasy! 
To me, fantasy is any story that lets me escape the rules and expectations of this reality. Strangely, I prefer worlds with definite, structured rules of their own, instead of free-wheeling wonderlands.
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Fantasy: November 22, 2006 Issue [#1394]
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