[aftermath]

If you include magic in your stories, do you just use the mana thing or create your owns ideas for how magic is created and wielded. I know I do. Every short story I write has a different way magic is used and the novels i am working on have different types of magic. what do you do?

[Forrest]

Well, I've always tried not to focus on trivial things like systems of magic or what not. I try and obsess over the characters. Still, when I do feel the need to describe the mechanics of magic or something similar, I always create my own system, something that I find interesting, probable, or original.

[Chlestron]

I've been finding now that whenever I use magic, I use the same system. Granted, it is one that I invented for a story, but it is the same system across the board. Keeps things simple really.

[An8el]

I'd like to read how people determine exactly what these costs and origins of magic are.

[Corvus]

The magic system for my fantasy novel is pretty well-developed. It revolves around five Elemental forces and how they are manipulated. It has some resemblance to Robert Jordan's One Power, but also has major differences, and I created it before ever reading WoT.

[Calis]

use matera :D

[Iskaral Pust]

In my current book there is no magic.

[Chlestron]

My magic is a more holistic approach. Basically, magical energy is all aroudn everybody at all times, but only a few people can feel it. Those few are able to shape the magic based on how they perceive the world (the so-called 'schools' from classical D&D terms). So, an aggressive person would shape the magic to attack. A passive person would shape it to defend and so on. They don't know specific spells per say, but cast the magic based on their needs at the time. In my world, magic can only affect PHYSICAL things. So, opening a doorway between two places is doable, but coercing a person into something they wouldn't do isn't.

The more powerful, exotic, or opposite to a person's natural mode of thinking, the more concentration it requires to properly shape and direct the magic to do what the caster desires. As well, the spells require energy from the caster (call it mana if you will) and the more skilled and practiced the caster is at a particular type of spell, the less energy it takes.

So suppose that Amber (a mage) needs to get out of a cell, she can cast a spell that will open the lock, or she can blast her way through the walls depending on how she thinks is the best way to escape. Now she doesn't want to alert the guards before they have to be, so simply blasting out of the cell is not really the smartest idea. Now, suppose that Amber is a very aggressive person and a very direct person. She doesn't really work well with the fine manipulation of things and has no idea how locks work, let alone how to pick one.

So, if she cast a spell to pick the lock, it would require a great deal of concentration and an enormous amount of energy to succeed. It would be less energy if she cast a spell that simply disintegrated everything inside the lock and even less if she simply cast a spell that would cut the lock in half.

Alternately, she can cast a spell that would make her invisibl and when the guard comes and sees her gone, she can slip away when he comes in ot make sure. However such a spell is rather complicated and against her usual mode of direct confrontation as Amber perceives it as skulking. So, it would probably require more energy than she has. Hope that helps.

[Bardos]

I use another magic system in each world I write in.

In my current project, there are no "traditional" mages but the world is full of magic.