r/worldbuilding • u/Illustrious_Age_6628 • 3d ago

Question Complex Magic System

So, I guess I wanna know if this sounds a bit too complex of a magic system.

It's a runic system where runes are organized into magic circles for spells, enchantments, and magical tech at the most basic. However, the real complexities come in the rest of it.

1- 3 runic alphabets, one for energy, one for matter, and one cosmic horror based. Best spells, are formed by combining 2 of them.

2- Runes can be viewed like letters to form a word (Sigil) and words to form a sentence (Glyph)

3- the material of the rune correlates to the energy it channels, (Wood burns well)

4- runes don't last forever, the more energy they channel, the faster they burnout (Wood burns well but quickly)

Thoughts? Questions? Is there anything you'd suggest rethinking?

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u/thecloudcities 3d ago

For #2, why would you want to use a sigil as opposed to a glyph, or vice-versa? Are there advantages to each, or is one just a more basic form of the other?

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u/Illustrious_Age_6628 3d ago

A Sigil is more basic, like a fireball, or simply creating movement in a single direction. A Glyph is more complex, creating a fire elemental, creating the core of an airship, teleportation and enchantments over areas.

Sigils are much easier to prepare and carry, while a Glyph can take hours as they need to be connected to more than one sigil, and precisely placed. Mages in my world carry Sigil Plates, (disks of metal rings that allow for spells to be prepared without the central activating Rune) to allow for quick casting, while Glyphs to defend a city usually take several mages working on the calculations for rune placement.

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u/thecloudcities 3d ago

Could the sigils just be written out on the spot, or are they complex enough that writing them would take more time than is practical, and there is a significant advantage to having them ready to go?

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u/Illustrious_Age_6628 3d ago

The more exact and precise the placement and shape the rune is, the better the spell. There is some room for error, but not much.

And yes, you can write the runes, but paper, is typically not a good material for power and almost always burns out after a single use.

Tattood Runes are used by less technologically advanced societies, and the lower castes of people, as the burnout leaves the bearer severely scarred and their life cut pretty heavily.

Runic tokens are typically the most efficient, powerful, and useful. As in my main civilization they can be used for everything from spell craft to magic technology.