Hey, it’s Emily! Today we’re discussing a favorite worldbuilding facet: magic systems. Many fantasy novels—such as high fantasy, fairy tales, magical realism, and science fantasy—include magic in their stories, but did you know that the technology in science fiction stories follows many of the same structures as magic systems? That’s why this blog post will cover both, so you’ll be ready to handle any subgenre of fantasy or science fiction and devise your own unique magic system, whether that’s tech or the arcane.
What Is a Magic System?
Firstly, we must define what a magic system is and why it’s important. Fiction writer C. R. Rowenson provides this definition:
A “magic system” refers to the rules, limitations, and abilities that define the magic. Any single effect or ability can be magical, but the theories, rules, and connections that tie them all together are the system.
Writers create magic systems to answer the reader’s questions about how the world works and what the characters’ abilities and limits are. By clarifying what can and can’t be, readers have the context to interact with your story more, appreciate the stakes, and root for characters to overcome their obstacles. Creating a magic system also allows writers to give their own magic and technology a unique flavor because no two magic systems have exactly the same rules, limits, uses, and origins.
A helpful start to forming your own magic system is determining how “hard” or “soft” you want it to be. These terms were coined by writer Brandon Sanderson in his Laws of Magic, though they are more of a spectrum than two separate categories. Let’s define them now:
Hard Magic Systems
A hard magic system involves a clear set of rules. The readers understand exactly what characters can or can’t do with their magic, whether this be physical limits or laws that govern them. This type of magic system can be excellent for raising the stakes in your novel and introducing moments of heightened conflict, because in moments when characters are in danger, readers can foresee the solutions or potential dangers.
For example, maybe a character has fire magic and when she touches water her magic temporarily disappears. At the midpoint, the writer has this character board a ship to sail to a new continent, and suddenly readers are on edge. This character is on the ocean, surrounded by her weakness. When a band of pirates attack just before a storm breaks loose, readers will be anticipating what happens next: the character fights the pirates with her fire magic, but then the storm starts and the rain falls, which causes her flames to flicker out, and she’s suddenly powerless. Readers will be wondering how this character can overcome this challenge. Fight while holding an umbrella? Take the fight below decks? Use a different weapon besides magic? As Sanderson writes:
If the reader understands how the magic works, then you can use the magic (or, rather, the characters using the magic) to solve problems. In this case, it’s not the magic mystically making everything better. Instead, it’s the characters’ wit and experience that solves the problems. Magic becomes another tool—and, like any other tool, its careful application can enhance the character and the plot.
In this case, both the reader and writer have a very clear idea of how a magic system works, and it becomes—as Sanderson said—a tool, a resource that lets readers engage with the story and problem solve along with the characters. Technology in a science fiction story works the same way. If readers can understand what terrain spaceships can and can’t travel through, the range for holographic communication, and how much damage a laser gun inflicts, that’s all part of a hard magic system.
Sanderson claims that most superhero stories have a hard magic system, since the audience understands what a character such as Spider-man can do with his powers: sense danger, shoot webs, climb surfaces. Other examples include: Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Harry Potter series, Sufficiently Advanced Magic, Fullmetal Alchemist, H20: Just Add Water, and The Stormlight Archive series. How “hard” these magic systems are differs from story to story, but generally these works are ones that give the audience a clear set of rules that the characters must follow when it comes to their abilities.
Soft Magic Systems
On the other hand, soft magic systems tend to lean towards making magic and technology—its rules, limits, uses, and origins—more ambiguous. Readers don’t completely know what characters can or can’t do with their magic, which gives writers more opportunities to surprise the readers. Whereas hard magic systems can help raise the stakes, soft magic systems can increase tension, because readers feel like they’re delving into the unknown, just waiting to discover what comes next.
Some writers, especially modern writers, may look down on soft magic systems because it seems lazy or like a cop-out, but soft magic systems can be very intentional and serve to enhance a story’s tone and themes. The Lord of the Rings, maybe the most well-renowned high fantasy series, has a soft magic system, and Sanderson says this about Tolkien's use of it:
In his books, you rarely understand the capabilities of Wizards and their ilk. You, instead, spend your time identifying with the hobbits, who feel that they’ve been thrown into something much larger, and more dangerous, than themselves. By holding back laws and rules of magic, Tolkien makes us feel that this world is vast, and that there are unimaginable powers surging and moving beyond our sight.
Though soft magic systems can be helpful for reasons such as this, writers must remember to treat this magic system differently than one that has clearly defined rules. With a hard magic system, characters can use their magic to be resourceful and problem solve using the tangible tools at their disposal, and readers can respect this method because those rules and limits were always there and—for the most part—remain consistent. However, writers can’t allow characters to solve their problems with magic quite as often with soft magic systems, because this does make it seem lazy or like a cop-out, as if the writer just couldn’t have their characters think up a creative solution so just said, “The wizard can suddenly teleport, even though he’s never done that before!” Instead, in soft magic systems, often the magic causes problems that the characters then have to solve.
Examples of stories with soft magic systems include: Game of Thrones, Star Wars, the Harry Potter series, Howl's Moving Castle, and The Belgariad series. For those who are paying attention, you’ll notice that I listed Harry Potter under both hard magic and soft magic examples. This is because Harry Potter falls somewhere in the middle but often uses a little bit of both. For example, we know that wizards must have their wands to cast spells, so in scenes when a character is disarmed, we know they are limited. However, there are constantly new spells and potions popping up in J.K. Rowling’s world and readers aren’t ever sure when a new one will appear that could suddenly save the day.
Essentially, you can create a very successful and effective story no matter what type of magic system you have—hard, soft, or somewhere in between. However, it is very important to know where your system lies on that spectrum so you can understand how your story will progress from that point. Will your characters be able to use their magic to solve problems or does magic have an air of unpredictability that might cause problems? These considerations will also come into play as you work on other elements of your story.
How Magic Affects Your Story
Your magic system will and should affect your story. For example, worldbuilding. Yes, your magic system is a part of your worldbuilding, but now that it is, what else will it bleed into? If you have a hard magic system, you might need to ask what the source of the magic is. Maybe it’s a magical tree whose roots stretch across the whole world; if this is so, does this mean that someone must tend to the tree? Maybe your world has a guild of gardeners dedicated to preserving the tree, which now gives you a new organization to add to your world. Then other questions appear: Is this tree common knowledge or a secret? What happens if the tree is destroyed? Do people lose their magic completely? Could someone grow another tree? Are the gardeners well-respected? Do they get along with the government? How does one become a gardener? The questions could go on forever.
A good magic system will affect the plot as well—it’s not just background noise. For example, say there are different “brands” of magic. If you’re basing your magic system off of the elements, you might have fire, earth, water, and air. Some worldbuilding questions pop up here as well: Do people with these powers all live intermingled or do they live in their own separate cities or countries? Do they get along or do they distrust each other? These sorts of questions could spark the plot. Maybe the cities associated with fire, earth, water, and air respectively are all at war, each fighting to place a representative of their own group on the throne, and now this war is central to your plot. Maybe one of your main characters has fire magic and another has water magic and they become enemies before they become friends, and this is also a central plot point.
On the topic of characters, writers should consider how a magic system will affect the characters. How do characters feel about their magic? Proud? Scared? Could the magic ever hurt them, such as in cases of overuse or corruption? How much does magic become tied to a character’s identity? What happens to that character if their magic is damaged or removed? Readers will appreciate seeing how your magic system interacts with and changes who the characters are throughout the story, so don’t be afraid to ask those big questions!
If you would like to learn more about hard and soft magic systems, I would very much recommend the two YouTube videos from Hello Future Me in which he gives an excellent breakdown in each video of what makes each type and how to apply it well to your writing. Part 1 is linked below!
Understand, Connect, Add
Once again, the hard and soft magic system distinction is not a category but a spectrum. Understanding the rules of your magic system, connecting it to the other elements of your story and world, and adding your own unique spins on it will give you an effective tool that you can use to better accomplish your vision as you work on your novel.
If you would like to brainstorm a magic system with qualified storytellers and certified editors, feel free to reach out to our team at Honeycomb on our Services page! We would love to chat with you, give ideas, let you process your thoughts, and get to know you as a writer. We also offer many editing services in which our editors can give you personalized feedback about your magic system and many other story elements, so don’t hesitate to reach out!
Till then, bee brilliant!
Comments