Justine Manzano You have to be careful with magic and superpowers. A famous comic book hero once told me (in comic books, and movies, and books, ad nauseum) that with great power comes great responsibility (Spider-Man, in case you’re not superhero inclined). This is great wisdom for superheroes and magic users, but it’s just as good advice for those who are writing and creating those with these abilities.
So what are the rules to creating abilities? Look no further…well, look down to the rest of the page. You know what I mean.
Anyway, here are some rules to creating an effective magic system.
- Use your imagination. There are several tried and true magical systems and superhero power systems, and they are all great. But they’re not yours. Try to come up with something unique, and give it structure.
- In the words of Once Upon A Time’s Rumple, “All magic has a price.” And well it should. Your characters shouldn’t be overpowered, and to keep them from being able to use their magic or abilities to remedy any and all situations they find themselves in, all magic should have some negative effect on either your character or the world around them. For instance, if their magic somehow injures those around them when it is used, or if using it ages them, you’ve got a good way around the problem.
- Magic or superpowers alone should not solve every problem. Yes, magic should be important to any story containing magic. But if the character just hurls magic at the problem and hopes it goes away, that makes for a boring story. Make sure your characters have a plan, and use other measures to make things happen.
- Lastly, set the rules and stick to them. You can make things as crazy as you want to be, but you have to make sure you remember the limits and the truths in the world. The minute you break the rules in your world, you lose credibility. You can hold onto a reader’s attention and imagination for hundreds of pages, just to lose them in the last fifty if you break your own rules.
Be imaginative. Be inventive. But be responsible. Your world’s superhero or magic structure relies on you to make it work. Have fun, and happy creating!