Making Magic Systems: The Only FOUR Types of Magic

Hello, fellow story-tellers, in today's video we discuss the four common forms of magic in media and how they're used. I hope this helps you get started on your own magic system whether it be for a DnD campaign, that new book you're starting, or video game you're making. If you are interested in more magic-ey stuff check out my Making Magic playlist, more videos coming soon.

Check out my first Magic System video here, Sanderson's 3 laws of Magic (beware the quality, it is one of my first videos ever) -

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Timecodes:
Intro - 0:00
Spells - 1:58
Magical Items - 7:08
Divine Intervention - 11:27
Enhancements - 15:02

Music -
Kevin MacLeod

[ethans]

"I don't want to give you rules necessarily, I want to give you inspiration, because that's where magic systems are born." is an amazing line.

[angrytheclown]

One of my favorite is Fake Magic. Where a supposed stage magician is doing his parlor tricks but they're beyond what normal earth physics would normally allow. I don't see that too often as an actual magic system, probably since people don't want to pin that with actual magic but it could definitely follow the same rules and be intriguing.

[alsy]

I came to the video doubting that it's possible to categorize magic systems into just four types in a way that wouldn't be meaningless because of the oversimplification -- but I am so glad I started watching anyway, because this classification is very good and useful! It certainly did make me think about my own magic system from a new perspective

[bfranciscop]

I had a similar conversation last month. I classified them in a differrent way.

- Magic as Discipline
- Magic as Science
- Magic as Mystery
- Magic as Emotion

Magic as Science is when the magic is completely understood and is based primarily on knowledge. Obtaining new powers comes from learning secrets, or having them taught to you. Training often does very little to make your magic stronger, if you want to become a more powerful wizard, you need to discover more secrets, find more synergies, learn things that others do not know, or do not dare to know. In these worlds, Magic is almost never intrinsically good or evil, it is just a tool. Basic example would be Harry Potter.

Magic as Discipline is when knowledge is not enough, you have to train, you have to practice. The more you train your supernatural powers, the stronger they become, merely understanding how they work is not enough, it takes effort and commitment. And this training often come with rewards, a wizard who has strong discipline and practices regularly, will manage more powerful spells than another who might have a better understanding of magic, but does not train it hard. Examples would be Avatar, Star Wars and My Hero Academia.

Magic as Mystery is when magic is not only unknown, it is unknowable. Magic powers cannot be well understood, you cannot train them, you cannot reproduce them, and study often provides very little understanding. Wizards have rote rituals for the small parts that they can reproduce and understand, but there is a vast iceberg of 'true magic' under the small parts that are understood, and most people with magical powers have obtained them by accident or being gifted by a powerful/divine being. Curses that cannot be broken unless specific conditions apply, or are created by the magic of the world itself as punishment are examples. Most divine interventions fall into this group, because the magic user simply doesn't know if the divinity will answer, it is not predictable. Magic items that may or may not work. The magic of The Elder Scrolls, or the Ctulhu Mythos or the Blasphemous game series, are examples of magic which *cannot* be understood.


Magic as Emotion is when the key feature is emotion. The magic only works when the user is emotionally attuned, either from being true to their feelings, or being attuned to their anger, or zen detachment. A wizard with all the training and knowledge will be unable to use this type of magic, if they are somehow cynical or not genuine in their attempts to use magic. This is the realm of Magical Girls, and most kinds of Divine Intervention, since the Divinity can typically judge if the user is being truthful when they beseech for a miracle. This differs from magic as Mystery because it can be understood, even if you cannot train to be more truthful to your emotions, another magic user can correctly explain that your magic didn't work because you didn't truly _believe in your friends._ Examples would be... almost every magical girl show ever, and a lot of Disney/Pixar magic.

Some worlds fall very solidly into one category, while others are kind of in between. For example, in Dragon Ball Z, characters power is affected by their emotional attunement, but discipline and training are the primary factor. Any Saiyan can get angry, but getting angry and channeling that anger correctly can lead you to a super Saiyan transformation. Goku's Ultra Instinct requires a state of zen-like empty mind, but this is not something that can be reached without a lot of discipline and training. In the world of Harry Potter, almost all spells are a matter of knowledge, if you want a potion to do a specific thing, just research the proper materials, but no amount of knowledge and training can significantly change your Expecto Patronum.

Understanding which type of magical world you are dealing with is important, because certain genres have certain expectations for the audience, and switching them can lead to betraying those expectations. For example, one of the big beefs people had with the Star Wars sequels is that they changed the genre of magic. In the previous movies the Force had been solidly Discipline magic, because the force was eastern-inspired supernatural martial arts, but in the sequels it became a mix of Emotion and Mystery, with force users being able to perform unpredictable magical feats that made no logical sense, characters emotional attunement becoming more important than their discipline, and the force itself seeming to make conscious choices like a divinity at some points.

[alananimus]

I like when authors think about how the magic in their world was first discovered. Most of the time it's just "it just exists" or "the gods did it that way."

[branhan]

I remember in high-school I read a book about what was essentially Dream Magicians- they lived in a dream world, creating dreams for mortals to visit in their sleep and they could visit the mortal world in their own dreams. The cool thing I remember was the main character spent his time in lecture halls and university classes to learn and understand physics and chemistry- the idea being that the more he understood how our world worked, the more realistic and believable the dream worlds he could create. I loved that idea, a magic system based on verisimilitude- where believing the dream made it more real, where the more specific the effect, the more powerful the effect.

[JustSomeDudee]

This video actually inspired a thought, although this has probably been done before.

Context: I am building a world for a D&D campaign but was thinking of expanding it beyond that in the future.

The inspiration: A system of magic where everyone is innately magical, but magic can only be used by those within which it has ‘awoken’. Each user of magic has a unique way of controlling their magic based upon the circumstances of their ‘awakening’.

Example: if a persons magic awoke to save them from a deadly fire, their power is drawn from runes and other symbols drawn in charcoal.

This system would likely draw heavily from the spells part of your video, although magic items would likely also be present.

Edit: Awesome video

[s.q.-e]

I read a book once that the magic was based on reading and writing, and the protagonist was dyslexic
Edit: wish I could remember the title

[monochromesoul]

I love talking about Magic Systems, and Atla has one of my favorite magic systems of all time.

[BladesOfLight]

One of my favorite takes on Harry Potter’s magic system is that it’s basically just programming. You have to use the proper command structure, the correct syntax, and if you mess up *even a little* your spell’s going to be buggy. however, masters of the magic system can assign their own shortcuts, create custom commands, integrate different spells together to create specialized effects, or even make their own custom spells for specific uses.

[davidcheater]

Another common division is Right-Hand, Left-Hand, and Middle-Path sources of magick.
Right Hand path earns power. You get it through meditation or through service to a divine being.
Left Hand path takes power. It usually, but not always, involves harming someone else.
Middle Path shares power. The user makes connections, usually to natural forces, that the user channels.

Left Hand vs Right Hand is much more common since it sets up a conflict between benevolent/malevolent people. The conflict with Middle Path magick is that it normally erodes the humanity of the user - the magick gets to shape the user for its purposes.

[Dagaz]

Seems to work in Pokémon:
Moves - spells
Abilities -enhancements
Legendaries - Divine intervention (until you catch them)
Held items - magical items

[cheesemaster]

The sole purpose of this comment is to get the algorithm to push this video to more people :)

[blottedcenter]

I like magic systems a ton, it’s always interesting to see what new stories can come from a well made magic system

[TsulaAngenati]

I’ve been working on a magic system for a while but it’s still only conceptual. It’s for a world designed to deal with mental health; the continents are based on regions of the brain, the monsters are mental illnesses and fears, the characters arcs go over the struggles of said mental health etc. I can tell that it’s mostly an emotional based magic system but half the time I don’t know what it should do

[Redbeardblondie]

5:04 Witch Hat Atelier. GORGEOUS artwork, AMAZING story, and a PHENOMENAL drawing-based magic system!

[dodiswatchbobobo]

Okay, let me guess from the thumbnail:

1: Crafted magic, which comes from powerful materials the magician makes into objects which can then be used by anyone.

2: Cast magic, which comes from specific actions on the part of the magician which activate laws inherent in the world’s reality. May or may not be used by anyone aware of the correct actions.

3: Self-powered magic, wherein the power comes from and is limited by the magician themselves. Obviously can’t be used by just anyone.

4: God-powered magic, which is given, taken, and ultimately controlled by a force outside of the magician’s power.

[Tyranastrasza]

Like any other aspects of your world building, I think the most important aspect of your magic system is internal consistency. Nothing can break your immersion more than inconsistencies throughout your experience. (Sure there can be exception here and there as long as they are justified in a way)

[daner]

My favorite magic system that I have read was Brian McCellan's powder mages. They were able to cast spells that used up black powder, primarily in the form of remote explosions. They also could ingest black powder to become super-human but with an addictive property if taken consistently over a long period of time. It was so unique compared to other systems I had seen that it really got my imagination flowing.

[yukannasenshi]

Uh, I accidently hit all 4 types while also making them have to rediscover the magic multiple times as if it was the first.