Creating Magical Spells

A while back, years even, I had an incredibly vivid dream (I'll probably never forget it entirely, and may even write it in its entirety here some day). One of the things that stuck with me though, aside from the vast detailed landscapes & intricate personalities of its characters was that there was magic actively being used. Not only that, but it was being taught to a set of young brothers, from its basic levels up into more complex ones. This is a rough outline of the spells used in my dream, how they were cast, why they were cast, and the basic limitations they were constrained to. I initially wrote these out... Wow, it's been 2 years & four days. Time flies & all. I hope that if you are interested in creating your own magical formulas that this will aid you. Enjoy!


Working on a system of spells based on something I dreamt last night. 4 incantations stuck with me:
+I call upon the wind! Class 2, 15 twisters encircling the target in even intervals!! Tornado!
+I call upon forged earth! Class 1, magnetic field to the designated objects! Come!
+Flames hear my cry! Class 4, solids into flame! Charge!
+I call upon the flames! Class 1, a blade to burn through the forms of my foes! Strike them down!

The pattern I've come up with essentially goes: Element, Power & Form, Action
Things I have worked out from this so far:
-If its the user's element, they have an easier time casting higher level incantations
-If they've used something like the desired spell in the past, it becomes easier to use
-If there is a catalyst for the element used, it not only becomes easier to use but easier to maintain
-If the incantation or purpose is a new one, not only does there need to be a more described incantation, but there must be a CLEAR objective
-The more one is proficient with an element, action, or if they just have the raw talent/imagination, the less specific they need to be, with obvious exceptions (do this, then this on this extremely small scale, then these other actions)

Further elaboration on the incantations:
+The first is used by the mother, an experienced Wind mage, in an extreme circumstance
+The second is used by the father, an experienced Earth/Fire mage, as a joke with one of his sons. He pulled 25 shopping carts into a ring around their car, stacking them together in groups of 5.
+The third is used by the younger son, during the sons' first training exercise. He used it to transform a large blade into a kind of board, riding it down a mountain & using it to cut down objects. By using it, I don't mean colliding with the objects, I mean jumping up, swinging the sword, then putting it back down & continuing to ride it before hitting the ground.
+The fourth is used by the older son, during the sons' first training exercise. He used it on a to create a blade of magma, which hardened, cracked, and became a red-stained longsword, its blade ornate & jagged on the rear side.

Every mage has a weapon of some sort, which they create or adapt to themselves. It can be broken down into nothingness, and reformed in the same image. It cannot become another weapon. It can change its shape for a limited time, but always returns to its normal shape. The weapon is the shape of the soul.