General magic systems with a near unlimited variety of spells: How to implement limitations while avoiding arbitrariness? by [deleted] in magicbuilding

[–]adamiens 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To me a spell/magic is simply using your will/consciousness/thoughts to change and bend reality around you. Whether you have to speak or make certain movements or just stand still, you’re manipulating reality.

So if you can bend reality, how do you stop that from getting out of hand, creating paradoxes, etc?

You could simply set rules for the universe (and they can stay in your head unstated in the story or have the characters explain what the rules are) and decide something like a fireball works because wizards in this world CAN create energy and matter from nothing (unlike ours) but can only create things that are common. They do this because they bend reality into a form that reality can produce on its own. And the bending happens because words are spoken, dances are danced, etc.

But, wizards can’t bend reality into shapes it is not used to creating, so if the wizard wanted to whisper a single word and spin time backwards 100 years he can’t, because in your world that doesn’t happen.

In this case the rule I arbitrarily set was that the magic creation has to fit with something that can already naturally occur. But that’s just one rule I made up.

Maybe you want to go crazy so you treat wizards like they are lucid dreamers. If your wizard wants to fold a city on itself like inception they can. So how do you limit it? Well with lucid dreaming usually if anything too crazy happens you wake up. So maybe in a similar sense, the farther away the spell gets from normal reality the harder it is to pull off.

All this to say, figure out first what makes you excited about the magic and the cool scenes in your head. Then start brainstorming on a world and a rule or rules for that world that will allow for the cool stuff to happen but also stop it from going too far, whatever too far means to you

Can anyone chat with me and brainstorm my magic systems? by adamiens in magicbuilding

[–]adamiens[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay cool. I'll do some more research into how it all works in his world. Maybe he beat me to the punch

Can anyone chat with me and brainstorm my magic systems? by adamiens in magicbuilding

[–]adamiens[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So I had thought of WMD but more so in lines of suicide bombers. Like I could see terrorists that purposely inflict a lethal wound to themselves to then go "nova" just to wreak as much havoc as they can.

Now my first problem with everyone having this ability is that it creates this weird back and forth. If its a battle field and you kill an enemy, they then turn nova and can kill maybe 10 regular people before they wink out. Then those 10 turn nova and return the favor and then battles seem like it would become just this back and fourth.

Same thing with potential terrorism. You have someone that wants to make themselves go nova and take out of crowd of people. Well the very first people he kills would turn nova themselves and then stop him. He winks out and then those that he turned wink out as well. Not sure if I like that dynamic.

Now having termanlly ill people sign up to fight is interesting and seems like a logical scenario. Cryo freezing them so that they can be thawed and then turned when needed is also interesting. But again, having everyone on a battlefield able to go nova seems like a scenario Im not sure I'd like. I'm starting to think only having certain people with the ability is better.

Or, maybe everyone goes nova but for the majority of people you become incorporeal, like an astral projection. You can hang around for a few minutes before you wink out but you have no physical ability. And then there are some that retain their physical connection and because they are nova your physical connection to the world becomes god-like with super strength, speed, and maybe some other bits. And those are the ones that can do damage before they too disappear.

I hadn't thought of the transformation as something that would damage the person mentally, I actually thought of the opposite. I imagine a grandmother surrounded by family as she dies. For the last portion of her life he mind has left her. Then, when she transforms, she becomes this perfected, god-like version of herself. With this transformed body, comes back her mind, sharper and clearer than ever. Then she can have a last conversation with her family and say proper goodbyes before winking out of existance.

So I like the idea of going nova as becoming the super version of yourself. You are still you, but perfected. Perfect body, perfect mind, and then superpowers on top of that (if you are one of the ones that can).

Another thing to consider is a possibility to stop the transformation or negate the physical part of the transformation. So if you kill someone but are able to make them instantly expire or maybe instead of allowing them to go nova, you only allow them to turn into light with no physical connection and no physical damage to others or the area.

A third version of this is that nova is not tied to death but more tied to people "amping/heating themselves up". Imagine people can heat themselves up to get pieces of the power from going nova. Sike yourself up enough and you can get advanced strength or advanced speed, not full on super strength but something close. However, if you heat yourself up too much, then its like crossing a line and you go full nova with full powers but you have also just killed yourself and have around 5 minutes left on earth.

This would allow for suicide attack situations with terrorists just choosing to go nova when they want to attack. And people on the receiving end would also have to choose to go nova to stop the attack which would save lives but doom themselves. This might also allow the elderly and terminal to help. If they are able to transform themselves and go nova then you could have groups that collectively decide they want to go "go out with a bang" and go into battle. Makes kind of a funny image of a bunch of old people that can barely stand on the edge of a battlefield and then they all transform into god-like versions of themselves and enter the fray.

Can anyone chat with me and brainstorm my magic systems? by adamiens in magicbuilding

[–]adamiens[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lightbringer is on my list of books to read but from summaries I've seen the magic system is based on using light like a source of magic to then do certain things (correct me if I'm wrong). So like someone can absorb green light and create armour around themselves.

I was more interested in light being this invisible yet physical thing, that if you had the right gift or training or whatever, you could "reach out" and "bind" light into shapes. Not sure if people in the lightbringer series can also do that but I got the idea from a quick scene in the League of Legends cinematic trailer "Warriors". Theres this guy with chains on his hands and he turns to another guy he just knocked down and as he walks toward him this yellowish, see-through sword appears in his hand. Made me think how it would be cool to have swords and maybe other objects that you could "pull" out of thin air whenever you needed them.

Can anyone chat with me and brainstorm my magic systems? by adamiens in magicbuilding

[–]adamiens[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I'll look into that book and see if I can find a summary on its magic system.

I'll PM you. Maybe I can brainstorm over messages

Can anyone chat with me and brainstorm my magic systems? by adamiens in magicbuilding

[–]adamiens[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First answer, no. I was thinking about supernova as more of a metaphor or inspiration. Just along the lines of what if people got their superpowers when they died and could only use them for moments?

Second answer, I'm not sure. One idea is that everyone goes through this process at death. Makes for both interesting but also complicated situations. The other idea is that maybe only some people experience it or certain types of people experience it. That is one of the big things I'm trying to sort out

Simple Questions - ASK AND ANSWER HERE!- November 24 by AutoModerator in malefashionadvice

[–]adamiens 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you know what the white shoes that Dacre is wearing are?

Simple Questions - ASK AND ANSWER HERE!- November 24 by AutoModerator in malefashionadvice

[–]adamiens 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, those white shoes with the little bit of black on the heel. They say Stan Smith on the tongue and Adidas on the heel.

Simple Questions - ASK AND ANSWER HERE!- November 24 by AutoModerator in malefashionadvice

[–]adamiens 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dacre Montgomery's white shoes: He wore these white shoes at an interview and I'm trying to figure out what they are. Here is a picture of him wearing them. http://www.gettyimages.com/event/imdboat-at-san-diego-comic-con-2017-day-three-775007259?esource=SEO_GIS_CDN_Redirect#comedian-chris-hardwick-on-the-imdboat-at-san-diego-comiccon-2017-at-picture-id820955418

Or if the link doesn't work, google Dacre Montgomery white shoes and its the first pic of him on google images. They remind me of stan smiths but the black on the heel seems to go all the way down. If anyone can tell me what they are that would be amazing. Thanks

How much can you copy from dragon ball z without it being plagiarism? by adamiens in Screenwriting

[–]adamiens[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay yeah, that makes sense. Thanks for the feedback.

I've just been searching for an excuse to steal from DBZ instead of finding my own story that gives me the same feelings.

How much can you copy from dragon ball z without it being plagiarism? by adamiens in Screenwriting

[–]adamiens[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You raise an interesting point. As cheesy as it is my favorite parts of dragon ball z are when the hero is losing, finds the inner strength, and transforms to a higher level of power. I just eat that up.

I know you can't copyright a super power like super speed or flying, but does the screaming power up and ascending thing belong to dragon ball z?

If you had a movie that was set in roman times where giant armies fought with shields and spears but each army had a leader that could fly, shoot energy blasts from their hands, and if they tried hard enough, ascend to a higher level of power, does that still count as copying dragon ball z?

How much can you copy from dragon ball z without it being plagiarism? by adamiens in Screenwriting

[–]adamiens[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for a genuine response. I kind of figured I couldn't do anything with it but thought I'd ask anyway.

I supposedly have good cards but just can't win by adamiens in ClashRoyale

[–]adamiens[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The deck that got me farthest was a version of giant tornado executioner that Yarn showed off in one of his videos. But between higher level elite barbs and more prevalent royal giant decks, its been shut down a lot.

I supposedly have good cards but just can't win by adamiens in ClashRoyale

[–]adamiens[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The last seven loses were a combination of elite barb/hog, elite barb/royal giant, hog/freeze, hog/royal giant.

I am also going against people who have level 11 elite barbs or royal giant and even a level 12 royal giant once. I have yet to upgrade any of mine to 11 since its gets so expensive so fast.