Help me make my magic system not Allomancy.

[mail-mi he/him]

Okay so my magic system is basically this: It's plant-based. It's set on a world that doesn't spin, so one scientific day equals one year. The plants only grow during Nightseason, and will wither if sunlight ever touches them. Different types of plants do different things when eaten, and I was thinking that people had to be born with the ability to use them to be able to use them. I only have a few ideas on what the certain plants can do so far: 

 

Attract: Things are attracted to your palms. Anything within a certain distance of your palm will go towards it

Repel: Opposite of Attract

Time: Allows travel through time (one of the rarest plants)

Transportation: Allows travel through space.

Healing: Heals yourself, and can be used to heal others. 

 

Ideas that I've had for making it not Allomancy: Instead of eating the plant, you have to crush the leaf in your hand (which makes sense, as the magic could be the liquid stuff inside the leaf, and if you rub it on your palm then things start to happen.), not making paired plants, not making it exactly 16 types of plants. 

 

What do you think?

 

EDIT: Now there's a diagram! The grayed out and dashed boxes are plants that have not been discovered as of the time of the story. Drawing here: 

Edited October 15, 2014 by mail-mi

[Talanic he/him]

Hmm.  How about you need to keep the plant's seed inside your mouth.  You draw on its power as it draws on your own life-force - using one can kill you - eventually sprouting.  Some effects require specific combinations of seeds, which will (naturally) feed on you faster.

 

If the seed has sprouted, or if it dies, it can no longer be called upon.  If you accidentally swallow a seed, it's probably going to kill you - horribly.

 

As far as striving for originality goes, remember: The Simpsons have done everything.  Strive to tell a good story, originality usually works itself out.

[Kobold King he/him]

I like it! So far it sounds quite original to my novice ears; it seems like it's only similar to Allomancy in that it's powered by a fairly mundane element and grants specific powers with specific types of said element.

 

Just a few questions--

 

What benefit does the plant gain from generating these anomalies? Are they unintended by-products of the plant's natural processes, or are the magical effects produced for a reason?

 

Can human beings cultivate or selectively breed the plants? If so, are new varieties constantly coming into existence?

 

Is it possible to mix-and-match plant types by brewing them together in, say, a potion?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

First of all, the world sounds really cool. Second, if you're worried about making it sound too much like Allomancy, it might be helpful to think of the plants as plants, with all the alternative uses plants provide. For example….

 

What happens if you cover the leaves in oil or water and make perfume? Does it negate the magical properties, grant the magic user the same sort of powers as when the leaves are crushed/eaten, or do something else entirely? 

 

Say there's a magical herb that tastes like basil. What would happen if you chopped it up and put it on pizza? 

 

Do any of the plants have fibrous stalks, can these stalks be turned to cloth and woven into clothing, and does that clothing offer the wearer protection from spells? 

 

If there was a flower somewhat like lavender, and it had the ability to make you fall into a sounder sleep, would that only work if you crushed the petals in your hand, or would drying them and sprinkling them on your sheets achieve the same effect? 

 

Speaking of drying, can the leaves/petals be dried without losing any of their magical properties? If drying changes them, does it change their effect entirely (i.e., fresh lavender acts as a sleeping potion, while dried lavender makes you more alert) change it slightly (fresh is a knockout drug, dried is sounder, natural sleep) or negate the effects entirely? 

 

Say a peppermint-like plant increases the user's capacity for memory. Would brewing the leaves into a tea have the same effect, would it sharpen the effect, negate it, or change it? 

[Talanic he/him]

First of all, the world sounds really cool. Second, if you're worried about making it sound too much like Allomancy, it might be helpful to think of the plants as plants, with all the alternative uses plants provide. For example….

 

Excellent suggestion, which I'd like to second.

 

And to suggest a vein you might like to follow.  Certain plants grow better - or at least with specific properties - only in certain locations.  Take particular famous vineyards, for example.  Or Idaho and potatoes.  For whatever reasons, certain combinations of soil, light, etc. become completely optimal for the specific needs of the people growing those particular plants.

 

These are the locations people fight over.  Groves.  Vineyards.  Farmland.  Your agricultural base is also the seat of your mystical power.

[mail-mi he/him]

I like it! So far it sounds quite original to my novice ears; it seems like it's only similar to Allomancy in that it's powered by a fairly mundane element and grants specific powers with specific types of said element.

 

Just a few questions--

 

What benefit does the plant gain from generating these anomalies? Are they unintended by-products of the plant's natural processes, or are the magical effects produced for a reason?

 

Can human beings cultivate or selectively breed the plants? If so, are new varieties constantly coming into existence?

 

Is it possible to mix-and-match plant types by brewing them together in, say, a potion?

Thanks 

 

I don't understand the first question....

 

As for the other two, I haven't quite delved that far into specifics, but for the first one I'm inclined to go with no, just to keep the system simple . As for the second, maybe that's possible. 

 

First of all, the world sounds really cool.   Second, if you're worried about making it sound too much like Allomancy, it might be helpful to think of the plants as plants, with all the alternative uses plants provide. For example….

 

What happens if you cover the leaves in oil or water and make perfume? Does it negate the magical properties, grant the magic user the same sort of powers as when the leaves are crushed/eaten, or do something else entirely? 

 

Say there's a magical herb that tastes like basil. What would happen if you chopped it up and put it on pizza? 

 

Do any of the plants have fibrous stalks, can these stalks be turned to cloth and woven into clothing, and does that clothing offer the wearer protection from spells? 

 

If there was a flower somewhat like lavender, and it had the ability to make you fall into a sounder sleep, would that only work if you crushed the petals in your hand, or would drying them and sprinkling them on your sheets achieve the same effect? 

 

Speaking of drying, can the leaves/petals be dried without losing any of their magical properties? If drying changes them, does it change their effect entirely (i.e., fresh lavender acts as a sleeping potion, while dried lavender makes you more alert) change it slightly (fresh is a knockout drug, dried is sounder, natural sleep) or negate the effects entirely? 

 

Say a peppermint-like plant increases the user's capacity for memory. Would brewing the leaves into a tea have the same effect, would it sharpen the effect, negate it, or change it? 

 

Oooh, I like the way you're thinking. Maybe the different forms of certain plants can grant the user different effects relating to the base effect. 

 

Excellent suggestion, which I'd like to second.

 

And to suggest a vein you might like to follow.  Certain plants grow better - or at least with specific properties - only in certain locations.  Take particular famous vineyards, for example.  Or Idaho and potatoes.  For whatever reasons, certain combinations of soil, light, etc. become completely optimal for the specific needs of the people growing those particular plants.

 

These are the locations people fight over.  Groves.  Vineyards.  Farmland.  Your agricultural base is also the seat of your mystical power.

 

The special thing about these plants is that they don't need light. In fact, they wither if sunlight touches them. I was thinking along the lines of "that's what makes them magical, their magical properties sustain them without sunlight." Of course, during Lightseason regular, food plants are grown, but the planet has adapted because of half a year of darkness and has these magic plants. But I like the way you're going about things, that these places are the places people fight over. 

Edited October 12, 2014 by mail-mi

[Talanic he/him]

The special thing about these plants is that they don't need light. 

 

They don't need sunlight.  Stars could be a different story, right?

 

Since this planet does not rotate, all locations on the planet can be permanently associated with the constellations that sit right above them. Those constellations are of course out of sight during Dayseason, but during Nightseason, the constellations are largely fixed - they'll follow a specific arc over the season's course, and any place on the planet will only ever see about a quarter of the constellations - that hemisphere and that seasonside.

 

It's possible that these constellations are associated with the powers of said plants.  It's also possible that the locals assume they are, but are wrong.  It is, after all, up to you.

[mail-mi he/him]

They don't need sunlight.  Stars could be a different story, right?

 

Since this planet does not rotate, all locations on the planet can be permanently associated with the constellations that sit right above them. Those constellations are of course out of sight during Dayseason, but during Nightseason, the constellations are largely fixed - they'll follow a specific arc over the season's course, and any place on the planet will only ever see about a quarter of the constellations - that hemisphere and that seasonside.

 

It's possible that these constellations are associated with the powers of said plants.  It's also possible that the locals assume they are, but are wrong.  It is, after all, up to you.

Oooh.

 

Oooooh.

 

Ooooooooooh.

 

I like it 

[Talanic he/him]

What benefit does the plant gain from generating these anomalies? Are they unintended by-products of the plant's natural processes, or are the magical effects produced for a reason?

 

I don't understand the first question....

 

He's asking if the plant benefits from the attention that humans (well, I'm assuming humans) are lavishing it with.

 

Do people deliberately cultivate these plants?  If so, the plant benefits because it will be planted in prime locations, watered, fertilized, and protected from encroaching insects / cattle / weeds / etc.  If not, well, humans have been known to drive plant species extinct because they weren't able to cultivate them properly.  The vitally important Roman caffeine source wound up extinct, for example - I can never find its name when I look for it for reference, though.

[Truthwatcher Ferring]

This is interesting. I like the idea of making the powers of the plants related to natural selection and evolution. For example: attractor plants attract water or nutrients to them while repellent plants push away pests or other competing plants. Time plants could accelerate time to finish their growth cycle in a day and then slow time and be dormant for the rest of the year (this would make them difficult to find and cultivate, supporting your desire to make it rare). Space plants might teleport around for safety.

What I'm trying to say is you should give your magic a Why? Why would these plants bother cultivating their unique magical powers?

I like the star/constellation idea. That sounds very fun.

[Truthwatcher Ferring]

Are all these plants herbs? Could you, for instance, make a box out of the wood from a space tree that could bend space to be bigger on the inside? (Whoever understands this reference is my new favorite person)

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Are all these plants herbs? Could you, for instance, make a box out of the wood from a space tree that could bend space to be bigger on the inside? (Whoever understands this reference is my new favorite person)

 

That would be awesome. 

[Edgedancer he/him]

Are all these plants herbs? Could you, for instance, make a box out of the wood from a space tree that could bend space to be bigger on the inside? (Whoever understands this reference is my new favorite person)

Then you grow time-plants inside the box and bam! TREEDIS!

[Kobold King he/him]

Are all these plants herbs? Could you, for instance, make a box out of the wood from a space tree that could bend space to be bigger on the inside? (Whoever understands this reference is my new favorite person)

You could, but do remember that sonic probes don't work on wood.

Edited October 13, 2014 by Kobold King

[Lindel he/him]

I love the idea of plant having a base property, and each form (tea, woven into cloth, crumbling into a drink, or ground into an oil), having its own use for it. Perhaps some of the uses might even have negative effects on the person who consumed it, like a magical poison. (Not killing them, but bestowing some negative effect based on the properties of the plant used).

Edited October 14, 2014 by Lindel

[mail-mi he/him]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! I will be taking all of these into consideration (yes even the TREEDIS one  ) In the meanwhile, there is now an attatchment to the first post that has all the plant power on it. The ones with dotted outlines that are grayed out are ones that have not been discovered by the time the book takes place. 

[Lindel he/him]

I don't notice a difference in the original post. Are you sure you saved your changes?

[mail-mi he/him]

I don't notice a difference in the original post. Are you sure you saved your changes?

Just edited. And fixed. Several times 

Edited October 15, 2014 by mail-mi

[Lindel he/him]

Interesting! Think you could include a description of each category?

[mail-mi he/him]

Interesting! Think you could include a description of each category?

I can try . Most of them are very rough so far. 

 

Empowering plants give you power. Using them takes little-to-no effort on your part 

The Power plant is the most mysterious of the known plants. There are very few specific regions where it grows, and in those regions only one grows throughout the entirety of Nightseason. Once taken down to be used, that's it. The Power plant gives people the ability to use one or more of the other plants (not entirely sure on how the specific ones are chosen yet).

Strength empowers humans. It's pretty self explanatory.

Growth empowers other plants, also pretty self explanatory (it could theoretically be used to grow an additional Power plant for the season) (again, ideas are rough.)

 

Demanding plants require energy from you. Most people find themselves tired after using them (and very tired after the Transportation plant).

Teleportation does what it says--teleports. It is incredibly exhausting to use, and a user must be very skilled with it to use it without falling unconscious as soon as they reach their destination.

Health can heal you and others. Anything can be healed by using it (except for fatal blows). Again, very tiring.

Pain can inflict pain on yourself and others. The pain others feel is worse than the pain you feel, and the pain is what qualifies the plant as "demanding." 

 

The Empowering and Demanding plants can be used on both yourself and another person, if you crush the plant in your hands and rub the oil on another person (that's why the Pain plant isn't useless )

 

Self plants affect yourself. 

Time allows the user to manipulate time--slow it, speed it up, stop it, time travel, etc. It can only affect themselves

Wisdom mostly helps the user in decision making. It will help nudge the user to the more beneficial decision for themselves.

Sociability helps the user become more socially adept. Perks include better at negotiating, interacting with people, and making friends.

 

Others plants affect others. 

Compulsion allows the user to control a single other person per leaf. Its effects don't last long, but the target will do anything but do something that could kill themselves while in your control. 

Repulsion pushes things away from the spot where the plant/oil touches. The range and strength depends on the strength of the user and the plant.

Attraction is the opposite of Repulsion. 

 

Self and Others plants don't give you additional energy, but don't demand a bunch either.