Help with magic system based on Ki manipulation

[Padierna]

Hey. As the title say,  I’m building a magic system based on the concept of Ki, but I don’t want it to be like the ones in DB, Naruto, and the others. I know HxH has a better system and I’m already reading it for references, but still I want to ask you if someone has some idea to help me shape it. 

I like the idea of JJBA, where Hamon can be transferred through organic matter but can destroy inorganic objects. I’m searching for ideas of the sort.

My own idea is to organize it like a hierarchical system: There are thresholds, when you go through a threshold you are more powerful, have better control of your spiritual energy, and you can do more things with it. Of course, you need physical and mental training to be able to go throught it. 

-Threshold of birth
-Threshold of fear 
-Threshold of pain
-Threshold of suffering 
-Threshold of pain

[Quantus]

Your Thresholds sound like the historic Chakra's.  Those usually correlated to specific organs or body parts in some fashion to reflect the internal Ki/Chi manipulation.  

Your list seems pretty focused on Pain and Suffering (And more Pain).  Perhaps mix it up a bit with a Threshold of Serenity or maybe Joy?

Or, because I like unnecessary complexity, you could have a shared set of Chakra Thresholds on the body, but have different Orders that use different philosophic Keys to unlock each one.  So where one school might call it the Threshold of Fear, another might call the Threshold of Joy, Birth vs Might, Serenity vs Conviction, etc.  Things that can arguably have similar thematic basis but with a different spin on each concept.

[Padierna]

@Quantus
Actually, the idea of thresholds are different from chackras.

The philosophy behind this magic system is “you are capable to overcome the problems with your own power”. The thresholds born of the idea of “limits”, what does limit you to be better? Or what does limit you to get what you want? So the thresholds are moments of great stress in the life of every individual that may be mortal or highly harmful (physically or mentally) if the person isn’t prepared.

The threshold of birth is the very first challenge all living things face. You’re fighting for your right to live. When you overcome, the Ki just keeps you alive.

The threshold of fear is that fear that in danger times and freezes you. When you overcome, the Ki inside you “awakens” and gives you a brief boost to your physical and mental skills.

That is the basic idea, with superior thresholds giving you, I don’t know, more control, new characteristics to your Ki, new capabilities and new restrictions.

I’d like the Ki serves to a lot of purposes, but you need to train what you want to do. So, In-universe there are lots of schools that have specialized training to form a person in a specific use of Ki.

Edited June 24, 2021 by Padierna

[Quantus]

12 hours ago, Padierna said:

@Quantus
Actually, the idea of thresholds are different from chackras.

The philosophy behind this magic system is “you are capable to overcome the problems with your own power”. The thresholds born of the idea of “limits”, what does limit you to be better? Or what does limit you to get what you want? So the thresholds are moments of great stress in the life of every individual that may be mortal or highly harmful (physically or mentally) if the person isn’t prepared.

The threshold of birth is the very first challenge all living things face. You’re fighting for your right to live. When you overcome, the Ki just keeps you alive.

The threshold of fear is that fear that in danger times and freezes you. When you overcome, the Ki inside you “awakens” and gives you a brief boost to your physical and mental skills.

That is the basic idea, with superior thresholds giving you, I don’t know, more control, new characteristics to your Ki, new capabilities and new restrictions.

I’d like the Ki serves to a lot of purposes, but you need to train what you want to do. So, In-universe there are lots of schools that have specialized training to form a person in a specific use of Ki.

Ah, Gotcha! So more along the lines of successive stages of Snapping (to borrow the Mistborn term).  Associating the Thresholds with a set of physical Charka gates on the body might still add some flavor, especially if you wanted to incorporate any of the historic acupuncture-style ki points and/or Meridians into the practical side of the magic usage.

BrandoSando's Laws of Magic state Limits are often more important that capabilities, so what's the Upper limit look like? Is there a Threshold of Death that leaves you immortal?  Is everything Internal Effects or are you thinking Hadouken-style attacks too? You mentioned Limitations with each threshold, what did you have in mind?  Are the Thresholds linear, as in the same sequence for everyone, or is it more of a branching skill tree depending on individual experiences?  Just so Im on the right page, are these the sorts of things you are thinking?

List of Threshold Limits:

-Threshold of Hunger, Unlocks Spiritual Understanding, Title: Guru 

-Threshold of Venom, Maximizes and/or gives conscious control of internal metabolic processes. Title: Paragon?

-Threshold of Despair, Unlocks Supernatural Endurance.  Title: Sentinel

-Threshold of the Mind, Unlocks Unique Mental capabilities (peyote hallucinations spirit journey), Title: Shaman

 

 

[Padierna]

@Quantus

In fact, I’m using the basis of Sanderson, for a magic system that would work in the Cosmere, but is my own creation (although it wouldn’t work cause I added some things, but the basis is practically the same). So, I have a SpiritualWeb, but in my setting is called Anima, and is divided in parts (which this system have names for, like the chackras, I don’t know yet how to use them or how affects the magic), and it’s damaged through trauma.

Exactly, the last threshold is the threshold of death. I’m thinking in not exactly makes you immortal (but may be a way to exploit it to make you immortal), lt gives you a second air until you finish your business, once you’re satisfied with what you achieved, you’re free to die (but of course this is something nobody or almost nobody knows, and you can count the number of people who has crossed this threshold with the fingers of one hand, in all the story of mankind).

I don’t think I would have something like Hadouken or Kamehameha, and if I would, I think will be something more subtle.

I don’t know the limits for each threshold yet, but If I would choose something, it would be like Surgebinding, you advance through thresholds, you get more specialized, so the use of Ki gets harder. Like the Stormlight, you can do some raw things that’s inside of the of the sphere of your Surges, but while you advance through Oaths, you can do refined things. Like the three lashes of Windrunners.

And the focus in this magic would be training. Once you can use your Ki, you can use it for minor effects, and it’s the same for everyone, but when you start to train this use and focusing in some way, you start to learn how to use it for one purpose or other. The thresholds gives you control over the Ki (and some power boost), so in low levels it’s difficult to control, and not always work the way you want, when you cross a threshold is easier to use.

So as the focus is the training, In-universe are different schools that train people in a specific use of the Ki.
 

But I need more rules about what the Ki can and can’t do. The rule of Ki can be transferred through organic objects, but can’t go through inorganic objects has some nice mechanics as a result like: you can train to cure, or you can train to destroy inorganic objects, or you can craft weapons of wood and charge them with Ki, or if this would be in the Cosmere someone who can cover their body with Ki would be immune to Shardblades (thought the hit still would do high, is a hit with a metal weapon, so you still need some armor).

Also, I’m sick of elemetal magic, so I want to avoid that in this magic. Or if I would incorporate it I want it to be sufficiently different.

 

Now, I need to clarify something, this is just a draft and probably it won’t be the final magic system. The basic of the basic is the philosophy “you can overcome everything with your own power”, everything else is just an idea and I’m not married to anything yet.

I choose Ki, because Japan has a similar culture based in not giving up, which in their stories gets the magic of Chackra, Ki, Nen, Hamon, and similar things. The thresholds is just an idea I had to order things a little. But nothing of this is final.

I had other ideas like the focus being mudras, each mudra had a basic effect on Ki, and their combination is what defines one effect or other.

Edited June 24, 2021 by Padierna

[Quantus]

19 hours ago, Padierna said:

Now, I need to clarify something, this is just a draft and probably it won’t be the final magic system. The basic of the basic is the philosophy “you can overcome everything with your own power”, everything else is just an idea and I’m not married to anything yet.

I choose Ki, because Japan has a similar culture based in not giving up, which in their stories gets the magic of Chackra, Ki, Nen, Hamon, and similar things. The thresholds is just an idea I had to order things a little. But nothing of this is final.

I had other ideas like the focus being mudras, each mudra had a basic effect on Ki, and their combination is what defines one effect or other.

I like it, the Tao of the Black Bull Plus Ultra!  If you havent picked up Black Clover or My Hero Academia yet, based on your other references I promise you will enjoy them.  

 

(Ill be back)