Checks & Balances (magic systems)

[Deleted member 84247]

I think not enough people ask what would be the effects of easily accessible magic, including myself for that matter. But if magic is easily accessible there should be real effect in the world.

Conveniences that could only be thought of with magic should be commonplace in stories where magic is accessible. Runes to lock doors, lamps powered by magic, people flying through the skies on brooms, etc.

 

[Deleted member 76176]

If you have an overpowered character that can easily dispatch all opponents in the realm of combat, then it just means you need the tension to come from somewhere other than 'will they defeat the big bad'? Perhaps it's 'can they remain true to their morals' or 'can they avoid going mad with power' or 'can they continue to feel attached to society' or similar.

I don't disagree, but while internal struggle adds a lot in terms of heightening the tension, it must affect the protagonist from achieving the scene/external goal. Since external conflict is what propels the plot, if the tension derives from the internal conflict only, it risks sounding melodramatic—that is, emotionally way out of proportion to what is currently happening in the plot. So in a sense, having a limit is sort of helpful, but there are other ways.

Let's take an example:

Suppose an evil wizard attacks a village. The protagonist could easily defeat him, but it'd risk him being found out by the villagers. He doesn't want that, as it'd make them fear him. So he has to defeat him without using any flashy or powerful magic, even if it's going to be extremely difficult.

"Will the protagonist be able to defeat the evil wizard without being found out?"

Now you have a scene where the internal conflict (is this the right choice? Limiting himself means he'd have to fight longer, and someone might get hurt. What if the wizard takes a hostage?) is hindering the protagonist from making a choice and an external conflict (Scene goals are always external) to continue the plot, appropriate tension, and a scene worthy to be written.

 

[J_Chemist]

squirts of water and beams of fire go swoosh

 

[2wordsperminute]

I don't disagree, but while internal struggle adds a lot in terms of heightening the tension, it is not the core conflict in a scene; it is whatever is physically stopping the protagonist from achieving the scene goal. Remember that internal conflict only serves to make the choice difficult, while external conflict is what actually drives the plot. If the tension derives from the internal conflict only, it risks sounding melodramatic—that is, emotionally way out of proportion to what is currently happening in the plot. So in a sense, having a limit is sort of helpful, but there are other ways

There are times in some stories where the internal conflict is the main conflict, and can even be visualized as a fight inside of the protagonist's mind or turned into an external conflict. An internal conflict being the main conflict might even work better depending on what type of story you want to tell.

 

[NineHeadHeavenDevouringSerpent]

There should be a cost, doesn't matter if it is perfectly balanced in the bigger picture. There should be layers of cause and effect, should never feel like a pie dropped from sky.

Infact a pie from sky could also be made into something that "feels" feasible. It's all about how believable you make it.

Addressing possible perspective is very important, that is to say the author should be cognizant of what's the reader seeing and contemplating, accordingly address any impression of lack of continuity.

Keep track, make it tight and you're pretty much alright.

 

[Deleted member 76176]

There are times in some stories where the internal conflict is the main conflict, and can even be visualized as a fight inside of the protagonist's mind or turned into an external conflict. An internal conflict being the main conflict might even work better depending on what type of story you want to tell.

Yes, the main conflict can be internal. A major example would be the dude with the problem kind of story, and I personally love them. That's why I mentioned 'at a scene level', though I admit I messed up big time with what I actually wanted to say. Let's take another example:

Suppose the main character is an alcoholic who lost her parents recently. Her finances are in a dire situation, and she knows she can't turn back if she fails the upcoming exam. The main conflict is internal, but you can solve it by achieving external goals:

1. Stop being an alcoholic.
2. Get a job.
3. Pass the upcoming exam.

It is generally better if the goal isn't vague, like becoming happy, but what she has to do in order to be happy. Of course, it could be that what she thinks she needs vs. what she really needs are two different things. Maybe she needs a love interest to confide in about her trauma?

Anyway, so she starts by going to university again (external conflict), but she snaps at someone at a minor inconvenience for her bad temper (internal conflict making her life harder) and in turn discourages her from going to university again.

Returning home, she meets a friend of hers who is also an alcoholic and encourages (external conflict) her to have a drink. Due to her bad day, she agrees—if only to numb her emotions (internal conflict is stopping her from achieving the external goal).

The drunk protagonist goes for a job interview and, understandably, gets rejected.

In all of the cases, the scene goals have been external, even though the core conflict (person vs self) is internal, and worked to make the protagonist's life harder.

 

[Jemini]

It should be balanced.
It should be as powerful as the plot demands.
It should be as easy or hard to use as dictated by the setting.

This exactly. And, however the magic system is structured, it should always affect the setting. The mere presence of magic should have a significant impact on the culture.

The primary point of consideration is the prevalence of magic. The more easily accessible it is, the larger the impact on the culture should be. The rarer it is, the more prestigious the role of mage should be.