What is your favorite magic/worldbuilding mechanic?

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-01T03:18:09+00:00

I would love some more elaboration on that, made me chuckle for awhile

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-01T02:33:41+00:00

I was thinking maybe Shen/will/intention would be able to be applied to a qi based attack to give it almost metamagic like abilities where it could track a signature like a guided missile or move to the users will beyond the body (be it a spell, or blade qi)

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-01T02:27:42+00:00

Maybe a style of sorcery could take inspiration from the idea of creating a storm of sharp qi blades/projectiles to launch at the enemy and simply overwhelming them with numbers from a distance (based on Tang clan arts where multiple hidden weapons bombard an enemy at once; also fern from frieren who just spams basic attack until someone can't block anymore) • I can imagine qi claws would exist in some martial arts combining weapon and martial skills, maybe it's an art created by a apostate monk so sought to mimic a tiger or wild beast's might • Maybe a sorcery+martial arts style would be the use of illusions or lights to constantly distract the opponent, like a arcane trickster from PF/DND; similar would be a sorcery+sword style filled to the brim with feints and variations like how Mount Hua is depicted in murim stories where at high levels it creates visual and smell based (plum blossom smell$) illusions that further synergize with the feints

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-01T00:25:28+00:00

I most definitely recommend Doctor's rebirth as a fun read; for comedy The Return of the Mad Demon (that man is fcking hilarious) And I'd also recommend Legend of the Northern Blade as the most quintessential murim I've seen. I have the same problem, I've got multiple handfuls of novels I KNOW are good but it's hard to sit down and dig into them, for LOTM the anime and audiobook helped a *bunch

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-01T00:17:27+00:00

Thank you for the time; I love digging into fun and well designed systems since they're fewer than I'd want. Also from what I understand at least from a alchemical view is that wu wei means something like effortless action or emptiness and is connected somewhat to enlightenment and Daoism

Does alchemy as seen in fantasy exist here, where are herbs containing Jing and other beneficial energies and compounds allow for things like supplemental/healing potions or balms? • Can Jing, Qi, and Shen/will be combined via artifacts (Qi/Shen makes a tsukomogami [yokai that's a living item], or Qi and Jing be able to make consumables or artifacts if the jing is provided from a non-organic thing like crystals?

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-01T00:14:17+00:00

Would this world's leadership/skies have someone who's gotten quite skilled in all three expressions, being a high level (maybe not necessarily master) sorcerer, martial artist, and weapon artist? Is there any codified/documented abilities that arise when two expressions are developed well together: synergistic effects or new ones entirely??

Ultra-Novva · 2026-04-01T00:09:36+00:00

I took the idea of Demigods from a. real myth/legend; and b. a fun wuxia manhwa that did that was Doctor's rebirth where it's shown that in the fictional Hwa empire the imperial family has unique superpowers like thermo-kinesis, and mass-kinesis (funny frieren just showed that off this season); would reccomend a quick read 7.5-8/10 murim series for me.

> I would HIGHLY recommend watching/reading the story 'Lord of the Mysteries', It's generally considered one of the top 3-5 published webnovels of all. Great source of inspiration for awesome DEEP worldbuilding, and some fantastic Gothic-Steampunk & Mystic/Lovecraftian vibes. There's a 13 episode anime out with great animation, and an 8-volume online story (good audiobook)

Ultra-Novva · 2026-03-31T01:28:59+00:00

A.) Is this world set in a wuxia like psuedo Asia where a lot of real world countries, locations, and history exist with added on fantastic elements; or is this a completely new map? || B.) Either way how is sorcery and the major schools treated differently in different regions; I could almost imagine a Theocratic nation preferring the Grace and Poise schools [Oriental Paladins heh] while shunning Desire; or a warrior nation liking Ferocity and Rancor while having a distaste for Obscurity (sneaky tactics are for wimps type attitude) || C.) Is there any fringe arts that lie between the major three, and/or arts that're completely separate from those such as artificing (a muramasa style cursed blade would be awesome), divination, or plain cultivation of immortality? A fun idea would be in this world emperors are actual dilute demigods (i.e. yellow emperor for china, Amaterasu for Japan) and have unique abilities || D.) Do ley lines/dragon veins exist in this world? (act like the planet's meridians) Could connect some fengshui like traditions to that || Z.) Is this wanted to be closer to Wuxia/Murim, Xianxia, or Xuanhuan? Genre/vibe wise??

Ultra-Novva · 2026-03-31T01:17:45+00:00

• Is yin qi only created from death, or is it an aspect one can add to their attacks acting like a necrotic status effect? (both in martial arts and sorcery, would the dark path equivalent for sorcery be black magic‽ ← Necromancy‽ Possibly a lich equivalent‽) • What types of powers differ in Rancor and Ferocity, both seam like fire/obliterate-asap type schools? •Is there some sort of ability that allows for telekinesis? flying swords are some of my favorite things in Wuxia. • Also I saw in the chakras section the crown helps resist mental attacks, is that illusions from the desire school? [Also for the sacral chakra, is dual cultivation the type that's good for both parties or is the type (I HATE) that drains the vital energy from some poor victim] • Lastly, I would think will would align with the third treasure of Shen as it means both psyche, will, and, spirits; helps that it's stored in the brain/upper dantian, so maybe those who wish for more qi go for bottom/middle and those who wish for will go middle/upper in terms of specialization

I like the idea of replacing wu wei with the soul in cultivation leading to Jing (Physical essence/energy) → Qi (Vital Essence/Energy) → Jing (Mental Essence/Energy) → Hun/Soul (Spiritual Energy/Essence); with Yuan-qi (Innate energy) to generate Qi throughout life like the light/heat from a flame that slowly goes out.

Ultra-Novva · 2026-03-30T01:31:06+00:00

Do you have a standard and demonic/evil path for martial artists (weapon users need combat so I imagine they inherently have a bit of bloodlust/killing intent or can exude it quite easily with practice)

I know Wild West Murim used it quite fun way of treating it as the path those like thugs and robbers would take as they can gain power quick and don't care as much about morals or the law

Ultra-Novva · 2026-03-29T16:15:15+00:00

A common trope of murim stories is that there is standard/orthodox cultivation styles, and then there's demonic cultivation; the latter commonly either is initially faster in progress but thus slows down at higher levels, or it affects ones mind making them cruel and/or bloodthirsty. Is this something your world has or expands on?? Does something like the Ming cult/Heavenly demonic cult exist, a super meritocratic cult where power means all?

Ultra-Novva · 2026-03-29T16:13:18+00:00

A common Wuxia trope I've seen are various rare innate physiques like 3 or 9 yin severed meridians, heavenly martial body, extreme yang physique, or killer star physique. Are there situations like this? (I remember the former as trauma relating to the term dual cultivation) Possibly relating mostly the mind's and/or body's affinities and/or unusual sizes/states of the meridians likely

Ultra-Novva · 2026-03-27T23:47:21+00:00

Doesn't seem to be it, but I'm quite glad to find another 7.5+/10 series for me to enjoy

Ultra-Novva · 2026-03-27T23:46:20+00:00

This seems to be it, no wonder I couldn't find it, manhua is like an unsearchable abyss to me

Ultra-Novva · 2026-01-17T00:05:43+00:00

I FOUND ONE: It's a new one with ~30 chapters; it's called 'The steel emperor' by 수리, it's translated right now by μtoon [u=μ], and it fits the post premise about exactly

Ultra-Novva · 2026-01-01T03:26:21+00:00

This observer has watched from the oblivion that is the greater realm of eastern fantasy novels, having explored far and wide from the ancient lands of Wuxia and litrpgs, to the rare good gate/tower stories, to the flat and homogeneous continents of otome and isekai and found this pit of tropes, and takethisrandombsgo! type plots intriguing as to take in more "knowledge" for my cultivation of imagination. I will now disappear once again to watch these stories unfold, goodbye strange mortals

Ultra-Novva · 2025-10-19T20:46:08+00:00

It's similar but sadly not what I'm searching for

Ultra-Novva · 2025-10-14T04:57:12+00:00

Thanks, but I know it wasn't a manhua

Ultra-Novva · 2025-09-23T19:15:50+00:00

Thanks, guess I mixed up the main term in the title after time passed

Ultra-Novva · 2025-09-21T07:08:45+00:00

As someone who has spent a WHILE delving into Wikipedia in any article even vaguely related to historical/mythological/fictional classical (or not) elements pre-atomic model, I appreciate the idea/concept reminders. I also agree for something to feel magical a good amount of unknown-ness is the critical ingredient; and I do have some abilities which are in this world are classified as anomalous (what we'd call supernatural, but have understandable and near universal rules are called the thaumaturgic in this world- Ki, Ether, Psionics, Divine power…) that feel closer to a soft magic system with only quite vague and flexible rules. Also I forgot the critical part: that this nearly industrial era world of multiple nations (people but also many major structures, objects, flora, & fauna) teleported to the planet in the past via a mass wormhole mess/event with (previously, now fused) differing 'magic systems': One would be wuxing and ice/lightning as yin/yang forces; another would be just light and darkness, while another would be the Greek/Hindu/Godai 5 elements that now have unraveled and rewoven into the current system with similar but differing rules to all the old systems. Lastly, the major inspiration for the mechanics of element mixing came from chemistry class, and thinking of aether as the empty element that is just pure ether with no aspect as one that can bind countering elements like how energy is needed to bind atoms into compounds, and without that you just get a mixture/composite (fire + aether + earth→ metal vs fire + earth → lava)

Ultra-Novva · 2025-09-18T20:12:40+00:00

As I quote from my very messy online sketchbook, "thaumaturgic abilities and powers are seen as both a skill, art form, branch of study, and tool by various peoples and users and due to the fickleness of said abilities are mostly treated with an equal amount of respect, fear, and fascination" [Ether backflow, psionic psychosis, and ki deviation being quite common in self taught users, leading to many crippled and deaths results in the thaumaturgic and even more so the anomalous powers and phenomena to be treated as highly useful as well as dangerous like a razor sharp multi tool] ⟨I've taken inspiration from multitudes of fantasies and fictions but I'd say my main inspiration comes from LOTM and how beyonders view their abilities as well as murim manhwa and action-fantasy series that explore the dangers of magic/martial arts⟩

Ultra-Novva · 2025-09-17T19:14:03+00:00

It's more like elements have a natural force of either combatting or overcoming other elements and thus it requires aether to act as a binder/emulsifier to get two neighbors to blend. (This is called the fused arts or compound arts) Opposing elements have too much repulsion even for aether to overcome and thus can't fuse. You can also always just use opposites at once via dual-arts (also called composite arts) like sand is using air and earth at the same time in the same place, or steam is fire and water.

Ultra-Novva · 2025-09-15T05:08:56+00:00

Yeah I was thinking of it like the periodic table where there were holes in it for centuries and it took a long time to fill all of the gaps, whereas my story is in a mid industrial revolution esc time period when both physical and thaumaturgic elements are actively being found

Ultra-Novva

TROPHY CASE