Cosmere Magic System

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

So I had an idea for a cosmere magic system (Not fleshed out at all) and would like some help making it fit the cosmere better and felshing out the details

Here we go:

So it would be called EmoBurst (Or smth. Idk just made it up on the spot). And essentially everyone born on the EmoBurst planet (Let's call it Emothis) have an EmoCore. An EmoCore is like a... conduit for emotions. However, It's a bad one. The people of Emothis have the unique ability (That is somehow tied to their EmoCore) to use strong emotions to summon investiture. When they have strong emotions, they can manifest into investiture caused powers that are uncontrollable and powerful. They look like a beacon of color in the cognitive realm. Emotions from an EmoCore can generate investiture. Each emotion has a different color and ability. Some people are more emotional, some people less. The more emotional someone is the more powerful and less controllable their EmoCore is. There are however, pendants and gems that can control emotions better and help ground people. These can also make up for EmoCores. If someone does not have an EmoCore, but has an EmoPendant than they will have a small investiture boost when they have strong emotions.

Let me know ideas to flesh it out and expand it! (I feel like an EmoCore and Rioter would mesh very well)

[ChickenBonanza]

A thought I had was that, unless directly utilizing Investiture from the environment, there is often some form of exchange in order to facilitate the drawing of Investiture from the Spiritual Realm.

For an emotion-based magic, it might be appropriate to trade the state of high-emotion or the ability to feel different emotions in exchange for Investiture. This would be a temporary loss and power gain, of course.

For this system, however, it is the higher emotions and the experiencing of them that allow for the drawing of Investiture. To diminish emotion would go against that feel.

And so, I propose a synthesis. Investiture is drawn from high-emotion. However, there is a drawback. An exchange. As one finds themselves overcome by an emotion such as, say, anger, they find their ability to experience other emotions diminished, while their capacity for anger grows. The Investiture transforms them into a greater conduit for its power.

It’s like… their Cognitive Aspect shifts from standard human status to something lesser, more primal and animalistic. Something less like a human and more like a pure-Investiture being, influenced greatly by Intent. Control is lost in exchange for power.

I find two ways this could be handled. The first being hinged on temporary change. Power gained and change in personality is overall temporary, to perhaps allow for greater feats and temporary madness. (If one wished to include features reminiscent of Savantism, one could include some residual effects, based upon amount of power drawn and time steeped in it, as appropriate.)

The other would be more insidious. Change is inherently permanent and constant. The powerscale here would be initially lower, but we would see this slow warping of a person’s personality as they align themselves to a specific emotion and thus power.

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

4 hours ago, ChickenBonanza said:

A thought I had was that, unless directly utilizing Investiture from the environment, there is often some form of exchange in order to facilitate the drawing of Investiture from the Spiritual Realm.

For an emotion-based magic, it might be appropriate to trade the state of high-emotion or the ability to feel different emotions in exchange for Investiture. This would be a temporary loss and power gain, of course.

For this system, however, it is the higher emotions and the experiencing of them that allow for the drawing of Investiture. To diminish emotion would go against that feel.

And so, I propose a synthesis. Investiture is drawn from high-emotion. However, there is a drawback. An exchange. As one finds themselves overcome by an emotion such as, say, anger, they find their ability to experience other emotions diminished, while their capacity for anger grows. The Investiture transforms them into a greater conduit for its power.

It’s like… their Cognitive Aspect shifts from standard human status to something lesser, more primal and animalistic. Something less like a human and more like a pure-Investiture being, influenced greatly by Intent. Control is lost in exchange for power.

I find two ways this could be handled. The first being hinged on temporary change. Power gained and change in personality is overall temporary, to perhaps allow for greater feats and temporary madness. (If one wished to include features reminiscent of Savantism, one could include some residual effects, based upon amount of power drawn and time steeped in it, as appropriate.)

The other would be more insidious. Change is inherently permanent and constant. The powerscale here would be initially lower, but we would see this slow warping of a person’s personality as they align themselves to a specific emotion and thus power.

Yes! I really like this. I have always liked the idea of the human mind having a magical control of the world. I really like spren because they were kind of just thought into existence. (Like the gods from percy jackson, the belief in them is what gives them power and the ability to exist) So I was like, what if emotions gave people superpowers. I do like your idea, but I also like the idea of bittersweet or other combo emotions mixing. I thought it more of like, the EmoCore opens like a 'perpindicularity' type thing where strong emotions widen a gap through the cognitive realm to fuel their powers. I was also thinking that in the cognitive realm people would look like balls of color, occasionally flaring up or exploding.

[ChickenBonanza]

4 hours ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

but I also like the idea of bittersweet or other combo emotions mixing. I thought it more of like, the EmoCore opens like a 'perpindicularity' type thing where strong emotions widen a gap through the cognitive realm to fuel their powers. I was also thinking that in the cognitive realm people would look like balls of color, occasionally flaring up or exploding.

Channeling multiple emotions into powers would totally be doable. Personality, I’d say that multiple would cause the individual powers gained to be hold overall less strength. A trading raw power for versatility type deal. In total, you could go with an equal amount of Investiture per… mol of emotion, or slightly less. I’d go with the latter, but whatever works.

Of perpendicularities, I don’t know if that’s how I would describe it, but yeah it technically works. It carries a connotation of portal-realm-crossing that I don’t particularly like. Powers reflecting in the Cognitive is cool though.

Edited April 9, 2025 by ChickenBonanza
slight thought adding