Is Magic Just For… Anyone?
Even in a world where everyone has the ability to do magic it may not be a good idea for everyone to actually do magic. This will intertwine with laws for magic use a bit, but qualifications are a little different. While laws may govern the use of magic, especially in public arenas, qualifications are more about who is capable of doing magic.
One aspect to consider is, when you have different types of magic within one system, is where a magical user’s aptitudes may lie. Within elemental magic, for example, it would be unlikely that a fire elemental would be able to utilize a spell for a water elemental. However, both a fire and water elemental may be able to use certain sets of spells together.
Even if you don’t have different types of magic within a world—just one—the skill level of individual users may dictate what sorts of spells, etc., they are actually capable of performing successfully. And some of those individuals may never reach the magical skill levels that others obtain.
Worldbuilding Exercises:
- Do magic users in your world have different levels of skill, or are they able to access different amounts of magic, based on different factors? What types of factors might those be?
- What happens if someone tries to work a spell that is beyond their skill level?
- Can a magic user specialize in specific types of magic, such as healing magic, or plant magic?
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Rebekah Loper began creating epic worlds and stories as a child and never stopped. She is the author of The A-Zs of Worldbuilding series, and has a fantasy novella published in Beatitudes and Woes: A Speculative Fiction Anthology.
She lives in Tulsa, OK with her husband, dog, two formerly feral cats, a small flock of feathered dragons (…ok, ok, they’re chickens), and an extensive tea collection. When she is not writing, she can be found battling the elements in an effort to create a productive, permaculture urban homestead.
