the magic system is up for adoption Zolnier you or anyone else can take it.
although I'm curious about what parts are unclear now.
I meant his current project at: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=12989770690A67580100&page=4#93
>.>
<.<
Well if it’s just me and the crickets, might as well try the same thing in a different way.
Since the magical system that is up for adoption is no longer going into Zolnier’s work and I probably won’t use it, I thought I’d hand out what I had done. Luckily for me since we hadn’t talked about the things that would make all the Gobbledygook make sense it’s a rather adaptable system, not limited novels, RPGs, or Audio Visual works. Unluckily, it also means I have no idea of how to promote it or how to finish it.
Ain’t tropes grand?
To whomever it concerns, enjoy – GSC
The magic system as presented in paragraph form.
The seven fold symmetry
The rules natch, the philosophy that the people of magic made to understand their world something of a grand unified theory trying to unify what they think they know with what they do know to make their world less terrifying one prediction at a time.
- Our Souls Are Different The Virus edition
- Magi Babble
- Power Source (inching into Mother of a Thousand Young territory).
- Super-Empowering
- Touched by Vorlons
The Principal of Addition
Magic is extra, it puts the “super” in supernatural, the “ab” in the abnormal, the “un” in the unnatural. It seemingly ignores the laws of common reality in favor of higher concepts; magic is even additive magic begets more magic. It adds to itself adapting and growing like a living thing. The flip side is that it changes all that it touches bringing chaos to order, revolution to despotism, stagnation to dynamisms, and extra heads to random innocents.
The Principal of Contagion
Magic is invasive, like a vine or grass. Magic travels to make crab-matter and Ivy-Energy. Magic does not respect time or space; it sends its spores into impossibility to bear judicious fruit. Magic can make the mundane extraordinary and bring forth somethingness from nothingness; it fills the hollow of all things to convert miasma to mana. The flip side is that magic strengthens, as tin and copper can make celestial bronze, so can magic give, induce, or enhance anything it is mixed with whatever is needed.
The Principal of Similarity
Magic is controlling, runes knots gears magical patterns abound. However, unlike other small things they control large things, such that a game between two people can change the world or a small whim can become another’s obsession or one can support and bear the burdens of others. The flip side is that just as the moon’s glow is controlled by the sun, magic is binding leaving its fingerprints everywhere hidden and unbidden. Above all magic is enduring tying distant things together by strange contracts with stranger clauses.
The Principal of Symbols
Magic is controlled, how can something be so like something else and yet not influence the other? Choice, a heart is a song is a love but only for those who choose it to be so. Magic uses symbols so that one has but to serenade a comely maid to make a relationship that will last lifetimes. It can make anything out of anything else but only if it is told to do so otherwise an organ, a vibration, and a feeling are different things. The flip side is that magic can never be truly objective; although, it can pass any logical test one wants it to it can also fail any logical test one wants it to. Further magic for all its reality is in fact a deeply personal experience. Two mages trying to perform the exact same spell will have minute differences between them if for no other reason that they are not the same person.
The Principal of Sympathy
Magic is useful, magic performs work—it moves and is moved in useful ways causing small things and large things to perform like no other tool can make them operate. The flip side, magic is unpredictable as it is amoral it can be used for or against you and it can be used for good and for evil.
- Mind over Matter
- Mundane Utility
- Misapplied Phlebotinum
- Magic Tool
- Tropes Are Tools — well magic is anyway
The Principal of Transformation
Magic is change. From dross into prime and from gold into lead, magic allows one to become whatever one wants transforming the ill into healthy, the living to the dead, or a tree into a painting. The flip side is that nothing will ever be the same again, one can change and try to change back, try to remove the memories and evidence but magic is obstinate.
The Principal of Contradiction
Magic is strange. One can make a spell to bring the dead back to life, one can even be “immortal”, a things can be set up to “last forever”, they are all still transient. They will die, succumb to entropy, and end.- adverted Game-Breaker
The Mortal, Immortal, and Abmortal Tales
Mortals are Hollow
Rocks, plants, animals, sapient life, and the odd robot
The Soulless (played with), Raw material for magical Matter Replicators, enchantments, potions Uplifted Animals, mages, aliens, Ninja Pirate Zombie Robots, and What Measure Is a Non-Human? goodness.
Abmortals are Genuine
Enlightened
The Messiah, The Heart, The Paragon, mostly having an enlightened mind and whatever else is needed
Ensouled
Witch Species (more along the idea of inherited gift vrs inherited gift), 3 types of magic (one closer to Geometric Magic and Vancian Magic that mages engage in, one that the mages can always depend on that was prepared for them, and one that’s more like a Hulking Out temporary but always a part of them), Upgrade Artifact, and a minor Red Right Hand-ish physical manifestation.
Unlearned
Our Monsters Are Different some are centaurs, some are lake monsters, some have magic, some have words, pretty diverse bunch overall united only in that their souls have a stronger physical manifestation than the ensouled.
Immortals are Existent
Things that Move things that Talk things that Think
Undead, animated statues, Talking Animals, etc.
That which is in-between
Whatever is needed, angles that are actually Adaptive Armor (with Swiss Army Morph Weapons) and a powerful Restraining Bolt perhaps some of them “fell” when their gods decided to be jerks.
The Gods
Whatever they call themselves, they are powerful.
Goals and aspirations
One thing, one system to explain the whole story “where do monsters come from?”, “how can the protagonists become gods?”, “how to tell a story with reverse Cerebus Syndrome?”, etc. Stringing together information from Zolneir I used a variety of sources and some made up stuff so that his story would be less “plot happens” and more “the characters do X”. The soullessness thing I just wanted to play with ever since Hellboy 2 it also helps that just what a soul is and how it’s treated in various Anatomy of the Soul works just don’t make sense the more you think about it. The bleak atmosphere reminded me of The New World Of Darkness (and quite a few bits of The Old World Of Darkness) so I added storyteller elements, the idea of templates, the idea of soul manipulation, and some stuff from Pathfinder to flesh out the meat on the bone words. The marrow of which is the idea of transformation going from cynical to optimistic, neglected childhood to awesome adulthood, mortal to god, so I threw in some stuff from Percy Jackson books and Movie.
edited 31st Mar '11 10:16:23 PM by GiantSpaceChinchilla

Greetings all,
Until recently I’ve been toying around with a magic system with Zolnier and since it probably won’t be used by Zolnier or me. I thought I’d leave it here in case it’s of some use to someone. Also, because it could use some finishing touches that I’m drawing a blank on.
Kind of a long post a head
—GSC
The soulless abound they are everywhere, but mostly they are on your side of the mirror.
Humans, dogs, cats, plants lead hollow lives and throughout they seek to fill this need that can’t be filled; humans created justice and injustice, greed and charity, sacrifice and selfishness in an attempt to fill that hole within them.
Once in a while, something moves in. The most common something is the most diverse, a soul. Some allow the creature to become enlightened; some allow plants or animals abilities they would never have had otherwise; some create monsters; and others the mages of legend. While it’s is true that a soul to a degree is a thing granted by a outside force usually a god of some description, they are intensely personally things not a material or object or even gene.
To use RPG terms that’s the fluff, now for some crunch.
Ensouled
The witches and demigods of human kind granted a soul by a divinity they inherit much from their patron and once in a very long while, gain power enough that they slough off their mortal coil to become gods in their own right.
Each starts with a “tell”, a minor signature from a god, some gods are constant with this mark others are not. It represents the investment a patron has made in a person, animal or thing that may or may not become invested enough for greater powers, the blessings of the gods. The blessings granted are to the mind, spirit, and body of the mage as well as granting them the ability to learn and cast magic.
However, for the vast majority of their life the tie to their patron also levies what is universal called a “curse” a vagary of the arrangement that the gods refuse to elaborate on, the surest sign that you are facing a powerful mage is that they are bound by the strongest curse and have changed their blessings. The surest sign that you should run is when the ties are completely severed for they are bound neither by the blessing or curse of their patron and are in a transitive state awaiting some unknown revelation to crystallize into or steal a divine spark.
There are probably numerous small abilities a soul grants, perhaps even 108, but most would self identify with the bigger characteristics so that’s what I’m going for.
The format I’m using is
Examples
Forged by Hephaestus
Wisdom of the forge:
- Not sure what to put hear really except really good at making stuff.
Volcano god’s spells:Reshaped body:
Curse: Hephaestus has a strangely varied number of curses varying from something that can only be described as "fugly" to a body temperature that can melt steel. The two most common are:
Lame: One of your legs is “mussed up”. While it still carries you on it is not as quick as it used to be.
Eros’ dove and owl: it is said that the god of love not only had arrows to compel romance but also spite, those so cursed have passions that run amuck with love and hate but find this quality burns, most of all the ones around you.
Tell:
Indebted to Sataniel
Stolen words and traded thoughts:
- Various skills and amazing feats of knowledge and conniving possibly with lawyer speak.
The grand enemy’s Hexes:Burden of sins:
Curse: the only known curse Satanel levies on his followers is whispered in hushed tones by outsiders although in truth most do not notice it right away. Called “Judgment” by the cult of the eternal prison, there is an aura centered on the mages feels nothing short of the eye of god looking down on you.
Tell:
Faerie child
Memories never lived:
- Triskty triskty fairies being nimble and quick and clever.
Kind one’s favors:Gentle bearing:
Curse: mages chosen by the fairest gods have a sort of ephemeral nature about them making them seem somehow less real and oddly enough increasingly transparent; although this does not grant concealment in most cases (think predator only a lot less subtle) it does have its advantages.
Tell:
Disciple of Dou-zhansheng-fo:
The rock that became a monkey, the monkey that became a monk, the monk that became a god, the god that became a Buddha. As they grow stronger and stranger over time the disciples of the victorious fighting Buddha take on as many names and shapes as the king that is their patron.
Adroit Eyes and Patient Hands:
- Something about being skilled in manipulation, intimidation, lies, and sleight of hand.
Transformations of Mei Houwang:Monkey’s adept form:
Curse: A particularly strong curse follows the Disciple of Dou-zhansheng-fo fate seems to twist against the mage and like a large planet that has a large gravity well attracting smaller planets to itself so are malicious things attracted to the mage. Trope cursed with Always a Bigger Fish or some such.
Tell:
Hecate Ascendant (previously pre-chosen of Hecate apparently I suck at names):
The triple goddess encompassing the archetypes of the maiden, the mother, and the crone who has eyes that face all directions so that she knows all around her and can foresee the consequences of all decisions. Her reach is felt far and wide as the goddess of the crossroads, of magic, death, animals, and time. Quite possibly the patron is older than Greece or Rome.
Skills of the mind outside of time:
- Memories going forward and backwards in time about magic, “current” events, and biology.
Goddess of spells favorites:Three faces in the water:
Curse: the goddess of the brim moves betwixt and between the unknown mysteries and our mundane reality thus the souls she creates similarly guard the lonely places and the gates between them, though not of their own choosing for they cannot cross a threshold without permission and cannot refuse a honest request to patrol a threshold, many mages find work enforcing boarders due to this.
Tell:
Scion of Saturn:
Chosen by the bound and unbinding god of the harvest, death, and protection the souls of Saturn inherit great power and a dreadful legacy. Saturn was a king born of kings who usurped and was usurped, a god who made masters of slaves and slaves of masters, he is the god of lead the dross that must be overcome to become gold. However he is most well known for his desperation forcing him into extreme acts (re: cannibalism) and his inability to overcome destiny.
Talents pulled from the jaws:
- Laws, mathematics, and astronomy are the skills mages are granted with Saturn’s blessing.
Commands of the ruler of God and Goddess:Might granted by the father:
Curse: the curse of Saturn is as simple as it is crushing the fates hold these mages close and tailor malicious ends for all their adventures, in other words you have a destiny to keep and it is always tragic.
Tell:
Unlearned: aka monsters
Sometimes called the possessed, the changed, the tormented, or the dammed these beings are also granted a soul and even power. However, to do so they have unlearned their human form for one of the deities choosing their fate. These are the Gigantes, trolls, ogres, orks, great-beasts, and wish granting fish of folklore and myth. The changes wrought are to the mind, spirit, and body of the unlearned, some of which are powerful enough to learn and cast magic however none have the same methods or freedom a mage has.
Brownie
Said to originate from the punishment an angry god melted out to his lazy cat, a brownie’s soul is small so any form enchanted with it either grows or shrinks to accommodate its burden some times a human like form and mind accompanies this change. The brownies onus is nimble toil, for as long as no moral sees them they can complete any task at 1/16th the time it would normally take, if even a single soul (literally) sees them they can only compete the task at ½ the normal rate. Tasks cannot include combat but their small size does still aid them somewhat in that regard.
Cyclops
For reasons unknown even the god’s need things built and one of the most well known builders are the one eyed giants, although stories of their size and prowess has grown faster than their souls. Stout and muscular Cyclopes resample thin muscular dwarves grown to an average of 10 foot tall, their distinctive characteristic grants a curiously open ended boon, true-sight, with which they built and destroyed great things.
Troll
It is said that even though the gods are great their great works can be either wicked or benevelent and many point to the trolls as an example of the "great" deeds of the gods. Once soldiers in a forgotten war their jarl and brethren were given a left-handed blessing by a capricious god, although mortal in form and unfellable in combat each wound made the trolls ever stranger nick by nick they became the multi-formed things of today (some small some tall some green some red) their secret is that their immortality is in fact fragile for there is one random thing, a song, sun light, a draft of beer, a kiss from one’s true love that will destroy them utterly.
Angels, Spirits, Daemons, Shades, and other strange things.
Magic can make things move, can make them think, or can make them talk … but not all at once. When one is too free with spells strange things happen, suits of armor force their wearer to fight on the side of their chosen god granting innumerable boons for unending servitude; or that is how they say that angles came to be; other stories say that a cable of wizards longed for the embrace of loved ones accidently created the first ghosts who in ages untold spawned the angles who may or may not have rebelled. It is even said that the favored of the gods the mages themselves only have to touch something, say a simple wooden staff, for it to become twisted and filled with magics and energies known only to the silent gods.
Edited for clarity
edited 19th Mar '11 12:59:37 PM by GiantSpaceChinchilla