in So You Want To Be A Wizard, the first of the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane, the very first magical thing the main character does is accidentally start talking to a tree. turns out trees are conscious and opinionated and talkative (like literally everything else), they have their own pursuits and art forms and magic (involving, among other things, dropping their leaves and arranging light shafts through their branches down onto them in very specific patterns that have huge artistic and cultural significance to them), and different species of tree have different powers and affinities (larches are gossipy busybodies, willows have strong mom energy, etc). before the main character goes off on her quest, the rowan tree in her backyard gives her one of its branches to use as a wand (the fact that it is given, not taken, is significant) and tells her to peel off the bark and let it soak in moonlight overnight. afterwards it glows silver in the dark and can be used to send a whip of white fire at enemies. i would say, when crafting a magic system, it should feel like it might actually be real. you should find yourself getting the urge to try it out, to lean against a tree and listen and try to hear what they're saying in your mind, to go find a dropped rowan branch and let it sit in moonlight overnight and see if it feels any different. you should feel the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to slightly blur. that's what makes a good magic system to me, anyway; books that make me think, yes, this is how magic actually works IRL, and if i could only crack it, i could do magic too. i feel like you're on the right track here.
The first thing Link does in Ocarina of Time is speak to The Great Deku Tree, who mentions that the forest is the barrier that deters evil from Hyrule. Reminds me of how trees take in pollutants and give us fresh water, air, sap, fruit, and medicine.
@@3NTR4PT4 what an absolutely excellent observation, thank you for this 🙏 I played oot when I was 12 when it first came out so it is definitely part of my subconscious wellspring of Story and this resonates
Research african and african-diaspora religions. Umbanda, Candomble and Jurema here in Brazil have an intricate relation with nature, every tree, bush and herb irradiates power in a sense: Basil enhances spiritual energy, boosts mental health and boosts your relationship with other people. Snake plant (sanseveria, I do not know the actual name of this plant in English apart from a quick google, here in Brazil we call it Espada de São Jorge or Espada de Ogum (sword of saint george of sword of ogum), is a plant that defends its user, banished evil spirits and bad energy, used to open ways around your life when you're stuck or stagnant, and protects houses and other spaces where it lives. Each plant falls under the authority of one or more deities, and in most traditions, besides their particular deities, all plants respond to the deitie that governs plants in general (In most traditions his name is Ossain) all plants have sentience and will of their own, when we collect herbs from a nearby wood we have to pay it back, we have to know the appropriate songs to attune to the spirit of the plant and the energy of its tutelating deitiy. Might give you some insight in how to develop it further
@@namedrop721 All these 3 religions and the plethora other ones that exist here have indigenous influences in them. I didn't "miss" anything, I call upon their spirits every single day. Besides, I'm talking about things I do in my daily religious practice. It's not for me to say what goes inside the secrets kept by Tupinambá, Kaingang, Huni Kuin and all other peoples here. Those secrets are theirs to tell or to keep. Do your research before saying bullshit.
This reminds me of a tree magic system I made some time ago. Could never come up with a decent name for it, stopped at 'woodsmoking' lol. It functioned by, as the name entails, someone "smoking" or inhaling in the smoke of burning wood, which would give them characteristics from trees. Eating parts of trees worked as well, but weaker, though with far longer lasting effects. Good to see someone else is actually taking ideas like this and making books out of em, unlike me lmao
it’s awesome to see another person basing their magic system off of real world biology and spiritual associations with it. I’ve been working on a magic system based on mushrooms and i did originally have it closed to just a few species that when eaten give magic to users but I may take some inspiration from this and have every species do something unique (at least the ones that won’t kill you lmao)
Ah very cool -- a couple ideas: 1. Start with the types of conflicts they will face. That can help determine how they need to heal, transform to escape, etc. 2. Think about the environment. What's available to them? What is a challenge? 3. Find something cool/interesting to you (like trees or bones) and integrate that into your system!
you are correct anything can be a magic system or an inspiration for magic. on the note of trees a while back i was exploring crafting in my world and wanted a way for people to develop or discover new forms of magical materials and technology and my inspiration was what if alchemy had a feature similar to apple cultivars. in a sense you can take the same logic of how apple seeds mutate and how you can perform artificial selection when cultivating apple trees and apply that to alchemy. a person could do the same steps in their alchemic experiments but find different results from someone else. anything can be magic. great video
Artificial selection and selective breeding basically feels like alchemy the more i thought about it Trial and error, then selecting for sought for traits. Within the setting im working on it explains why different factions have radically different technologies from the other. Due to material mutation and random luck some factions just synthesized a unique material that became the basis for their tech.
Lovely idea. Although, I find the 'Water Steps' spell to be a bit farfetched when compared to its inspiration. Also, in regards to the mechanics, there's a lot of species of trees that stand as tall in the winter as they do in the summer.
Both good points! With the water steps, there are actually roots that stretch from the feet into the water to prop up the user in case that helps it feel more believable to you. And very true about certain trees in winter -- ideas like that can play into complexity later for sure
Funny how my magic system is based on trees to a large extent but it is different from yours. Follows the avatar but with the usual other elements etc. Heads in a completely different direction than yours but thanks this was interesting.
@@hadrianpollard nothing as detailed and well researched as yours. I was going for a multi starred solar system whereby the planet draws its life through the trees. The trees of course through photosynthesis draw energy from the stars but that is linked to each clans piety on how much energy the trees can take from the suns and what it blesses them with. But trees are different in countries and clans. Trees are worshipped and depending on how well behaved according to the different religions each set of trees demand. It feeds, heals and provides magic to the most pious of the lot. You then get the trees when fully maxed on worship giving birth to ancient monsters like leviathan, behemoth, etc which the nations nurse and use to wage wars. But the magic is blessings from the trees etc still in development Am still struggling, hence why i ran into your piece.
Hmm. Sounds quite a bit far fetched and not very logical. There are many different species of trees, but why would every single one give completely different "powers", when, from a botanical standpoint, many of them are so closely related to each other? I see this artificial "overcomplexification" quite often. It's interesting to think about it, but at the end, it doesn't necessarily make sense from a lore perspective. Being able to walk on water also breaks the whole concept, or am I missing something? I'm constructing my world since my childhood and I also thought about a lot of ideas regarding the implementation of natural magic. But the more I refined my "magic lore", the less sense I saw in certain overly complex "schools" of magic. After all, it all has to fit into the overall concept without major logic holes.
Very true. There are lots of hard choices to make in crafting a magic -- ultimately it's a balance between logic, storytelling needs, character needs, and just the feeling and ambience of the whole thing. I respect your perspective!
i enjoy what you did with this. Would there be special tress throughout the world?(such as really ancient trees that grants even greater abilities) what would someone gain from a redwood tree? what would happen if someone raised a tree, would they have some sort of special connection with it? i really like this idea cant wait to see how its explored.
Thank you! I'm excited to explore it further. To give a few hints -- Yes, there will be special, sacred trees that grant unique abilities. The redwood tree is very important to book one -- it grants the ability of "redwind," an offensive magic. Redwoods, being the largest trees, have sequestered the most carbon from the air. I love your idea of raising a particular tree and then harvesting magic from it. That is awesome. Look for that in the future.
@@hadrianpollard definitely will look forward to seeing these ideas take fruition. other than your channel do you post info about your stuff anywhere else?
I was so confused with which direction you were going with this before realizing you’re talking about fantasy writing and not real world magic. Love when TH-cam decides to randomly cross semi-related wires lol
@@asmodeusguys4472 Magic like Pagan/Wiccan/etc. sort of stuff, probably. Not like conjuring fireballs in your hands or throwing lightning in real life.
I've been working on my own tree based magic system for nearly 10 years, not going to be giving up on it just because you made one recently. Then again, Mine isn't about bombastic action. Mine is about Wonder, the mysteries of time, and the knowledge of the world hidden to those who do not stand still long enough to learn it.
Seemed mostly like a joke what he said about “tree magic is mine” (at least i should hope). I’ve also had my own tree-based “magic” system in the works before this, albeit significantly different in execution and exactitude’s to this, and more focused on culture and spirituality than magical fighting. The beauty of storytelling is, most likely someone’s already thought of many of the basic components of a story. The real creativity comes in how each creator puts those pieces together!
how this video hasnt blown up i have no idea, such an amazing concept that really has me wishing i thought of this first so i could have capitalized on this world's potential, the editing, and production of this video is just as great. love ittt
this looks awesome, recently I've been looking for ideas for a minecraft mod. and I think I might look into magic circleed around organic material, while and other groups that circle around energy found in life or even the air itself
Thoughts: - there are macro-plants in Oregon. The forests are talking with each other. - Ents from JRR, but "were-woods"? Is that dryads, or an infection? - with abandon, without reservation - Your magic systems do not account for the ocieans. Animals and plants there are alien to land, and traverse volumetrically. Immortal jellyfish. Reefs. Cetacean pods.
An interesting concept from humble roots.
Ba dum tss
Nice one!
It's great to see you branching out...
Har
in So You Want To Be A Wizard, the first of the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane, the very first magical thing the main character does is accidentally start talking to a tree. turns out trees are conscious and opinionated and talkative (like literally everything else), they have their own pursuits and art forms and magic (involving, among other things, dropping their leaves and arranging light shafts through their branches down onto them in very specific patterns that have huge artistic and cultural significance to them), and different species of tree have different powers and affinities (larches are gossipy busybodies, willows have strong mom energy, etc). before the main character goes off on her quest, the rowan tree in her backyard gives her one of its branches to use as a wand (the fact that it is given, not taken, is significant) and tells her to peel off the bark and let it soak in moonlight overnight. afterwards it glows silver in the dark and can be used to send a whip of white fire at enemies.
i would say, when crafting a magic system, it should feel like it might actually be real. you should find yourself getting the urge to try it out, to lean against a tree and listen and try to hear what they're saying in your mind, to go find a dropped rowan branch and let it sit in moonlight overnight and see if it feels any different. you should feel the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to slightly blur. that's what makes a good magic system to me, anyway; books that make me think, yes, this is how magic actually works IRL, and if i could only crack it, i could do magic too. i feel like you're on the right track here.
The first thing Link does in Ocarina of Time is speak to The Great Deku Tree, who mentions that the forest is the barrier that deters evil from Hyrule. Reminds me of how trees take in pollutants and give us fresh water, air, sap, fruit, and medicine.
@@3NTR4PT4 what an absolutely excellent observation, thank you for this 🙏 I played oot when I was 12 when it first came out so it is definitely part of my subconscious wellspring of Story and this resonates
Very cool connection, I haven't read that yet. It's not hard to attribute magic to trees
Research african and african-diaspora religions. Umbanda, Candomble and Jurema here in Brazil have an intricate relation with nature, every tree, bush and herb irradiates power in a sense: Basil enhances spiritual energy, boosts mental health and boosts your relationship with other people. Snake plant (sanseveria, I do not know the actual name of this plant in English apart from a quick google, here in Brazil we call it Espada de São Jorge or Espada de Ogum (sword of saint george of sword of ogum), is a plant that defends its user, banished evil spirits and bad energy, used to open ways around your life when you're stuck or stagnant, and protects houses and other spaces where it lives.
Each plant falls under the authority of one or more deities, and in most traditions, besides their particular deities, all plants respond to the deitie that governs plants in general (In most traditions his name is Ossain)
all plants have sentience and will of their own, when we collect herbs from a nearby wood we have to pay it back, we have to know the appropriate songs to attune to the spirit of the plant and the energy of its tutelating deitiy. Might give you some insight in how to develop it further
Amazing you missed the native people of your land and their relationship to trees 😂
@@namedrop721 All these 3 religions and the plethora other ones that exist here have indigenous influences in them. I didn't "miss" anything, I call upon their spirits every single day.
Besides, I'm talking about things I do in my daily religious practice. It's not for me to say what goes inside the secrets kept by Tupinambá, Kaingang, Huni Kuin and all other peoples here. Those secrets are theirs to tell or to keep.
Do your research before saying bullshit.
Thanks for the insights, always open to knowledge -- all that sounds fascinating
This reminds me of a tree magic system I made some time ago. Could never come up with a decent name for it, stopped at 'woodsmoking' lol. It functioned by, as the name entails, someone "smoking" or inhaling in the smoke of burning wood, which would give them characteristics from trees. Eating parts of trees worked as well, but weaker, though with far longer lasting effects. Good to see someone else is actually taking ideas like this and making books out of em, unlike me lmao
Not yet at least!
it’s awesome to see another person basing their magic system off of real world biology and spiritual associations with it. I’ve been working on a magic system based on mushrooms and i did originally have it closed to just a few species that when eaten give magic to users but I may take some inspiration from this and have every species do something unique (at least the ones that won’t kill you lmao)
Very cool! I'd like to more know about your mushroom system. Mushrooms are wild!
That *Bing* is super annoying, sorry.. Lower the volume please of that sound prompt
Thanks for the feedback, I decided to just take it out of the most recent vid.
Fellow tree magic system maker, W mans 💪🏽
Great voice and intriguing concepts. I will be subscribing.
This is so cool
Hey! I thought of a plant based magic system a while ago, it works a lot differently though!
Boom! Like #1000
Haven't actually watched the video yet. I just really wanted to see the number roll over. I'm sure it's cool tho
Happy 1,000 mate
Was wondering what is a good strategy to go about specific magic like healing, transformation, alteration, etc.? There’s a few I’m stuck on
Ah very cool -- a couple ideas:
1. Start with the types of conflicts they will face. That can help determine how they need to heal, transform to escape, etc.
2. Think about the environment. What's available to them? What is a challenge?
3. Find something cool/interesting to you (like trees or bones) and integrate that into your system!
you are correct anything can be a magic system or an inspiration for magic.
on the note of trees a while back i was exploring crafting in my world and wanted a way for people to develop or discover new forms of magical materials and technology
and my inspiration was what if alchemy had a feature similar to apple cultivars.
in a sense you can take the same logic of how apple seeds mutate and how you can perform artificial selection when cultivating apple trees and apply that to alchemy.
a person could do the same steps in their alchemic experiments but find different results from someone else.
anything can be magic.
great video
That is awesome. Apple cultivars = alchemy, I love it
Artificial selection and selective breeding basically feels like alchemy the more i thought about it
Trial and error, then selecting for sought for traits.
Within the setting im working on it explains why different factions have radically different technologies from the other.
Due to material mutation and random luck some factions just synthesized a unique material that became the basis for their tech.
Tree mage is just a subclass of a druid.
Lovely idea. Although, I find the 'Water Steps' spell to be a bit farfetched when compared to its inspiration. Also, in regards to the mechanics, there's a lot of species of trees that stand as tall in the winter as they do in the summer.
Both good points! With the water steps, there are actually roots that stretch from the feet into the water to prop up the user in case that helps it feel more believable to you. And very true about certain trees in winter -- ideas like that can play into complexity later for sure
Funny how my magic system is based on trees to a large extent but it is different from yours. Follows the avatar but with the usual other elements etc. Heads in a completely different direction than yours but thanks this was interesting.
Would love to hear about it!
@@hadrianpollard nothing as detailed and well researched as yours. I was going for a multi starred solar system whereby the planet draws its life through the trees. The trees of course through photosynthesis draw energy from the stars but that is linked to each clans piety on how much energy the trees can take from the suns and what it blesses them with. But trees are different in countries and clans. Trees are worshipped and depending on how well behaved according to the different religions each set of trees demand. It feeds, heals and provides magic to the most pious of the lot.
You then get the trees when fully maxed on worship giving birth to ancient monsters like leviathan, behemoth, etc which the nations nurse and use to wage wars. But the magic is blessings from the trees etc still in development
Am still struggling, hence why i ran into your piece.
Hmm. Sounds quite a bit far fetched and not very logical.
There are many different species of trees, but why would every single one give completely different "powers", when, from a botanical standpoint, many of them are so closely related to each other? I see this artificial "overcomplexification" quite often. It's interesting to think about it, but at the end, it doesn't necessarily make sense from a lore perspective.
Being able to walk on water also breaks the whole concept, or am I missing something?
I'm constructing my world since my childhood and I also thought about a lot of ideas regarding the implementation of natural magic. But the more I refined my "magic lore", the less sense I saw in certain overly complex "schools" of magic. After all, it all has to fit into the overall concept without major logic holes.
Very true. There are lots of hard choices to make in crafting a magic -- ultimately it's a balance between logic, storytelling needs, character needs, and just the feeling and ambience of the whole thing. I respect your perspective!
Are you familiar with green witch magic
Not at all, tell me about it
@@hadrianpollard it is a form of herbalism, that uses different parts of different plants in magic.
POWER SYSTEM
i enjoy what you did with this. Would there be special tress throughout the world?(such as really ancient trees that grants even greater abilities) what would someone gain from a redwood tree? what would happen if someone raised a tree, would they have some sort of special connection with it? i really like this idea cant wait to see how its explored.
Thank you! I'm excited to explore it further. To give a few hints -- Yes, there will be special, sacred trees that grant unique abilities. The redwood tree is very important to book one -- it grants the ability of "redwind," an offensive magic. Redwoods, being the largest trees, have sequestered the most carbon from the air. I love your idea of raising a particular tree and then harvesting magic from it. That is awesome. Look for that in the future.
@@hadrianpollard definitely will look forward to seeing these ideas take fruition. other than your channel do you post info about your stuff anywhere else?
@@clevername5776 So far it's here, the Instagram and the website. Thanks for the support! instagram.com/pollardhadrian/. hadrian-pollard.com
I was so confused with which direction you were going with this before realizing you’re talking about fantasy writing and not real world magic. Love when TH-cam decides to randomly cross semi-related wires lol
Lmao why would you even think that
Who thinks like this?
@@asmodeusguys4472 Magic like Pagan/Wiccan/etc. sort of stuff, probably. Not like conjuring fireballs in your hands or throwing lightning in real life.
Mate, amazing idea.
I've been working on my own tree based magic system for nearly 10 years, not going to be giving up on it just because you made one recently. Then again, Mine isn't about bombastic action. Mine is about Wonder, the mysteries of time, and the knowledge of the world hidden to those who do not stand still long enough to learn it.
Seemed mostly like a joke what he said about “tree magic is mine” (at least i should hope). I’ve also had my own tree-based “magic” system in the works before this, albeit significantly different in execution and exactitude’s to this, and more focused on culture and spirituality than magical fighting. The beauty of storytelling is, most likely someone’s already thought of many of the basic components of a story. The real creativity comes in how each creator puts those pieces together!
Agreed! Definitely a joke and I think there's enough tree magic to go around :)
Interesting idea
how this video hasnt blown up i have no idea, such an amazing concept that really has me wishing i thought of this first so i could have capitalized on this world's potential, the editing, and production of this video is just as great. love ittt
That's so kind, thank you!
This is really cool😊
Such an amazing idea.
Glad you think so!
I like that you actually cite your sources and actually did research
Cheers!
Greetings and Salutations! After listing to you for 30 seconds I subscribed. Your ideas are Amazing! I'm watch more for sure. Great work.
this looks awesome, recently I've been looking for ideas for a minecraft mod. and I think I might look into magic circleed around organic material, while and other groups that circle around energy found in life or even the air itself
Very cool!
Thoughts:
- there are macro-plants in Oregon. The forests are talking with each other.
- Ents from JRR, but "were-woods"? Is that dryads, or an infection?
- with abandon, without reservation
- Your magic systems do not account for the ocieans. Animals and plants there are alien to land, and traverse volumetrically. Immortal jellyfish. Reefs. Cetacean pods.
Bro, if you are wizard, can you cast sun strike on my house? :D
this is so cool! very nice, well done!
Thank you!
@@hadrianpollard 👍
3:13
Wild you take inspiration from multiple cultures but only ask one if it's okay to do so.
That's a great point. Would be illuminating to sit down with a person of celtic descent and talk about druids and tree magic.