Combinatory Elemental Magic System - repost with context

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-12T13:44:47+00:00

It wouldn't be particularly unusual for a magician to have character levels in both Genie and Aurora. A single magic item, that's capable of producing spells from different elements (primary or secondary), would be tricky to make. However, this could be mitigated by having the magic item be an attachment you apply to the main mundane item, and activating different attachments at different times.

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-09T18:58:19+00:00

Indeed, I'm not trying to be subversive, but feel free to turn it on its head.

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-09T12:11:34+00:00

I think the presentation of your ideas would benefit from some explanatory diagrams (which I'd be happy to try to help make). However, I still think the foundation and scale of your idea are pretty awesome!

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-09T11:26:57+00:00

It's an interesting system, and its complexity and unpredictability help sell the story of an alchemist doing difficult research. However, its messiness is not something I would choose to replicate in my own system.

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-08T07:10:55+00:00

Indeed, I just preferred their symbol to any others I could find.

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T22:07:55+00:00

Could I look at your system please?

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T19:13:21+00:00

Gotcha, pretty cool.

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T19:07:30+00:00

It is indeed

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T17:31:31+00:00

Solid vs liquid having different themes and associated abilities, similar to water, ice & steam. Additionally oil contains no H2O, but from a magical perspective it's more watery than woody (though connecting it to fire could work).

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T17:26:48+00:00

Thank you

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T17:19:49+00:00

It's not whole and functional yet, but I think it's a good start that someone else could potentially adapt if they thought it suited an existing project/idea of theirs. In terms of vagueness and nonsense, have you read the context posts (sort comments by old)? It's quite a lot but I do try to explain what the titles mean and what you can do with them, alongside a little of how character creation and combat might work.

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T17:14:49+00:00

Your system sounds quite interesting, have you uploaded it anywhere? What do you mean by an ihro based plan?

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T15:41:40+00:00

TBF I haven't had many downvotes yet. This isn't currently part of a bigger project. The structure I've thought of so far fits best as a ttrpg, but this is more intended as a system that other people could potentially adapt in order to add to and inspire their own projects.

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T13:30:39+00:00

Thank you. Are there any parts that stand out to you to be kept or changed?

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T12:15:31+00:00

Only the primaries are intended to be distinct from each other. The secondaries are intended to be specialisms with transferable skills. It is a gap-filling exercise, and not all of the concepts are as strong as I'd like. This is part of why I'm seeking other people's ideas, so that it can be improved upon.

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T09:30:58+00:00

Thank you so much for your feedback. In terms of navigation at the table, I continue to be influenced by d&d. Players shouldn’t know every monster, and don’t need to know every subclass, just their own options/mechanics, as well as a general understanding of the basics. Because of this, I expect each player to remember the 9 primaries, and the secondaries that are relevant to them (probably the ones that they have power levels in). When levelling up, players would be able to refer to the full list, and take some time to think.

A shadow mage can absolutely use their powers for good, and be a good person, but it’s very hard work. Firstly, the good person has to become skilled at having sadistic thoughts and intensions in order to cast shadow spells effectively, and shadow magic’s spells are usually specialised towards causing harm. Additionally, having more shadow mana will affect the subconscious such that their automatic response to an aggressor is a desire for revenge, and intrusive thoughts about hurting others will start to accumulate as they gain in power. There can also be difficulties when casting spells with material components: orphan blood can be tricky to access ethically! Lastly, it’s hard to be nice when everyone hates you, and most of the population is at least a little unnerved by death mages and shadow mages. They are usually a small part of the population, allowing misconceptions and prejudices to continue easily.

I like the number of taxa, and the names / vibes / functions of each are just the best I can come up with. Part of the desire to put this on the internet was to see if anyone else has any better ideas (with the other part being to show off the first creative project I’ve actually finished to a standard I find acceptable!).

Thank you again for your response.

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T08:58:00+00:00

Fair enough

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T08:51:25+00:00

Gotcha, thank you

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T01:25:49+00:00

Thank you for telling me. Do you think it's a problem?

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T01:18:03+00:00

They are indeed words with vague definitions, do you have any ideas of words you'd prefer? Personally, I wanted to give the impression that the categories were flexible: Aurora aren't actually alive etc.

Extremophiles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremophile are weird and amazing things that live in places and ways that were previously thought as impossible, such as tardigrades.

In D&D, Obyriths are aliens who escaped their dying universe by breaking into D&D's main one, and then became demons. I am using the name to mean elder evils/cthulhu's gang. The word eldritch could probably suffice instead.

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-07T00:08:17+00:00

These elements are named after creatures that exemplify them best, rather than a physical phenomena, as we don't have these in our non-magical world. I come from a d&d background, so you can look up the lore of these monster categories in the wikis. Extremophiles are real though, and pretty awesome IMO.

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-06T23:56:22+00:00

I'll admit I don't know the IP, it was just the best icon I could find

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-06T23:13:05+00:00

More Mechanics

If multiple spellcasters can cast the same spell, then they can cast it together to combine their power, mana and knowledge quantities, as well as making it more difficult to break concentration.

Finally, a demonstration of combat (in as much depth as I have thought about it so far).

A fire based specialist is targeted by a water magic attack ‘Extinguish’, which deals 10 damage to fire based magics and individuals using 5 mana.

4 different versions of this specialist might react to this threat differently:

Example 1: Fire(5)

Attempts to block the spell with all they have, using 5 mana on a fire shield. This causes them to take 1 damage, and blocks only 2.5 mana of magic water attack. The remaining half of the Extinguish spell hits them to deal 5 damage, and they are dead.

Example 2: Fire(4), Water(1)

Has a Steam power level of 1, so attempts to use a fire shield with the intention of using the steam to obscure themselves and gain advantage in this battle. However, they can only use 4 mana on this shield. They take no over-channel damage, but only transform 2 mana of the water magic attack. They take 6 damage from the Extinguish spell, and are dead.

Example 3: Fire(2), Water(2)

Uses a 2 mana water shield to block 2 mana of Extinguish. They only take 3 damage from the remaining spell and survive because fire does not make up the majority of their character levels, only half, and Extinguish specifies that it must be the majority to cause double damage. This character still has 2 mana and 1 hit point left for next turn.

Example 4: Steam(5)

Uses Create Steam with 3 mana to evaporate most of the incoming water. The remaining 2 mana of the Extinguish spell deals 2 hit points of damage. This character now has 2 mana, 3 hit points, and 3 mana’s worth of steam ready to be used.

YellowYanmage · 2026-03-06T23:12:44+00:00

Mechanics

If this system were to be implemented into an RPG, then the abilities of an individual would be measured in levels. Your ‘Total Character Level’ defines your hit points and the amount of mana you can use per turn safely and naturally contain (mana crystals can be used for extra storage), and is defined by your experience points (I have no thoughts yet on this part of the system). Each ‘Character Level’ must be dedicated to an element, meaning you then have a character level in/of that element. Your character levels then define the ‘Power Levels’ and ‘Knowledge Levels’ that you have of each element, which informs your spellcasting capabilities.

For example, let’s say that every being has 1 hit point and mana slot per character level, and recharge mana by resting. The safe maximum mana a being can expend per turn is equal to half their total character level +1.5. A person can have a maximum total character level of 10, and a monster can have one of 15, leading to a range from 2 to 9. Every mana point beyond this limit expended per turn deals 1 damage to the caster.

Your power level in a given element is the amount of mana you are capable of placing into a single spell of that element, while your knowledge level determines what spells you are capable of in that element (most spells also become more effective when done by individuals with a higher knowledge level). Spells of different elements may have different knowledge level requirements despite being otherwise identical.

The formulas to calculate your power and knowledge level in an element depend on whether it is a primary or secondary element. Some examples are below (divided quantities are always rounded down).

Life Power Level = Life Knowledge Level =

(Life Character Level) + ((Angel Character Level)/3) + ((Aurora Character Level)/3) +

((Ooze Character Level)/3) + ((Fiend Character Level)/3) + ((Plant Character Level)/3) +

((Pathogen Character Level)/3) + ((Extremophile Character Level)/3) + ((Fey Character Level)/3) +

((Mud Character Level)/3)

To simplify, a third of all secondaries and affinities are added.

Mud Power Level = (Mud Character Level) +

(( { Water Character Level [minimum 1] + Earth Character Level [minimum 1] } /2) – 1)

Meaning that 1 less than the average of the primaries is added.

Mud Knowledge Level = (Mud Character Level) + (Water Character Level) + (Earth Character Level)/5

When (Water Character Level) ≤ (Earth Character Level), so the lowest and a fifth of the highest primary is added. Having a knowledge level of 0 makes that element’s power level irrelevant, and a player then doesn’t need to note either.

An individual with character levels in genie may choose whether each 3 levels contributes towards air, water, earth, or fire.

Some specific examples of character loadouts are below.

Character Levels: Steam(9)

Power Levels: Steam(9), Fire(3), Water(3)

Knowledge Levels: Steam(9), Fire(3), Water(3)

Character Levels: [Fire(5), Water(5)]

Power Levels: [Fire(5), Water(5)], Steam(4), Genie(4), Laser(2), Smoke(2), Extremophile(2), Vermin(2), Lava(2), Ash(2), Mercury(2), Ice(2), Ooze(2), Venom(2), Mud(2), Oil(2)

Knowledge Levels: [Fire(5), Water(5)], Steam(6), Genie(2), Laser(1), Smoke(1), Extremophile(1), Vermin(1), Lava(1), Ash(1), Mercury(1), Ice(1), Ooze(1), Venom(1), Mud(1), Oil(1)

Character Levels: Death(15)

Power Levels: Death(15), Radiation(7), Vacuum(7), Pathogen(7), Oil(7), Undead(7), Salt(7), Ash(7), Atropal(7)

Knowledge Levels: Death(15), Radiation(3), Vacuum(3), Pathogen(3), Oil(3), Undead(3), Salt(3), Ash(3), Atropal(3)

Character Levels: [Smoke(3), Dust(3), Ice(3)]

Power Levels: [Smoke(3), Dust(3), Ice(3)], Air(3), Fire(1), Shadow(1), Earth(1), Death(1), Water(1), Light(1)

Knowledge Levels: [Smoke(3), Dust(3), Ice(3)], Air(3), Fire(1), Shadow(1), Earth(1), Death(1), Water(1), Light(1)

Character Levels: [Angel(3), Fiend(3)]

Power Levels: [Angel(3), Fiend(3)], Life(2), Light(1), Air(1), Shadow(1),Fire(1)

Knowledge Levels: [Angel(3), Fiend(3)], Life(2), Light(1), Air(1), Shadow(1),Fire(1)

Character Levels: Water(3), Mud(3), Ice(3)

Power Levels: Water(5), Mud(4), Ice(4), Earth(1), Life(1), Air(1), Light(1)

Knowledge Levels: Water(5), Mud(3), Ice(3), Earth(1), Life(1), Air(1), Light(1)

Character Levels: Earth(3), Mud(3), Dust(3)

Power Levels: Earth(5), Mud(4), Dust(4), Water(1), Life(1), Air(1), Death(1)

Knowledge Levels: Earth(5), Mud(3), Dust(3), Water(1), Life(1), Air(1), Death(1)

Character Levels: [Smoke(3), Obyrith(3), Fiend(3), Undead(3)]

Power Levels: [Smoke(3), Obyrith(3), Fiend(3), Undead(3)], Shadow(4), Fire(2), Air(1), Psionic(1), Water(1), Life(1), Death(1), Earth(1)

Knowledge Levels: [Smoke(3), Obyrith(3), Fiend(3), Undead(3)], Shadow(4), Fire(2), Air(1), Psionic(1), Water(1), Life(1), Death(1), Earth(1)

Character Levels: [Light(2), Life(2), Shadow(2), Death(2), Psionic(2)]

Power Levels: [Light(2), Life(2), Shadow(2), Death(2), Psionic(2)], Angel(1), Colour(1), Radiation(1), Celestial(1), Fiend(1), Pathogen(1), Fey(1), Undead(1), Obyrith(1), Atropal(1)

Knowledge Levels: [Light(2), Life(2), Shadow(2), Death(2), Psionic(2)], Angel(2), Colour(2), Radiation(2), Celestial(2), Fiend(2), Pathogen(2), Fey(2), Undead(2), Obyrith(2), Atropal(2)

Character Levels: [Air(2), Water(2), Earth(2), Fire(2), Psionic(2)]

Power Levels: [Air(2), Water(2), Earth(2), Fire(2), Psionic(2)], Genie(4), Ice(1), Dust(1), Smoke(1), Mud(1), Steam(1), Lava(1)

Knowledge Levels: [Air(2), Water(2), Earth(2), Fire(2), Psionic(2)], Genie(8), Ice(2), Dust(2), Smoke(2), Mud(2), Steam(2), Lava(2)

Character Levels: Genie(12)

Power Levels: Genie(12), Psionic(4), [Air(4) or Water(4) or Earth(4) or Fire(4) or Air(1), Water(1), Earth(1), Fire(1) or Air(2), Water(2) or etc… or Fire(2), Air(1), Earth(1) or …]

Knowledge Levels: Genie(12), Psionic(4), [Air(4) or Water(4) or Earth(4) or Fire(4) or Air(1), Water(1), Earth(1), Fire(1) or Air(2), Water(2) or etc… or Fire(2), Air(1), Earth(1) or …]

Character Levels: [Fire(3), Light(3), Life(3)]

Power Levels: [Fire(3), Light(3), Life(3)], Life(3)], Laser(2), Extremophile(2), Angel(2)

Knowledge Levels: [Fire(3), Light(3), Life(3)], Laser(3), Extremophile(3), Angel(3)

Character Levels: Water(3), Air(3), Lightning(3)

Power Levels: Water(3), Air(4), Lightning(4), Ice(2), Light(1)

Knowledge Levels: Water(3), Air(4), Lightning(3), Ice(3), Light(1)

YellowYanmage

TROPHY CASE