Magic System || Welk Isles and Jikyu (Patreon)

recently i've been invested in clarifying my magic system within the fantasy world of most of my stories

so here's the spark notes:

in my world, magic is cast through the use of sign language. sometimes there will be oral spells or body language involved, but that will be discussed later in detail. additionally, magic costs physical energy from the user, meaning that bigger and more complicated spells will expend a lot more energy on the caster.

there are three different proficiency levels when using magic

- low proficiency

- standard proficiency

- expert proficiency

low proficiency are students in middle/high school or younger, and certain species that cannot exert a lot of magical energy, such as the dijaga or the lapin/lapin de chance. those with low proficiency might have to cast a spell multiple times for it to actually go off, kind of like trying to flick on a lighter over and over. this covers general spells that one would learn in school like 'bolt', 'shield', or other generic spells that everyone is taught and can easily cast.

standard proficiency is most of the population. this covers slightly more complicated spells like 'shield ally', 'lock target', and 'contain enemy'. the more words used to describe your action, the more complicated the spell will be due to the sign language system. this also covers a few oral spells. oral spells are standard magic casting abilities, but paired with a signed sentence or an oral phrase to make the action more specific. for example 'firebolt' will simply shoot a fireball in front of you, while 'firebolt soar like an eagle, burn bright like the sun, and never loose sight of the one in blue clothes' will cast a speedy fireball that will simultaneously blind and lock onto the target you choose. 

expert proficiency is a small amount of gifted and hardworking arcanists who study oral spells and body language to get the full affects of their magical casting. while there are some limitations with magic, those who are extremely skilled in casting magic will often find new and creative ways to use their abilities. some will use it to do small and simple tasks like levitating objects from one end of the room to the other, or some will use bigger ones like sealing away buildings and doors with invisible spells. each expert arcanist is unique as they might be proficient in various types of spell-casting ranging from attacks, practicality, and protection. additionally, those who use the bigger spells will not only use their hands to sign, but also move their whole body to flow with the magical energy inside them. using body language adjacently with signing or orally casting a spell will make the ability stronger, more durable, and more exact. being calm, patient, and previously practicing your spells in expert proficiency will make you a very skilled arcanist

unique abilities, which are spells or unique magical actions assigned to a specific species do not apply to this proficiency system. there is very little difference in the effectiveness of unique abilities between low and expert proficiency magic users, especially since each unique ability ranges wildly from species to species

i hope you all enjoyed my breakdown of the magic system in my world <333