Dear Authors... Magic Systems
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 13 апр 2020
- Dear Authors Playlist: • Playlist
My Favorite Magic Systems • My Favorite Magic Systems
WHERE TO FIND ME:
► My Patreon: / merphynapier
► Twitter: / merphynapier
► Goodreads: / merphy-napier
► Instagram: / merphynapier
► E-mail: merphynapier@gmail.com
► Mailing Address:
PO box 22
Science Hill KY 42553 
Кино
![Dear Authors... Villains [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/noP8f0WvV4c/mqdefault.jpg)
I bet that lawyers would be the most powerful beings within a hard magical system. Finding loopholes in rules is literally their job.
Somebody need to make that into a book. "A lawyer accidentally gets summoned into a magic world. Though he is a novice to the world, he ends up becoming the strongest wizard by exploiting loopholes in the magic system.
Rules in a hard magic system are more like laws of nature and not just rules.
@@SirNafurious sounds like some anime shit your talking about
@@SirNafurious There is already a book about that. Well choose your own adventure but very well written where our character is essentially a lawyer finding loopholes in magical contracts.
The Name of the Wind's Empathy system is one that lawyers would be particularly good at. As it involves honestly believing that something is and is not at the same time. A lawyer's standard of good faith, means that they must honestly believe their arguments while knowing that the same arguments are also probably wrong.
Dear authors:
fight scenes
war
dialogue
technology
economics
specially economics.
Man, do I have a complaint about war! But I keep missing Merphy's community posts, so I'll write it here. If you show a battle, let people die on page/screen. It doesn't have to be gruesome or bloody, but make it clear that soldiers are dying on this battlefield
I would definitely be interested in a dear authors on war and fight scenes.
@@taylor_green_9 but it can also be gruesome and bloody right?
PLEASE DO FIGHT SCENES/WAR
As a fantasy writer, I’m so scared to watch this.
Same
These dear author videos help me a bunch. Daniel Greene did some too
@@texman89 Oh and Hello Future Me creates also really good content with "on writing" videos. He has some on hard and soft magic systems too.
I've been putting it off so bad 😂😂😂
Nervously sweating when you realize you messed up
I like this quote from Harry Potter: "If you have magic, why don't you just use it to solve all your problems." "Ah, but the problem is: the bad guys have magic too."
The half blood prince first chapter
Not gonna lie, I like it, feels almost like they're talking straight to the critics
That just described basically every fantasy book ever.
Lol
I love this
I know this isn't important to some people but... Dear authors... BOOK COVERS!!!
Actually, it's dear publishers. Authors sometimes have no choice.
Luna Dias yeah that's true...that's why I think that self pub. might be harder, yet somewhat better...
Unless they self-publish authors usually have very little control over their covers. At least until they become Big Important Authors. Of course self-published covers tend to be bad too.
What is it with American/British fantasy book covers? Does it really help sell your books if their covers look like those of bad videogames?
@@lunadias1289 selfpublished authors do and, quite often, they dont know what they are doing. I have no clue what to put on my book covers.
One thing I hate (that readers do, not authors) is that people act like there’s a dichotomy between hard and soft magic and you’re either one or the other, when in reality it’s more of a spectrum
Yeah, like people call alchemy in FMA a hard magic system when its inseparably tied to Truth which is fucking symbolism and The Philosophers Stones that are all like ”Yeah all of The rules alchemy has can be broken if you sacrifice souls”.
Yes, FMA is kind of unrelated to your comment. But I wanted To get that out there because everytime someone uses FMA as an example I get a stroke.
@@williamtimonen6814 in my opinion I wouldn't call the FMA alchemy magic since it is a actual study like you said
@@robispobes7833 It functions like magic so that's why people refer to it as such. It's really not that different from just like, spellcasting. There are more rules and restrictions but it's still pretty much magic with a scientific slant.
@HeadCanon Agreed. Most of the time magic systems fall in the middle. And I feel like that's the most reasonable since you have wiggle room to be creative but not so much that it just becomes a deus ex machina.
I know a lot of people criticize Harry Potter for having a soft magic system, but I don’t think soft magic systems are necessarily bad. I actually love the way magic works in the Harry Potter world, based on emotions. Like using laughter to get rid of a boggart, or happy memories to get rid of dementors. Love and sacrifice protecting people from death also makes this sense in this world because the magic is based on emotions. Rowling managed to make a message like love conquers all sound sweet rather than cheesy. People totally bought it.
Yeah not everyone wants a boring ass sience like super specific magic. Bring something new and weird
Making a hard magic system based on emotions is a viable thing. It is not about being sciency it is about knowing what is and is not possible within magic system. For example in harry potter he begins to learn tranfiguration in book one, which sounds like very very advanced magic, you literally change one object into another. this is miracle making. And at the same time he learns accio which is simple telekinesis in book 3...where is the logic in that! When you think about it turning a rat into cup is dozens of times more impressive than disarming someone. In fact battle magic seems to be very easy. No, scratch that...all magic seems very easy. Make a correct wand movement and say the word...done, you do not even need to understand what the spell does as evidenced by sectusempra. So what exactly are they learning for all this years? Why is voldemort better at magic if magic is just a movement of a wand and a word? Imagine if magic required you to picture specific thing happening in your mind, essentially being about having great imagination, if your shield was as strong as your belief that your shield is strong and battle magic was a psychological game where you want your enemy doubt himself and his abilities. It would be amazing. Instead, move your wand and say protego.
Jakub Mike In book 4, though, it is revealed that if certain spells, the example is evadra kedavra, is said, even with movement of the wand, it won’t do anything unless you really mean it. Also, Transfiguration does require a deep understanding of everything that needs to happen in order to cast the spell, and it really is more about emotion than knowledge, as even though Harry didn’t know what secumsempra would do, he knew he wanted to hurt Malfoy and was emotionally prepared to do it. Magic is anything but easy, as it requires so much more than waving a want and speaking the incantations.
@@kellyg2635 Please do not get me started on Avada Kedavra- this spell is like death of a magic system. It turn duels into "who can cast avada kedavra faster" Why would I cast ANY other spell if I am aware that every other spell can be deflected or blocked. Avada Kedavra sucks.
Transfiguration does require a deep understanding of everything that needs to happen in order to cast the spell
Sure...which is why it is tought in first grade. Seriously? Understanding how to turn a rat into a cup would require such deep knowledge about both objects that you may as well write "minor deity" on your entry paper. And if it does not and magic is very user friendly… I am sorry but I just fail to see progres in HP. Sure some spells are awesome (patronus for example requires incredible mental discipline) but it feels artificially added into the system to make it more complex.
There is amazing book about learning magic called Vita Nostra (seriously read it, awesome fantastic 10/10 make Brandon Sanderson look like a teenage fanfic writer) and they have soft magic system but WHOLY SHIT learning magic requires changing your entire way of thinking about the world.
Also if you think that Snape is mean… trust me, he is a carebear.
@@JM-mh1pp But having imagination and strong beliefs or willpower *is* how the magic works. Remember in the graveyard in GoF, when Harry's and Voldemort's wands connect, Harry has to push the beads of light towards Voldemort's wand. After they connected with his wand, all the shadows of Voldy's victims started showing up. In that scene even though Voldy is more experienced, Dumbledore says something along the lines of Harry's will to fight was stronger than his fear of death or Voldy. And Voldy's greatest fear is death, so Harry was able to push back against Voldy's spell. And even in Charms when Harry is doing a spell there are many instances where he imagines what he wants the object to do, before he says the incantation. Another example is Bellatrix telling Harry that only anger won't cause effects of Crucio, that they have to enjoy doing it. I'm not saying it's flawless, and hard magic systems are fascinating I love them too. But as a children's fantasy literature the magic system in Harry Potter is very charming. It's not perfect but it's not completely devoid of logic either, and that's what makes it so whimsical.
Hey you can also do something like dear author's...friendships
Yes! I bet Merphy will love this too
Please
Yes, there are actually so many things we can talk about on this topic 👍👍
That would be so interesting
Yes!! One of my favorite topics!!
I've always loved that Harry never gets really powerful. He's a good Wizard in the 7th book, but he's by no way outstanding
This. Even (spoilers for the end) when he gets what is allegedly the strongest wand in the universe, he just uses it to repair his old wand and then never uses it again
Yeah, everyone theoretically has the same powers and Harry isn't going out there bending all the rules of reality all the time.
Not only that. HP is a very soft magic system and I think it works in its favor. Largely because it's consistently soft.
But man, if you ever start to think about it it's headache inducing.
@@AnHeC it's not soft. There are plenty of rules and specific applications but Harry doesn't think on them much. There are new discoveries to be made as Dumbledore shows but he never intimates that they fall outside of logical patterns.
Power, skill and focus may dictate how effective a witch or wizard may be at casting a learnt spell but knowledge and intelligence (and maybe magical instinct) dictate how well they might develop new spells or potions.
The Potter books pretend that the magic system is a hard one (spells can be learned and must be performed in a certain way, the same spell usually yields about the same result every time it is applied, wands alignments have to be won, there are limitations to certain kinds of magic effects like summoning food or permanently changing your appearance), but from the readers POV it essentially is a soft magic system, because it is never explained what makes a good or a bad wizard and why some wizards can't perform certain spells. Whenever the spellwork is explained, the technical side sounds really easy - wave the wand in a certain manner, concentrate and correctly pronounce a few words. At some times, the aspect of strong feelings comes into it (Patronus, Lili's protection through self sacrifice) and the outcome of this seems to be vary variable and hardly predictable. Also the system has just too many inconsistencies to be labeled as hard, unless you would want to accuse Rowling of epic faillure to design a hard magic system. The inconsistencies of course mostly derive from the fact that the series started out with typical children book magic (wizard does wacky things by waving a wand and singing bippitybappityboo) and gradually morphed into a more regulated system as the book series morphed into young adult books.
I’m just going to absorb this information like a sponge and consider my own magic systems
Love your profile pic. An underrated show.
I don't like, specifically, the chosen one trope in which the chosen one is the only one with magic. For some reason that I don't understand that irks me. I like it better when everyone has magic and the ability to use magic, but maybe the chosen one has a stronger or different power than the rest. Anyone else agree?
I agree! Though I think the Harry Potter books handled that well. Dumbledore says, Voldemort listened to the prophecy and chose to act on it first, taking preemptive steps. In doing so he made sure that Harry became the chosen one. Harry does have some magical advantages because of this, Parseltongue, phoenix wands, etc. But he's really the chosen one because he has the greatest motivation to take down Voldy.
Totally agree! I think the reason I don't enjoy seeing it is because the chosen one is then treated as incredibly special just for having powers, and I just, no
Actually, your comment has given me an idea for a cool concept. Imagine only MC has magic in the entire world and he/she is actually 'the chosen one'. So when the moment of realisation comes, MC starts doing bullshit in their twisted 'i am the chosen one' mind and basically messes up the whole world around him/her or something like that. It could be interesting to see, how MC overcomes their arrogance and trying to fix everything they've ruined. Well, that concept needs some work, but still sounds nice, although looks a bit predictable.
kedalovo That’s an awesome idea! You should totally write that! I would love to read about how the MC realizes their arrogance and tries to fix it.
@@kendra5781 Well, if you wait for me to write it - that's a dead end, considering I already have 4 ideas for books (not counting this one) and I work lazily on one of them. I hope I can pick myself up soon and learn how to stick to a schedule, but for now that is merely a possibility.
That said, this concept is free to take, if anyone actually want it
Future Dear Authors suggestion: Writing Style. I know a lot of people (myself included) have strong feelings about this! But this is also an area where people tend to have very DIFFERENT preferences, so I think it would make for a fun discussion!
But writing style is purely a matter of opinion, some people like long sentences some prefer short ones. Some poeple like flowery language and some do not . How exactly would you want to create a guide for authors about that?
I think this could be a bit difficult to do, but still a pretty good idea. As a writer myself, certain writing styles actually really annoy me lolol but ik that it’s their choice, so I just ignore those books with writing I can’t handle to read. In order to guide authors, I think maybe she could talk about how certain writing styles fit with different types of books, whether they focus more on plot, characters, both, etc. or something like how writing style can affect how your readers feel about certain things, certain topics in the book, certain scenes, you know? For example: if someone just died in a book and one person writes it in a short, quick sentence and the reader is like, well.. they’re dead... and another person writes it with a few long sentences describing exactly what had killed them in depth. Then the reader could be like, wow.. that’s so sad.. they didn’t deserve to die like that.
I’m not sure if I made any sense, but I’m hoping that something I said made sense XD
@Jakub Mike That's true, but really every Dear Authors topic has been subjective. I don't think these videos are intended as a guide for authors, more of a platform for readers to discuss what they like and dislike in books. That's why I think a writing style video would be so interesting, because I bet we would get a lot of contrasting opinions!
I kind of want one for dialogue tags/“said bookisms” specifically. “Writing style” is a bit too broad, but tags are definitely a part of it.
Completely agree with this. Writing Style is something so intangible, but so important that it can make or break how quickly or even if I can finish a book!
Dear authors idea: gods/mythology. Sometimes I feel like the way that books involve their gods/ mythology is awesome or really out of the blue.
As a mythology nerd i feel this on emotional level.
I been working on that, making up a religion and having to have people who are also against it
I REALLY want to see this
I would love that since I'm going to be writing a story that is highly involved with the angels of that earth (the main characters are sent on a quest by the world's equivalent of God (but also not really, it's pretty complicated) and there's gonna be a lot of talk about the angels and the religion
Everything written by our king, Rick Riordan
I love it when people screw up when using magic. I love it even more when it’s intentional. Don’t know combat magic? Purposefully screw up that teleportation spell to cut your enemy in half. People only knowing a little magic- but using it creatively.
"This spell is ridiculously hard. Master magicians/wizards have trouble doing it!!!"
Some kid new to magic: *does it perfectly the first time*
But consider this, this is somehow the only spell the kid can do correctly *at all*. Even the most easy spells that every beginner starts with go wrong for them in some way, shape, or form. They can use this amazingly powerful spell, but literally no other spells without it going hilariously wrong. For example, he tries to make something float, but instead it turns into bubbles.
You should read Daughter of the Blood. You might like Jaenelle
Your description has a bit of a Rincewind feel to it (Colour of Magic).
Rincewind has the one spell trapped in his head.. he doesn't even dare cast it cause he has no idea what it does. 🤣
Megume from Konosuba is another. All she focuses on is the most powerful spell ever. Explosion!
Never learned any other spell, she can cast it. Once. Then falls down, exhausted 👍 technically an archwizard 😂
This is what I like about Harry Potter. Harry never becomes that good. He's protected by others, magical artifacts, Voldermort shortcomings or by his mum's sacrifice. He even says in the fifth book his reputation sounds good but he's mainly lucky (although that's possibly his mum's sacrifice helping him somewhat affecting the confluence of events like a felix charm over his life) or helped by others. Harry's talented but ultimately he's leading a charmed life.
literally all shounen protagonists ever
Another thing magic-worlds do a lot is that they'll present a seemingly magicless character (usually the MC) but suddenly in a moment of need, they'll turn out to be the most powerful mage in the world. It would be so much more interesting to follow a MC who is powerless in a world where magic is everything. This also applies to characters with little or average magic-power.
Never thought about this before but I totally agree. I am currently reading Mistborn era 1 and it just doesn't ever feel like the stakes are that high when the main character is the most powerful mistborn in that world.
I believe that making your character either average or very good at one specific discipline is the best way to proceed. If you make a main character essentially powerless it is hard to make a believable story where our character has some kind of influence over the world. If you make a story where magic prowess defines your station in life it is essentially impossible for our hero to change the world since in the perception of most people s/he is nothing. I remember a very nice book series called golden blood where our hero from the low class is essentially crafted to look like a member of the golden ones (elite) so that he can infiltrate them and overthrow the system from the inside. If he was still your typical red nobody would give a single flying frack about his opinions.
There's a webcomic called "Never satisfied" which has this for some of the characters (and is really cool and well-written in general)
@@Raging_Fish The anime Black Clover also kinda does this, that's why I thought of this in the first place. Thanks for the recommendation.
Agree , kinda like vin : she was a street urchin in the start but by the end of the book she's the most powerful mistborn & going to kill the unkillable lord ruler . Emmm not interesting
I have a story, that when you use magic, you feel the effects on yourself. So if you were going to attack someone with fire, you would feel the pain of the fire on yourself. Most magicians have a very good understanding of everything comes at a price, so they re more careful with their attacks, trying to limit the pain they inflict. However, certain magicians have learned how to channel the backlash through other people, making them feel the pain instead of them. Its an idea I had about a year ago, and I managed to make a whole world out of it.
And now I have stolen it
If you read Manga you might like Tokyo Babylon, it is one of Clamps first Mangas. I think it was then they curse someone, the curse comes back three times stronger (might remember wrong here, but ist definately came at a huge cost). It even got an OVA. (They are both old though ;))
But I like the Idea as well.
Happy writing and reading to you all :)
People who don't feel pain: This magic is free real estate
is the opposite it has something to do with science
you see when a human body is expose to cold their body generates heat but their body(currently) is freezing thus they only feel cold when using fire magic
Hippity hoppity your idea is now my property
I really enjoy worlds where the society is governed by hard magic systems, but the magic itself isn't necessarily governed that way and would more or less be considered a soft magic system. I.e. the government/society they live in has hard and fast rules about how people can use magic, but the magic itself is boundless. It creates a struggle within our protagonists to balance societal expectations with the temptation of using magic to best suit themselves. I think this works best when there are also hard consequences for using magic inappropriately. This is typically portrayed in books that refer to dark or black magic....which is typically magic use that is not approved of by society or the governing body. Magic itself is rarely "dark" vs. "light" but more based on what is acceptable vs what is not. I like these a lot because they really make me think about how I would behave...if I had the ability to use magic anyway I wanted, would I?
So like The Dresden Files' Laws of Magic, enforced by the White Council?
Based on this, I think you'd like the show The Dragon Prince on Netflix. It explores the morality/immorality of dark magic quite a bit and in interesting ways.
I like the idea of dark magic actually being more good in a way, compared to light, and some boss character explaining it like, "Where do you go to heal? Where do you go to hide? You fight in the light, but you survive in the dark."
I've had that idea for so long, and I want to see it SO BAD.
What you described sounds a bit like the magic system from "Witch Hat Atelier". It's not a novel but a comic and the magic is based on sigils drawn with magic ink. In the story it is revealed that at the beginning magic was commonplace to people and everyone could use it however they wanted wirh no restrictions at all. They just needed to have the ink and know how to use the correct symbols in the correct combination to form a spell. But this freedom resulted in people casting a lot of horrible magic to kill, torture people and to start wars etc. So some witches came together and decided to erase the memories of everyone except people they deemed were responsible enough to use magic peacefully in order prevent the world from going into chaos. They declared all magic that directly affects the human body, wether good or bad, forbidden and whoever revealed the secret that magic could actually be used by anyone would have their memories completely erased. It resulted in the general population believing witches would be born with magical powers when in reality it was just a craftsmanship that needed a lot of amount of practice and precision. The witch society then established a sort of "government police" that strictly controls the use of forbidden magic. However there's a group of witches that believes magic should have no such restrictions and still practices a lot of this forbidden magic in hiding. With these two sides opposing each other it makes up for really interesting situations like you described with the characters struggling with this kind of morally grey area, if forbidden magic is acceptable to be used in certain situations when it might mean to save someone's life or achieve things that can't be achieved with magic that is "allowed". The story is really well written and although it has a child protagonist and is generally a light hearted story the conflict with forbidden magic and also the system behind the sigils makes it super interesting. The characters are also all fleshed out and feel real. Even if you usually don't read comics I do recommend it because it's a really endearing story :) It might be interesting too if you fancy detailed artwork because the drawing reminds a lot of fairytale illustrations or old woodcuts which gives a whimsical feeling when you read it.
Reminds me of the Spellmonger
I've always loved the way Brandon Sanderson puts it in his rules of magic. The magic's ability to solve problems for the characters has to be directly proportional to how well the reader understands the magic. If the entire solution to the problem revolves around using magic, then the reader needs to have complete understanding of all the hard and fast rules. If it's a super soft magic with no known rules or limits, then the magic can't solve their problem, because that's just Deus ex machina and it's not satisfying.
Your magic system should be treated like the plot of any normal story. Have it's progression follow a certain path and theme, all while remaining some level of predictability and excitement! Don't start of with OP users being able to kill ppl thru mirrors and have the finale be a laser battle between two giants on the moon unless it's hinted at in the beginning. Foreshadowing within the magic system is a thing!
Is that a Naruto reference?
@@cassiohenrique6815 It's most definitely a Naruto reference. However, the aforementioned finale was also the cause of other problems besides the magic system, such as writer's block and other writing constraints. But the problem with the magic system that he mentions was happening far before that.
4:14 - Full Metal Alchemist got me by surprise, didn't expect it on a channel about novels. However, Amestris is such a great world and alchemy is so much detailed. Hiromi Arakawa created such a great setting.
Ayush Prasad Fullmetal Alchemist is one of the best animes out there!
I didn't like full metal alchemist. All the time repeating and repeating the rules. And I didn't like the fact that the protagonist from the first or second episode is able to break the rules by conjuring without drawing the symbols like anyone else has to (unless they have a filosofal stone or a copy).
@@Ignasimp While it does make sense for Ed to not need transmutation circles from the in-universe perspective, it IS a bit odd from the writing perspective. You set up this fancy system of glyphs and IMMEDIATELY make the protagonist ignore it. For him the only things that matter are clapping and equivalent exchange.
Come to think of it, the evil priest from the first two chapters should not have been capable of circle-less alchemy. The philosopher's stone alone does not grant you the ability to use your body as a transmutation circle. Kimblee still needed to use tattoos and stuff.
If you want a magic system that actually focuses on drawing glyphs, I can recommend the Witch Hat Atelier manga.
I MP they explain why he can do alchemy without a circle in the second episode though?
@@mercuryy94
It's because he was in this other dimension (sorry forgot the name of this place..) where he met Truth, right?
That's how I remembered it.
I like it when magic has a hidden cost, like "everyone pays eventually", or a psychological change due to the magic.
Coming from a Thriller lover, I was like "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS A HARD OR SOFT MAGIC SYSTEM!?" lmao. Thank you for explaining :p Also, I just have to add that you are very eloquently spoken! Listening to this and saying to my husband "THIS IS WHY WE HATED LEGEND OF KORRA VERSUS LOVING LAST AIR BENDER! IT IS ALL EXPLAINED! THEY TOTALLY SWITCHED THIS UP ON US" lmao
Awe thank you so much ❤️
I tried writing a complex magic system and my brain cells suffered ;-;
Same but what I find hard is writing protagonist or devoloping characters always secondary to the magic system
ao exactly
Man, complex magic systems are hard! [no puns intended] After a while, you learn what to ditch, what to keep, what to change, but eventually you polish down to a point where they feel very satisfying. Just watch out for the things that break your universe! And for the sake of everything that is sacred, develop and test you system a lot before you start writing, you don't want to stop halfway because you realize something is broken and you have to hotfix everything.
If it doesn’t help the story convey a core truth or idea, then scrap it.
Kill your darlings.
@@VegaNorth Strong disagree. Magic systems can serve more than those points you proposed. You can't objectify storytelling and say x or y doesn't work. I agree that there are scenarios where the magic system works against the narrative, but not that one should keep them around just for theme, purpose or plot. Write anything that you enjoy writing.
I love it when the main character is new to magic and the author describes how they feel physically when using it. Like “a rush of energy flowed through her veins, her vision blurring slightly, and once the rush was over she was left light-headed.” Make the readers feel like they could understand what it would feel like to use the magic! I want to feel like I have an idea of what it’d feel like to be a part of these fantastic universes.
the wheel of time does this so so well
If anyone is interested read The Call and The Invasion. They’re a duology based on Irish mythology about evil mutant fairies who want to kill you by transporting you to their underworld for a 24 hour hunt. It’s hard to explain, but it’s my favourite Irish-based series.
Amrita Sengupta Peadar O’ Guilin
I read The Call years ago and loved it. I had no idea there was a sequel! I'll have to give it a read. Thanks for this comment 👍
Hannah McDermott no problem! The Invasion ups the action and imo is a great sequel. I think the author went in the right direction in terms of what happens after the climax of the first novel, and it expands on the sídhe lore
On today episode of things I didn't know that I needed in my life...
Thanks for the recommendation! I have added it to my TBR.
"The muggle way would've been better. Why are you even using magic?" Yes! I'm stealing this.
Conversely, "Even our children can do miracles, why are we hiding from the rest of the world?" Harry Potter never made any sense to me.
@@Lurklen While there are many inconsistencies in the Potterverse, this one is actually quite easy to answer: The people born with magical talent are powerful, but they are few and they are not invulnerable. Muggles used to hate and fear them and hunt them down, mages were burnt at the stake in old times. The magic in the Harry Potter universe isn't as overpowered to allow those few people to easily force all of the muggles into submission. Not that it wasn't up for debate, wizard rule ultimately was what Voldemort and Grindelwald were aiming for, but it wouldn't have been easy and avoiding conflict with the muggles was arguably the wiser and healthier decision in the long run.
I *love* it when power scaling is properly accounted for in a magic system.
a thought: magic must not always have limitations, but it must have appropriate consequences. tension comes from wondering if the character knows the consequences or if the character will choose to pay the consequences. surprise awesome magic use followed by equally surprising and horrible consequences makes believable tension and can emotionally bond the reader to a character.
Thank you so much for the “Dear Authors” series. I just finished the second draft for my standalone fantasy novel yesterday after 15 months and I needed this video to strengthen my plot during my next rewrite. And writing any kind of magic system is the hardest of all kinds of writing as I tested writing in various genres. I lost the most brain cells creating the magic system😂
Hey I'm also writing a fantasy novel with a complicated magic system (although I only have 3 chapters and a very detailed outline so far).
I think it would be good for me to read other peoples work, especially unpolished stories, to help me get better at noticing problems in my own.
I would be happy to read it and provide feedback if you wanted :)
Jake Scott i would love that. Thank you for volunteering. I would be choosing betas very soon. Maybe you can help me see the problems in my manuscript. Just so you know, I am an underwriter so i struggle a lot with descriptions
@@valhatan3907 About my story? It's not up yet, it has a lot of work to be done before release. I'm working on it 💕
I get the whole "Don't have newbie magic users be amazing suddenly" thing. I like to think I avoid that, I have a hero who beats one villain (he's basically unkillable for reasons it'd take a LONG time to explain) by sheer blind luck, and even then still requires a heroic sacrifice from someone else to end the threat entirely.
And then he comes up against a bigger villain. And, to be blunt, he and his friends get their asses handed to them. Partly because this guy has had CENTURIES to perfect wielding dark magic, but also he lures them into a battle in the middle of a ruin called Dragonsfall which is BATHED in dark magic, so he can actively use the environment against them
So I wrote this message earlier on the community tab, but of course I was late to it as I am with everything. But for once I'm early lol
But, anyways, I don’t read many fantasy or magic books often (as I usually stick with realistic fiction, but I still watched this because I love your videos), so could I recommend a Dear Authors: Mental Illness/Disabilities? I’d love to see a video on that! Anyway, love your content and this series. ❤️
Edit- Thanks for all the likes guys
I would love that!
As an ocidiatic myself, hard yes
I would love to see that too!
Agreed!
Just wrote a plot line for a romance with a woman struggling with DID and I have tons of questions for the community.
Yes
Dear readers,
A hard magic system isn't inherently better than a soft magic system.
Yes, it is normal to have preferences and opinions - but SOME PEOPLE are unable to present it as an opinion and they present it as a fact instead :)
(I'm not pointing at a concrete person)
It's all in the execution. Take Harry Potter for example; people love it
Hard magic isn't magic.
@@GITAHxgCoo You don't have to like it, but hard magic is magic.
When you get down to it, it’s all about the deus ex machina. If magic solves your major story problems, a hard magic system can make it feel properly foreshadowed, properly earned, and feel like a clever twist on what’s already been established to be possible in your universe. But that just means a soft magic system needs to set up different obstacles and solve them in ways that aren’t completely magic based.
But, but, but, but WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS???!!!!
DRAGONS. ARE. FANTASTIC. Especially when they aren't evil
@@jumpybananas5249 Ever read the Wings of Fire books? Or perhaps the Age of Fire series? Both of those are extremely strong recommendations, especially if you're a big fan of dragons.
@@Clawdragoons I haven't, but I might check them out, thanks!
@@jumpybananas5249 Not a problem, always glad to share some of my favorite books.
@Jumpybananas Inheritance cycle and the last dragon chronicles are good dragon books too
I don’t think that The Inheritance Cycle gets enough credit for its magic. Its actually one of the strongest parts of its world (Regardless of people opinion on the rest of the book). It’s ‘mana’ system is super unique and consistent throughout the books. I believe it gets explained alike to ‘casting a spell uses the same energy as it would take to actually perform that action’. They have a rather consistent use of ‘mana storage’ and it’s rules on how to cast spells.
Cobra Ryan I have a friend who despises the Inheritance Cycle (and she lost a bet) and even she asked for the magic rules because she said it was pretty good.
I was literally just researching magic systems for a possible story, this video couldn't have been posted at a greater time haha
If you researching magic systems have a look at brandon Sanderson lectures.
Having a character that doesnt follow the conventional rules systems can be done provided that there is another rule system for that character.
Like maybe they have a totally different power that works in its own unique way while the rest of the world uses a different power.
Or maybe they break one rule but it's because thsy are the caviat/exception to the rule. Case in point ATLA, you can only bend one element UNLESS you're the avatar.
Or in a lesser sense, you need an external source of the element you want to bend UNLESS you're a firebender, in which you use an internal source of body heat/energy.
I'm currently reading a Korean Novel that has Reality Manipulation, "Mana", and Qi Cultivation (+ divinity) in one the same series.
Originally I thought the "gods" in this novel were just going to work as a mysterious force or something, but nope, turns out they're bound by a set of rules from another series by the same author.
The "Mana" is actually created using the reality manipulation that those "gods" have, and functions like if it was a role playing game. (It's actually a restricted and worse version of Qi)
Finally, Qi Cultivation follows the rules one would expect if they've read similar works. (And is also explained in previous not so closely related works by the same author.)
Once you read enough of it, you realise all of these are hard magic systems, that stay internally consistent. (Together they seem to form something closer to a soft magic system, in feeling.)
Magic Systems are interesting to me.
It's hard for me to exactly describe why I like them, I just kind of do.
But my favorites are easily the ones where they're incorporated into the world, and really makes them feel as though they're a part of everyday life. Take something like Alchemy from Fullmetal Alchemist, Bending from Avatar, or Quirks from My Hero Academia. It can even be seen in Harry Potter, with places like Diagon Alley and the Burrow. Normal, everyday people treating it like it's normal and not really magical. Just an everyday part of life.
Say, for example, there's a scene with two or three people working at a Car Wash. One of those people just sprays water on the windows from the palms of their hands, and another person uses their powers to blast the water off for a speedy air dry.
What I love seeing is people using their abilities in ways that make sense for them to be used in the society that we live in today; as a tool in their own jobs, or in their everyday lives, in order to overcome something. Seeing magic at work in a world like our own, in ways that show that these are not fantastical, but in fact just an everyday part of life for these people.
With that all being said, there's a magic system I'd be super interested to hear your thoughts on.
The Inscribed system from Epithet Erased, and more broadly from Anime Campaign, a more modernized setting for D&D. The gist of it is simple; About 1 in every 5 people is born with a random word attached to their soul, and that word grants them abilities based on their word. There are very definitive limitations based on the user's creativity and their stamina, but also just how good they are at using their Epithet in general.
It has a lot of potential in terms of developing into an incredible magic system, and I'd absolutely LOVE to hear the thoughts on it from a self-proclaimed Magic System Junkie.
That one commenter who said don't make it sound like "A wizard did it!" is a fan of Hello Future Me.
Next up: Dear Authors - Your Books' merch
Crap. I need merch?
It's an eagle not a raven. Also, it's blue and bronze, not blue and silver.
I started working on a series of short stories for a writing project, but I plan to one day get it published. The magic system works through 49 spellbooks, each owned by a protector family of sorcerers, and each book has a different category of spells bound to it; for example, the Book of Sight has all kinds of mirage and illusion spells, ways to find objects or people, can be used to look into an objects past, etc. Other than a few simple spells, casting without a book puts too much strain on a sorcerer, making the book a requirement. The two books that stand out as different from the rest are the Book of Enchantments-also known as the Book of Blades, and the Book of Curses.
Blades is full of enchantments for items, allowing for specific kinds of spells to be used without a book; but they’re only temporary, it takes a skilled enchanter to make one last awhile or cast multiple on an item without it breaking.
Curses has, of course, curses and hexes to cast upon others or items; mostly they’re temporary or have an easy cure and aren’t particularly useful, but some are stronger-used to punish sorcerers that break their protector oath or any others who try to steal spellbooks. It also holds counter-curses, all the directly lethal spells (example: shooting fire from your hands) but they come with a price of pain or injury; though the wounds heal fast once the counter-curse is no longer at use.
Imagine a curse that doesn't do anything immediately but over time it does minor, irksome punishments. Like blisters on fingers, constant pains, etc.
Storm light archive early magic system in book 1: “I have to use this stormlight sparingly, always avoid highstorms”
Stormlight archive magic system in book 3: *sees highstorm* “it’s free real estate”
Highstorms still needed to be avoided in the third book, a big thing is the world basically being destroyed by two highstorms. The big thing was a character being able to draw out stormlight without a storm and do something else and there's lift who just needs to eat.
"I love when magic has consequence"...and thus they spoke, "Read The Witcher!" hahaha (Another awesome Video!!)
Can you do like governments in fantasy and sci-fi it's specific but cool
So don’t do a Disney Star Wars, ‘suddenly magical resurrecting powers’ ‘oh she’s stronger at the force than someone who’s trained their whole life with 0 training’
See, I can't have something complicated. I think this makes me a soft magic fan. High Fantasy is already not a genre I gravitate toward, so having a magic system that is over the top and hard for me to understand is a way to keep me away from a story.
while hard magic systems are often complicated, being complicated isn't inherent to hard magic. a magic system doesn't have to be complex to be hard magic. i tend to prefer magic systems that are simpler, but i also generally prefer hard magic over soft, and there are definitely systems that are both hard and not complicated
7:26
Shoot, I kinda want to see magic users act they're in a western now
Anime does the best hard Magic (power) systems...
Hunter × Hunter, Fullmetal Alchemist, and My hero academia are good examples...
I'm definitely a hard magic system fan, but soft magic system done right is amazing
I can also say that anime can do amazing soft magic systems as well, take any of Studio Ghibli's fantasy movies like Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away for instance. They used soft magic systems and it was done beautifully!
My favorites being my hero, Hunter x hunter, Jojo, and fairy tail
The aspect I love to exploit in my stories is the quality vs quantity. Let's say our magic system uses mana points to measure the cost of a spell. A novice character may need to spend 100 mana points to cast the same spell that a proficient character would cast spending only 10 mana points. That makes the novice character stand on equal footing with the proficient character just for the duration of that specific spell exchange. Which in turn shifts the narrative from "I need to become stronger than Proficient Character" to "at my current level I have to create or take advantage of the right opportunity to beat Proficient Character" which I LOVE! Characters have to strive to be just enough at first and then much more than that.
As a writer - almost author - and a reader, I've really enjoyed your Dear Author series. So many of the things mentioned by you and your audience are exactly how I feel and how I write. And the things I never thought about are wonderful! I love hearing all the thoughts and opinions and considering how to go about using them in a story.
So thank you!
There’s two things that I think a magic system needs. Order and mystery and they sort of fit into the hard and soft categories. But the best things of both hard and soft magic aren’t mutually exclusive. You can have enough rules and specifics to how magic works to give it order while also having enough questions and new discoveries in a magic system to let it keep mystery. Just because the characters know how to do magic doesn’t need to mean that the entire scope of what magic can do has been discovered in a given system. Give the magic structure to build on but keep the mystery alive too.
I actually lile when the protagonist is better at magic than other “normal” users. Of course, they should be trained first for an appropriate amount of time but then become better than other magic users, even if it’s in a short time compared to others. It feels more satisfying to me, i can root for the protagonist better and be kept on my toes discovering what they can do that other users can’t (be it sheer power or clever use of magic).
Offtopic: Anyone got any good recommendations for books with hard elemental magic systems?
I'm not quite sure if this magic system is hard, but it's elemental and I enjoyed the series. So, I would recommend Magisterium, I can give you a quick summary too, if you are interested
Of course it's more satisfying, as its a power fantasy. Not to say, a little wish fulfillment can't be fun.
Yes, what is the point of following the story of someone complitelly average. Why is the story meaningful at all if that is the case.
An awesome book with a hard magic system is the Mistborn trilogy. It’s one of my favourite books. ❤️
Swan Queen i’m currently reading Sanderson’s Cosmere works (i still have to read Words of Radiance and Oathbringer). I started with Mistborn era 1, flew through the whole trilogy in 10-12 days or so. Absolutely amazing, one of my all time favorites. The magic system was incredible, the characters felt real and the badassery level was off the charts. 5/5 stars.
Ahhh the all magic comes with a price reminds me of Rumplestiltskin from OUAT
I'm writing a novel (hopefully series) about witches! I've had such a blast constructing the rules about their magic and spells. I've come up with some fun rules.
I really love the magic systems in The Inheritance Cycle. It has both hard and soft systems. Humans and elves have a hard magic system. The main character often makes mistakes because he is new to using magic and it comes with big consequences. Dragons can work magic as well, but it is a soft magic system. The soft magic system is rarely used to 'cheat.' It is almost always used to add emotional elements to the story. (The ending is in debate here though.)
She really knows how to dress herself! Fashion-sense on point
For authors looking for a really in-depth examination of magic systems, or just people interested in that sort of thing, check out Hello Future Me. He covers many other topics as well so if you have time to watch them, highly recommend.
Yeah, he has a really good 3-part series about hard and soft magic systems. Love that guy.
YESS
Mostly everyone who loves Merphy's content will enjoy Tim's
“Sim sala bim now I win”, looking at you Blood of Olympus.
Same
What do you mean?
Huh ? What do you mean ?
Franz Spoiler
it’s the worst book in the heroes of Olympus series. The main antagonist is just taken out by the three of the seven heroes
Kind of spoiler
I just didn’t find it a satisfying end to the story. It was an overall great story even if it was not as great as Percy Jackson and the olympians (in my opinion), and I loved it. But I felt like the whole story was building up to this epic ending that just never happened. Piper charm-spoke Gaia. GAIA. As in the goddess of the Earth, superior than all Gods and Titans, their MOTHER. And Piper was able to Charm speak her, when she hadn’t known she was even a demigod until a few months back. Piper is meant to have a weaker version of Aphrodite’s ability. But she played a vital role in distracting Gaia, the all powerful Gaia. It just feels very flat. The magic system that we knew was just flipped upside down. Then Leo gave his life. Jason did something. Percy kind of took a back seat because he was fighting his fatal flaw. I honestly don’t remember that well, it has been some time since I’ve read it. But I just remember Being disappointed. I still loved the characters though. Something just happened to the magic and it made no sense to me atleast. I am not trying to hate. I love the books. I love the characters. I am just trying to explain how I felt.
Learning rules as you read, check. Physical consequences, check.
Not easy, check.
I think I'm doing ok according to this, but the reader will only see one side of my magic system until book 2
As long as it is hinted that there are more possibilities to the magic system i think it's a great idea.
My favorite magical system is eragon, say what you want to say about the books, the magic system is really interesting.
this series is honestly so interesting. dont stop ever please 🥺
I love hard restrictions on magic systems. How Mark Rosewater says: restrictions breed creativity.
True
This makes me so happy. I wanted to see a dear authors about magic systems and I’m also early 😅 :)
Best magic system in my opinion is stands from jojo's bizarre adventure. It gives you so much variety. If it is a hard or soft magic system depends on the individual. Also, music references
Next time can you do : "Dear authors friendships" please
this is wild i spent all day binging magic system videos after a bunch came up in my recommended after I started watching YOUR videos - and now you've made a video on magic systems!!
I like in magic systems when you DO get a bunch of details pretty quickly (in the narrative, not like a rulebook) but it develops in reasonable, believable ways throughout the book or books. Like, maybe you know the characters need a lot of focus in the beginning of the book, and loads more simple rules, but we later learn that they actually need to be focusing on specific things about the magic they're trying to use.
Just for an example, say the character is trying to conjure a log. In the beginning of the book they're not very good at it and can only conjure smaller things or can't keep the log existent for very long. Later, they learn they need to be focusing on their most prominent senses. Then, maybe they start thinking more about how the log would smell, with its cut wood and broken bark. They at this point realize this is all they needed to change and they would have a breakthrough moment where they become drastically better at the magic system than they were before.
I’ll argue to the ends of the earth that Harry Potter is a hybrid soft/hard magic system. It has (mostly) consistent rules that go unbroken, though they’re not all encompassing or intuitive. The definition of a hard magic system is also by how much readers understand what is happening. You read “accio” and you know what is about to happen.
You read "Imperio" and you're confused. It can be used for good or evil (See: Pius Thicknesse)
One of my favourite series on this channel. After I watch an episode, I am always inspired to write/keep writing. Thanks Merphy and thanks Merphy’s community (I think we need a name).
All I can think of for a community name, despite how weird it sounds, is “Merphy’s Worms” as in bookworms but now hers, I don’t know.
I like Soft Magic Systems mostly, my magic system in the novel I'm writing is divided into 5 types of magic, Elemental, Divine, Illusion, Abjuration, and a forbidden type Darkness. Here's a breakdown:
Elemental Magic). Magic that has to do with Fire, Ice, Lightning, Energy and Earth, like shooting a fireball/sending torrents of flame at your foes, conjuring a sword made out of ice, sending forth a bolt of lightning, manipulating the earth around you, or blasting magical energy bolts at your foes.
Divine Magic). Magic that has to do with healing, destroying undead, or just sending a beam of sunlight or a blast of holy fire at your enimes.
Illusion Magic). Magic that has to do with mind control and making people see things that aren't really there...nuff said
Abjuration Magic). Magic that has to do with protecting the caster or his/her friends and allies, like casting a magical shield
Dark Magic). Magic that has to do with raising the dead, summoning demons and blasting dark energy bolts at people or manipulating the shadows around you for easy transportation
@@balrajsingh1492 Sorry I'm not smart enough to come up with a new very complicated magic system for my book
You know sometimes easy stuff isn't always bad
And I like my magic system and don't care if some of the stuff is "over done"
I'm not smart enough nor do I want to have a complicated magic system ok?
I already have a lot going on with my characters, villains and world
I just want the magic in it to be easy and understandable
I'm still working out the kinks
I LOVE soft magic systems
Also, soft magic systems aren't just convenient plot devices 99% of the time. Essentially there's no hard and fast rules. It's part of the story but you don't know what the limitations are - if you're a good author it still makes sense while reading. A couple of examples would be Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner and Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.
I do too.
'Learning the magic should take time and effort' Rey from Star wars: 'Am I a joke to you?' ;P
😂 true
for the story I'm writing the magic source (an ancient goddess) Is re awakened and the magic is shifted. Shifting magic causes imbalances and chaos, one moment your magic is normal, the next it's too powerful to control, or is incredibly weak. Even though the world used to have strict rules, the rules are now broken. Every living thing in this world is connected to magic in a way so they go chaotic as well Ex: animals becoming hostile, overgrowing plants taking over villages, and things like that.
I feel honored to be this early for a Merphy video
I know it's just a blouse and jacket, but I absolutely LOVE your look in this video!!!
I love the way you described having a ‘soft’ magic system in the beginning, that then slowly over time, gets explained and explored until the reality that it’s actually a hard magic system is revealed. As I am writing myself, and having issues starting, while wanting to avoid info dumping where possible. I like this idea that I can info dump with setting, and gradually reveal the magic system as things become relevant, or when things slow down in other areas, I can have a character pause and go ‘wait, what about...?’
Don't do that last one. That is a terrible method of writing. Comes across as very contrived
Malthizar in what regard?
Something I hate in magic books is when the characters still follow “muggle” traditions. For example in Harry Potter, the Weasley’s, a very magically involved family, still celebrate Christmas. I would have thought wizard religion would be similar to Pagan and Wiccan beliefs or ancient mythology, as major religions like Christianity definitely don’t accept magic.
In the UK at least, Christmas isn't limited to Christians. Plenty of non-Christians celebrate Christmas in England.
@@snowyfictions yeah same in Finland
👏🏻Excellent point. Especially since the church burnt witches alive. There should be some sort of prejudice and stroooong antipathy from wizards towards Christians and Christianity.
That would be so cool.
But a lot of non Christians still celebrate Christmas.
I'm so grateful to you for uploading this video. I'm currently writing a fantasy thriller and this video will definitely help me a lot.
Continue doing the great work!!
❤️❤️
ATLA is really great in building the magic system and adding new elements as the story goes on. Every addition is clearly well thought out and planned and comes into the story in a natural and fluid way. It's not book related but you're watching it and it's awesome so yeah...
I absolutely love the way My Hero Academia works with their power system and what that means for their world, society and for the individuals. It plays with the scope of it in such an interesting way. While it's Manga and Anime. It's still great in it's story method and characters.
Dear Authors is my favorite of your series. I prefer hard magic, but soft magic is fine, provided it doesn't prove the ultimate Deus ex Machina where surprise information and powers that we'd never seen before suddenly arrives and saves the day. Those episodes, I think, are fine if it's everyone now and then but there are some authors for whom their characters' plot armors are so powerful that they are CONSTANTLY being saved from the jaws of certain destruction by stuff coming out of nowhere. The Malazan books, despite being some of my favorites, are notorious for this, tempered only by the fact, I think, that he actually lets characters die sometimes.
There was a really fascinating magic system in R.A. Salvatore's "Demonwar" books, where they used gemstones and each gemstone was able to channel a specific ability, so it was very clear what you could and couldn't to, e.g. graphite was used for electricity, hematite for healing, tiger's eye for cat-like reflexes and speed, etc.
this is my absolute favourite series ever! i can nerd out on my favourites and frustrations towards books with a bunch of like minded people. it’s like a RUclips book club or sumthin.
Magic systems are part of what pull a reader into a book as if their a child again discovering something they have never seen before and the process of learning about it is what makes it exciting and enjoyable so throwing in all the rules right off the bat never has the same effect or enjoyment as taking the reader on a journey of learning it with the other characters
One piece does it so well that its mind blowing! Its like the author explains the power ten years after it was revealed the first time!
Hard Magic systems are more my thing. Consequences leave us with the feeling that when a character gets themselves into a life threatening situation, it could all end because they don't have limitless power at their disposal.
Oh god, You're videos are so great for me, as someone who's aiming to be a writer. And this one in particular has made me feel even more proud of the magic system I made in my world. Love u😍
I love magic systems. Some of my favorites are Mistborn's Allomancy, Jojo's Stands, and HunterxHunter's Nen.
14:30 That's why I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the "introduction" of the Deathly Hallows. That's one of JK Rowling's best moments in the whole series. She tied the first book beautifully.
Totally unrelated to the topic, but I have to say I dig your clothing style. :)
My world has the "9 kinds of magic", which while they all seem disparate are actually 9 ways to approach the way magic works in the world. They all have hard magic rules; and some of the rules, themes, concepts bleed between the different 'kinds' of magic. So it's all clearly interconnected and a massive thing but it's so big and so complicated that it's incredibly rare for someone to actively perform more than one kind.
Wow thanks so much for this video! Loved it so much! And somehow it made me understand my own magic system in my WIP even more. I used to think it was a soft magic system but now I see that it’s actually quite hard. And I can actually see a lot of the stuff talked about in this video in my magic system so that makes me feel really happy and better about it. I love this series, keep it up Merph!
I really like the magic systems used in The Iron Druid series. The main character is confined to a Hard Magic system of rules, but seemingly the other beings he encounters utilize soft magic systems. Makes for a fun balance.
Mainly what I think about magic, particularly if it's in a medieval-like fantasy setting, is that two questions need to be addressed:
1.) If some people can alter reality at will, realistically what do people who know how to hit people with swords bring to the table in a combat scenario, and
2.) If some people can alter reality at will, why would medieval technology ever have been invented?
I guess I don't really read a whole lot of fantasy, but from what I do I don't really see these issues addressed in a satisfactory manner all that often.
Another Dear Authors, sweet! Currently one of my favorite series from you, Merphy. Your expression in the thumbnail is funny btw lol.
I hope you all have a great day.
I love when characters who use magic have a limit on how much they can use. Like they have a certain amount of magical power and when it’s gone it’s gone. Or when they are physically hurt or fatigued it’s harder to cast spells. In general I like when magic is connected physically to the wielder, just like any other skill would be.
My world has magic that is mostly dependent on a different world, there are three in total, the real world, the world it takes place in and the magic world. The magic world is sentient and that is where magic comes from (there are also fairies which are basically demons and witches which are just humans whose ancestors were given magic to use freely and it was passed down, they don’t have any magical consequences but they aren’t really a big part of the plot) and only some people are chosen by the world to use magic, and when they use it to do something that the world doesn’t like, the consequences are a lot more severe. Like, the bad guys are basically the government who are in charge of the world it takes place in, they... how do I put this... round up and kill everyone born with the ability to use magic (they don’t kill them, exactly, they force them to use it constantly until all their strength is destroyed and they die, they play this off as them getting weaker while the magic consumes them) under the pretence of trying to ‘cure’ them, because they don’t trust the magic world, so when any of the magic people uses magic to help them, they end up really exhausted and confused as they get the negative effects of the magic. And it’s all based off of whether the magic itself agrees with what you’re using it for.
Harry’s patronus was my favorite method of learning. Even if he did pull out a perfect one just in the right time, to me it felt earned and made enough sense in the context
When you are using Sandersons Definition, you should mention him-not as a author, but also as a scholar in world building. He has some great lectures.
When it comes to developing hard magic systems there have debate about the influence on pen & paper roleplaying games on books and storytelling.
I think Avada Kedavra could have been absolutely fine if it was just tweaked slightly. The killing curse is instant death and all that, but only if it hits you. The curse can be deflected/blocked with your wand. I'd imagine a skilled enough wizard could even block killing curses from a few death eaters at once because blocking seems easier than just casting something. Therefore, it should've been emphasized that it was only truly effective when you weren't expecting it, such as a surprise attack or attacking from the shadows or attacking you while you are distracted, very shady and underhanded sort of methods that further emphasize that it is an evil spell.
Standing in place casting instant-win spells back and forth that are easily blockable is boring and nonsensical, like watching them play magical death tennis. Creativity should've been the primary means of attacking one another. A killing curse is easy to block, sure, but what if that tree root on the ground is magically made to grab and choke you? You won't killing curse your way out of that one, you'll have to use some other spell to try to escape from it or undo it. Having to rely on imagination as well as a large array of spells in your repertoire should've been key to winning duels because other secondary effects would've been far more effective than easily blockable killing curses, even if those secondary effects were there just to temporarily stun or distract you to get the killing curse off.
So I think there is really nothing wrong with having the killing curse, I think they just handled it in a boring and unimaginative way because it would absolutely NOT be the primary means of battling other wizards because it has a tremendous weakness in that is is so easily countered despite how deadly it is when it actually hits. Comparing it to guns, they would not be as useful in war if everyone fighting in war had forward facing bullet-proof shields. They'd still be used, sure, when you didn't have that shield up, but a lot more emphasis would be placed on other types of weapons that the shields wouldn't help against like grenades or gas or even fire.
Also, if we're being real, the Imperius curse was waaaay worse and more powerful. Instead of insta-killing everyone, if you have the same ability to insta-control someone with seemingly no limitation on the number of people you can command at once, that is a WAY better curse to use. You can just slowly convert your opposing faction into more allies. Their friends wouldn't be expecting it, and if they were expecting it, they'd always have to be super paranoid about when it was going to happen and could never fully trust standing back to back with fellow wizards. It would spread exponentially if your imperiused folks would imperius more folks, and on and on it goes. And once everyone was quickly incapacitated, THEN you could kill them all.
i do think that is more of an issue of the movies than the books, or at least the books left it open enough to visualize for ones' self. Though the Dumbledore vs Voldemort fight was fairly well shot in the OotP movie. Dumbledore was using summoning and moving objects to block Voldemort's attacks.
I like the look for the upside ad that came before this.