I don't design a magic system as a miracle cure, but as a limited tool. For me, magic is rare, dangerous, and expensive. It does not exist to solve problems conveniently, but to create new conflicts. Every form of magic needs a price. Without a price, it loses its meaning and destroys all narrative tension.
1. The Price: What is the Cost of Power?
My starting point is observation, not theory. I ask myself: in what situation would magic even be used? Healing, combat, control, deception. Then I determine what this magic costs. The price can be physical (loss of strength or health), political (loss of reputation), or social (loss of security). Whoever uses magic always loses something. Magic must never be without consequences.
2. Rule #1: Define Clear Boundaries
My first rule is: magic has clear boundaries. I decide what it cannot do. It does not heal the dead. It does not end wars alone. It does not replace an army or a king. If magic can do everything, every action becomes meaningless. Limits make decisions necessary and force characters into creative solutions beyond the magic wand.
3. Rule #2: Restrict Access
The second rule is: magic requires access restrictions. Not everyone can cast it. It must be through training, lineage, rituals, or sacrifice. Magic is not an everyday technology like a tool. It is a privilege or a curse. This creates power dynamics: mages versus soldiers, priests versus rulers, scholars versus peasants. These hierarchies are a source of deeper political conflict.
4. Rule #3: Use Magic Sparingly
The third rule is subtlety. I use magic sparingly. It appears in decisive moments, not in every scene. A single spell can have more impact than ten battles if it carries significant weight. Magic is most effective when it is rare and when the reader does not expect its application.
5. Integration: Visible Costs and Laws
The fourth rule is the visibility of costs. When magic is used, the price must manifest either immediately or later: illness, guilt, political persecution, mistrust, or dependency. The reader must see that every use leaves a mark.
The fifth rule is integration into the world order. Magic does not exist outside of law, religion, and war. There are laws governing its use. There are taboos. There are institutions that control or hunt it. Magic changes the very structure of empires and armies.
6. Show, Don't Tell
I don't explain my magic system in long blocks of text. I show it through action: through a failed ritual, through a condemned person, through a battle that ends differently because of magic. The reader learns about magic by watching characters use it and pay the price.
Conclusion
For me, a good magic system is not a tool of convenience. It is a source of risk, power, and loss. Magic may help, but it must never save. Only then does it remain credible and narratively effective.