Questions tagged [magic]
For questions that have to do with magic, as opposed to science/technology. Remember to explain any limits.
2,738 questions
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How would modern historians reconcile with a past age where magic existed?
Here's the premise. An alternate Earth goes through a very traditional phase of development from early civilizations sprouting up in Mesopotamia to the emergence of a great Roman-esque empire in ...
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Running a motor on electricity derived from magical lightning?
In a setting that isn't particularly high magic but magic is commonplace enough to be something the average person has witnessed I am considering how someone researching technology might attempt to ...
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What would a "quiet rebellion" look like in its late stages? [closed]
The current piece I'm working on takes place in a Civil War, fantasy medieval(ish) times. For a bit of background, the kingdom is highly religious (theocracy) ruled by a high priest and a small group ...
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How would a "good" necromancer prepare bodies to be used for labor in a way to minimize disease risks?
If we presume a culture which views necromancy as a tool to be used for the good of society exists to the point where a legally approved process for creating and operating undead labor forces (think ...
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Which industrial revolution-age technologies could be mimicked with magic pistons?
In my world there is a magic paint that can be applied to things which will then cause that thing to repel anything it touches that is also painted with it. It would be very easy to build a ...
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How would you counter air magic with fire
I'm having trouble figuring out how someone with fire magic could counter a specific air magic use.
If the air user sucked all the air out of fire users lungs, what are some ways this would be ...
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In a world where magic can be used to create matter, why isn’t everyone blasting each other with Neutrons?
I’ve been working on a somewhat hard magic system for a project I’m doing with my friends. Basically, the idea is that “magic/mana” is a third quantum substance, alongside matter and energy, and can ...
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Removing some bones to make them into talismans
In my story, a predictor utilizes his own bones to work them into talismans. These bones will be broken down and pressed into a container of gold/silver. He generally gives these out to noblemen. With ...
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Do I need to add other passive defenses against my character's (human) lightning superpowers?
I want to give one of my characters the ability to shoot lightning from their fingers.
How do his ability work? The process itself consists of ionization through the psychokinetic movement of air ...
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Would giants hold any major strategic advantage in premodern conflict? [closed]
I am speaking of conflict predating the advent of gunpowder and industry, back when mules were the best means of transportation and mounted knights or archers the best soldiers money could buy. You ...
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What are the implications of a time-locked transfiguration magic system for transforming living beings?
I am considering the ramifications of a magic system for a short story where "transfiguration" replaces an object/volume with a similarly shaped one, rather than changing the object itself. ...
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Possible for a rogue planet to have long nights and short days?
I asked a question similar to this a day or so ago, but I've since changed the criteria.
As the question asks, is it possible to have a rogue planet that has long "nights" and short "...
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Drawbacks of stem cell regeneration with magic?
I have mages who can create regenerative effects on the body. They do this by creating stem cells with the patient's DNA inside wounds, replicating the shape of the damaged structures. Assume that ...
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Are multiple moons at vastly different conjuncture points possible?
I don't necessarily need exact figures, I'd just like some advice, ideas, or suggestions on if what I'm positing is possible.
I'm building a fantasy world in which the main planet is not too ...
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Why would magic users be prone to reproductive disorders (or intersex conditions, in rare cases)?
Setting: Renaissance-era low-grade fantasy on an alternate version of Earth.
Magic in my system is epigenetic (learned environmentally and then can be passed down to offspring). Trying to resolve the &...
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