How Many Types of Magic Are There In Fiction?

So I have started an idea of fantasy fiction, in a world where there are lots of types of 'magic', or rather, supernatural powers for humans to use. Some of them are directly taken from other genre of fantasy fictions. Lists include:

1. Basic out-of-the-ordinary physical/genetic change, for example more limbs or more enzymes available for the body to synthesize. There are clans/families which can be grouped by each family's basic powers (for example super strength and laser vision can rarely be found in a person without both parents coming from a particular clan that can potentially create both super strength and laser vision.) It's basically evolution with steroids.

2. Regular Game magic. Aka the type with HP and MP and classical elemental types (fire, etc) with 6 variations of Magic, named after the 6 macro elements (Hydrogen,Nitrogen, Carbon, Oxygen, Sulfur and Phosphorus) everyone can have all of these energies to an extent and MP is easily healed with food. Each variation have its own quirk and a (not neccesarily equal) combination of every variation is much better than an excess of just one. Also there are no scissors-rock-paper scenario.

3. Charge-based, transferable magic. Simply told, they come at two basic types, positive and negative, but each person can only charge one type, because of how real-life electrons work. so it's usually used by a pair of users. Variation of powers include speeding up/slowing down objects and telekinesis.

4. Spiritual entity summoning, much like those of Persona in SMT or Stands in JJBA. They can be used to fight or do regular chores. They also have separate magic #2 MP, if their master can utilize magic #2. Their personality may match their users, being lazy or rebellious or outright parasitic if they are summoned by an unlucky person.

5. Passive defensive aura. These aura makes their users physically and/or magically invulnerable until their aura completely depletes. They can also be transferred to objects, making them invulnerable as well. They are healed while sleeping. There are two basic types, physical and magical. Note that this aura does not protect from suffocation or poison or starvation or any damage that comes from lack or excess of chemicals in the body, although they do protect from any kind of magic that tries to pull out chemicals from body, like pulling out water.

6. Ability to utilize most magical items with their own magical properties. They can also sense which items have sentience, magic and so on, and also talk or give commands to them. They can also imbue items with sentience and magic. This makes it handy when making cheap mooks or robots or talking clothes (hue) that can give out information about any damage done to them. However without magic #4, they can not have sapience and because of that do not rebel against their creator.

7. Ability to use magic pulled from the nature, or particular crystal nodes. Humans can not regenerate these energies themselves, but with some tinkering (and magic #2 and 6) they can create synthetic crystals to carry around. Questions may rise about what kinds of things people can do with this magic , as there are so few users that bothers delving deep into this magic, but effects include changing emotions of others.

Question time! 1. Is there any other types of Magic that you see as very common? (And how can I improve what's already in the list)

2. should there be any other sapient (not sentient) creatures other than humans that may/may not use magic?

3. Should everyone have at least one type of Magic or should there be muggles? And should these magic using ability be hereditary or not? (One thought of mine include writing a character who gives everyone ability to learn and use any kind of Magic they want, so at least there has to be some who cannot use magic before his 'sacrifice'.)

4. What do you think would racism be like before the aforementioned 'everyone can use any kind of Magic' era? Maybe some blood elitist (particularly of Magic #1) who tries to keep their bloodline pure? Or class systems? And which magic should the MC use before the era? (He develops every kind of Magic before losing it all)

I may add more, so stay tuned.

Most fiction that's based upon D&D-type RPGs uses Vancian Magic (so named after its originator, Jack Vance.) Others use a Mana-based magic system. Then there are other sub-variations on these, such as Elemental Powers and Wild Magic, but that's all I can think of offhand.

Okay, this one is interesting. I have a system of twelve types of magic I created long ago and intend to use in something at some point.

What were they? Um, Enchantment, Magicienery, Magecraft, Psyonics, Transmutation, Wizardry, Summoning, Mentalism, Shamanism, Sorcery, Artmancy, mathamancy. Note that this includes no divine based magic types.

As to those questions:

1. As previously stated, vancian.
2. This will depend heavily on your story. And only, really, on your story. Do you want elves or werewolves?
3. This will also depend heavily on your story. What world will allow you to tell the story you want?
4. There is always racism/sexism/classism. Any difference can lead to wealth imbalance, and any difference can lead to hatred. And the hero should start with 7. No reason.

edited 18th Apr '16 2:43:59 AM by war877

I find the fact that I found this post today funny to me. I literally just finished a "bible" or "rulebook" of sorts to the system of magic in a fantasy story I'm writing. If anyone is up for a bit of a read here it is.

In Moonflowers, there's as many types of magic as there are in Real Life—mainly under the umbrella groups of standard/university magic, inborn magic, and traditional magic. And within those groups, there are probably hundreds, if not thousands of different sub-types of magic depending on region and culture.

edited 19th Apr '16 4:09:59 PM by Sharysa

And where does sufficiently-advanced technology fall?

I would argue that most of IT comes from magic #6, as item enchanting and mook-making would imply that they can create basic programmable computers to let them run, instead of golem-styled mooks. Plus mana-efficient wand prototypes has been made, so yeah.

I already thought of this world as set on a post-computer era where pollution already breaks down some places (as in present China broken) and constant warring states. Definitely no dystopia or super big conspiracies allowed, although maybe some tribes and a few neutral countries remain.

Let's be honest, these magics aren't listed in any particular order than what I found convenient. Maybe I'll make up a name for each?

Magic #1-Evolution on Steroids.

Found exclusively on humans (for now), anyone conceived with this magic will randomize and shut down certain DNA and genes, which most of the time results in horrible miscarriage. However, there has been lots of research done on genetics to stabilize and tame whatever genes are randomized, creating clans for as recent as 70 years ago.

Each clan could only breed with each other currently. A specific clan member's powers can also mix and match to create even wierder superpowers. These clans are differentiated into 3 main groups, Physical, Enzymatic, and Psychic (may change this one.).

-Physical: affects whatever parts of the body on organ levels, from limbs to strength to extra organs and such. Examples:(no specific clans yet) (will add later)

-Enzymatic: true to its name, only affects intracellular levels. From exotic (yet useless) blood types to vitamin synthesis to specific toxin immunity and photosynthesis being the top priority of the researchers of the clan, these guys are regarded as the top plan for transhumanism.

-Psychic: weirdest named clan of the three (since genetics should not affect Psychic stuff), these clans may combine and create whatever is not listed yet, such as mind reading, unconscious persuasion and the like. Questions and loopholes:

1. How did they find this magic? Surely the super high (or low?) ratio of miscarriage to from-birth superpowers in some places baffles most scientists.

2. Is this in anyhow scientifically accurate, the whole enzyme-limb-mind reading creating part? I mean, there has to be foreign DNA for these scientists to insert into humans in order to create specific enzymes, right? is this magic insanely RNG?

3. How can any of these magic users survive by making so many babies for them to miscarriage before 70 years ago?

(Don't think of these questions too hard.)(I may change how this magic creates superpowers from the womb, I'm not a biologist yet.)

Magic #2- Mana-based magic.

Found in Elves and Humans (finally nonhuman sapients), It relies on mana 'points', or rather, whatever energy they have in their body right at that time. There are 6 types of mana, each with its own quirk. Every Magic #2 user has all of these mana to an extent, which is capped at a certain number of points and is usually regenerated using food. these are:

-Named after Hydrogen, this magic is powerful yet uncontrollable and dangerous without any other mana to tame them down.

-Named after Carbon, this magic is quite weak yet helps the user do super complex, timed and possibly unique moves per person.

-Named after Nitrogen, this magic is quite difficult to prepare in a very short time and lots of mana must be spent on any move, but can be quite devastating.

-Named after Oxygen, this magic is almost useless without any mana to back them up, and is useful to block enemy magical moves.

-Named after Sulfur, rarely used as offense since it's easily absorbed using more sulfur mana. Usually used to repair physical damage of allies.

-Named after Phosphorus, this magic affects the physical world, and is used to hold down objects and to protect them from outside forces, and can be used for telekinesis.

(trying to justify magic with science breaks my brain, and probably yours, too. I'll stop making things up to make them plausible. yay.)