Need Help Chosing between two Magic systems

[Kammererite]

Hello All,

I am a new member on this form but am also a long time form stalker of Creators Corner, and I find how you help each other out amazing.

I am currently working on my own story but have bit of a snag. I am currently divided on which of my two magic systems to have my main character use. Both will be in my world as part of the background regardless.

The story in a sentence: Hero uses magic to save a group of captives from the bag guys, possibly a dragon. (I know its extreme fantasy cliché and I am okay with it.  To be honest I didn't even realize till months after I began outlining). 

 

Back to the magic systems

 

Magic System A: Potions

• People consume magical potions (crafted from animal blood) which imbues them with one of the animals attributes
• Potions last 5-10 minutes
• Everyone can use this magic, (in-fact most people in this world do use this magic to aid in their every day lives). However only the rich can afford to indulge in the rare types of potions.
• Skilled users can extend the length of the effects by weakening the attribute gained. i.e a potion of strength gives you the additional strength of 3 men for 5 min. But a skilled users can suppress the magic and have the strength of 1 man for 15 min.
• Use potions increases your tolerance, so you can use stronger potions later.
• The stronger the potion the more addictive it is.
• Overdosing on the potions results in: Death (70% of the time);  week long sickness (10%); Permanent mutation in to a human-animal monster like a harpy, werewolf , etc... (20%)   

Magic System B: Controlled shapeshifting

• Users of this system can shapeshift and/or partly shapeshift there bodies into that if an animal,
• Users can only shift to one form, this form can not change
• Skilled users they can also control how much of there body to shift, i.e only shifting there eyes of ears.
• Skilled users can control the degree to which they shift i.e partly transforming there arms (this could increase there strength).
• When in pure human or animal form they are weaker then they would normally be.
• The more they shift the stronger the animals instincts become 
• There magic is extremely rare and comes about by a 1 in 1000 reactions to overdosing in magic system A.
• People who posses this magic are shunned by normal people who think they are also abominations
• Most shapeshifters are members an order of knights called the Inquisition: who hunt down dangerous creatures that would threaten the normal populace.   

 

Other cool thing I should add about the setting

• Mythological animals such as gryphons and chimeras are the results of magic experiment on animals
• There is no written language (at least where magic potions are prevalent) as people use memory potions to convey thoughts. Although there are a number of simple runes to convey simple things.
• The only intelligent races we know about are humans and dragons, although some groups of mutated human-animal hybrids have rudimentary cultures
• The story takes place in a Kingdom set on a series of glaciers .

   

 That's all the info for now. Circling back to the main question: Which of these two magic system would you rather read about?

Cheers

 

[Edgedancer]

Both sound interesting, so personally I would decide by witch aproach suits the protagonist and mind set of the story better.

Is he the dashing type that safes the day all on his own? Then the inherent magical power of shapeshifting may fit better.

Is he more of a trickster and/or underdog kind or someone that may motivate the captives to help themselves? Then the potion may fit better for their flexibility, clever use of resources and the option to share them with the captives.

[VindicationKnight]

I find the potions idea more interesting, partly because I've seen similar shapeshifting ideas done before but also because I think the potions has more dramatic potential, rationing how many potions you have left, picking the right dosage and keeping track of the timings, watching for the risk of overdose, all of those are good dramatic limits to ensure tension and conflict within the setting.

 

I also like the egalatarian aspect of it, potions being available to everyone in a variety of types meaning more flexibility of use and a more cohesive impact of society makes it feel more like a magic system to me and less like a set of randomly assigned super powers.

 

I'm interested to know more about how these potions are made and the specifics of what they can grant (strength, sense, flight?) as well as how they choose which attribute a potion grants and what happens if you use more than one potion or more than one species to draw from at a time. Also, what would happen if you used human blood? Enhance your intelligence and become superhumanly smart maybe? That would be a good, and unsettling, villain power to have.

[Kammererite]

@VindicationKnight

Here are the answers to your questions. Keep in mind this is a working system so thing might change

 

Q:How are the potions made?

A: I envision the potions being made up of several components: A source + a blueprint +/- an attribute key. Bound together in a way yet determined.

The source what generates the magic, it  could be animal blood, however the longer, it is left to air the more magic evaporates from it thus good is only viable when you have immediate consumption. Most potions use a magical infused variant of ice, which is only found in the glacier in the story's kingdom (hence why they continue to live there and don't just leave). The blueprint is what defines how potent the attribute can be. This is always a type of blood, although any blood can be used for any potion, but some are not well suited to cert in potions. An example would be that a potion made from the blood of a bear will impart more strength then the same potion made with the blood of a hare.  The attribute key is what deferments which attribute is taken and this is an optional component. As each animal has a key attribute to it which (some are unique, other are not). If this component is not included then the potion defaults to the key attribute of the blood used. The attribute key ingredient is an animal part symbolically linked to that animals key attribute. I realize that makes probably made no sense so here is an example. I wanna make a night vision potion. I could use the magic ice + the blood of a owl. Alternatively I could use the magic ice + the blood of a bear + the eyes of an owl. I could be wrong on how good a bears night vision is bur the second potion will not be as good as the first.  

 

Q: What attributes can they grant?

A: I do not have a firm list but here are some things: Strength, vitality, all 5 senses + other senses like heat vision, body heat (very impotant in a cold climate setting), lung capacity (underwater breathing), camouflage (like chameleons, this being very rare in the north). I am unsure on flight at this point in time, although I do lean toward weightlessness.

 

Q:Using multiple potions?

A: if they impart the same attribute they are added. If they are different attribute and then it depends on the precisions skill. If he is not skilled the cause a debilitating  sickness.

 

Q:what does human blood do?

A: Ah human blood has 2 primary attributes; memories and ill call it will. This means a human potion can be used to either store and transfer knowledge (hence the absence of a written language) or to inflict your will  upon  the consumer. The later as you would imagine is highly illegal to do to another human.

 

Hope that answer your questions

 

Cheers

[ccstat]

For the most part I agree with VindicationKnight on this. My first thought is to make the protagonist a potion user, and in the final sequence they OD in order to win, resulting in a transition to the shape shifting magic for the sequel. (Bonus points if it's an animal that doesn't seem useful most of the time.)

A question: can shape shifters use potions still? Or does the process of ODing make them intolerant?

Also, what does blood from a shapeshifter do? If people hunt them down, if be surprised if nobody in this blood thirsty culture has tried it.

I'll just note that the coolest part of a book that totally failed to live up to its potential (Rhapsody) was when a main character had their incredible abilities replaced by something entirely different at the midpoint of the story. I kept wishing that the author would deal with that meaningfully, but they didn't.

Edited July 20, 2015 by ccstat

[Kammererite]

Hey ccstat. thank you for you thoughts

The ODing at the end was a part of the original outline because it is awesome. I was gonna have it closer to the 2/3-3/4 quarters mark and then the hero uses his new powers to save they day, but it was feeling very Dux ex machina to me.

Also In my mind I can't see someone who recently OD being able to use much of there abilities, its more likely they would just turn feral for a time. Finally if I wanted to write additional stories about the character I would be primarily writing the shapeshifting magic system in the stories.  

 

As for your question

Q: Can shapeshifter still use potions; A: yes and no. They become allergic to potions they do not share a common blood essence with. 

Q: What does the blood of shapeshifters do? A: I have no idea It had not occurred to me to think on it. I know the mutant animal/human creature are just like animals in this respect.

[Ookla the Absent]

I'd go with potions. More potential varied powers, and more possibility more entertaining mishaps.

Edited July 20, 2015 by Gargoyle