"Magic is what makes fantasy fantastic," someone says, "you can't apply rules to them or else it loses wonder!" I respond, "Sure, but if you want to write them you will certainly want to know how they work." Writing is all about execution, and I find applying some basic laws of physics to magic systems make them more understandable and realistic. Here, I'm going to outline my basic method for developing a magic system.
Column by Chaos2651
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First a few questions/ problems:
how is it that the battles just happen to take place where the Chasmfiends planted themselves?
QuoteIt would be a perfect distraction, pinning the blame on a group of parshmen. We go to war for years and years, never noticing the real villains, working quietly in my own camp. They watch me. Always. Waiting. I see their faces in mirrors. Symbols, twisted, inhuman…”-ch 58 pg 939
Dalinar glanced at Sadeas, and the two shared a disturbed look. Was Elhokar’s paranoia growing worse, or had it always been hidden? He saw phantom cabals in every shadow, and now—with the attempt on his life— he had proof to feed those worries.QuoteShallan picked up the charcoal pencil and flipped through to a blank page in her sketchbook. She passed several pictures of the symbol-headed creatures, some set in this very room. They lurked around her, always. At some times, she thought she saw them in the corners of her eyes. At others, she could hear them whispering. She hadn’t dared speak back to them again.-ch 70 pg 1097Quote“What of the creatures with the symbol heads?” Shallan asked. She flipped through her sketches, then held up an image of them. “Do you see them too? How are they related?”-ch 72 pg 1112
Jasnah frowned, taking the image. “You see beings like this? In Shadesmar?”
“They appear in my drawings,” Shallan said. “They’re around me, Jasnah. You don’t see them? Am I—”
Jasnah held up a hand. “These are a type of spren, Shallan. They are related to what you do.” She tapped the desk softly. “Two orders of the Knights Radiant possessed inherent Soulcasting ability; it was based on their powers that the original fabrials were designed, I believe. I had assumed that you… But no, that obviously wouldn’t make sense. I see now.”
“What?”
“I will explain as I train you,” Jasnah said, handing back the sheet. “You will need a greater foundation before you can grasp it. Suffice it to say that each Radiant’s abilities were tied to the spren.”
It's odd, judging by Jasnah's reaction, she knows of them, but doesn't deal with them herself. It might mean Elhokar would be of the same Order as Shallan (6, Shash, was the guess someone put forth earlier, which sounded good to me and another as well) or simply that they only appear to some Orders and not others. But yeah, I'm definitely counting him as a Knight Radiant candidate as well. Anyone else notice that Dalinar got his plate to glow a bit early in the book?QuoteDalinar held back the claw and matched its strength, a figure in dark, silvery metal that almost seemed to glow. The beast trumpeted above, and Dalinar bellowed back a powerful, defiant yell.-ch13 pg 230QuoteStanding beneath the massive chasmfiend, holding it back from killing his nephew, Plate glowing. That image was fixed in Adolin’s memory.-Adolin thinking back on it in ch15 pg252
Of course, that might just have been leaking Stormlight, or the sunlight reflected off of it , but they usually say that specifically.
Jasnah frowned, taking the image. “You see beings like this? In Shadesmar?”She either finds it very odd to find those spren in Shadesmar, or knows they exist there and for Shallan to have seen them is weird. (But the spren weren't seen in Shadesmar, so it could have just been Jasnah being confused at them being there. Maybe I'm reading too much into that line).
My theory is that Hoid is the cause of whatever split Adonalsium and the "element" he mentions is either what enabled the split, or the centerpiece of Adonalsium, which would enable it (him/her?) to rejoin.Why would he split it just to rejoin it again?
Properly crossbraced, it should be possible. Still, if you are right and it is indeed some 2000 pounds, it would still be manageable up to about 25 feet by a group of 10-15 men. The weight can't be greater than 100 pounds per person for 25 carriers, or it would never get to the battlefield. So my original upper estimate of 1500-1650 still stands as the heaviest feasible weight, with some 1250-1350 more likely.
Actually, now that you mention it, you're right, it couldn't possibly be more than 100 pounds per person for it to realistically carry it. However, a bridge that size with that weight restriction, i couldnt see it being reinforced enough to support cavalry. I'm honestly really starting to doubt the physics behind it as being possible.
bear with me here, this is just off the cuff, but wikipedia concerning horses in war, back in ancient times a "Light" war horse was anywhere from 800-1000 pounds. However, for it to use an armored rider (im pretty sure it mentioned his cavalry was armored, right), at least a medium horse is required, which weighs in about 1000-1200 pounds. Add in an armored rider, and we're looking at 1300-1700 or so pounds for a SINGLE cavalry man (200-300 or so for the man, and 100-200 for the armor).
Obviously, for a cavalry charge, we're going to have more than one cavalry man on the bridge, and they wont be moving single file. Realisticly, i would bet they're either moving double or triple file, considering the bridge width of 8 feet (beyond that, its going to get very crowded very fast)
So likely scenario, cavalry will be charging in double file. that's anywhere from 2600-3400 pounds on the bridge at any given moment.
To put that in perspective, a 2001 Nissan Altima weighs about 2945 pounds (so sayeth a quick google search)
So per rank of cavalry man, we're looking at the weight of a good-sized sedan or more depending on what file they use.
This is going to utterly crush your average pedestrian walking bridge (which earlier i estimated at about 4-6" in thickness for the walking part).
I cant honestly see a 30 foot long bridge weighing a mere 2000 pounds able to hold so much weight, however, as established, it cannot possibly weigh more than this for carrying purposes.
I just can't see these numbers working themselves out.
Honestly, i think this is just going to have to be one of those issues where we just agree that suspension of disbelief takes over, and we just assume "it works", because the author said so (i'm sure brandon didnt do terribly much research into the mechanics of it, and just wrote it as is because its a believable situation at face-value)
Ermm... They would be able to push a 30 foot bridge over a 25 foot chasm because it is weighted. By the Bridgemen.That's a good point, it hadn't even crossed my mind.It would be a simple, even a necessary matter to push down slightly while pushing the bridge over the chasm. This pushing down would keep it sticking out horizontally. Of course, if many bridgemen died the bridge would topple over the edge, but I suspect that that wouldn't be too much of an issue. (The bridges could be replaced with new ones)
To prove my theory, with one hand push a hardcover book to the edge of a table. See how far you can push it without it tipping over, while only using one hand. (Don't grab it.)
You'll be able to get surprisingly far! (Please don't use, WOK, not only is it far too thick for an accurate comparison, the risk of damage to said great tome is too great.)
i have a theory, but I'm not sure how well it works.We know they do adapt battlefield tactics depending on the situation. When Kaladin jumped the chasm and drew Stormlight from all the beard gems, he notes that after that he rarely saw a Parshendi with gems in its beard and he assumed it was because they changed their tactics once they saw what he was doing.
basically, what if the Parshmen have more than one race? for example, what if the Regular Parshmen, are the Farmers/Workers? and the Parshendi are the Guards/Fighters? like a Swarm of bees, they have Different Castes/Sub-species of parshmen for Different Tasks? perhaps this is why we haven't seen any surgebinders, they haven't needed them in their War Against the Alethi. mostly i get this idea from the Quote on page499. "They changed, even as we fought them. Like shadows they were, that can transform as the flame dances...." to me, this implied a changeable enemy, that would adapt to what ever foe it faced. since it seems the parshmen have a type of hivemind, but still retain individual choice, perhaps this how the Warriors avoided all contact with humans... or perhaps they were Guarding something, in the Center of the Shattered Plains, perhaps a city? this could have been why they killed Galiver, because they feared that he was close to sending an Expedition to this Forbidden place, and being warriors, killing is the first option? just a thought...
Unless it was weighted in the back, but I don't think we know whether it was or not.But they wouldn't be able to push a 30 foot bridge out accross a gap 25 feet without it toppling, not easily anyway...A bit of a jump back in the conversation, but I recall we were discussing bridges being 50 feet long, When Kaladin first sees a bridge on page 101 it is said to be around 30 feet long.
Well, considering inkthinker was talking about the longest gaps they'd be seeing at 25 feet, this doesnt really hinder too much. In fact, it makes it a bit easier in the bridges not being so unwieldy.
Wonder why Jasnah can't make a cymatic version of Urithiru...Her speakers can't get up to the right range.
Some people took issue with Brandon's article. For example: http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/2010/09/14/postmodernism-in-fantasy-a-correction/
Seems like an over-reaction and intentionally not understanding what he was trying to say. What do you guys think?
A while back I started a rough painting of Kaladin's leap... funny enough, the composition looks a lot like that. Great minds think alike, obviously.While not up to par with Ryos', I'd love to see the finished product.
I stopped working on it because A) stuff came up and, more importantly, 2) I realized that it's a really spoilery scene if you were to see that illustration, and then read the novel... you'd be constantly waiting for a spearman (and it wouldn't take long to realize that it's Kaladin either) to leap a chasm into an opposing army and suck up stormlight, and the moment in which that happens is so much more powerful if you don't see it coming.
So it's down in the stacks now. I've got a couple other images from the book I think I'd like to address before I ever get back to this one (for instance, Dalinar's duel at the Tower, or even just the battle that leads up to that).
I am curious as to how they reproduce. They must somehow, since they populate half the planet. But there's been no mention of parshbabies, as far as I can remember. Even if there isn't some strange voidbringer cylce it's possible that the dead parshmen are resuurected somehow, right? Maybe stormlight revives them, which is why they're just left in the wild.I don't think so. When Bridge 4 is down searching the chasms, they find all kinds of Parshendi bodies, and at one point I believe Kaladin makes a comment about how the Parshendi bodies were heavy enough that a highstorm wouldn't move them (since that would be the best way for the bodies to be infused with Stormlight), so he would have noticed the distinct lack of bodies after a highstorm.
Actually, it was talk about sadeas owning the most lumber, but he was also inflating his price so that the high princes would rely on the king's soulcasaters for wood.I knew it was something like that, thanks for the correction
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Bela?It's a running joke from some Wheel of Time forums, that Bela the horse is the Creator of the world.
I'm on to something! What if Hoid is Adonalsium?! Hoid lost his powers some how a long time ago, and is going around to the different worlds trying to help people while at the same time get his powers back. He has some huge and complicated plan he is working on.
Perhaps Hoid is secretly Bela!
