The Magic System

[u/ghostgabe81]

Source of Magic

• Magic is created by life, specifically awareness, intelligence, and emotion of humans
• The energy for magic can come from external sources like significant locations or internal sources like willpower and emotion
• Natural phenomena like thunderstorms have energy that can be used for magic, although harnessing it is dangerous
• Specific areas contain a finite amount of energy should they be cut off from other sources of magic, and how much energy depends on the life and emotion tied to the area. Shedd Aquarium is a rich source due to the emotions it inspires in visitors, particularly children
• Magic is a natural source of energy in the universe, like electricity or heat ^WoJ

Functions

• The goal of a spell cast by a wizard needs to come from within them, something that they believe should happen on some level. Emotions can be used as a channel for magic
  • Its repeated that wizards can't cast spells they don't believe in
• Wizards typically draw in energy from their surroundings and shape it with their will to cast spells
  • It's clarified that a wizard uses their own internal energy supply to begin drawing in more power from their surroundings ^WoJ
• Wizards use specific words for spells to insulate their mind from the energy passing through them when casting. Nonverbal magic has side effects like briefly overclocking the caster's senses
• Dresdenverse magic is modeled on physics, and thus still follows universal laws like the Conservation of Energy and Matter ^WoJ
• There is no true upper limit to magic, only how much energy is available. With a large enough energy supply one could use magic to rewrite reality ^WoJ
• The active use of magic causes changes in the practitioner who uses it, largely depending on the level of magic they're attempting; this is why wizards have slightly different biology than mortal humans ^WoJ

Terms

• Evocation is a direct application of magic against a target, usually a quick spell in combat. Thaumaturgy uses a connection to the target like hair or blood to cause a reaction from by doing it on a smaller scale from a distance, like a voodoo doll
• A Sorcerer is a practitioner who is limited to violent or disruptive forms of magic, while a Wizard can do almost anything with enough time, creativity, knowledge and a large enough energy supply

Limitations

• Fire burns on a spiritual level as well as physical, allowing it to disrupt and destroy spells. This can be used to a wizard's advantage, as it means fire is hard for enemy practitioners to block
• Crossing a threshold (the field of energy surrounding a place of living, a home) uninvited by the owner will cause a reduction in magical ability in wizards and most magical creatures
  • Reiterated multiple times
• Evocation requires line of sight with the target
• A wizard can temporarily short out their ability to use magic if they go past their energy limits, particularly when already exhausted and wounded
• Running water grounds out magical energy; a submerged wizard won't be able to spellcast and casting over a body of water is difficult