Cluedrew
2015-06-27, 05:50 PM
Magic, perhaps more than any other word, can mean very different things in different stories and settings. Essentially the author(s) get(s) to fill in what magic is as they write, because it isn't defined and other people have always been changing what it is, so it is not jarring when it is changed again. I'm sure there is a old professor who could go on about that better than I, my point is just that magic has many different forms. Here I have put together a list of what I consider to be the most significant. Comment on, add to or even use the list if you find it useful for something.
Old Magic:
I call this old magic because I tend to associate it with old stories. It is usually hidden, powerful, rare and most of all unexplained. The Merlin or Gandalf types spring to mind, their power has no real explanation beyond, usually, it is in their nature. Gods and mythology also meet this criteria, although if you look at just the mythological tales it isn't rare anymore.
Another newer group of tales with old magic are superhero comics. Not all super hero comics, but many do have that concentration of power, the hidden explanations that are usually convenient one off set ups. The source, if not the effects, of the magic is also usually hidden from the public view and it is often simply part of the superhero in some way (such as Super-Man's genes).
Granted Magic:
Magic given to the end user by some higher entity. Prime example is divine magic in D&D. In this case the higher entity has to have its own type of magic in order to grant more, but that is usually old magic because the granter is a supernatural being.
Learned Magic:
Magic obtained through study, usually of complex formal and true names. Although it doesn't have to be magic of this sort is often institutionalized in schools, colleges or universities. The Wizard of Earthsea, Harry Potter and D&D Wizards all fall into this group.
Importantly, there being schools that teach people magical skills is not enough to make it, the knowledge itself (plus maybe an innate ability) must be the core of magic power and ability in order for it to be a true member of this group.
Science + Magic:
Similar to learned magic although there are several important differences. The first is a stronger trend to be able to make magical objects, learned magic has a lot of this already but it comes up even more here. The second and more important is experimentation, the element that really makes it like science in nature but of a different aesthetic. If you change the aesthetic as well then you get science, or hand-wave science at least.
Psychic:
Magic of the mind using thought, will and focus to shape the world. Telepathy is the classic example, followed by telekinesis. More than any classic psychic the best example are actually Star Wars Jedi. Despite its connection to imagination, it tends to be dolled out in packaged abilities.
Trained Magic:
Practice is rarely something you seem much of in wizards, trained magic usually has quite the emphasis on it which is why I call it that. Training usually involves some sort of marshal component, in fact if you follow this out far enough you leave magic and get to Kung Fu (or some other marshal art).
The main reason I include this is because of its use in video games to create hybrid fighter-casters or to give the sword people special abilities.
Natural Magic:
It is similar to granted magic in that the source is not from within the caster, but instead of coming from above (or below) it comes from all around, the plants, animals and sometimes the land itself. Herbs and potions come up a lot, as to various speak with ____ skills. Practitioners are often hermits and when they are not the groups they form often live away from civilization, although there are exceptions to that all well.
Old Magic:
I call this old magic because I tend to associate it with old stories. It is usually hidden, powerful, rare and most of all unexplained. The Merlin or Gandalf types spring to mind, their power has no real explanation beyond, usually, it is in their nature. Gods and mythology also meet this criteria, although if you look at just the mythological tales it isn't rare anymore.
Another newer group of tales with old magic are superhero comics. Not all super hero comics, but many do have that concentration of power, the hidden explanations that are usually convenient one off set ups. The source, if not the effects, of the magic is also usually hidden from the public view and it is often simply part of the superhero in some way (such as Super-Man's genes).
Granted Magic:
Magic given to the end user by some higher entity. Prime example is divine magic in D&D. In this case the higher entity has to have its own type of magic in order to grant more, but that is usually old magic because the granter is a supernatural being.
Learned Magic:
Magic obtained through study, usually of complex formal and true names. Although it doesn't have to be magic of this sort is often institutionalized in schools, colleges or universities. The Wizard of Earthsea, Harry Potter and D&D Wizards all fall into this group.
Importantly, there being schools that teach people magical skills is not enough to make it, the knowledge itself (plus maybe an innate ability) must be the core of magic power and ability in order for it to be a true member of this group.
Science + Magic:
Similar to learned magic although there are several important differences. The first is a stronger trend to be able to make magical objects, learned magic has a lot of this already but it comes up even more here. The second and more important is experimentation, the element that really makes it like science in nature but of a different aesthetic. If you change the aesthetic as well then you get science, or hand-wave science at least.
Psychic:
Magic of the mind using thought, will and focus to shape the world. Telepathy is the classic example, followed by telekinesis. More than any classic psychic the best example are actually Star Wars Jedi. Despite its connection to imagination, it tends to be dolled out in packaged abilities.
Trained Magic:
Practice is rarely something you seem much of in wizards, trained magic usually has quite the emphasis on it which is why I call it that. Training usually involves some sort of marshal component, in fact if you follow this out far enough you leave magic and get to Kung Fu (or some other marshal art).
The main reason I include this is because of its use in video games to create hybrid fighter-casters or to give the sword people special abilities.
Natural Magic:
It is similar to granted magic in that the source is not from within the caster, but instead of coming from above (or below) it comes from all around, the plants, animals and sometimes the land itself. Herbs and potions come up a lot, as to various speak with ____ skills. Practitioners are often hermits and when they are not the groups they form often live away from civilization, although there are exceptions to that all well.