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Magic
Magic is an enormous subject for roleplaying. I hope my musings interest you.

Elements
Many magical systems split magic up into a number of elements. Those most common of these are Fire, Water, Air and Earth, from the classical Greek system. Occasionally a fifth element Aether or Void is cited. By contrast, China used a system centring on Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. These are also used to name their days of the week. Of course, for game systems these are often not enough; Grandia uses the four Greek elements but adds combinations as such:
  • Fire + Air = Lightning
  • Fire + Earth = Explosion
  • Water + Air = Blizzard
  • Water + Earth = Forest
Many RPGs add Light/Holy and Darkness/Evil (Blaze & Blade uses all 4).

These elements almost always interact with one another differently. There are two common systems.

  • Dominance: This is when elements are more or less effective depending on the element they are used against. Commonly, Fire over Air over Earth over Water (over Fire).
  • Opposition: Similar to Dominance, but without the decrease in effectiveness. In Blaze & Blade, Holy and Evil do more damage to each other than anything else; neither is dominant over the other, but they oppose.
Annoyingly, many RPGs also have Ice and/or Poison, which messes up these nice dominance chains or opposition pairs. Pokémon goes one step further and defines 17 elements which interact in any combination by doubling, halving or removing the effect.
  • We use the opposition system. Any non-classic elements are grouped under their nearest neighbour - Ice becomes Water, Lightning becomes Air, Poison becomes Fire (this one is difficult to decide) and so on. In this system non-elemental magic exists in myriad forms, and does not oppose any element.
  • Elements may not mix. A spell may invoke Earth and Air aspects, for example a sandstorm, but each element is treated separately by the target.
Source
Where a spellcaster's power comes from is another widely explored area. Magic: the Gathering uses the idea of 'tapping' energy from areas, living things, and empowered artifacts. Final Fantasy (except VIII) has magic draw from one's own internal store of essence, and once depleted spellcasting is not possible. Most commonly, mages synthesise spells out of some invisible, omnipresent medium named Mana or Ether - by their force of will they shape this force into the effect they desire.
  • It's up to you. Just make sure what you are doing is fair. If you tap mana from places you are bonded to, that place can probably not be used again and again in a short space of time. If you have your own internal store, exhausting it could put you into a coma.
  • Limit your power. Assume you are unable to gather enough energy to do anything devastating to Haven. Cassendela will not let you, and the other students will not be very happy. Also, large build-ups of energy may cause unusual effects near the epicentre.
Invocation
Do you speak an incantation? Draw symbols in the air? Channel power through your staff? Generally, the more powerful the spell, the more intricate the method used to cast it. Difficult spells may fail or go out of control if you lose concentration or perform the ritual incorrectly.
  • Be original. While you could read aloud a paragraph or so of prose, think of a more unusual way of casting. There's nothing stopping you embedding spells into jewels, and then swallowing them to release the effects. A character I used to play had runes carved all over their body, and to use magic they touched each relevant sigil in turn.
  • Consider the limitations. Restriction on your movement may make spells with somatic components impossible to use. Being strangled, besides the pain, will probably stop you saying magic words.
Difficulty
What's hard for you, and what's a cinch? The Belgariad mentions that sorcerers can very easily create objects, but destruction is impossible. In many RPGs, making magic target more than one person weakens its effects considerably. Stress or unfamiliarity (in a lesson, say) can drive up difficulty considerably. In general, complicated spells require more concentration, but they might just require more power.
  • Link it to the character. Rydia from Final Fantasy IV is initially very poor at casting Fire spells, because of her village being burnt down. Lina Inverse is adept at creating mile-wide explosions, but displays frustration when attempting small, complex effects.

I hope this has got a few synapses firing, and turned you from a staff-wielding magician who shouts 'FIREBALL!' into a unique sorcerer.

~Lag.Com

Header photograph by ~Pytheas. Character profiles are copyright of their respective owners. All other content and images are copyright of Lag.Com and Ryvnn.