Magic Problems

[NewbSombrero he/him]

Lately I've been working on a concept of a world that alternates every 10 years between being entirely covered with water and being completely devoid of surface water. With this world, I would love to utilize a magic system that utilizes either water or dust as a fuel source depending on which time the magic user was born in. Unfortunately, this is really this only detail of the magic I have figured out. If anyone would be willing to help me brainstorm some ideas, the help would be greatly appreciated.

[Observer]

Well, you could take the easy route and make it a magic system primarily based or at least overlapping with constructs. Such as making a dirt golem or a water elemental.

 

Because I'm a punny person, I'm getting flashes of a time-based ability set. Letting the sands of time flow through your fingers and all. But since you probably want two directly opposing magic systems and water doesn't really fit in with space, we'll move on to idea three.

 

Water is that which gives. Dust is that which takes. Using water, you can take an element of yourself and project it outwards. (ex: If you want a fireball, you can do it, but it'll leave you chilled to the bone and likely deprived of momentum). They could probably survive falls from absurd heights by projecting waves of force outward, removing the momentum of their fall.

Dust would be the opposite. Taking an element of something else and bringing it into yourself, most likely via touch. While you could probably only take so much at a time (see allomancy), the lifedraining and hypothermia-inducing effects of your touch could probably kill as easily as any fireball. Just make sure you have a place to store all that extra heat.

 

There would, obviously, be limitations to what this system could do. Life draining is a bit of a push without the limit on how much you can pull in at a time, and by introducing that you'd probably have to add it to the water system as well, creating more questions. Projecting an injury is out of the question, making you wonder what exactly dictates what can be magically transfered. By this same logic, pain is kind of pushing it, but possibly necessary to offset dust's lifedrain in the event that they have it.

 

I guess it just comes down to how similar you want the systems to be, and how powerful. If they're going to be the same, you have to wonder whether or not "bravery" or "intelligence" should be transerfable. They work fine when you give them to another, but when they can be taken from you it feels a little overpowered. It's all up to you.

 

Wow. I just pulled that out of thin air. I feel awesome.

Edited March 23, 2013 by Observer

[NewbSombrero he/him]

Those are all three very interesting. I may experiment with the 2nd and 3rd a bit, and if I end up using any of them, it will probably end up being some modification of the 3rd. It just seems like it will be a little bit hard to balance.

[Sarkimo]

I like the 3rd idea above as well. Maybe have some things which water can affect and dust cannot, and vice versa? Or maybe just make it strengths and weaknesses. Dustshifters (or whatever you call them) are better at working with the physical universe (heat, light, sound) than wetworkers, which is better with the non-physical (time, maybe? Happiness? Drawing a blank here).

 

Maybe add in a shifting powerscale? Dustshifters are stronger when the planet is submerged, while wetworkers are strongest when its dry. Because the thing(s) that fuels their power is resting.

 

Edit: Added in a word I forgot.

Edited April 22, 2013 by Sarkimo