Developing a Magic System for Your Setting

Or, how to not put the cart before the horse.

Photo by Dollar Gill on Unsplash

Magic, or sci-fi technology, general fulfills one of two roles in a setting. It adds a sense of wonder for the audience and moves the narrative along, or it’s a tool for the inhabitants. Gandolf’s magic in The Lord of the Rings is wondrous magic. It shows us how cool he is and keeps the plot going. Magic in Dungeons…