I have just started to reread Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter, which starts off with a witch casting a sword from lightning bolts (or meteorites, though that word is never used) gathered from her garden, the metal melted with the heat of an arcanely enhanced fire, while she casts spell after spell upon it, all to prepare a suitable weapon for the hero to venture "beyond the fields we know." Now, that is a magic sword!
> The making of magical object is not infusing magic into a mundane object. It is giving the form of a mundane object into magical material. A smith who make magic swords knows how to recognize magical metals, and what it can do, and how to forge it into swords -- or horseshoes, or nails, or whatever form best uses the inherent magic. Healing potions are to magical herbs what aspirin is to willow bark. The firetree's branches can be used to make fireball wands. Adventure parties go out to hunt monsters and butcher their bodies in hopes that the parts will prove useful -- which is just another way that the making of magical objects affects the world-building
I have magical objects in my fantasy world. However, they require specific types of wizards to make and wizards of all types are rare. (Wizardry is inherited) There are other restrictions as well.
I consider it important to keep magic as a rare thing so mundane things are still dominant. Otherwise, having an excess of magic will lose magic's uniqueness in the story and likely bore the reader.
I have a sword that makes the user a better fighter than their evil opponent, but will work against the user if the opponent is fighting for good.
Most of the items are simple though, protect the wearer against magical attack, magical tracking devices, magical communication devices, stronger weapons with anti-theft spells that backfire against those who steal them, enchanted spectacles that can show what is magic (items and wizards).
A Truth and Accuracy wizard who can spell documents and maps so that everything on it is revised to be true and accurate based on what is known by the people near the item at the time of enchantment. Perfect for a team of mapmakers trying to get every detail correct.
I have other types of wizards with other abilities - which are developed by their experiences and personality so nearly all wizards have a different set of abilities. All their magic is powered by themselves so there are limitations to how much can be done at a time.
It is fun to create this for each of the wizards in this world.
> A Truth and Accuracy wizard who can spell documents and maps so that everything on it is revised to be true and accurate based on what is known by the people near the item at the time of enchantment. Perfect for a team of mapmakers trying to get every detail correct.
Depending on how willing the people have to be, this can also be used for interrogation.
It is. The wizard had just come into his powers thinking his magic was all about fixing maps. But when he went to the wizard guild, the guild master had him enchant transcripts of a captured spy being interrogated. It was his first magic lesson by the guild as well as his payment to enter the guild.
I have just started to reread Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter, which starts off with a witch casting a sword from lightning bolts (or meteorites, though that word is never used) gathered from her garden, the metal melted with the heat of an arcanely enhanced fire, while she casts spell after spell upon it, all to prepare a suitable weapon for the hero to venture "beyond the fields we know." Now, that is a magic sword!
Lord Dunsany is the absolute master of conducting us beyond the fields we know.
> The making of magical object is not infusing magic into a mundane object. It is giving the form of a mundane object into magical material. A smith who make magic swords knows how to recognize magical metals, and what it can do, and how to forge it into swords -- or horseshoes, or nails, or whatever form best uses the inherent magic. Healing potions are to magical herbs what aspirin is to willow bark. The firetree's branches can be used to make fireball wands. Adventure parties go out to hunt monsters and butcher their bodies in hopes that the parts will prove useful -- which is just another way that the making of magical objects affects the world-building
Isn't this basically how technology works?
True! So if you want to make it magic, you have to do some stuff. Then, I rambled on and on about it here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/writingandreflections/p/magical-technology?r=17sx99&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
I have magical objects in my fantasy world. However, they require specific types of wizards to make and wizards of all types are rare. (Wizardry is inherited) There are other restrictions as well.
I consider it important to keep magic as a rare thing so mundane things are still dominant. Otherwise, having an excess of magic will lose magic's uniqueness in the story and likely bore the reader.
Ah, yes, are your wonders wonderful?
I forgot to add that the very unique and versatile items require multiple wizards to act together with their different magics to create them. More fun
Lots of things to juggle!
I have a sword that makes the user a better fighter than their evil opponent, but will work against the user if the opponent is fighting for good.
Most of the items are simple though, protect the wearer against magical attack, magical tracking devices, magical communication devices, stronger weapons with anti-theft spells that backfire against those who steal them, enchanted spectacles that can show what is magic (items and wizards).
A Truth and Accuracy wizard who can spell documents and maps so that everything on it is revised to be true and accurate based on what is known by the people near the item at the time of enchantment. Perfect for a team of mapmakers trying to get every detail correct.
I have other types of wizards with other abilities - which are developed by their experiences and personality so nearly all wizards have a different set of abilities. All their magic is powered by themselves so there are limitations to how much can be done at a time.
It is fun to create this for each of the wizards in this world.
And it's excellent way to ensure the story still has conflict.
> A Truth and Accuracy wizard who can spell documents and maps so that everything on it is revised to be true and accurate based on what is known by the people near the item at the time of enchantment. Perfect for a team of mapmakers trying to get every detail correct.
Depending on how willing the people have to be, this can also be used for interrogation.
And how adept people are at phrasing questions and answers.
It is. The wizard had just come into his powers thinking his magic was all about fixing maps. But when he went to the wizard guild, the guild master had him enchant transcripts of a captured spy being interrogated. It was his first magic lesson by the guild as well as his payment to enter the guild.
That's a power that can get interesting.