On Writing: hard magic systems in fantasy [ Avatar l Fullmetal Alchemist l Mistborn ]
Why Worldbuilding Stack Exchange recommends it
Worldbuilding Stack Exchange users link it when someone needs to decide between a hard or soft magic system or wants ideas for limiting a powerful magic element.
Recommended by 1 people across 1 different months, 2019 to 2019.
What it is
A roughly 13-minute video essay by Tim Hickson of Hello Future Me on how hard magic systems work in fantasy, using Avatar, Fullmetal Alchemist and Mistborn as examples. It draws on Brandon Sanderson's laws of magic and discusses how clear rules and costs shape a story.
What people said
Recommends coppereyecat · 2019-01 · Worldbuilding Stack Exchange · on “The magical map - how to stop it being too powerful”
I don't feel like I have enough unique thoughts to add an actual answer (make it cost something has been covered in varying degrees of depth by others) but the thoughts in this video could be useful: [this video]
Cites TheDyingOfLight · 2019-09 · Worldbuilding Stack Exchange · on “How can I tie together all these forms of magic into a top-level "mechanic"?”
Sounds as if you are having trouble deciding if you want a soft [LINK] or hard [this video] magic system. What you tell us here sounds like a handwavy-soft and story serving system would serve you better. You need magic to do something? It happens, it's awesome and none cares about the deeper theory of magic.
Cites John · 2019-11 · Worldbuilding Stack Exchange · on “How do I resolve science-based problems in my worldbuilding?”
It doesn't have to be rigorous, it just needs to be plausible and consistent. First you have to decide how hard your sci-fi is going to be, the harder it is the more rigorous it has to be and the more research you are going to have to do, at a certain point you reach diminishing returns because you can't know enough (literally, no one human can keep up with everything in even a single field of science) and at a certain point you are inventing and engineering technology not writing. The most successful sci-fi writers don't say how it works they just make the technology plausible and consistent. What do I mean by consistent , that just means you have to have rules for your technology and stick