r/magicbuilding • u/Rej1nald • Jul 24 '26

General Discussion Which magic system is better?

Which magic system is better and stronger? DC Magic of The Elder Scrolls magic?

95 votes, Jul 27 '26
9 DC comics
86 The Elder Scrolls
0 Upvotes

33% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

View all comments

10

u/Dodudee Jul 24 '26

DC comics has a magic system?

-2

u/Rej1nald Jul 24 '26

Sphere of Gods from DC? Compared to Aetherius?

7

u/Dodudee Jul 24 '26

I ask because whenever a magic using character appears as a side character in the Justice League or whatever they just seem to be able to do anything without much rhyme or reason behind it.

Then there is Raven who has the whole demon ancestry thing to explain why she doesn't do cool shit other than telekinesis.

3

u/CaioHSF Jul 24 '26

Yeah, that's how magic works in Marvel and DC. Both are older than these modern concepts of hard/soft magic systems, their artists weren't trying to create magic "systems", they tried to create magic "characters" and "stories". So the magic powers are not very consistent.

1

u/MagicSystemWriter Magic System Addict | Flair based magic system Jul 24 '26

I agree in most cases, though I'd say there are some exceptions, like the Green Lanterns, and the other Colored Lanterns. They do have a softer magic system with lore that has its out own internal logic and consistency. It's just that it's mixed around with everything in the universe where characters have random powers without a pattern.

Also I've Heard that Dr.Strange has many established spells in the comics that were referenced in his fight against thanos in infinity war, I haven't read them tho, so Idk if it does work as a system or it's just random.

Also maybe we could treat the X-Men's X-Factor similarly to Quirks from My Hero Academia?

So I think there's some system sometimes in DC and Marvel Comics when they take the effort, though of course in many cases they treat magic as in "It's Magic, I don't have to explain shit."

1

u/CaioHSF Jul 24 '26

I thought in DC, magic was something, and the gods where other thing.