How to Build a Magic System for Your Fantasy Novel
Bella Rose Emmorey
book editor, rogue behaviorist, digital marketer, writer, brand builder, plant aunt, and cheese enthusiast.
Magic is a huge reason many authors are drawn to writing fantasy. But it’s not always easy to understand how to build a magic system for your fantasy novel. The published authors you love so much make it look easy.
But plot holes run amuck, and you can also risk borrowing too much magic from other stories you like. That’s why focusing on magic and learning the process while $ planning a fantasy novel$ is important.
Magic Creation Style Uncovered: Which Are You?
The fantasy genre has such a wide scope. There are various subgenres, and any author can create their own magic systems. First, if you want to know how to build a magic system for your fantasy novel, you have to decide which type of magic you want.
This image describes it best:
You can either create a complex and detailed magic system, or you can have magic in your world that doesn’t have much explanation (though other magic system rules apply—more on that below). Utilizing an already established system is also an option.
Here’s how to determine which you are.
In-Depth Magic System
Some fantasy authors love the creating complex, unique, and intricate magic systems. Brandon Sanderson comes to mind first. If you’re one of them, you likely spend a lot of time thinking about the magic system for your fantasy novel, and your plot also likely has a focus on the magic.
If you spend a lot of time in the story focusing on how the magic works, its explanation, and its rules, you’re probably an in-depth magic system creator.
In-depth magic systems can include things like:
- Advanced training
- Summoning of magic
- Wands or tools to harness magic
- Magic acquired through artifacts
- Magic that originates with a specific source or historical event
Surface-Level Magic System
You like to write with magic, but don’t love needing to flesh it out or think too much about it. Magic’s role in your fantasy novel is as an accessory to other plot points and $ fantasy elements$ . Think Barbie's Fairytopia.
Surface-level magic systems often have characteristics like:
- Random types of magic
- Not many reasons for certain people to have magic
- Magic is present, but its mechanics aren’t discussed or central to the plot
Established Magic System
This is for those of you who want to use commonly understood and established magic worlds, creatures, and settings to write in.
This might look like:
- Fae creatures and magic
- Vampires, werewolves, and their long understood laws
- Utilizing settings like hell, heaven, purgatory, and other settings of a known story
To learn how to build a magic system for your fantasy novel using something that’s already established, just make sure to read enough that you understand it and do minimal tweaking.
For example, some fans hate the fact that in Twilight vampires glimmer instead of burst into flames in the sun. You don’t have to follow all the rules, but just know what you’re getting into.
Because an established magic system already has rules assigned to it, and you can basically just start writing, we’re only covering the first two tactics when teaching you how to build a magic system for your fantasy novel.
How to Build a Magic System for Your Fantasy Novel: In-Depth
First up, in-depth. AKA: unique, original, and completely made-up.
1. Determine the Magic’s Source
This isn’t an exhaustive methodology, but you can start to think about magic systems in your fantasy novel as where the magic comes from. Its source. There are two primary ways to look at it: internally sourced, externally sourced.
INTERNAL SOURCES
This is when the source of the person using magic comes from their being, internally. The energy used to produce something is taken from the body. Magic is treated much like a muscle; too much use and it can fatigue the user.
These are a few examples of internal magic sources:
- Utilizing blood magic
- Magic types that are hereditary or specific to each person
- Any magic utilization that leads to a character’s fatigue
EXTERNAL SOURCES
When a character has to use other sources in order to make magic happen, it’s externally sourced. Think about magical objects, creating potions, or calling on the elements in order to fuel abilities.
Here are some books with examples of external magic sources:
- Mistborn: Magic is fueled by different metals, and the various types dictate which magic is presented. However, not everybody can utilize all metals for magic types and it varies from person to person.
- Harry Potter: Technically, because magic has to be used by a wand-wielder, it’s external. Also because the user doesn’t grow fatigued from using magic. But this is sort of on the fence because whether or not you’re a wizard is an internal magic trait.
- The Name of the Wind: In order to use magic, one has to mentally bind objects together and utilize energy across the objects, making it external.
Once you identify which of these you want your magic system to fall under, move on to the other steps to learn how to build a magic system for your fantasy novel.
2. Decide the Abilities
You can choose any you want, really. What type of magic are your characters able to produce? It is the same for all, or do they differ by person, tribe, or region?
Here are some types of magic to consider when determining abilities:
- Nature/elements based magic
- Mental/psychic abilities
- Physical abilities
- Magic attached to animals (shifting)
- Blood magic
- Magic sourced by the dead
- Magic sourced by other realms
There really aren’t any rules for what the magic can do. Just know that if you choose to create something off the wall, you will have to establish rules and limitations, which is the next step.
3. Make the Rules
The $ fantasy genre in general has rules$ . Magic systems are called so for a reason. They have to have a mode of operation, especially if you’re making a more complex one.
Without having something for your readers to understand and follow, you open the story up to plot holes and confusion. Specifically, if you break pre-determined magic rules, your readers will start to lose that suspension of disbelief.
They won’t "believe" what’s happening.
Common rules for magic systems in fantasy are things like:
- Who can use the magic
- Why that person can use magic
- What they have to do to use magic
- How often they can use it
- How is still in using it progressed
- Does the magic every run out
- What does the magic cost them
You won’t just list these factors in your story. Please don’t info-dump like that. Instead, you’ll show how this works in the narrative, or use a character learning about the magic to aid in its explanation.
Just remember that if there are rules we haven’t seen yet about the magic, you should not expose that unknown piece as a means of solving major plot problems.
That’s just a recipe for a reader to cry "it’s too convenient!" and be bored.
Once you have the rules, it’s time to understand how far your characters can take that magic.
4. Set the Limitations
When learning how to build a magic system for your fantasy novel, limitations are vital.
They’re different from rules in that the rules are the operating system the magic follows, while the limitations are the extent to which the magic can be used before consequences come into play.
Many limitations for internally based magic have to do with physical fatigue; too much use and a character loses energy and can even potentially harm themselves.
Limitations for externally sourced magic have a lot more to do with the extent the magic actually works. Time limitations on magical devices or potions or the like.
Limitations can also look like a lack of control with the magic. A character can be limited by their own management over it, like in the case with many blood-use magic systems in which the character can use blood, cast a spell or curse, but have little influence over the exact outcome.
All of these will create different conflicts in your story.
It’s okay to take your time and discover limitations while $ planning your novel$ , as it can help to discover how limitations can be used to make plot points have more conflict (AKA: limitations should always be inconvenient to the plot, not helpful).
How to Build a Magic System for Your Fantasy Novel: Surface-Level
Even though your magic system is on the simpler side, you still have to learn how to build a magic system for your fantasy novel that makes sense and is used effectively to tell the story you want told.
However, there are fewer steps involved.
1. Create Rules
Even if you don’t explain the rules, or show them much, it still makes sense to understand them as the author. Think about the magic powers in shows like The Boys. Technically, the superheroes have various abilities, but the sources and reasons for them aren’t central to the show.
That doesn’t mean they don’t have rules though.
Figure out how your magic system is meant to operate, and at least have a personal knowledge of where the magic comes from on an internal or externally sourced basis.
Past that, there’s not too much to work on other than magic limitations, which are a bit different for a surface-level magic system.
2. Determine Limitations
Abilities, no matter if we know how they came to be or how they operate, can still have limitations. They won’t be limitless.
Limitations with this method actually afford you a lot more opportunity for surprise. Because we don’t exactly know what the magic does, we aren’t sure where the limit is. Unlike more complex systems that have rules, in this case, the presentation of a limitation can be informational and stunt your characters.
3. Watch for Plot Holes
Because you have a much more flexible method of building a magic system for your fantasy novel, you will run into more trouble with plot holes if you’re not careful.
You may think not having a rigid system in place would make things easier, but loose magic systems tend to have plots that feel too convenient, because the writer will just use a new magic to get rid of a problem.
As you write and $ edit your novel$ , figure out when your rules should play a role, and get feedback so you’re not risking big problems for the sake of a simple magic system.
Tips For Creating a Good Magic System
Here are a few general tips for creating a compelling and dynamic magic system in your fantasy novel.
1. Consider the Cultural Impact
No story element exists in a vacuum. They interact with each other and change the course of the story. How does your magic system impact your world, plot, and characters? Is it involved with a religion? Is it outlawed? Is it shameful, or a point of pride if one can wield magic?
Check out this post about $ creating a fantasy religion$ to learn more about integrating your magic and religions.
2. Build in Twists
Consider twists in your magic. While it's cringe to use surprise magical elements mid-book that don't follow established rules, you can still tuck in little surprises for the reader that do align with those rules.
3. Include Flaws
No system is without issues—what about magic systems? Maybe your magic can be performed poorly. Maybe it has inherent and unavoidable consequences. Maybe it's possible to cast inaccurate spells if you're not experienced.
Including flaws and hiccups can make your magic system more dynamic and interesting.
4. Keep Careful Notes
Staying organized while writing a fantasy novel can be tricky. Develop a system for this, like with $ NovelPad's interlinking Notes$ . You can arrange your world-building notes into folders, and use hyperlinks to attach them to any other story element, like a character, location, chapter, or even another note.
The split-screen function allows you to reference your notes while writing in your manuscript, so you don't have to tab back and forth or juggle multiple windows.
Knowing how to build a magic system for your fantasy novel can take time as you learn your own process. The type of magic you want to include will naturally lead to the development of rules and limitations. Read a lot of fantasy to understand how to use both to create a plot that’s interesting while not leaning too heavy on magic use to solve problems.
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