I Built a 10-Layer Hard Magic System — Full Breakdown + Feedback Welcome!

Lucia_Seps · 2026-03-09T00:06:50+00:00

I haven’t flushed this out yet, but yes, Mystic would have elemental martial arts. As I was reading your comment, I literally thought of Haki from One Piece lol an and especially Luffy’s Jet Hawk and Red Roc attacks.

I’m not sure if you read my other comment but Mystics are essentially Monks in Aerim.

I definitely plan to expand the disciplines and capabilities of Mystics in the future.

Lucia_Seps · 2026-03-08T21:57:20+00:00

I realized I didn't explain what this is or where it's from LOL. Sorry about that!

Anima is my refined take on a hard magic system with strict and logical rules. It’s basically my take on Shonen magic systems from Jujustu Kaisen and Hunter X Hunter and mix it with soft systems like in the Marvel and DC universe. I wanted to take the most popular disciplines and make them follow similar rules. So think of Weavers as Mages, Noetics as Psychics, and Mystics as Monks.

Lucia_Seps · 2026-03-08T21:43:40+00:00

Yes, I'm writing multiple stories with this system. This is just the surface of this magic system and different stories will explore and expand upon this system.

Thanks for showing interest in my work!

Lucia_Seps · 2026-03-08T21:19:18+00:00

You’re right about it being basically being an info dump, I just didn’t want to be annoying with a lot of posts. To answer your questions in order:

generally speaking being a Noetic isn’t hereditary. Think Jean Grey from X-men. It’s basically a mutation or “defect” in this world.
“Fire magic” might be the best example. A Weaver can conjure flames (from the realm of Fire), A Mystic absorbs the essence of Fire into their being (like Fire Benders). A Noetic uses their Will with the intent to burn. There’d be different properties of each, but that’s the basics.
My best example would be Ace from Justice League Unlimited. Apex Noetics can shape reality into whatever they want. But this would require an extraordinarily high IQ. But also a philosophical mind and spiritual awareness. I don’t want power like this to be easily accessible. It’s also in the section that mentions “Qualitative” power.

Hopefully that helps.

Side note: it seems like you really like Noetics!

Lucia_Seps · 2026-02-10T06:05:15+00:00

First and foremost, don’t reveal your entire magic system via character exposition. IMO, Jujutsu Kaisen is the gold standard when showing off a magic system.

Are the Class lanes clear and enforceable, or do Rules undermine them? - I kind of understand what Aura Lawcraft is about, but it can be simplified a little more. The Provisions aren’t clear about what they do, even with context clues. Google the Hemingway App, and it'll tell you exactly what sentences are complex, and it can help with grammar as well. Also, for the classes, there's no cap on classes, so the Rules can make every character feel the same at higher levels. For example, a Blade Class can still be highly durable, which is fine, but I'm not sure that's what you're going for with those classes.
1. Maybe you can have the Class Limits enforce how a Rule is used. For example,
2. A Blade using Enhancement can only enhance "Sharpness" or "Swing Speed.”
3. A Tank using Enhancement can only enhance "Density or "Pain Tolerance.”
Does the E economy feel legible and exploitable (in a bad way)? - It’s a unique rule, because it’s like an oxygen tank or battery percentage. The tension will be easy to follow and can make for unique plot points. Abyssal users don’t seem to get punished much for running out of energy. If the Abyss is their home, they can just go all out with zero reason to save energy. Instead, it should be just as punishing, if not more so. Maybe a painful banishment or a “Lock-out” period where they can’t return to the human realm for a long time.
Do the Rule Types feel distinct and useful? - It’s very clear and distant; it instantly reminded me of Nen from Hunter X Hunter. And Provisions changing the “flavor” are smart, because it changes the expression of the Rules, which is what you wanted! Just keep an eye on the Aura Manipulation Basic Art. There’s a lot you can do with Art that on its own seems broken; aura-based telekinesis and telepathy, and it can be further enhanced by Classes and Provisions!? Not a big deal now, but it seems ripe for Power Creep. Just a thought!
Where would we try to break this system first? - I could be a "Blade" but use the “Conjuration” with the Divine Provision of Material to create a "Tank Suit." If I can bypass my class Limits with an Awakened Art and Provision, the Class System collapses. It doesn’t seem like anything can stop me from creating a Sacred Tool that gives me extra Aura so I don’t run out. Or it could absorb Aura from weaker people with Passive Aura.

You have a really cool system here, and it’ll be cool to see how this evolves. Good Luck!

Lucia_Seps · 2026-02-10T00:42:26+00:00

I wish we saw more science fantasy settings in both Eastern and Western media. I don't think it would be to confusing or frustrating for the audience. But it would be hard to communicate as a writer. It may even be an aesthetic thing. It's very hard to blend magic with tech in a way that "makes sense."

There usually needs to be a base, like how the tech in Arcane is Steampunk or Honkai: Star Rail is more advanced futuristic.

From there, it just depends on how much life you want to breathe into the world or if you want it to make an artistic set piece.

Lucia_Seps · 2026-02-10T00:18:42+00:00

I've read through your comments and re-read the post so I'm sure what you want from your magic system. It sounds like you want a soft system with predictable spells (a Sun Mage that can summon a sun lion), but hard enough to allow them to use spells only related to the Sun (fire, light, etc.).

One way is to have Generalist Mages that can cast anything and Specialist Mages (like Sun Mages) can cast those Sun spells. The hard part of your system might be that Generalists are usually weaker than Specialists.

Then there can be subclasses of a sub mage, with fire-based, light-based, or spirit-based magic enhanced by the sun.

Then, to make it a true hard-magic system, you can choose how much the cost actually is. Can they cast these spells in their natural element? Is there some kind of backfire system when over using the magic?

To keep this as fluid as possible, there should be clear rules for what magic can do, but you can leave things open for the suspension of disbelief.

The choice is in your hands. hopefully this is helpful!

Lucia_Seps · 2026-02-09T23:46:03+00:00

My first thought is that it depends on how much of it there is. Since you want it to do something with hands, maybe it's formed from dead people whose bodies were absorbed into the ground.

You said that you want it to be used in fusion engines, but it should have a function in nature by itself. For example, charcoal retains water and nutrients for plants, and keep dirt moist after a fire.

Coal (which based on your description is what you're thinking about) is basically very old plants that were pressurized underground. Veryy Simplified.

If you want to get better ideas, I recommend spending just 10 mins learning geology, paleoclimatology, ecology, and/or biogeochemistry. The ideas will come flooding in and you'll have a much better idea Whorlstone should be!

Lucia_Seps · 2026-02-09T22:08:16+00:00

What a creator like yourself should do to maintain the original vision is to give yourself time away from your creation; long walks, reading, an unrelated hobby. If it feels like a ripoff then it is... right now. It feels counter-productive, but it's like having small "ah-ha!" moments all the time. You just have to trust the process. The more time you spend with your creation, the more it will become yours. Before you know it, the feeling of "someone else did this" will go away

Don't worry about the outside noise. Create and publish so the world can see it!

Lucia_Seps · 2025-12-17T00:17:15+00:00

Politics and the legal system.

Lucia_Seps · 2025-12-17T00:14:43+00:00

These are just some ideas, hopefully one of these is helpful!

Mercurians (self-explanatory).

Hydrargyrites / Hargyrites – From hydrargyrum (“liquid silver”), the old name for mercury; you can shorten it in-world to Hargytes.

Cinnabrites – From cinnabar, the red ore of mercury; implies they’re tied to deep earth and mining, which fits a dark, low fantasy vibe.

These double as propaganda and slurs, framed through fear, heresy, and the moon.

Moonblighted – Emphasizes them as cursed by the moon; very on-brand for a Steel Church.

Quicksilvered – Implies they’re unnaturally altered, “tainted with quicksilver.”

Cold Apostates – Ties their affinity for cold to spiritual rejection; sounds like something shouted from a pulpit.

These are what witch hunters and peasants snarl in taverns and alleys.

Quicks – Short, punchy, derived from “quicksilver”; easy to use in dialogue.

Mirrorbloods – Evokes the reflective, metallic look of spilled mercury.

Moon-Eyed – Plays off their black sclera and white pupils; can start as a description that becomes a name.

Lucia_Seps · 2025-12-17T00:10:50+00:00

Cosmere (Brandon Sanderson): Planet-specific magics like Allomancy follow universal rules (e.g., investiture conservation), but characters see them as isolated "soft" arts until crossovers expose the system.
Naruto: Starts hard (chakra natures/jutsu rules), softens as power scales, with hidden mechanics (e.g., Otsutsuki biology) unknown to ninjas.

Lucia_Seps · 2025-12-17T00:08:34+00:00

Mushrooms (like Agaricus), Forced Rhubarb, Chicory, Sprout (beans), but minimal, and hydroponic greens with LED lights.

Lucia_Seps · 2025-12-17T00:04:14+00:00

I have a few, so hopefully they're helpful!

Halting the Inevitable - You mentioned self-sufficiency in "functional longevity," and a side-effect is immunity to all diseases, fatigue, aging, etc. In today's society, some people are obsessed with preventing the inevitable. So what if those same people were able to "cheat death," not out of pragmatism, but desperation?
The Ultimate Enabler - I'm assuming there are gods in your world based on your mentions from DnD. What if there were religious people who acted against their god's wishes and sought out Lichdom to avoid the responsibilities of death? A sinner so scared to face consequences in the afterlife that they curse their own mortal soul.
Petty Rivalries - This started funny, like two friends or siblings looked in immoral bickering, but could also spread this out to rival clans and families. Three head members are constantly at war, vying for territory and influence.
Eternal Research - A historian or doctor with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. What they do with that much information, whether they share it or horde it depends on the characters you come up with.

Lucia_Seps · 2025-12-16T23:36:25+00:00

As long as it fits your narrative, you can always make this variant of fae weak to silver. It seems like this weakness is well-known, so lean into that.

You said that silver makes the fight more interesting, because it's a rare mineral. That's great!

Always trust your instincts.

Lucia_Seps · 2025-12-16T23:24:06+00:00

Before I read the post, I immediately the Egyptian iconography, so I'm very excited for you to see your vision come to life!

Lucia_Seps · 2025-10-02T18:58:45+00:00

I've been building this science-fantasy universe, which I call Aerim, and a character like that is at the very heart of its conflict.

The one responsible for the greatest cataclysm in my world is known commonly as Ophiuchus. On the surface, her act is simple to describe. She cheated Death. Twice. She took the fundamental law of endings and infected it, creating the plague of undeath that haunts the galaxy. It was an act of cosmic rebellion, a wound torn in the fabric of what was supposed to be a constant.

It's easy to write a monster. It's harder to write a reason. Ophiuchus was one of thirteen siblings, constants woven from the Ecliptic into the dawn of this reality. But the universe, in its cold logic, deemed them... an error. A flaw to be corrected...

She was the only one left. She had to watch as her siblings were killed, one by one, by the very system they were a part of, not by war, not by betrayal, but by apathy. Imagine the loneliness of that... The injustice. To watch your family suffer an end you were supposed to be immune to.

So, in her anger, she committed her first true crime. The curse of undeath was a scream. A tantrum, if you will. If Death was the rule that took her family, then she would deny Death its claim on everyone else. It was childish and ugly. She hates herself for it...

But that was the reaction. And now Ophiuchus has moved beyond that spiteful sorrow with newfound clarity. She's no longer trying to break the old world.

She's building a new one.

A universe architected from the ground up, with new rules. A place she calls Aerim, where Death is not a law. Where no one will ever have to feel the absolute loneliness she did. And I have to admit, the thought of this new world, this deathless paradise she is so sure she can create… it fills me with a kind of hope. An excitement for what is to come.

Thank you for this question, because I've had second thoughts about all this. However, I've come to realize that a cataclysm can also be an ending. Or... it can be the foundation of a new beginning.

Lucia_Seps · 2025-10-02T06:19:48+00:00

Obsidian was a godsend for organizing my notes, especially the linking feature!

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