Magic, science and mythology are three broad categories to cover. Each one represents a deep part of the lore. This is getting into the metaphysics of the story, building gears that grind layers beyond what the characters do and the reader sees. They represent aspects that can influence the characters’ understanding of the world around them.

I mean, that’s a lot to put on the categories.

Not every story will need magic, science or mythology. Some might not need any of them. But if the story does require anything, I’ve found it helpful to build a framework beforehand so I can remain consistent.

After all, we don’t want to break the story, do we?

Break the Story?

Yes, break the story.

Using magic and science to solve plot problems is a time-honored tradition. But use it too much, and it becomes a joke (see Batman’s utility belt or Star Trek technobabble) and the story breaks. There needs to be a balance, otherwise the reader will be left thinking that it was too easy.

And mythology may not be about solving problems directly, but it is about how characters interact with their world. And if I build an entire mythology, only for the characters to never reference it or react to it, then the world breaks, and then the story.

I want to be careful that the rules I’m building remain important but constant. Part of that means considering what I need the system to do, and what I need it not to do.

Magic and Magic Systems

A magic system is a set of rules for extra-normal powers and abilities that can be accessed through natural talent or learned ritual. It can run from the wizards and artifacts of a fantasy story to the psionic and telekinetic powers of science fiction.

I have several projects that need magic systems. Champion Bold needed some rules for psionic powers for consistency. Orcfyre needed magic rules for not only spells, but the influence of divine power on the world. Several of my minor projects (fantasy and science fantasy) require their own systems.

The important thing I need to keep in mind while working on these systems is that I’m building guidelines. I don’t need to work out every single variation of spell that exists within the world. I just need enough that the story is consistent. With that in mind, I want to build the rules specific to the project I’m working on, while leaving enough room to build on for future projects.

Building a Magic System

When I’m devising magic systems, there are a couple of important questions I want to consider first.

What can it do and what can it not do? It’s important to set boundaries. Is magic common: have practical utility or tactical use? Or is rarer, used by the elite for grand purposes?

Who can access this system?: Not everyone can cast spells or conduct rituals. Who can do it and how they access it? How rare are magic users? What sets them apart?

How is the system received? A magic user could be accepted and protected, or they could be feared and persecuted. How are magic users incorporated into different cultures within the world?

What are its consequences? Magic should have a consequence, even if its as simple as exhausting its user. Something needs to keep magic users from using their magic on a whim.

Example System – Vi World Magic Spirits

I’m going to bring up my Vi world magic system, as its the system I’ve developed the furthest.

Vi world is a fantasy world I’ve been building for some time; it’s the setting for Orcfyre, my ‘someday this’ll be ready to publish’ fantasy novel. It has a long mythology that I’ve worked out over the years, built around the idea that the spirit world exists alongside our world. And the spirit world is where magic comes from.

Magic is what happens when spirits are pulled across the divide and used to influence the real world. This can be hurt or heal people, change an item, or seek the truth about secrets.

Asking my questions

So, let’s consider my questions.

What can it do and what can it not do?: The magic of Vi world can do almost anything, from levitating small objects to divining the future. But because of how difficult the magic is to use and control, it’s not a common. If you see someone on the street corner offering spells, it’s more likely slight of hand.

Who can access this system?: Anyone who can pull a spirit across the divide can use magic. This isn’t easy. Unless you’re at one of a few spots where the divide is weak (commonly where temples and oracles set up shot), you have to use force. That means either a natural talent due to heritage, using an item or ritual, or sheer willpower. Even then, it’s not easy.

How is the system received?: Every culture in Vi world accepts magic in one form or another; none reject or persecute magic users. But every culture also has their own set of norms and expectations, and magic users who reject such expectations can find themselves in danger rather quickly.

What are its consequences?: Using magic is exhausting, even with training. Unless an individual’s heritage (racial and familial) is inclined towards magic, even a single spell can drain a person, perhaps even unto death. In many cases, multiple spellcasters will be used to reduce the impact on any one user.

Impact in the Story

Within the Vi world, magic is a known quantity. It exists, and everyone knows it. When it happens, it has an impact. But getting it to work usually requires significant effort, so it is not commonplace. it allows me to write a story where the characters know such magic exists, but do not feel the worry that it will erupt at any time.

Magic’s rarity is in contrast to our next topic, which requires as much effort to construct, but with the expectation that it will be used far more often. Now, we will discuss science systems.

Science

A science system is a set of rules for branches of knowledge and avenues of advancement that are accessed through technology. It can run from steampunk airships and mechanical suits of a fantasy story to the energy weapons and space travel of science fiction.

Science is rooted in the real world, which makes building a science system a different challenge from a magic system. Anything I need to build will have something similar or related I need to research and incorporated. Even FTL travel — with no working real-world examples — needs to take into account the speed of light, distance between systems, and the strength of gravity.

Building a Science System

As with magic, it’s important to remember I’m building guidelines to remain consistent. I don’t need to build everything. I need to build what I need for the story, and enough extra to give it some depth. But that’s it.

And there are the questions I need to consider.

How reliable is the science or technology? An established empire will have reliable technology, while frontier societies will need more maintenance. Also, this is an important question to ask in the context of the story; if I need it to be reliable, or to fail, I need to account for that.

What does the science/technology do or not do? Just like magic, I want to consider what the technology of each system can or cannot do. There should be limits.

What is the math? Yes, there’s that math. I need to have numbers in mind for firing ranges of weapons, speed and acceleration of space ships, communications time, etc. A lot of little things that I want to make sure are consistent one chapter to the next.

How knowledgeable are most people about the science and/or the technology? Not everyone can know everything, but there’s a difference between a ship’s crew knowing the basic principals of how their engine’s work, and believing it to be esoteric witchcraft.

Example System – Light Star Universe

The Light Star Universe is home to Champion Bold, my recent science fiction novel. It’s always been a pretty standard science fiction universe; what made it special was not the technology, but the aliens and the stories we told.

How reliable is the science or technology? Most of the technology encountered in Champion Bold is reliable and known. That isn’t to say experiment tech doesn’t exist, but it’s not put into mass production if it’s not ready for use.

What does the science/technology do or not do? The technology of the LSU is generally pretty standard sci-fi fare. It allows faster-than-light travel, artificial gravity and space combat. It does not bring back the dead or teleport people across vast distances.

What is the math? I won’t bore you with equations. I will say that after I worked out the math, much of the story had to change. A couple of combat chapters were re-written to be consistent, and the length of the story doubled once I accounted for FTL travel speeds. But, overall, it strengthened the story.

How knowledgeable are most people about the science and/or the technology? It’s roughly equivalent to modern industrialized society and the technology we use on a daily basis. Most people understand the basics and the principals, but they wouldn’t be able to repair or rebuild it without some training or education.

Impact in the Story

The technology of the Light Star Universe exists to allow the stories to take place. It is not there to dramatically change things, but is a stable and reliable base which the characters can expect to do what it’s designed to do. But most importantly, it’s consistent, which means the story can advance without the reader pausing and asking ‘wait, I thought ….’

If magic is rare, and science common, our next topic is so common as to be subtly invisible. This is our last section of the post, mythology.

Mythology

A mythology system is a set of stories and beliefs that guide and influence a society’s morals, decisions and responses to the events they are experiencing. It’s a broad heading, that covers small sects of Christianity to fantasy world mythologies to alien philosophies.

(I debated using philosophy or belief system for this part of the post, but I’m going to stick with mythology.)

At first glance, you might think it looks out of place here. Mythology, after all, doesn’t give people special powers or abilities. But mythology in one way or another does shape how the characters in a story interpret the world around them and the events they experience.

Mythology was fairly minor for the works I’ve published so far. I’ve only had to build a sect of Christianity and some the cultural mythologies of some alien cultures. But having these worked out , even in their minor forms, was still important for the characters’ arc. But for future titles (Orcfyre being a prime example).

Building a Mythology

As with anything, I start with ‘what do I need to build for the story.’ Then, I move on to my mythology specific questions.

What are the important tenants of this mythology? Every mythology has something it emphasizes that makes it different from others. I want to consider a bullet list of what the mythology teaches, preaches and demands of their followers.

Who is the mythology for? Not every mythology will be followed by everyone. It could be a very elect group of people, or perhaps followed by citizens of a certain city or members of a certain species. But I’ve found defining how someone becomes a follower really helps, even if its as simple as ‘an alien mythology followed by a race of aliens.’

How do followers of this mythology act differently? I want to have some basic idea of how a follower of a mythology acts in accordance with their beliefs. More specifically, how does a follower act differently from me and what I consider normal. I also consider questions of devoutness; some people will take the beliefs as iron rules, while others will pay lip service and go about their day.

How real is this mythology? Every mythology will include myths, but there’s usually a grain of truth in the middle. Depending on the story, the grain could be pretty close to the mark, or could be pretty far off. How close it is could be a matter of contention with the world, and could be a source of conflict within the story.

Example Mythology – General of the Pen

For the example of this portion, I’m going to return to the General of the Pen, the story we’ve been developing as part of this blog series. In particular, I want to build the mythology of the Campilesian Church. I know the organization of the church from a previous post; now, I’m building the beliefs.

What are the important tenants of this mythology? The Campilesian belief system is very close to Christianity in a lot of ways. This system has a firm belief that everyone has a passion in their life, which leads to their high number of saints and grand patrons. They also are less strict on gender norms (usually) and abhor slavery.

Who is the mythology for? The Campilesian system is for everyone, from the common farmer to the ruling lord. They accept converts fairly regularly and easily. Most Campilesians live within the Campilesia region, or in a neighboring region.

How do followers of this mythology act differently? The belief that everyone can be great at something means that most followers have some passion they pursue. Some may make it the main part of their life, or it’s something they engage in outside of their profession. But they are generally supportive of everyone around them.

How real is this mythology? The basis for this belief system is an ancient philosopher who works for the survival of the Campilesian people when conquered by the Ferrans. His system allows them to survive as a people under centuries of rule by other people. The religious aspect — spirituality and afterlife — are believes, but not perfectly known.

Impact in the Story

The Campilesian religion gives the people who make up most of the characters in my story a shared belief system. A system that encourages people to find their one passion, which could be Campilesian independence. It also means that the people view the sacrifice of military service in a very high light.

Conclusion

Magic, Science and Mythology are all broad topics that I’ve bumped into during this post. In each case, I’ve provided a brief overview of what each one means and how I start their creation. The actual work would include pages of notes and histories, spreadsheets of math and lists of entries. Unique questions for each system that don’t apply to the others. A lot of work and information that the reader will never see.

With the end of this post, I’ve finished my four posts on the World Building aspect of the PBRG system. Next up, I’ll go over the Research aspect. I don’t imagine that’ll be more than one blog post, but we’ll see how that goes.

Until then, keep on writing.

-Michael