Lightening` is useful for:
- Mind Control
- Technopathy,
- communication through water and
- "Touch of Death" martial arts by stopping the victim's heart upon contact (nothing with that "victim gets thrown around and collapses in a smoldering heap, just to rise with Heroic Willpower two second later" which I hate, hate HATE with a passion is most instances).
Ralph Crown: it's done in The Wheel Of Time, where to most advanced healing Spell uses Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit to restore people to full health who'd otherwise die. There'S also a generel spell that simple commands the body to heal, but it's weak and takes a toll on the patients body, while having the upside of requiring very little talent and raw magical force.
I once built an entire character around sound.
Imagine sound manipulation like your tv remote sudden a babies cries go from annoying to unbearable us the strongest men succumb to it's might. It could also basically mute a person you might not want talking. If you can manipulate in an instant you could make it so only on person hears what you say or whisper and since sound doesn't really stop create a sonic boom meters or even miles away. Plus if you can store sound, imagine taking the sound of a train crash and then taking it to say a library.
Plus: Confusion and subliminal messages.
sound is the perfect element for spies, and mischief makers.
edited 17th Mar '11 2:34:44 AM by Vyctorian
Rarely active, try DA/Tumblr Avatar by pippanaffie.deviantart.comIf you still want unconventional elements...
One magic system that I came up with had magic divided up into 4 varieties. 2 of them were fast and slow. The fast magic would speed stuff up, like natural healing, the particles in an object, or general movement. The slow would slow stuff down, like the spread of a poison, the particles in an object, or general movement. Now, when you remember that temperature is the measure of the speed of the particles in an object, you realize that these elements can control temperature, with fast being heat and slow being cold. With a little more imagination, you realize that the heat magic is also able to make flames and that the cold magic is able to make ice. And then you realize that weirdly enough, the fire magic is the one that is used for healing wounds!
A kid amusing itself would be easy, with water they'd probably be able to form little bubbles to play with, they'd no doubt learn how to float and scare their mothers to death if they had air, earth they could become friends with the plants (just imagine waking up one day to find your baby's room has become a forest) fire would be a little tougher, they'd stare at it and touch it and any unsuspecting parents would be terrified, but theoretically it wouldn't hurt them.
I Love Nuclear Power, Frickin' Laser Beams, and invisibility.
Travelling in the dark with light manipulation would be stellar (pun not intended).
@Vyctorian I've done something similar, she was a Dark Magic Girl with a bone to chew and she could do horrible things to people and never get caught.
Fire/air/water would probably be used more for performances, art of a more temporary nature.
Combat uses for air could include using strong gusts of wind to deflect projectiles or even to redirect melee attacks if it's strong enough, throwing stuff at an opponent, blowing the opponent away, pushing oneself to aid in dodging.
In a hurricane, every tiny blade of grass becomes a deadly projectile.
Zolnier: I'll reply to your P Ms; don't worry. ;)
edited 18th Mar '11 12:04:34 PM by Theram

Water is useful as a second set of hands if it can be controlled and think of all the things that can be done with your hands.
As for uses very element has it's own great ways to execute people, drain a person of bodily fluids, with Water. Suffocate them by stealing their breath, via air. Remove the earth/metal particles from their body, Magento Style. And fire is well fire.
Rarely active, try DA/Tumblr Avatar by pippanaffie.deviantart.com