The classification of magic into “hard” and “soft” systems was conceived by award-winning author (and author of my second-favourite series!) Brandon Sanderson. He theorized that magic fell into two general forms

1. Soft magic, where magic just exists and is loosely explained (like the Force in Star Wars, and Tolkien’s magic system in his Lord of the Rings series)

2. Hard magic, where magic and its wielder must adhere to rules and restrictions, with consequences if those rules aren’t followed (like alchemy in the Fullmetal Alchemist series, and bending in the Avatar: the Last Airbender series).

In short, hard magic is defined but predictable, soft magic is ambiguous but unreliable. Neither system is better than the other as long as it fits into the world you’re building. Think of how boring it would be if Luke Skywalker had to pause mid-light-sabre-duel to chant up a conjuring of the Force, or how uninteresting it would be for Edward Elric to transmute his often hilarious weapons from thin air and not topple a building in the process?

In my current series, The Rose Cross Academy, I use a hard magic system based on alchemy, but the system is not used as heavily as in most fantasy novels. In my world, the story centres on the war brewing between humans and demons. The magic system is a tool used occasionally to help the students of the Academy through obstacles.

The students are limited to transmuting only certain weapons. Higher-level alchemy, such as raising barriers or exorcising demons, must be done by way of a mote—a pre-concocted spell meant to do one task and one task only, such as exorcising demons using fire.

The transmutation abilities of the students of the Rose Cross Academy are used as tools for their day-to-day, but the magic system is not the underlying story. That will be different for my next series.

In my next series, I want magic to be the underlying struggle in the world I’m building. Magic and how it’s used or abused sparks tension, war, and eventually destroys an entire civilization. In order to achieve that, I came to the conclusion I needed a hard magic system versus a soft magic system. Breaking rules and going beyond limitations will be what incites the struggle in my next world.

The challenge I face: since my last hard magic series served only to arm my characters with weapons and not drive the story, I had to essentially start from the ground up with my next magic system. In my adventures doing so, I’ve learned a few things along the way I though I should share. But before we get to that, let’s look at how an improperly executed magic system can go wrong.

Pitfalls in loose magic systems

The biggest detriment to soft magic systems is that the lack of definition and boundaries tend to create plot holes. In worse cases, the lack of magic clarity is used a plot device for getting the MC through a pinch. Soft magic used in this way can feel like lazy writing.

Case in point, the novel (or movie if you wish), Eragon. The titular character, Eragon, learns he can use dragonrider magic just in time to escape the bad guys. In this case, the loose and undefined magic system creates a plot convenience which feels lazy.

The lesson here is: If magic is going to be used to solve a problem, said magic must be present and used or explored before the story requires it. Pulling magic out of thin air because the plot calls for a speedy escape can leave your audience groaning.

Hard magic systems on the other hand can be predictable. Each “spell” does the same thing with the same amplitude, and has the same outcome each time. That may sound boring at first, but what this creates for the reader is a knowledge of what to expect. But at the same time, if the author forgets the rules because the plot calls for it, then once again, the audience groans.

Take for instance A Letter for the King. After several plot points, it’s established that the magic Viridian has gathered can revive the dead. Later when Lavinia absorbs his magic, she’s unable to revive Jussipo.

I for one was yelling at my TV during this plot hole. Not only is it frustrating when the rules of magic are changed for plot convenience, it takes the reader right out of the story. When the reader is smarter than the author, you have problems.

So how do you avoid those problems? Simple. By setting up the rules.

Determine the rules (even if you’re choosing a soft magic system) and stick to them. Define the magic upfront to the reader and don’t conveniently make up the magic as you go.

Now, since this post is about hard magic systems, with those annoying limitations and rules, how do we make them less annoying? Let’s get on to crafting a magic system.

What happens when magic is used?

In hard magic systems, the effects of magic on the world being built can be as vague or as scientific as needed. The underlying point I had to keep in mind was that there must be some limit or consequence of using said magic. These constraints and complications could then be used to strengthen the story and its characters.

Take something as seemingly harmless as Fullmetal Alchemist’s Law of Equivalent Exchange: a mystical version of matter can neither be created nor destroyed. In order for Edward Elric to craft his famous pole lance, he needs metal and wood. Simple enough to find in post-industrial Germany, but not so simple to conjure in the middle of a desert.

But this Law and it’s hard and fast restraints sets the story into motion when the Elric brothers try to bring their mother back from the dead and it goes horribly wrong. All because they didn’t follow the rules. The Law strengthens the story and keeps its characters from becoming all powerful or creating plot devices.

Is there a cost to using magic?

Hard magic often has costs to use, or consequences of using too much of it. One of my favourite writing prompts for a hard magic system dealt with the dark and sometimes horrific cost of using magic.

In a village, the local healer could heal any ailment with magic, and there was much rejoicing. But in a poor village on the other side of nowhere, its residents were dying of these ailments. The cost of using this magic was that the local healer simply transferred ailments from one person to another. The world was all peachy-keen until the reader found out what was really happening. Then each spell came with a thought problem the reader knew but the magic user didn’t.

Once again, the Law strengthens the story and keeps its characters from becoming all powerful. Your hard magic system doesn’t have to go to this extent, but having consequences and costs keeps the characters on their feet and makes them think of resolutions to situations, rather than relying on a fireball or three.

What are the limitations of magic?

Just as magic should come with a cost, magic also needs its limitations, otherwise anyone can become a super-duper-magic-user with little-to-no training. And that’s boring. If there are no limits, no one is special. If all it takes is a couple chapters of tutelage and a rough idea of a spell, then it’s no longer special. (Harry Potter and your Patronus Charm, I’m looking at you!).

Limitations keep magic from becoming a plot device, and one of the most well-known limitations is mana, or the well of magical energy one possesses. Although not specifically created by the huge and rambling universe of Final Fantasy, mana limits most of this game series’ underlying magic systems. At the most basic level, users are limited by mana and spell “cool-downs” from casting the same powerful spells over and over again to vanquish foes, or from endlessly reviving dead party members.

The fifteenth installment in the series widdles down the magic system even further to only certain playable characters being able to use magic, like Noctis. Although born into magic by way of his nobility, Noctis’ powers are limited in strength and effectiveness by the number of Royal Arms he possesses. In turn, using the Royals Arms also depletes his health, so not only does this introduce the limitations construct, but the cost construct of magic as well.

Other characters in Final Fantasy XV can equip magic as a weapon, but you have to find that magic first. Magic can be harvested from the world then combined into a materia-like physical construct using elemency. If you can’t find the magic, you can’t use it. When you do find the magic, its power is only as great as the materials you use to craft it.

So where do we go from here?

In my journey, I’ve found that these were the first three questions I had to figure out before I could start building my magic system. In subsequent explorations, I needed to figure out the elemental structure and the wielder structure of my magic system, so we have two more adventures ahead of us.

In review:

  • Hard magic has rules and consequences if the rules aren’t followed. Find the rules, define them, and stick to them. If the rules need to be broken, what happens?
  • Magic has a cost, anywhere from the mundane (user gets tired) to the extreme (ailments get passed on to others). What happens when this magic is used? What happens when it’s overused?
  • Magic has limits, such as the amount of magical energy one possesses, or the items being used. What are the limitations for using this magic?

Next, we’ll look into the structure of the magic: what elements it uses, how the elements connect with one another, and how magic is acquired or learned.

Until next time, happy planning!

-Rissa