What Is Magic?

[khyron1144]

I hope no one used this yet (aleister Crowley's Definition of Magic as best as I can remember it):

Magic is the art and science of causing a change to reality in accordance to your will.



Then of course, there's the Granny Weatherwax definition of magic:

A lot of magic is just knowing one more thing than the other guy.




A random thought I had the other day:
If everything that exists is Nature, then even if magic works and there is a life after death and one or more Gods exist, the set that can be defined as Supernatural is exactly zero.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Go backward, SCM.  I have ben telling people since day one to create the rules to fit the setting, don't cram your square peg seting ideas into some round hole system becasue it is a prevalent system.

SA is asking what is magic like?  What would you like magic to be?  If you could start again and make spellcasting and dweomercraft actually seem 'magical' again, how would you want that to feel?

Until you have this down, until you understand the exact awe and the particular unease you want it to havem you should not even ask about the system.  Make the system fit the stories you want to create, make it fit all tomorrow's parties.  Don't let the mechanics get in the way, they are the bridge, not the journey.

I think I'm still confused, but I've come up with a response anyway:
I do not like the idea that anything exists simply because people wish it to be that way.  Therefore even when creating a fictional magic system I like to base it on something that already lies outside my own thought.  That's why I like the "science is magic" approach I was touting earlier: the laws of physics (supposedly) lie outside human thought and are thus a good base for creating magic.

And as far as I'm concerned mechanics'"'"not just game mechanics but other sorts explanations of how things work'"'"are the whole point.  That's why I don't get the desire for things to be mysterious: if you don't know anything about them other than how they appear then you can only ever know them that way.  There is no variety in them.  It is only by having an idea, even a false one, about how they work that you can imagine them in a different form.  But once that happens they aren't mysterious any more.

[Nomadic]

Go backward, SCM.  I have ben telling people since day one to create the rules to fit the setting, don't cram your square peg seting ideas into some round hole system becasue it is a prevalent system.

SA is asking what is magic like?  What would you like magic to be?  If you could start again and make spellcasting and dweomercraft actually seem 'magical' again, how would you want that to feel?

Until you have this down, until you understand the exact awe and the particular unease you want it to havem you should not even ask about the system.  Make the system fit the stories you want to create, make it fit all tomorrow's parties.  Don't let the mechanics get in the way, they are the bridge, not the journey.

Ah but you are forgetting that in a campaign world/creator relation it isn't people creating things. It is instead the creator who plays the role of the rules of his creation. The ideal creator could do this completely unbiased but we as humans cannot be so. Thus while there is merit in your statement you should never be afraid to in the end use your own ideas. That is an important part of creating something.

On your other note I would have to argue that false ideas do not remove mystery. Sure perhaps if there is one wide sweeping concept agreed on by most the mystery is gone. Looking at humans though we can see how rare this is. Religion, exploration, even the carefully monitored research of science can and has fallen under this. Groups will argue nonstop as to the fundamental state of the universe. And yet there is little less mystery about such things. Also on this note I would point out that at least as far as human and human-like species are concerned, you cannot have unexplained mystery without someone trying to explain that mystery away. It's just how our minds work.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Ah but you are forgetting that in a campaign world/creator relation it isn't people creating things. It is instead the creator who plays the role of the rules of his creation. The ideal creator could do this completely unbiased but we as humans cannot be so. Thus while there is merit in your statement you should never be afraid to in the end use your own ideas. That is an important part of creating something.

Same thing to me, I'm afraid.

Besides, I also just don't like those ideas.  I can't tell you why, maybe I just like to think that humans and similar creatures don't and shouldn't matter to the universe in any way.

On your other note I would have to argue that false ideas do not remove mystery. Sure perhaps if there is one wide sweeping concept agreed on by most the mystery is gone. Looking at humans though we can see how rare this is. Religion, exploration, even the carefully monitored research of science can and has fallen under this. Groups will argue nonstop as to the fundamental state of the universe. And yet there is little less mystery about such things. Also on this note I would point out that at least as far as human and human-like species are concerned, you cannot have unexplained mystery without someone trying to explain that mystery away. It's just how our minds work.

I was taking "mysterious" to mean "unexplained in any way".  My intended statement was "You cannot alter something from its purely-existing form without coming up with an explanation, and thus rendering it 'non-mysterious', i.e. 'explainable in some way'".

[Nomadic]

Fair enough. Though like I said it is human nature to theorize. With that definition you cannot have mystery since as soon as someone thinks of something unexplained they are going to try to explain it. We humans are just messed up weird like that.

[Superfluous Crow]

Though I'm somewhat confused as to what you are currently discussing, i have something personal to say on the balance between mystery and pre-determined metaphysics. I find it hard to determine whether you should aim for one or the other. If you set it all in stone, it's barely magic anymore. It loses its flair and becomes just another layer of nature. Too much mystery though, and magic becomes unfocused, uncharacteristic, and in time, uninteresting. Personally, i think i prefer something along the lines of an unknown force, that can produce a limited range of results.
Okay, that was a minor digression, onwards to the ideas.
First, question, has anybody ever come up with a working concept of how runes work? They are cool and all, and always seem magical, but really, it hardly makes sense that a specific shape should be inherently magical.
The only thing i have been able to come up with was that each rune reacted to a pulse of energy, or what have you, by creating a specific magical "tune" as a function of its shape and the way it magically "reverberates". This could also lead to some interesting concepts of rune symphonies and such :)
Other idea, and the one I'm currently using somewhat: Runes are geometric shapes that react with primal ideas in the psyche to conjure up specific emotions. (so runes can't blow up or anything, but they could be used to ward a place by instilling fear, or make people more friendly toward you).
Alternative battle mage idea: instead of shooting fire everywhere, these mages use magic and alchemy to magically boost their physique and mind to make them the perfect warriors; killing machines more or less. Supernaturally quick and strong. Also, you could let all their alchemical drugs have severe drawbacks if you're into that sort of thing.
Another battle mage: Essentially an unarmed fighter who can create an invisible force around and near his hands and his body. Not that he can create massive shields or anything, but he can create small slivers of magic force that he can use to parry and slash out at his enemies. Essentially, this fighter would be able to stop attacks in midair, and slash open an armed mans stomach with a sweeping gesture with his hand, even though he was standing a meter away from his outstretched arm. Could be cool.

I know these ideas are somewhat sketchy, so feel free to add to them. (and too many combat mages... I gotta come up with something peaceful next time.)
Must be some other ideas on the board?

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

By that definition of mystery it is my intent to say that the idea of "magic is mysterious" just doesn't work out logically to me.  Perhaps "mysterious" is the wrong word: I was merely using what others said; "unknowable" may be a better choice.  And as it is "magic is unknowable" is another idea I have a problem with: you cannot prove something is unknowable, you can only say that it is unknown to you at this time.

I know this is all probably semantics, but I don't see how something can actually be discussed without providing some logical ground rules.

Also:
Runes and channels: Magic flows through the universe in certain paths.  When a rune is drawn it channels that flow through the lines in its shape, changing the flow and thus altering reality.  (This explanation can also work for any other magic based upon shapes, such as Full Metal Alchemist's alchemy circles.)
Runes as commands: Runes are not inherently magical.  They are simply a means of expressing the caster's desire to the true controlling force in an unambiguous way, each rune conveying the desire for the controlling force to carry out only one kind of effect.

[LordVreeg]

Not to digress, but to work on what Crow said...
it is often critical when really delving into a fantasy culture understanding what affect magic has had.  Your digression into combat magics brought this on.

Cows and other animals have been magically rengineered to produce more milk, and farming communes are always within range of Sacred Groves to enhance the crops rewards.  Again, as SA said, not to go into setting specifics too much, but to quote,

"Magic is a cornerstone of a fantasy world. Our nearly universal and eternal fascination with magic is part of the 'What If' that makes people play FRP games. Or, to put in other words, Magic is (for the most part) what makes it a Fantasy role playing game, and not merely an exercise in acting. "

So your magic defines much of the setting (what is Haveneast without the Nightmare) and the way magic interacts with day to day life, or if it interacts, is much of that definition.  
If magic is a tool, can the PC's find the original, enchanted raosting pans from Hostem's House of Hospitality?  Are graveyards warded to repulse necromantic energies?  Can air and water magic mesh to create refrigerated areas?

[Pellanor]

I think that when defining magic in a system there are a few important points to consider.

1. What is the source of magic? Is it another natural energy that's part of the world, or some other "Magic as science" type thing? Is it fragments of a dream of a dead god leaking into our world? Is it praying to your deity for a miracle?

2. What do people know about magic? Can you have "magic scientists" that can study magic and determine a system for how it works? Have people just figured out a few things about magic through trial and error? Are some lucky few just born with the "knack" to use it, but nobody actually knows what this power is or how it works?


I think one important thing about a magic system is that it needs to make sense and be well defined, even if the people in the setting don't know how it works. LV's posts give a great feel of what magic is like to those who don't understand it. Magic should have a feeling of mystery, and people who use it should be aware that they're playing with something much bigger than they are.


Here's a Q&A I found that can be helpful when defining a magic system for your setting. Original source
[spoiler=Magic & Magicians Q&A]III. Magic and Magicians

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1. Rules of Magic

   Q: What things can magic not do? What are the limits to magical power? How do magicians try to get around these limits?
   A:

   Q: What is the price magicians must pay in order to be magicians -- years of study, permanent celibacy, using up bits of their life or memory with each spell, etc.? Does anyone ever try to get around the price of magic?
   A:

   Q: Is there a difference between miracles and magic? If so, how are they distinguished?
   A:

   Q: Where does magic power come from: the gods, the "mana" of the world, the personal willpower of the magician? Is magic an exhaustible resource? If a magician must feed his spells with his own willpower, life-force, or sanity, what long-term effects will this have on the health and/or stability of the magician? Do different races/species have different sources for their magic, or does everybody use the same one?
   A:

   Q: How does a magician tap his/her magic power? Does becoming a magician require some rite of passage (investing one's power in an object, being chosen by the gods, constructing or being given a permanent link to the source of power) or does it just happen naturally, as a gradual result of much study or as a part of growing up?
   A:

   Q: What do you need to do to cast a spell -- design an elaborate ritual, recite poetry, mix the right ingredients in a pot? Are there things like a staff, a wand, a familiar, a crystal ball, that are necessary to have before casting spells? If so, where and how do new wizards get these things? Do they make them, buy them from craftsmen, inherit them from their teachers, or order them from Wizardry Supplies, Inc.?
   A:

   Q: Is there a numerical limit to the number of wizards in the world? What is it? Why?
   A:

   Q: How long does it take to cast a spell? Can spells be stored for later, instant use? Does working spells take lots of long ritual, or is magic a "point and shoot" affair?
   A:

   Q: Can two or more wizards combine their power to cast a stronger spell, or is magic done only by individuals? What makes one wizard more powerful than another -- knowledge of more spells, ability to handle greater levels of power, having a more powerful god as patron, etc.?
   A:

   Q: Does practicing magic have any detrimental effect on the magician (such as becoming addictive, fomenting insanity, or shortening life-span)? If so, is there any way to prevent these effects? Are the effects inevitable to all magicians, or do they affect only those with some sort of predisposition? Do they progress at the same rate in everyone? Are they universal in all species, or are some races (dwarves, elves, whoever) immune to these detrimental effects?
   A:

   Q: How much is known about the laws of nature, physics, and magic? How much of what is commonly known is wrong (e.g., Aristotle's ideas about human anatomy, which were wrong but accepted for centuries)?
   A:

   Q: What general varieties of magic are practiced (e.g., herbal potions, ritual magic, alchemical magic, demonology, necromancy, etc.)? Do any work better than others, or does only one variety actually work?
   A:

   Q: Are certain kinds of magic practiced solely or chiefly by one sex or the other? By one race or another? Is this because of inborn ability, natural preferences, or legislation?
   A:

   Q: Does a magician's magical ability or power change over time -- e.g., growing stronger or weaker during puberty, or with increasing age? Can a magician "use up" all of his/her magic, thus ceasing to be a magician? If this happens, what does the ex-magician do -- die, retire, take up teaching, go into a second career, start a freelance consulting business?
   A:

   Q: Can the ability to do magic be lost? If so, how -- overdoing it, "burning out," brain damage due to fever or a blow, etc.?
   A:

   Q: Can the ability to work magic be taken away? If so, how and by whom? (Traditional example: certain spells that can only be worked by virgins; raping such a witch robbed her of her powers.)
   A:

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2. Wizards

   Q: Does practicing magic have any detrimental effect on the magician (such as becoming addictive, fomenting insanity, or shortening life-span)? If so, is there any way to prevent these effects? Are the effects inevitable to all magicians, or do they affect only those with some sort of predisposition? Do they progress at the same rate in everyone? Are they universal in all species, or are some races (dwarves, elves, whoever) immune to these detrimental effects?
   A:

   Q: What is the price magicians must pay in order to be magicians -- years of study, permanent celibacy, using up bits of their life or memory with each spell, etc.? Does anyone ever try to get around the price of magic?
   A:

   Q: How do various religions,if any, view magic? Do any forbid it? Why or why not? Do any require priests/priestesses to be magicians? Do any forbid magicians from holding some or all religious offices?
   A:

   Q: How long does it take to learn magic?
   A:

   Q: Is magic a profession, an art, or just a job? What is the status accorded to magicians in this society? Are they the equivalent of shyster lawyers, politicians, and used car salesmen, or are they considered average working stiffs, or are they looked up to and admired?
   A:

   Q: Are wizards organized? How? What hierarchy, if any, do they recognize? What happens if the person/people at the top get killed? Who takes over? How soon?
   A:

   Q: Can anyone become a wizard, or does one need to be born with some special talent or gift?
   A:

   Q: Are different races/intelligent species good at different types of magic? If so, what types are associated with what races/species? Are there species that use magic more or less unconsciously -- for instance, dragons using magic to fly without being consciously aware of it, or werewolves using magic to change?
   A:

   Q: Can you make a living practicing magic, or do you have to have independent means? If you can make a living, what are you doing -- making magic swords, or making it rain for local farmers? What's a wizard's job market like? What's a wizard's average income, relative to the rest of society?
   A:

   Q: Are magicians a force in politics, or are they above it? Are there national politics that revolve around magic/wizards (i.e., trying to outlaw, protect, or promote certain kinds of magic, trying to draft wizards into a ruler's army, licensing of magicians, etc.)? Do wizards have a lobby? Do they need one?
   A:

   Q: Does it require a license to be a wizard? If so, is it more like a driver's license (something nearly everyone in our culture gets upon coming of age) or like a doctor's license (something only a small percentage of the population will ever get)? Who certifies wizards: government, wizard's guild/AMA, local priests?
   A:

   Q: How do local people view wizards? Are they good guys, bad guys, Clint Eastwood (call in only to get rid of dragons), regular working stiffs, ivory-tower academics, nuisances who make it rain when you're plowing, dangerous folks to stay away from?
   A:

   Q: How do you get to be a wizard/magician? Does it require inborn talent, study and hard work, practice, or all of the above?
   A:

   Q: Are wizards barred from certain kinds of government jobs or offices? Do some government jobs require that their holder be a wizard?
   A:

   Q: If magic requires study, where do you go to learn about it? How do people fund their training? Is there an apprenticeship system, or are there wizard schools, or is it one-on-one tutoring/mentoring? Is an untrained wizard dangerous, or just an ordinary person?
   A:

   Q: Do wizards have a special language that is used for magic? If so, where do they learn it? Is it safe to chat in this language, or is everything said in it automatically a spell? If so, how can it safely be taught to new students?
   A:

   Q: Is magic considered a science, or are scientists and wizards enemies or rivals? Are magic and science compatible? To what degree does the presence of magic, magical objects, and wizards replace technology (for example, a chest that is enchanted to keep its contents cold could replace the refrigerator)? Duplicate technology? Supplement technology?
   A:

   Q: Are wizards above or below the law -- I.e., do they have full rights as citizens, no rights, or can they do as they like without regard to anyone else's rights?
   A:

   Q: Is the relative power of a country or ruler usually measured by the size of the army, the number and ability of his wizards, or the amount of money at his disposal?
   A:

   Q: Can two or more wizards combine their power to cast a stronger spell, or is magic done only by individuals? What makes a powerful magician?
   A:

   Q: What do you need to do to cast a spell -- design an elaborate ritual, recite poetry, mix the right ingredients in a pot? Are there things like a staff, a wand, a familiar, a crystal ball, that are necessary to have before casting spells? If so, where and how do new wizards get these things? Do they make them, buy them from craftsmen, inherit them from their teachers, or order them from Wizardry Supplies, Inc.?
   A:

   Q: Where does magic power come from: the gods, the "mana" of the world, the personal willpower of the magician? Is magic an exhaustible resource? If a magician must feed his spells with his own willpower, life-force, or sanity, what long-term effects will this have on the health and/or stability of the magician? Do different races/species have different sources for their magic, or does everybody use the same one?
   A:

   Q: How does a magician tap his/her magic power? Does becoming a magician require some rite of passage (investing one's power in an object, being chosen by the gods, constructing or being given a permanent link to the source of power) or does it just happen naturally as part of growing up, like puberty?
   A:

   Q: Does a magician's magical ability or power change over time -- e.g., growing stronger or weaker during puberty, or with increasing age? Can a magician "use up" all of his/her magic, thus ceasing to be a magician? If this happens, what does the ex-magician do -- die, retire, take up teaching, go into a second career, start a freelance consulting business?
   A:

   Q: Is a magician's lifetime normally longer or shorter than average? Why? Does this vary for different races/species? Are there races/species all of whose members are magicians?
   A:

   Q: Are there fashions/fads in magic -- are herbal spells "in" this year and ritual spells "out," or vice versa?
   A:

   Q: Are certain spells (as opposed to magic generally) illegal? Why -- because of the effect of the spell, or because of the ingredients or procedures needed to cast it, or what? If so, how would a criminal magician be detected? Apprehended? Punished? Is catching and punishing illegal magicians the responsibility of the magician's guild, or do the ordinary courts have to handle it?
   A:

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3. Magic and Technology

   Q: Are there magical means of transportation (teleport spells, magic carpets, dragon-riding)? How do they compare in speed, safety and expense to non-magical means? Are there any drawbacks to magical travel (for example, teleport sickness)? How commonly are they used, and for what purposes (industrial shipping vs. travel for fun)?
   A:

   Q: Are there magical means of rapid communication? How commonly are they used? For what purposes?
   A:

   Q: Are magical weapons available? Can magic be used in warfare? In what ways? Are spells fast enough to be useful in hand-to-hand combat, or is magic more of a siege weapon, used only for long, slow things?
   A:

   Q: How has the presence of magic affected weapons technology? Can magic make weapons more effective? Do you have to do anything special to walls, armor, or weapons to make them better able to resist enemy spells?
   A:

   Q: How has the presence of magic affected weapons technology? Can an ordinary, non-weapon-type object be enchanted to make it extremely lethal (the Frying Pan of Death) or will this work properly only on things that are already weapons? Can ordinary objects be enchanted to make them (or their user) supremely good at something (the Frying Pan of Ultimate Gourmet Cooking, the Comb of No Bad Hair Days Ever)? How common and useful are such enchantments?
   A:

   Q: To what degree does the presence of magic, magical objects, and wizards replace technology (for example, a chest that is enchanted to keep its contents cold could replace the refrigerator)? Duplicate technology? Supplement technology?
   A:

   Q: Can spells and/or magical items be mass-produced? Are there magic carpet factories and boutiques selling magic rings?
   A:

   Q: Can spells and/or magical items be used to increase the efficiency of manufacturing or mass production? Do businesses keep a wizard on retainer, as modern businesses might keep a lawyer or efficiency expert? What, exactly, are they paying for?
   A:

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4. Miscellaneous Magic Questions

   Q: Are the laws of nature and physics actually different in this world (to accommodate magic), or are they the same as in real life? How does magic fit in? How do magical beasts fit in?
   A:

   Q: If there are imaginary animals (dragons, unicorns, etc.), how do they fit into the ecology? What do they eat? How much habitat do they require? Are they intelligent and/or capable of working spells, talking, etc.?
   A:

   Q: Where did civilization begin? What directions did it spread? How was its development affected by the presence of magic? The presence of non-human races, if any? The direct or indirect action of the gods?
   A:

   Q: In what ways can magic or spells be abused? How often does this happen?
   A:

   Q: Which peoples/races/cultures are considered the most civilized? Which are most technologically advanced? Which are most magically advanced? Least advanced?
   A:

   Q: Is magic legal? All magic, or only some types? Do laws vary widely from country to country, or is the attitude generally similar?
   A:

   Q: What wild animals, actual or imaginary, live in this area? Are any of them potentially useful -- e.g., for fur, whale oil, hides, magical ingredients, hat feathers?
   A:

   Q: Are there magical beasts, like dragons and unicorns? If so, which ones? How many? Are they common, or are some endangered species? Have any been domesticated?
   A:

   Q: Are there magical artifacts (rings, swords, etc.)? If so, who makes them and how? Are the spells permanent, or do they wear off after a while?
   A:

   Q: Where is scientific and/or magical research done -- universities, private labs, under the auspices of the ruler/government, etc.?
   A:

   Q: Given the magical/technological level of this society, what is an appropriate ration of farmers or food producers to urban residents? If farm production is based on magic, how many urban residents are going to starve if the spells supporting farming (weather, land fertility, etc.) fail suddenly?
   A:

   Q: What are the major political factions at present? How long have they been around? Which factions are allies, which enemies? Are there any potential new forces on the political scene (e.g., a rising middle class, a university gaining unexpected power because of certain magical discoveries, etc.)
   A:

   Q: Are magicians a force in politics, or are they above it? Are there national politics that revolve around magic/wizards (i.e., trying to outlaw, protect, or promote certain kinds of magic, trying to draft wizards into a ruler's army, licensing of magicians, etc.)? Do wizards have a lobby? Do they need one?
   A:

   Q: How much has the presence of magic affected strategy and tactics in general? Is magic used primarily for intelligence gathering (spells of invisibility, scrying, etc.), or are there spells that are of use on the battlefield (summoning a demon to attack the enemy, casting fire storms at them, etc.)? If battlefield magic is possible, how can it be defended against?
   A:

   Q: Is healing generally a magical process? If so, how does the magical healing talent work? Does a magical healer have to consciously direct the healing process (meaning that lots of knowledge of anatomy, etc., would be required), or does magical healing simply speed up the normal, unconscious healing process in the patient? Is there more than one kind of magical healer (as there are surgeons, eye doctors, etc.)? Are there both magical and non-magical healers, and if so, are they rivals or simply different specialties?
   A:

   Q: What level is medicine at? Who are the healers? Do you have to have a talent to heal, or just training? Who trains healers, herbalists, apothecaries, surgeons, magical vs. nonmagical healers, etc.?
   A:

   Q: Is forensic magic possible? Commonly used? Used only for certain types of crimes (and if so, what)? Are the results of forensic spells admissible in court as evidence? Is it something any wizard can do, or do you have to specialize?
   A:

   Q: Are there separate civil and criminal courts? Human and non-human courts? Is there a separate court or procedure for magical crimes? What is different about each type of court? Are judges or other court officials required/forbidden to know magic? Is evidence obtained by magic acceptable in court? Is evidence obtained by magic considered more reliable or less reliable than physical evidence or eyewitness accounts?
   A:

   Q: Can magic be used in the arts, and if so, how -- paint that glows, pictures that move, flutes that play themselves, etc.? How do "normal" artists feel about this? Is there a separate branch of purely magical art, such as illusion?
   A:[/spoiler]

[Superfluous Crow]

Just a small question in between posts: How many of you operate with multiple types of magic in your campaign? Not as in different schools, or casting methods, but types of magic that operate vastly differently?

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

I think one important thing about a magic system is that it needs to make sense and be well defined, even if the people in the setting don't know how it works. LV's posts give a great feel of what magic is like to those who don't understand it. Magic should have a feeling of mystery, and people who use it should be aware that they're playing with something much bigger than they are.

So magic should be mysterious to the people in the world, but doesn't need to be to the people outside the world?

One thing I definitely agree with is that magic should feel bigger than the people who encounter it.  But I think there's one further question that needs to be asked: is the magic bigger than people as a whole?  The way I see this, if magic can understand what "true love" is, or understand that a picture of an animal painted on a cave wall is more than just bits of dirt smeared on rock, then it can still be bigger than one person but is subordinate to the larger people-group of culture.

[SA]

So magic should be mysterious to the people in the world, but doesn't need to be to the people outside the world?

Runes and channels: Magic flows through the universe in certain paths. When a rune is drawn it channels that flow through the lines in its shape, changing the flow and thus altering reality. (This explanation can also work for any other magic based upon shapes, such as Full Metal Alchemist's alchemy circles.)[/quote]Runes as commands: Runes are not inherently magical. They are simply a means of expressing the caster's desire to the true controlling force in an unambiguous way, each rune conveying the desire for the controlling force to carry out only one kind of effect.[/quote]Arcane Writs[/b]

The Celestial Bureaucracy is a busy place.  Hundreds of thousands of millions of spirit-functionaries and elementals of every possible conception; Administrator Gods who dream awash in the bewildering crush of the world's intentions, sifting, sorting and reconciling its divisions into a comprehensible whole.

Magic is the will of the Bureaucracy, manifest in the miraculous writs handed down by the Admin-Gods.  Each writ describes an action, an event or outline of events to manifest on earth.  Elementals have these laws written into their very nature, while spirits must carry them on their person. They are obsessively protective of theirs, for to lose it is to lose one's right to exist in the world.

To work magic, a sorcerer must possess a writ.  How he does so is up to him: bribe, cajole, seduce or abuse a spirit; split open an elemental and soak its ghostly blood up with a scroll; even petition a God or higher functionary for one.  You can even counterfeit one, in theory, but this is a stupid, stupid, stupid thing to do.

Every writ is different, and some are prodigiously more powerful than others.  One might read: "On the Morning of the Sixteenth of High Willow, a fearsome flame shall arise in the mid of the road at the crossroad of the West and East roads of Red Hill".  Possessing the writ makes it happen, but only if you're at the crossroad at that time. and only once (well you could wait a year).  Conversely, a writ might state "(s)he who possesses this writ is hereby empowered to summon from the mid of any road a fearsome flame no wider than three cubits and no higher than eleven, between the hours of Crow and Toad inclusive."

A canny mortal can often spy the heavenly bureaucrats at work, scurrying restlessly from place to place or waiting anxiously at a spot for the time of their writ's activation.

The greatest of writs command perpetual states, or delineate concepts and the relationships of base materials.  The Laws of Physical Orders are held a the heart of the Celestial Archive, hidden from all, for their power cannot be trusted to anyone, god or mortal.  Of course, early drafts did get around, and any alchemist would give his left eye and his manhood for a copy.

[Acrimone]

I think that when defining magic in a system there are a few important points to consider.
Here's a Q&A I found that can be helpful when defining a magic system for your setting. Original source

Huge fan of that entire booklet... I have it printed out and bound in hardcopy.  

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

That's cool.  It's even conceivable that said magical current is on a large scale (such as ley lines), and that a "rune" must be built on that scale.  So it's technically not a rune now, I guess, more like standing stones: you align the construct with intersecting or proximal streams of magic, allowing the currents to suffuse the stones - becoming "attuned", if you will - then reconfigure them.  Generally, a specific act must take place in an area whose magics govern the energies involved; smaller stones have smaller effects, but can also channel smaller streams, to the point of true runes, which can be used anywhere for really petty things like divination.

A further refinement of that concept is to realize that if patterns of lines are what makes the rune then maybe these patterns occur in nature, creating magical places.  Maybe this is a manifestation of the gods' will, and seers might be trained or have the talent to find and interpret these manifestations.  This again suggests another idea: maybe people originally learned runes by copying patterns they saw in areas of magical nature, and it might be possible to learn runes on one's own the same way and not need to have them taught to you (D&D example: wizards learn formalized runes, sorcerers picked them up on their own and are thus more "primal").

Arcane Writs *snip*

You know, this is a very nice idea for a comedic game where writs get mixed-up or have a typo or a celestial lackey mess up for some reason (and maybe gets fired, creating an amusing origin for a PC) or some evil spirit steals someone's Writ of Existence and suddenly the bureaucracy is after them.  Basically anything you could come up with regarding a bunch of anal-retentive guys running the universe.

I've got another, though it may not fit the original topic:
Magic is sentient and doesn't like to be ordered around: This could probably be thought of as "magic is a god": magic has its own mind of what it wants to do and doesn't respond to entreaties from mortals.  Of course maybe some mortals know how to get magic to do what they want anyway, but they have to be really sneaky about it otherwise the magic will know and come after them.  An additional idea is the possibility that magic, for whatever reason, gives powers to mortals.  Not the ability to do varied kinds of magic, but more specific powers: the sensory and physical talents of a cat, the ability to create wind, etc.  These would only be bestowed, they can't be earned.  (I think you could run some interesting themes with this: destiny (granted powers) vs. free will (manipulating magic), cheating (stealing magic) vs. accepting what you have (your one power).)

I'm not sure the next one fits the thread topic, but I think it's an interesting idea:
Magic follows its own rules of inheritance: You don't inherit magic like genes, which are nice and neat and give you percentage chances.  No, you inherit magic as if each parent was a bottle of wine and someone decided how much to pour into you.  Maybe none, maybe all of it, maybe only 2/3rds of the whole.  Twins might not inherit the same amount.  And ask yourself: what happens if the wine is actually drained and not copied like a gene?  And if the setting includes different kinds of magic then you have yet another question to ask: if the parents have different magic how much of the wine is from which parent?  And maybe the wine metaphore comes from magic-sucking demons who've gone conesseur'¦'¦'¦'¦

[Superfluous Crow]

An alternative version of the writ idea:
Wizards have only one magic power: a sixth sense that tells them when a miracle is about to happen nearby. The people we know as wizards have no control over the magic they claim to control, but are expert actors, proficient at going with the flow and playing on peoples' superstitions. Essentially, they are gifted improvisational actors. Rituals, gestures, and incantations have nothing to do with the miracle, but are only included for the added drama and mystery. Although the sixth sense would probably under most circumstances tell what the miracle involved, it might occasionally be more taciturn leaving the details unsaid. Most wizards could be addicts, living and breathing for the next Miracle Rush.