Disclaimer
The following content has been greatly inspired by the Tabletop Roleplaying Game, "GRIMWORK: The Art of Spellcraft", with permission from the author.
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Introduction
Magic takes many forms in the world. Dragons have their innate magic that lets them fly and breathe fire, as do the Barbarian Tribes of the South and East, who can lay curses and contact demons to do their bidding, as well as the Dwarves of the Deep, who practice Earth Singing, a form of magic that lets the user manipulate the qualities of the earth, hardening, softening, and moulding it in non-aggressive ways.
However, humans had never had their own version of magic before the Age of Saints, until it was introduced by Saint Athena, who either discovered or created (depending on the claim) the first human runes based on the Albionese Runic Alphabet 900 years ago.
It is believed that all magic comes from the Chaos—academically known as the Negative Universe—the primordial force of creation beyond our plane of existence, a raw power meant to fuel the creation of the Positive Universe. This is why no magic is permanent, and any Chaos Energy summoned fades back to its universe of origin. As for the Wellspring of Chaos that lets this energy of magic flow into our world, it is the mystery of all mysteries. These causes and effects are governed by The 3 Principle Laws of Magic.
The cost of summoning Chaos Energy and using magic is the exchange of both psyche and sanity, which regenerate if depleted, but continuous use of magic can endanger its user by consuming their lifeforce, a resource that cannot regenerate.
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The 3 Principle Laws of Magic
These laws dictate what magic can and cannot do, limited only to human use.
1 - The Law of Equilibrium: Also known as the law of Equivalent Exchange. It entails that something cannot come from nothing, meaning that magic cannot create matter or life. It can conjure matter from different planes temporarily and can animate dead things, but nothing stays permanent with magic, as humans cannot provide unlimited energy.
2 - The Law of Anima: Also known as the law of souls. It entails that magic cannot perceive or manipulate souls; thus, it cannot manipulate, give, or take life. However, it can provide the means of exhausting it, such as blasts, curses, etc., but it can—in very rare cases—power up other mediums that can affect it.
3 - The Law of Corpus: Also known as the law of bodies. It entails that magic cannot alter the human body permanently, as the energies of chaos can obliterate the human corpus in an instant. And while temporary transformations are less dangerous, they are by no means safe.
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Spellrings
From the 26 alphabetical runes, Saint Athena created 26 Basic Spells, also known as the Minor Spells, and commonly known as Cantrips. Through laying those runes into spellcasting mediums—like staves, books, and crystal balls—humans were finally able to use this power to cast spells. This was known as the art of Runesmithing.
However, each spellcasting medium was unique to its owner, and disarming them of their medium was like disarming them completely of magic, except for those who are well-attuned. However, even the well-attuned were not that strong without their spellcasting mediums, and with the advancement of Runesmithing, it was finally possible to make the mediums into the shape of rings, made of metal; thus were born the Spellrings, the most efficient type of spellcasting mediums known to man.
Spellrings pair with their users and make an interesting bond. A spellring can always sense its user and vice versa. A spellring can be destroyed but can also be repaired, and if lost completely, a Zoomus Maxima Ritual can bring the ring from anywhere on Earth or even from different planes, but the cost can be too heavy and demand many mages to work together.
In other cases, some Spellrings are passed down through generations. These Inherited Rings can only be used by direct descendants of the ring's first master and offer a significant advantage because their patterns and research are already established. However, operating and training with them from a young age requires great talent and willpower.
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Statistics of a Spellring
No one knows if the spellring has its properties before getting paired with the user or if those properties come from the user. This dilemma was known as the Spellring Paradox until a popular modern theory hypothesised that the properties are born from the pairing process itself.
After pairing, the stats of each ring are fixed forever. They cannot be boosted or changed later, just as the pairing process itself is permanent. The statistics range from 1 to 10 and are distributed according to certain criteria that are too mathy to explain. However, lower numbers from 1 to 5 are quite common; numbers like 6, 7, and 8 are what truly define the ring, but numbers like 9 and 10 are so legendary, with one in a century cases of 9, and 10 only existing in theory.
The stats are as follows:
> Alter (ALT): Dictates the ring's ability to alter, shape, and transmute physical matter.
> Conjure (CNJ): Dictates the ring's ability to summon objects from foreign planes of existence.
> Destroy (DST): Dictates the ring's ability to use the energy of chaos wildly.
> Fortify (FRT): Dictates the ring's ability to reinforce and revitalise other energies.
> Mystic (MST): Dictates the ring's ability to detect through the extrasensory veil and fabricate illusions.
> Quirk (QRK): Dictates the potency of the energy of chaos summoned, leading to interesting and highly dangerous effects.
These stats are also the known Magic Archetypes as well as the factors dictating spellring types depending on the greater aptitude.
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Major Spells and Spellcrafting
Each spellring offered its user a limited yet versatile array of specialised abilities known as Ring Spells or Major Spells. Technically, every ring was "mostly" unique, but some Major Spells can be very close to each other regarding appearance and effects. Like two rings of similar aptitude can both produce a spell like "Fireball", for example.
What dictates the nature of each ring is its Passive skill, a perk that can define how a ring works, like a ring that demands the blood of the enemy to curse them, or a spell that can only produce flames. In some cases, some rings are very quirky and demand more of the user to give them power. This takes us to the other factor, known as the Quirk Factor. Depending on the statistics of each ring, the Quirk factor can be either high or low. Low Quirk factors can be more stable but less powerful, while High Quirk factors offer high risk and high return. Still, a hardworking Spellcrafter can overcome any innate differences in statistics by personal skill alone.
This takes us to the topic of Spellcrafting, the method by which each sorcerer makes their own spell through the study of natural phenomena. For example, a sorcerer with a Fire Spellring will need to study fire, how it burns, its effects, and how to manipulate it in different ways. From that, they can craft up to four spells depending on how much their sanity can endure.
These four spells are called Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Omega, according to academia. Once every spell is coded in the ring, it is not difficult to overwrite it, but it takes time. This gives each spell the ability to evolve in the future. And while the first three spells are similar to each other, the last type (Omega) has rather looser restrictions than the other three, but it is quite difficult to modify; however, it can be quite powerful and used as the ultimate spell.
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Cantrips (Minor Spells)
I left the best for last. This is the most fun aspect of writing this magic system, and since it was the most complicated one to make, I will brief it quickly.
Cantrips play a large part in the story as they are the most commonly used spell by almost any spellcrafter. They are weak but still reliable across all situations. A spellcrafter who knows their cantrips will survive anything life throws at them. If you only use Fire, you can cast FRIGUS and you can use ice, or BEAMUS to use force, etc.
All Cantrips were created alphabetically, with every spell representing a letter. And with that out of the way, here is the crown jewel of this system: the list of Cantrips:-
A — AUGURIX : (The Guidance Cantrip) [MST]
Allows the caster to speculate possible future outcomes of an action and calculate the best course of action to be taken regarding general aspects such as "future", "life", "love", or "success" concerning a target. The spell provides guidance, but not absolute certainty.
B — BEAMUS : (The Magic Ray) [DST]
Projects a beam of kinetic energy that can stun, push, or inflict damage depending on the intensity of the charge. It can be intensified as a beam or expanded into a wave.
C — CHANTATIO : (The Theatrics Cantrip) [ALT]
Manifests minor dramatic effects like booming your voice with unnatural loudness, brightening or dimming light effects and sources, creating a harmless sensory effect, causing harmless tremors, producing distant sounds, or slamming doors and windows open or shut.
D — DOLORIA : (The Curse of Pain) [DST]
Sends a jolt of invisible psychic energy that inflicts a brief, sharp pain upon a creature within close range.
E — ERADIX : (The Dispel Cantrip) [QRK]
Unravels the chaotic weave of a magical effect or spell, gradually weakening it until it fades away or breaks.
F — FRIGUS : (The Frost Bolt) [DST]
A frigid pulse of blue-white light streaks toward a creature, slowing its movement with an icy chilling effect.
G — GEMINUS : (The Mirror Clone) [MST]
Creates an illusory duplicate of yourself that lasts until it is attacked, steps into bright light, or you dismiss it. The duplicate mimics your appearance and actions perfectly but casts no shadow and cannot interact with the physical world.
H — HEALIX : (Healer's Touch) [FRT]
Channels restorative magical energy to mend minor injuries like scratches and bruises, and halt further damage to living tissue.
I — IGNUS : (The Firespark) [DST]
Manipulates the plasmic forces of fire, conjuring small flames or controlling existing ones. You can also hurl a bolt of fire sparks within a limited range.
J — JINX : (The Bad Luck Curse) [QRK]
Influences the probability of a specific action, causing mildly irritating to severely infuriating outcomes, depending on the action's nature. The source of the jinx must be something small.
K — KINETUS : (The Burster Cantrip) [ALT]
Imbues an object with kinetic energy, causing it to jerk, vibrate, or rotate once that energy is released.
L — LUMINIX : (The Lantern Cantrip) [CNJ]
Conjures a hovering orb of light, illuminating the surroundings. You can also imbue the orb into an object, making it glow.
M — MANAFISTUS : (The Magic Fist) [CNJ]
Conjures a spectral, semi-transparent hand that mimics your hand's movements. It can interact with small, light objects but lacks the strength to cause damage.
N — NOMINUS : (Detect Sight) [MST]
Reveals the presence of invisible things, illusions, chaotic weave, or magical objects within a short range. You will be able to see their aura with a colour that reveals what type of magic they are related to.
O — OPUS : (The Utility Cantrip) [ALT]
The utility cantrip grants the ability to harness the chaotic weave of magic. It enables the user to establish magic links and interact with nearby magical sources, such as circuits and linked objects, by activating or deactivating them.
P — PHANTASMA : (The Lesser Illusion) [MST]
Creates a sound or an image of an object. The sound can be a brief imitation of any known sound and can range from a whisper to a scream, whereas the image has no other properties except visual, and interacting with it will reveal it is an illusion without fail.
Q — QUIRX : (The Spell Rebuke) [QRK]
Disturbs the magical weave used by another caster to completely mess up their control over magic and cause unpredictable outcomes. There is a 5% chance the spell backfires on its caster, a 45% chance it fizzles up into nothing, another 45% chance of getting completely altered into a different effect, and finally a 5% of it getting amplified against you.
R — RUNICA : (The Spellmark) [ALT]
Lays an empty magic circle, then casts another magical effect on it from a spell or a cantrip. The magic circle stores the magical effect until it is triggered by a specific condition or command. The applications for the Runica cantrip are almost endless.
S — SERPENTIA : (The Poison Cloud) [CNJ]
Releases a cloud of harmful poison mist conjured from the chaotic weave, which dissipates back into the weave in some time, but it can poison anyone who inhales it.
T — TRANSMIX : (The Echo Message) [MST]
Isolates the echo of your voice and makes it travel a predetermined path to be heard in an area at a range from you. The spell preserves the power of your voice by keeping the sound vibrations from fading away, but the sound may distort and sound strange on the other side of the spell.
U — UMBRUM : (The Darkness Cantrip) [CNJ]
Conjures a large cloud of utter darkness that blinds any creature within, no matter how sharp their senses are. A creature that relies on a different organ other than its eyes for sight can be immune to this effect.
V — VIGILIS : (The Alarm Cantrip) [MST]
Expands your sensory perception across a certain radius in space to scan for anything with a distinctive shape or an aura of life energy as it enters your spell radius.
W — WARDUM : (The Shielding Cantrip) [FRT]
Imbue yourself with a cushioning layer that can absorb some damage from the first shock you are hit with.
X — XENIA : (The Harmony Cantrip) [MST]
Targets an unaware sentient being who does not feel any particular sort of hostility towards you and makes them feel friendly towards you, answer your questions, or do a very simple command you say. The target will be aware of your magic after it ends, depending on how subtle your magic and approach were.
Y — YLDEN : (The Bending Cantrip) [ALT]
Manipulates the basic elements of nature on a minor scale. Mould earth, shape water, and blow gusts, but the effects are limited and minor. For example, you could create a small earthen mound, shape a tiny figure of water, or cause a gust of wind to extinguish a candle.
Z — ZOOMUS : (The Sending Cantrip) [ALT]
Imbues a non-living object you are touching (or have marked) with enough magical energy to send it through the chaotic weave in a certain direction. The object travels at an instantaneous speed, leaving behind a beeline trail until it stops as the energy runs out.
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And now you know everything I know about magic. I would love to see your questions, theories, ideas, and maybe some world-building spice-ups in the comments.