All About Types of Magic in Fantasy
Ollie Ander
Is probably just a couple cats in a trench-coat—the hair shedding and sunlight napping are highly suspect.
Although every genre has favored literary devices and tropes, fantasy has the ever-unique and wide encompassing element of magic. Fantasy universes are often placed along a spectrum of their magic system (soft to hard) but what many light-dabblers don’t know is that within that, there are many types of magic. As much as magic can be based on anything, it’s also probably already been done before in some capacity, and has a name you don’t even know!
If you’re planning to write a fantasy story it’s beneficial to recognize your forebearers, and moreso, harness the power of tropes. Just as readers seek literary tropes in characters and plot, magic types also fulfill readers’ desired, definitive categories. This article will define pre-existing types of magic, to guide and inspire you in writing your own.
Soft vs Hard Magic Systems
A quick refresher on Soft and Hard Magic Systems. A Soft Magic System has known elements but does not adhere to strict rules, whereas a Hard Magic System is pre-defined with limitations that cannot be transgressed.
Defining Magic’s Limitations
Another way to think about the Soft/Hard Magic System spectrum is whether the magic is limited—and if so, by what? All the most iconic types of magic have distinct variations on their answers to that question.
A perfect example of a limitation would be an archetypal wizard. Their ability to do magic is firstly reliant on their use of a conduit (their wands/staffs), and secondly dependent on their knowledge of spells. However, otherwise, what magic can do is basically unlimited.
Play around with the infinite variations between physical requirements and metaphysical possibilities. Maybe your elemental magic isn’t limited to the presence of the material—perhaps it can be conjured, but only at certain times or under specific conditions?
The ability to wield magical powers can be affected by internal and external factors, and the best magic systems incorporate both!
Types of Magic as Tropes
Many types of magic have been used extensively and to the point they’ve become a trope. Playing in these well-worn magics can be a double-edged sword: drawing in eager readers, but also pitting you up against the greats who’ve come before.
Keep that in mind as you develop the magic in your story: not only will some types of magic come with certain expectations, they may also be considered "tired" and in need of a fresh interpretation. Logistically, a Necromancer shouldn’t be squeamish, but perhaps that’s their charm?
What is a "School" of Magic?
Some types of magic could be described as "schools," as they are taught and include a collection of spells that work under a similar theme. Schools of magic have been seen throughout human history in different religions, and cultures. Not just fictional, they’re practiced to this day: mediums communing with spirits, fortune tellers doing divination, wiccans favoring herbology, etc.
Even if you are writing a system of your own imagination, it is wise to look up whether the magic you’re utilizing prominently appears in any cultures, regardless of whether you intend to directly reference them or not. Read up on it through other works—even nonfiction. Informing your magic with references is a great way to provide value to readers through accuracy and immersion.
Much like magic being considered a "trope," writing something too similar to what's been done before could cross boundaries of a school of magic unintentionally. The last thing you want is to accidentally misrepresent a history, disrespect a current practicing culture, or irritate the very readers you hope to covet by poorly implementing an already well-established and well-loved type of magic.
From real-life to Dungeons & Dragons, here’s a list of some schools of magic:
- Divination (insight to past, present & future) and Astrology (prophecy through astral bodies)
- Necromancy (communing/interacting with the dead) and Invocation (calling for use of spirits/forces)
- Herbology (study and use of plants [outside of common science])
- Alteration (changing the laws of physics/reality in material) and Alchemy (transforming matter, potions)
- Abjuration (barriers of protection, suppression of magic) Illusion (creation of illusions) Enchantment (bestowing magical properties to objects) Conjuration (summoning)
- Destruction (magic wielded as a damaging force/weapon)
There are crossovers between schools of magic in magic systems written throughout the ages so don’t be afraid to include some, exclude others, or mix up the application of any in particular.
What Are Some Other Types of Magic?
Although most magics can more-or-less fall into one of the many schools, the type of magic you choose to write can be based on anything.
What makes for the most engaging magic systems are the specificity given to them—that’s the fun of it! Two stories featuring "nature magic" can implement it in wildly different ways: one about wielding weather, while the other has characters harnessing aspects of animals, or BOTH!
Although there are some tried and true tropes to be aware of, there’s no reason you can’t write a type of magic based in anything you want! Below is a list to get your inspiration flowing:
- Elemental: fire, water, earth, air. By extension: ice, lava, metal, thunder, lightening
- Nature: forces of nature, weather, plants, (specific) animals
- Space: wonky physics, teleportation, incorporating alien technologies to "magical" effects, time
- Embodiment: characters that represent something (planets, the zodiac, etc)
- Religious: invent a magic system that informs your world’s religion, play on pre-existing Gods (greek, celtic, other cultures), work within prominent religions’ mythology (Christianity’s angels and demons, etc.) [Note: remain respectful]
- Sound: Music, power of words
- Ancestral: hereditary traits (proficiencies of fantasy races), blood magic, past-lives
- Art: expression as an instrument of magic, visual/written prophecy
- Spiritual: manipulating essences, otherworlds beyond life, the presence and capabilities of spirits (human and otherwise)
- Paranormal: classic mythical creatures and cryptids, new variations/evolutions
- Aura: healing, cursing, mood altering, thought reading
If any of the types of magic mentioned in this article sparked your interest, I’d highly recommend diving deeper into that magical rabbit hole. Research for your worldbuilding is the one of the most fun parts of the process. Don’t just write about it—by doing research, you are a magical scholar: learn what’s been done before, and plan how you’re going to make your magic all the more unique!
If you’ve already got your inspiration, that’s awesome! But where do you go from there? Take the next step from choosing your type of magic to worldbuilding around it with this article on $ how to build a magic system for your fantasy novel$ !
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