Designing a magic system is one of the most challenging tasks a fantasy worldbuilder will ever face. Well-crafted magic systems have transformed otherwise formulaic fantasy settings into some of fiction’s most beloved locales, and slapped-together ones have condemned what could have been top-tier fantasy series to obscurity.
Creating an endearing magic system is like cooking a delicious family dinner; everything that goes into the process matters, and all the puzzle pieces must come together neatly for the final product to reach its full potential. Get ready to unfurl your imagination; here are our picks for the top 10 best magic systems in the fantasy genre.
10. The Force, from George Lucas’ Star Wars
The Star Wars saga’s “a galaxy far, far away” is iconic for many reasons, but few are more ubiquitous than the Force. An ethereal membrane of energy that connects all living things in the galaxy, the Force is from what both the altruistic Jedi Order and the machiavellian Sith Lords draw their power, and both the current Canon and pre-2014 Legends continuities have explored what it can do.
Inspired by the connective spiritual energy featured in various religions, including Zoroastrianism and Taoism, the Force grants those who wield it a massive arsenal of supernatural abilities, including telekinesis, telepathy, physical enhancement, and the ability to conjure soul-searing lightning. I have one question for anyone upset that the Force is on this list: can you tell me that you didn’t try and use it as a kid, even once?
9. Channeling, from Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time series borrows more than a few elements from the Lord of the Rings, but one area where Robert Jodan’s literary epic boldly deviates from Tolkien is its magic system. Through an intricate series of hand signs akin to weaving, The Wheel of Time’s “Channelers” can cast powerful spells to tie threads of the five elements: air, earth, fire, spirit, and water, together to cast powerful spells.
Like the Force, Channeling is a “catch-all” system that grants its users a diverse range of powers, including healing, divination, and the ability to corrupt another person’s soul. However, it is one of the first “hard” magic systems ever patterned. Jordan’s decision to trade the esotericism that defined Tolkien’s magic for something more understandable set a standard many contemporary fantasy writers follow today.
8. Dust, from Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials
The story of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy unfolds across a multiverse linked together by a mysterious substance known as Dust. A particle attracted to and influenced by human thought; Dust can do everything from power machinery to condense into sentient organisms with innate magical abilities.
While Dust isn’t as versatile as the magic that fuels other systems, its pull lies in its status as a manifestation of His Dark Materials’ themes of enlightenment, self-determination, and rebellion against indoctrination. As the literal embodiment of consciousness, Dust is a weapon of free thought that His Dark Materials’ young protagonists, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, wield against a fundamentalist force that seeks to suppress and even eliminate that which makes us human.
7. Alchemy, from Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist
Loosely inspired by the ancient pseudo-science of the same name, Fullmetal Alchemist’s Alchemy is all about reshaping the building blocks of reality. Through a transmutation circle (and a basic understanding of chemistry), Alchemists can use Alchemy to transform one thing into another, so long as the end product of the transmutation is something of equal value to that which it’s replacing.
Alchemy has many valuable applications, but ironically, this magic system’s appeal ties into its ability to go wrong. The plot of Fullmetal Alchemist is set in motion when series protagonists Edward and Alphonse Elric try, and horrifically fail, to bring their mother back to life. As fans of the series know, this is only the first of many situations that show Alchemy is as fair as it is unforgiving.
6. Orgeny, from J. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy
J. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy unfolds on a planet that is falling apart around its protagonists. Literally. Stillness is a world ravaged by almost constant earthquakes, and a select few souls born on its crust can manipulate and redirect seismic energy through a form of magic known as Orgeny.
Unfortunately, while Orgeny gives its users the perfect tool to survive a quake-cleft planet, their connection to a natural phenomenon that has ruined countless lives makes them targets of extreme prejudice. As the Broken Earth Trilogy unfolds, the readers’ understanding of Orgeny is shifted and shaken like a loose faultline, but one thing that stays stable throughout is its cool factor.
5. Allomancy, from Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn
Brandon Sanderson has established himself as an utter savant at crafting magic systems, and one of the best examples of this is one of his first. Allomancy, the magic system that weaves together in Sanderson’s Mistborn series, allows its users to gain superhuman abilities after they eat and “burn” pieces of precious metal like tin or copper.
Allomancy is a prime example of a magic system that thrives by setting boundaries for itself. There’s only so much Allomancy can do, and watching series lead Vin find new and clever ways to work within Allomacy’s limitations to deal decisive blows to the totalitarian Final Empire never stops being awesome.
4. Shamanism, from R. F. Kuang’s The Poppy War
Another magic system that draws influence from the real world, The Poppy War’s Shamanism is a smooth blend of the physical and the spiritual. Through the mastery of martial arts and the consumption of psychedelics, Shamans in the world of Nikan can form a spiritual connection with the gods, allowing them to perform superhuman feats.
For all its spectacle, R. F. Kuang’s fantastical take on traditional Asian Shamanism is a deeply grounded exploration of the ancient practice’s positive and negative aspects. Withdrawal and addiction pose a genuine threat to Shamans. Still, Kuang never misses an opportunity to show how Shamans’ strength of body and spirit can help them overcome these corruptions of the mind.
3. Sympathy, from Patrick Rothluss’ The Kingkiller Chronicle
The Kingkiller Chronicle has a few interconnected magic systems, but everyone who’s read the book walks away from it talking about Sympathy. Through Sympathy, arcanists can form a magical link between two objects, ensuring that what affects one will affect the other.
Sympathy might initially sound like a minimalist magic system on paper, but Patrick Rothluss constantly finds inventive ways to demonstrate its effectiveness. Whether it’s linking two coins so they’ll flip at the same time or creating what amounts to voodoo dolls, Sympathy is a magic system that does so much with so little.
2. The Small Science, from Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo’s Grishhaverse, consisting of the Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows series, has fantastic worldbuilding, and its magic system is one of the best in contemporary fantasy. Known in-universe as “The Small Science,” the Grishaverse’s magic system is as close to a field of science as a magic system can get.
Broken up into three primary branches, Corporalki, Etherealki, and Materialki, The Small Science has more layers than most magic systems. Each branch has a litany of sub-branches, each based on how it allows the users, Grisha, to manipulate matter. Stopping the flow of blood, willing the oxygen in the air to combust, and bending iron bars are just a few of the abilities at the Grishas’ disposal, and their list of power only gets longer and crazier as Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows progresses.
1. Bending, from Micheal Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko‘s Avatar: The Last Airbender
Avatar, the Last Airbender, is an unparalleled masterpiece of fantasy storytelling, and its magic system is second to none. Bending, forms of martial arts that allow its wielders to “bend” the classical elements of air, earth, fire, and water, are more than just pieces of a more extensive magic system; they’re ways of life, influencing the history of their native world in ways other magic systems could only dream of.
I grew up watching Avatar when it first aired on Nickelodeon, and I was constantly amazed at how deeply Bending was tied to the arcs of the series leads and the history of the world they lived in. For this reason and many others, Bending is the best fantasy magic system.
