What is magic?

The focus of this little focus group is on a project I call Arbiter. It is a fantasy project, and there's not a mammoth amount I can tell you about it, because I'm hoping all of you can help me build this thing.

So back to the title; what is magic? I have three things to immediately say about it:

Magic is...

1. Totally gay.

2. An alternative to technology. After all, "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - All due credit to Arthur C Clarke.

3. A fundamental alteration to the physical laws of the real world that would allow its denizens to manipulate their environment in spectacular ways without physical exertion or complicated devices.

I don't suppose these help a ton yet, particularly not #1, but the other two are important for what will (hopefully) make magic in Arbiter different. The idea is: if magic were real, why would scientists and engineers get their hands dirty with gears and wheels? In line with that, I plan to have witches and shamans and wizards (different cultures will use different names) approach magic more like scientists and engineers than most of the more famous fantasy mages.

Fantasy has been far more popular than science fiction for the past couple of decades, and the reigning theory suggests it's because fantasy comes across as optimistic and Sci-fi often feels bleak (dystopia reigns). A lot of that comes from the implications of magic, which makes anything seem possible. It's a big draw for people, an escape to a place where wishes can come true. From a marketing standpoint, appealing to the broadest audience means prolific and potent use of magic. That said, I have some gripes with the status quo.

A lot of times, a character uses magic a way we've never seen in that world before, and it feels like cheating. Either the hero saves the day with some unprecedented spell and the story ends in an unsatisfying way (an example of deus ex machina, something to avoid at all costs), or a villain exploits it in a way that just feels cheap and uninteresting (Aizen, in Bleach, was literally unbeatable so long as he wanted to be.)

So what I want to do is have clearly-defined rules that I must follow. They don't need to be laid out for the reader in the actual story, not all at once. I just feel like I should have a system worked out beforehand, and by doing so, never create a deus ex machina. The challenge is to have such a system without killing the optimistic whimsy that lets the reader escape into the book's world.

Currently, my explanation for the existence of magic is an over-abundance of energy in the world. This excess energy grants a sort of consciousness to the different elements (earth, wind, fire, whathaveyou), and thereby, a sorcerer can appeal to the environment to manipulate itself to suit their need.

Communication will be an essential component. Magic is used by imagining how the environment needs to manipulate itself and then communicating the desired process to the proper elements. Most of that communication can be described as telepathic, but I hate that word by itself, it's not quite right. The more precise explanation would involve the human body being made of the same elements found in the environment, and the body's elements are still conscious, so the magician can communicate with the environment's elements using their body's elements as a mediator. Perhaps even 'living' is an unconscious use of magic; each person is magician enough by default to assemble and regulate the bits of water, earth, electricity, etc. that compose the body, and true sorcerers have simply expanded that control to the world around them.

I plan to have incantations (Harry Potter) be wholly unnecessary, though novices often use them to evoke the proper mindset for themselves, to help them feel the emotions that will persuade the correct elements. Runes will play a crucial role (in a future post!), though.

Another barrier to success will be aligning the sorcerer's will with that of the elements' personalities (lightning feels like it needs a good reason to strike that guy). Since the elements are conscious, they possess individual personalities that the magician needs to learn how to cater to (earth is a prideful element). We'll probably explore that later, with a post for each element.

Finally, there will be some taxing of the user's mental fortitude, but it will be less about mental will (think Luke and Yoda lifting the X-Wing out of the swamp) and more about focus and multitasking ability (think playing Star/Warcraft or playing Ophelia and microing all those minotaurs.) That distinction is important to me; I don't want magic to be sourced by some abstract power reserve inside the user (mana, aura, will, chakra, ki). I want it to be about clever use of the surroundings and strategy.

One thing I want to avoid is the idea that a mage can make something from nothing, like conjure water for their thirsty friends (a la Warcraft); they need the raw materials in their environment.

So, in conclusion: Who do you guys think has done magic best? Who has done it worst? (As far as I'm concerned, you can even consider X-men mutations and ki from Dragonball Z to be magic). Any authors I should read or shows to watch to know what (or what not) to do? Most importantly, if it were you in the pilot's seat, what would you be sure to include or exclude in your magic system?