Lunu’anaki

I'd really appreciate critique and comments on the magic system I currently have in place for my Novel. Here are the details! Flux Flux is a magic system revolving around Transformation. A fundamental force in the universe my story takes place in. It is comprised of three distinct magic systems which can interact with each other in a variety of ways: Material Flux, Energy Flux, and Life Flux. Each of these three systems has two distinct groups of "matter" which they are capable of interacting with and two "potentials" (or methods of interaction with that matter) It is rare that a person is capable of harnessing the powers of Flux. As a matter of fact, Human beings are only capable of accessing the most basic form of Flux, Material flux. Due to this fact, those in power have done a good job of hiding the existence of this magic from the general populace, and even those who are aware of Material Flux are rarely aware that Energy Flux and Life Flux are something that exist. (An ancient race in my world are the only ones capable of the latter two magics) Flux is powered by a substance typically referred to as "Lyfe" not much is known of this substance, but it is a smokey glowing substance that can only be contained within a very specific type of crystal known as a moon crystal. The namesake of the moon crystal comes from stories told about a large crystal meteor falling to the earth which contained a large amount of Lyfe. Lyfe is an energy that is fundamental to life on the planet, every living thing has a small store of Lyfe within themselves and it is consumed just like any other essential nutrient. Eating tends to refill a persons store of Lyfe to normal levels. Most forms of Flux require a greater amount of Lyfe than that which is typically stored by a Human being and generally, the amount gained through normal means is insufficient to make use of for anything other than sustenance. Material Flux Material Flux, as the name suggests, operates on materials. A person capable of Material Flux is either a "Shifter", an "Infuser", or both. It is very rare that an individual is capable of both, and typically, those who are, are also much more efficient with the use of Lyfe to fuel the magic. Groups of Matter which Material Flux operates on: These groups are the types of Matter which Material Flux interacts with. The grouping and lettering plays an important role as will be described later on. Group 1: Solids A. Stone B. Metal C. Crystal Group 2: Liquids A. Air B. Water C. Smoke The Two Potentials of Material Flux: Shifting and Infusing Shifting: Shifting is the art of using Lyfe in order to change Matter from Group 1 into Matter from Group 2, and Vice-versa. Any Material from one group can be Shifted into any Material from the other, however, it takes less energy to convert Metal into Water than it does to turn Metal into Smoke. (The letter designation above shows which Materials are compatible in this way. A to A or B to B takes less energy than A to Shifting uses a lot of Lyfe energy to accomplish and the more Material one Shifts, the more Lyfe they consume to do so. It also takes a lot of concentration to accomplish. The more experienced someone is, and the more focused they are on the task, the more efficient they can become with their expenditure of energy while shifting. It takes a lot of experience to Shift matter into specific shapes, or to shift one type of matter into an object made of more than one type, but both are possible; and the more experienced a shifter is with creating a specific object the easier it becomes. Many shifters practice making one type of weapon or tool over years for this reason, so that they can form the weapon in a time of need more quickly and with less expenditure of their Lyfe energy, which is very hard to come by. Infusing: Infusing is the art of charging Matter from one of the above groups with Lyfe Energy, imbuing certain properties into that matter. At their touch an infuser is capable of infusing and also defusing matter. Defusing matter draws Lyfe back into the infuser, however, some energy is lost in the transition. (The only exception to this energy loss is Moon Crystal) Infusing charges matter with one of 3 core properties: A. Weight- Matter infused with the Weight property is made heavier or lighter without any alteration to it's density or size. B. Phasing- Matter infused with the phasing property is made to increase or decrease it's friction with other matter. (ex. Decreased Phasing makes a blade swung through air feel like it's being swung through water, Increased phasing makes a blade swung underwater, or through a person, feel like it's being swung through air.) Phasing does not alter the natural interaction between the infused object and other matter. It only alter's the amount of force required to make the interaction occur. C. Visibility- Matter infused with the Visibility property is made more or less visible by changing the Matter's interactions with photons of light. (ex. A wall with decreased visibility could appear invisible to the naked eye) When Matter from Group 1 (Solids) are infused, the property (corresponding to the Material's letter above) is increased. In practice: Stone becomes heavier. Swords cut things easier, Rubies become easier to see. When Matter from Group 2 (Liquids) are infused, the property (corresponding to the Material's letter above) is decreased. In practice: Air becomes lighter. Water can be walked on, Smoke and anything it surrounds become invisible. Infusing requires a small amount of Lyfe energy relative to Shifting. Infusing is very easy to pick up on as a practice, but takes skill to implement effectively. An Infuser can easily make smoke invisible by infusing it fairly readily, however the skill required to make an entire cloud of smoke invisible, ensure that smoke is constantly surrounding oneself, and implement all of that skill in a way where whomever, or whatever you are hiding from doesn't smell the smoke in the air is a different thing altogether. Interactions between Infusing and Shifting: Shifting infused matter into another form of Matter requires a larger amount of Lyfe than normal. However the rewards for doing so are immense. Infused Matter which is then shifted into another form of matter retains the properties gained by its prior state. In practice this means that you can infuse a large amount of air, decreasing it's weight, and subsequently shift that air into stone or metal. This allows for easy transport of large amounts of raw materials, unnaturally lightweight swords and machinery, or a host of other things. The possibilities are endless and a creative Shifter/Infuser can do a host of interesting things by infusing matter and shifting it into other forms. Infusion of matter is additive, meaning effects can stack on top of one another, so things like nearly weightless, invisible swords which can cut through stone are entirely within the realm of possibility. Lyfelack Using up Lyfe energy past the average amount a typical human would would have causes bodily functions of the user to slow and/or cease. In general this is referred to as Lyfelack. There are three stages of this illness (stage 4 would be death) Stage 1: Subject feels constant lethargy, more susceptible to illnesses, illness can last longer. Subject has a cold body temperature. Given proper food and rest a Flux user will typically recover in a matter of days, this is assuming they avoid the use of Flux for this period of time. Stage 2: Dangerously low body temperatures. Bodily functions act abnormally and are slowed (causing the subject's Lyfe regeneration to slow as well) Stage two is variable depending on how little Lyfe the subject has retained. It is defined by the point where someone's bodily functions are slowed and hindered to a degree where it causes them true harm, yet they still retain the ability to regenerate Lyfe enough to recover. Depending on severity it can take anywhere from one month to a year for an individual to recover from stage 2 lyfelack Stage 3: Referred to by Flux users as "The point of no return" The point where the effects of lyfelack are so severe that the flux user is permanently incapable of generating lyfe energy in a natural manner. This means that a user will suffer from the consequences of lyfelack permanently. People with stage 3 lyfelack are commonly refered to as "Husks" Taking in an external source of Lyfe can help abate some of the symptoms of Lyfelack, however the use of flux while not fully recovered from Lyfelack can cause the progression of the illness to get worse. A person with stage 3 lyfelack who takes in Lyfe energy from an external source regularly to avoid the consequences of the illness is refered to as a "Sapper" The only recognizable difference between a Sapper and a common Flux user is that a Sapper doesn't generate Lyfe in natural ways anymore, therefore subsisting off of, and burning away their store of Lyfe over time; and needing a constant source of replenishment to keep themselves from progressing back into the severe conditions of Lyfelack. Notes on Life Flux and Energy Flux I am yet two fully develop these two forms of Flux as they are unlikely to come into play in the forefront of my first book, however, what I can say is that they are magic systems which are exclusive to a couple of secluded races in my world who have existed on the planet since long before human civilization rose. These two Races, the Fomorians and the Tuath and are in a conflict with each other and have their fingerprints on a lot of the political strife my characters deal with. Energy Flux is exclusive to the Tuath and involves the transformation and exploitation of Energy to do things such as Exploitation (traditional spellcasting. fireballs, lightning, teleportation, etc) and Alteration (changing one form of energy to another, converting large amounts of Heat, Electricity, etc. into Lyfe is possible with this) Life Flux is exclusive to the Fomorians and involves Mutation (altering physical properties and genetics of living beings) and Control (forcing your will upon living beings) Thanks for reading and I really truly appreciate any comments or suggestions you throw my way!!

No, but one of my alternate personalities is just really good at shoveling driveways. Very useful in the winter. Thanks!! It's been fun so far!!

I think you would have a trippy memory blitz of every memory stored in the coppermind. Personally, I'd go with A-Bendalloy/F-Zinc or A-Steel/F-Zinc Zinc Feruchemy just seems too damnation useful to pass up on and both stopping time and moving fast would come in handy when you can think super-fast.

F-Zinc would mean that we would create an AI in a matter of months. That AI would either lead us to a total dystopia or utopia. Oh? am I being too literal? My bad....

I think that's exactly what would happen. Seeing as TLR aged up pretty fast after Vin ripped his metalminds out. If you compounded atium like that you'd totally transform into a baby and age back really fast Honestly, I'm sad Atium isn't around anymore. I want to witness this happen in a book.

I've always thought a Warbreaker prequel game where you play as Vasher with Nightblood would be a cool action RPG in a style similar to Witcher 3. Stormlight as an RTS is such a good idea! That is brilliance on a whole new level!! You need to pitch this to Brandon as soon as possible. You might end up with a key role in the development process

Caleb is one I’m my favorites from campaign 2 as well!! Liam is incredible! It truly is! It may take awhile but at least you’ve got plenty of content to keep you busy!! I recommend starting with campaign 2 episode 1 they started streaming their first campaign in the middle so it’s a weird starting point and the recording starts off really rough. Campaign 1 is excellent but it’s something better to watch after you familiarize yourself with them as a group!

thanks! I wonder how surges relate to the metallic arts, if at all. If so then maybe ferochemical speed plays into it somehow but that’s the only other thing I can think of... besides Selish teleportation and perhaps Soul/Cognitive transport upon death.

75%!!! Sandertweet

How dare you!

Lol. I’m starting to think it’s too late for that I still think this argument lends itself to transportation in terms of its use by surgebinders... because it’s relevant concerning the possibility of having differences between the orders who can use it. Are Jasnah, Oathgates and perpendicularities our only solid examples of the use of transportation as a surge?

Who on the Shard watches Critical Role? The famous Dungeons and Dragons Twitch stream/podcast? I'd love to hear from you, your theories, your favorite characters, and more! Let's Talk Critrole! As a rule of thumb, let's leave spoilers for recent episodes to a minimum.

Okay, Okay. I see your point. I don't see much of a problem with everything he does being credited to her meddling though. She is a shard who can see the future afterall.

I'm in here a bit late but I wanted to say you've got something really great here and I look forward to seeing more!! As was stated above, the POV changes are a lot to take in, consider reworking the scene to fit into one, maybe two character's perspectives. And only switch perspectives once. I could see this scene taking place from Aevan's perspective all the way up to the point that Jerrin wakes up to the smell of smoke. Aevan is a very interesting character!! Jerrin and Meria's dynamic in the beginning is great. I'd love to see where this story goes.

Well I've only got like 4,500 words this month. Will one of you punch me? Thanks in advance.

I'm not so sure the effects of her touch don't play into other things as well. I see what you're saying though. It's a complete cycle. But since she's succeeded do you think she will just leave him alone? I get the vibe that Cultivation is going to want something out of him now that she's put him in position to fight Odium effectively. Yes. probably. maybe... But Dalinar was able to do it specifically because he got his memories back and was able to take the Thrill in and not succumb to it. That only happened because of the effects of her touch.

Much appreciated. Thanks to both of you!!

A couple things to consider: (That basically only Brandon can answer) How do bullets effect Shardplate? Would a Shardblade kill a lifeless the same way it kills a human? If so, can an awakener use a breath to bring it back after if there was no internal damage?

I agree, I don't think "Primary surge" is actually a real thing. Some individuals may have an affinity for one or the other but I don't think it's order specific. I think that the way surges interact with eachother will cause variation. Not limiting one's abilities with a singular surge, but instead providing the surgebinder with methods of using both surges to create various effects that another order would be incapable of. (See: Shallan's "Physical Illusions" in the battle of Theylen Field, Dalinar's ability to fix broken objects, etc.) That being said, it leads me to believe that "Elsecallers" have a more Cognitive Realm focus to their transportation surge, due to their affinity with the cognitive realm in the Transformation Surge, while (if our 3-realm theory here is correct) Willshapers might have an easier time with teleportation due to the cohesion surge supporting a 3-realm shift rather than a 2-realm one, because, well... that's just cohesive. That's not to say Elsecallers will be incapable of instant teleportation if it is possible. Just that Willshapers might have an easier time wrapping 3 realms around their surge than an Elsecaller might. as a side note: Elsecaller would make plenty of sense as a name granted to people who are often traveling/bringing people to a strange realm full of orb-oceans and giant spren as well, so I'm not sure their name changes anything either way.

You're probably right, but I think if this Primary/Secondary thing is true then surges must operate differently for different orders in some capacity. We already know this is true for Bondsmiths as the stormfather outright clarifies it with Dalinar multiple times. I don't think Bondsmiths are a special case. I think it has something to do with the interactions between surges.

Hey, Welcome to the Shard!! I even feel the pain of not knowing many Sanderson fans and I live in NYC where you'd expect to find Cosmere nerds like myself You've come to the right place to find people though! Enjoy it here!!

The Big question is, what time period are we talking? Are we just taking the society as we've seen them in published works? If that's the case then I would say Sel has this fight in the bag. Aons can do so many incredible things because they are essentially using investiture in its least restricted form. I think Scadrial has them at a close second. Nalthis and Roshar are far behind unless Roshar gets both Radients AND Voidbringers, in which case Roshar might have a shot against Scadrial but I still think Sel would have them beat. Now... If we are talking say... Post-Stormlight as a time period for this event, I'm inclined to believe that Scadrial would have much higher level tech than anyone, atleast much better than Roshar and Nalthis. It's hard to tell what Sel would even look like at that point because it's almost 5000 years after the events of Elantris. So I think Scadrial would win hands down in that setting.

Are there any WoB's or book mentions of the possibility of a person forming Nahel Bonds with multiple spren? Could Someone be a Windrunner/Lightweaver or something else? (forgetting the ultimately contradictory implications of that oaths-wise) On this topic, is it possible for someone like Renarin to be a squire to Kaladin, even though he has his own separate Nahel Bond?

Welcome @asmodeus!! (I love the name by the way. Are you a Dungeons and Dragons player?) Please link that here once you post it! I would very much like to give that a read!!

Hello @Dulator and welcome!! The bigger picture, eh? I like it too. Brandon is a clever guy and I love how tied together and deep the Cosmere is!! I have a feeling you're gunna like it here!!