Magic Systems in Fantasy Fiction

I love the Fantasy Fiction genre. The greats like C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Mercedes Lackey, and Anne McCaffrey (just to name a few) introduced me to the wonder of this fabulous genre as a child and other greats like Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, Brandon Sanderson, Anne Bishop, and Patrick Rothfuss (again, there are SO many more) continued to feed this love as I grew older. And it's thanks to amazing paranormal/fantasy romance authors like Nalini Singh, G.A. Aiken, Ilona Andrews, Christine Feehan, Gena Showalter, and Kresley Cole that I've learned a good, happily-ever-after romance makes fantasy even more enjoyable for me.

One of the reasons that the Fantasy genre is my favorite is due to the various types of magic systems. My fantasy romance series, The Gate Keeper Chronicles, has a combination elemental and life force based magic system, but I'd eventually like to have a series for each magic system that exists in fantasy fiction.

Each time I read a new fantasy series, I'm always intrigued by which system(s) the author has chosen to use/combine and how he/she makes it unique to his/her fantasy world. I hear so many fantasy writers/readers/fans sneer at how today's fantasy books all have magic systems that copy this or that famous fantasy book, and I say, "Who cares?" When you get down to it, every book written is some form of 5 or 6 basic plot types. It's the individual author with his or her unique perspective and life experience that gives each new story a slightly different feel. 

There are basic magic systems in fantasy fiction that can be combined in multiple ways to create the perfect system for your fantasy world. And since I'm a list-loving person, I created one here.


  • Elemental - Magical power is based on 4(sometimes 5) basic elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water (and sometimes Spirit).
  • Deity - Magical power gifted by a god/goddess, or multiple deities who control how much power is given and what is done with that power.  These powers can also be taken back at the deities' whim.
  • Life Force - Magical power based on the life force of humans and other living things like plants and animals.
  • Organic - Magical power based on organic materials used in spells and potions.
  • Words - Magical power based on words, written or spoken, like in spells.
  • Physical Object - Magical power based on specific physical objects that only certain people can handle/utilize/access.
  • Psychic - Magical power based on enhanced/special abilities of one's brain and body
  • Ritual - Magical power based on a specific order of actions/gestures/movements/chanting

If I missed any, please feel free to comment and let me know. Remember when you're choosing a system to consider the magic's source, what it can do, how it's used, and what its limitations are.

When I begin creating a new fantasy world, I already have a main plot that's been brewing in the depths of my imagination. I know the main conflict and the main character or characters. My phone typically will have a note titled with whatever inspired the story, for example: "Kidnapped Mer-Prince". Because who doesn't LOVE lists!?!

As more details come to me, I'll add it to the list until I have enough of a feel that I'm ready to develop the world and magic system that best matches the story in my head. Everyone has their own process.

The Gate Keeper Chronicles beginning list looked like this:
  • Kidnapped Mer-Prince
  • Infant or older child?
  • Island Nation
  • Raised thinking he was the bastard of another country's king ~ Why? How?
  • Non-Magic World separate from Magic World
  • What kind of magic? Elemental fits with him being a Merboy
  • Is power drawn from the element or the person? It would be cool for them to have an affinity to an element, but have the power drawn from their own life force. A combination magic system then. Ex. The Mer have an affinity for water, Fairies have an affinity for air, Dragons for Fire, Centaurs for Earth, Jinn for Spirit.
  • How do they use/control their power? Is it with gestures? Mental pictures? Rituals? Words? I like the idea of giving each character a hobby or skill and having them use the mental projection of tools from that craft that they use to manipulate their power. Ex: A healer would imagine a mortar and pestle or other tools of the trade, a glass blower might imagine a blow pipe and clamps, etc
  • Parallel Universe? How are they connected? Gates ~ But how many? A gate per country in the world so we get to travel
  • How many countries? Time to draw a map
  • Opening each gate could be a series of adventures for multiple books. Should it be a one main character/each book new adventure series OR a different main character responsible for opening each gate?

At this point in the list, I needed to take the story from a note in my phone to a notebook where I immediately draw a map and develop my magic system. The world-building rapidly progresses once I know what my world looks like and the kind of magic that exists in it. This is my absolute favorite part of the writing process!

Do you, or do you want to, write fantasy? What is your favorite type of magic system? Do you create the world and system first or, like me, do you have a loose idea of the story and create the world and system to match that story? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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