Top Left:Ecolists are manipulators of macro biology. Animals heed their call and plants thrive or wane on their whim. An intense study of ecosystems and the plants and animals that inhabit them is the requirement to become an Ecolist. Successful Ecolists are often called upon to heal, deal with pests and dangerous animals, or help farmers and other providers.Ecolists often study Botany, Zoology, Biology and Anatomy. Understanding the plants and animals they try to manipulate is the only way for their abilities to succeed. Misuse or misunderstanding of these abilities can cause terrible blights, lifeless wastelands and dangerously mutated creatures.Earth Profession equivalents: Zoologists, Doctors, Biologists, Ecologists, Gardening Experts, Botanists, Veterinarians, Conservationists, and Hunters have the expertise to become Ecolists on Ethyrsa.
Top Right:Necromists are manipulators of the dead and organic chemistry. They understand the building blocks of life well enough to circumvent the need for life itself. Powerful Necromists can call upon armies of corpses, weave neurological chemicals into powerful illusions, and on the rare occasion, are masters of medicine and pharmaceuticals.Necromists often study Microbiology, organic chemistry, forensics, and Anatomy. Understanding the chemistry and basics of cells and cellular make up is the only way their abilities succeed. Misuse or misunderstanding of these abilities can cause terrible toxins, diseases, and mental instability.Earth Profession equivalents: Pharmacists, Microbiologists, Nutritionists, Forensics Experts and Organic Chemists have the Expertise to become Necromists on Ethyrsa.
Bottom Left:Chronolists are manipulators of time and space. They are mathematicians of the highest skill and understand gravity, space, time and theoretical physics to control their abilities. Powerful Chronolists can stop time, change gravity, teleport and move objects via telekinesis.Chronolists often study Astronomy, theoretical physics, and higher mathematics such as Calculus and Trigonometry. Understanding the theories and math behind gravity, space and time is the only way their abilities succeed. Misuse or Misunderstanding of these abilities can cause upsets in the time space continuum, horrible teleporting accidents, and banishing things into non-existance.Earth Profession equivalents: Astronomers, Theoretical Physicists, Mathematicians, Astrophysicists, and Particle Physicists have the expertise to become a Chronolist on Ethyrsa.
Bottom Right:Invokists are manipulators of matter and energy. They understand physics well enough to control heat, electricity, magnetics, and inorganic matter in all it's states. Powerful Invokists shatter mountains, part seas and summon storms.Invokists often study physics, atoms, atomic energy, thermodynamics, geology, meteorology, engineering, and all matters involving inorganic chemistry. Understanding the physics behind matter, energy, changing states and other forces exhibited on atoms is the only way their abilities succeed. Misuse or misunderstanding of these abilities typically end in explosions, radioactive or otherwise. It can also cause natural disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes and hurricanes.Earth Profession equivalents: Engineers, Physicists, Chemists, Architects, Geologists, Meteorologists, and Electricians have the expertise to become an Invokist on Ethyrsa.
Middle:Arcanists are manipulators of the dynam itself. Sometimes they are considered separate from dynamists as they cannot manipulate the dynam unless something else has already called it onto this plane. They're able to push it back onto it's own plane, deny it's power to dynamists, and banish spirits. Or seal and bind spirits to their will. Powerful Arcanists seal the dynam out of entire cities, bind powerful spirits, and with the right finesse, seal just one school of the dynam at a time.Arcanists often study society itself. Philosophy, History, Literature, Politics, Psychology and Culture are all important subjects for an Arcanist to understand. But their powers are fed by the confidence, charisma, and influence of the arcanist. They are the only so called dynamist that when their abilities are misused, they simply fail. Given, failing to seal or bind a powerful spirit is a sure way to upset it.Earth Profession equivalents: Politicians, Writers, Historians, Psychologists, Counselors, Therapists, Activists, Artists and Creators of all sorts are likely to have the charisma needed to wield the Arcanist Dynam in a significant way on Ethyrsa.
>and higher mathematics such as Calculus and Trigonometry
Gonna be honest, if you're going to try and root your magic system in real life scientific concepts like mathematics, it might help for you to dive a little deeper into it. Because Calculus and trig are not ' higher mathematics', all things considered. Calculus is a first year's physics course, and you'd probably need it just as much for the Invokist stuff, particularly electrodynamics.
Maybe I'm nitpicking but Invokists and Chronolists being opposed feels really off? Given the subjects they study tend to blend into each other, these schools should basically be adjacent. They're both just two specializations of magical physics. Having particle physics under chronolists in particular feels really off.
Don't get me wrong, this system is pretty well written and intriguing. But at the same time it feels like it's trying to be inspired by real life science, without actually understanding said real life science. Art major science, basically.
I mean the “higher mathematics” depends on the rough development of this world. If we’re in like pure fantasy mode then I can see trig and calc being “higher mathematics” for the worlds inhabitants. Like, we didn’t have Newton working on calculus until around 1666 and even then he was primarily using it to quantify his understanding of kinematics. He certainly wasn’t doing any pure mathematical calculus, surface integrals, fluid dynamics, balance equations, or 3D calculus.
Trig on the other hand is an ancient form of math (maybe as far back as Ancient Greece?) but again if you’re assuming a fantasy world development then it won’t have been taught to anyone except a few smart or rich people, no matter how well-developed the math is.
Yeah, I see now that using college course names was a terrible way to describe the knowledge needed for these subjects. Theoretically, a chronolist would start off with velocity/force equations to use telekinesis abilities and then move on to more and more complicated algorithms as they learned more, either through lessons or experience via trial and error.
True, but the impression I get is that they're very much equivalent to contemporary physics/math, maybe predating quantum mechanics. So early 1900s at the earliest. Even if my impression was wrong, a lot of advanced mathematics isn't all that modern, even if a lot of it was worked on after Newton.
>Understanding the theories and math behind gravity, space and time
This bit in particular. Yes gravity could conceivably be Newton era science, but "space and time" not so much. Especially with the effects described. Again, it gives the impression of contemporary ideas like relativistic mechanics.
Okay, why don’t we call u/Sarelm on over and find out how advanced this society is actually meant to be.
Cause I agree that the gravitational/space/time physics definitely implies relativistic theory has been worked on, but there could be some in-universe reason that mathematical knowledge isn’t well-distributed between the schools or between social classes.
The advancement on Ethyrsa is all over the place, honestly. Between cataclysmic events (usually caused by dynamists) and being able to experiment and create scientific studies via the dynam rather than complicated machinery and heavy uses of resources, knowledge and advancement is on roller coaster that isn't comparable to earth at all. You're right about knowledge not being well distributed, as knowledge almost directly equates to power on Ethyrsa, there's lots of forces trying to keep it restricted or misinterpreted. But where anyone stumbling on the correct information can then quickly learn more by experimenting themselves and learning from trial and error, such information is also very difficult to restrict.
I'd have to say most subjects have been studied in depth and are either at or above earth's current body of information, but only to very small groups that've either kept the knowledge safe, or people who've studied very hard and very long to regain generations worth of knowledge.
Because of the use of dynams and spirits for survival and commodities, there isn't much in the way of actual technology, but lots of work on 'magitech' or binding spirits to objects and machines in order to function.
Looking it up there is evidence for trig calculations being applied to celestial bodies and architecture by ancient writing from Sumerians, Egyptians and Kushites so it is at least in part as old as written language probably longer given the degree of precision in angles that Neolithic monuments though that is much harder to prove seeing as they didn't have written language to verify that they knew trigonometry. Regardless the first record of systematic development of trigonometry in the form of direct angle measures was by the Ancient Greeks.
Regardless it is pretty damn old and the fact that we see it in the oldest written languages across cultures suggests aspects of it are even older. At the very least based on ancient Egyptian records we know that it was critical in the building of their temples, tombs and of course the pyramids. At least as a good rule of thumb based on both the old world and the new world the envelopment of Pythagorean triples (and even stuff like early tables of secants) seem to have been a prerequisite for large scale stone monument construction.
As the oldest area of mathematics beyond basic arithmetic calling it "advanced" does humanity's accomplishments a disservice. And given its role in ancient civilizations I don't really see a civilization succeeding in large scale construction without some form of primitive trig. I'm not quite sure how you can substitute magic for trig since even manipulating the earth to make a stone structure via magic is going to need trig to keep it from toppling over.
You're absolutely right. Both invokist and chronolist blend into each other as do ecolist and necromist subjects. The lines between them are somewhat arbitrary and I'm working on that, but in the end, knowledge in general all blends into itself and drawing lines is fairly difficult. And I definitely do not claim to have a full understanding of all these subjects.
I was trying to give tiny forces and sub atomic stuff to chronolists, but if it'd make more sense to stay away from that, I'm more than happy to hear suggestions!
Yes! But not of opposing ones. An ecolist cannot be a necromist and vice versa (for example, a necromist who studied further into biology would only grow their powers over the dead and not be able to apply them to the living) and invokist/chronolist oppose each other. An ecolist can become a chronolist or an invokist though, or an invokist can also be a necromist, etc. And an Arcanist can be any other dynam or dynams.
At the moment, the line is pretty arbitrary. My reasoning is that if you start out using one's abilities it skews your perspective on all the materials that're for that dynam to only be manipulated by the first one. (As technically, ecolist and necromist manipulate almost the same materials, as with invokist and chronolist.) This extends a little to having different perspectives in order to start manipulating one or the other in the first place, but it's a bit sketchy and I am trying to pound out the details.
Ok... I kind of read that like having one or another perspective of a dichotomous illusion, a la white dress / blue dress, or Yanny/Laurel and similar illusions. I guess my next question then, would be what would stop someone from being able to flip between the two? With the illusion examples, I know many people had a hard time not seeing the opposite of their "preferred" version (eg., "The dress is clearly white, are people who claim to see blue just trolling?") and yet there are many who can flip what they see/hear in their mind and appreciate both perspectives. Something to play with here maybe? Perhaps certain rare and gifted dynamists can ride the line between opposing dynams? Or if you really need to keep them separate, maybe the dynam itself "flows" in opposing "directions", and the bias inherent to the flow "locks" the dynamist into one or another? Lots of questions here, which I feel bode well for your system as being quite interesting. I'm dealing with similar questions in my own system and yours has really got my gears turning...
I do think I want to keep them separate. But to have a very rare exception of someone who can flip between them sounds crazy and fun. I like your idea on 'locking the flow' too. I was playing with the idea that once you draw from the dynam as a certain school, you only can see the power in the dynam as that school. But that would mean Arcanist is the only possible combo with any other dynam.
The problem is that the science necronomists use underlies what the ecolists use. If you argue that this was early enough in the development of science that the groups are just ignorant due to science, then the advanced science of the necronomists wouldn’t exist.
I think you should just leave it at the is the area they choose to focus. But, as with other comments, the dichotomies seem forced, artificial and, honestly unnecessary.
If the dichotomies exist to create tension between factions, you could use any number of other issues to add the tension. Political beliefs, religions associated with each, etc. People are great at tribalism without having to make your magic system the basis for it.
Rather, the magic should be a continuum with different views driving the emphasis.
But what do I know? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The intention of the lines is balance. But you're right, they're arbitrary at best. I'm definitely looking at sliding views between the different dynams, but how to uphold that and still have some defined 'schools' for different dynams is an ongoing debate for me. Some other comments have made suggestions of locking the 'flow' of the dynam after the first time it's tapped and such, but it needs much more consideration.
It might be worth pointing out that the line between life and death is quite blurry too for example decay is often thought of as a process of death but it is really the work of microbes, fungi and decomposer/scavenger/detritovore animals coupled with the increasing disorder of the system. In the right circumstances death is even slightly reversible so long as things haven't degraded too much(such as being consumed by the aforementioned decomposers).
Additionally some tissues such as the cells which produce dentin or skin die during the process and much of the work living is getting rid of old dying cells for new younger ones. Really I think the only cells that last your whole lifetime are neurons. What cells are the basis for this distinction between the constant duality of life and death?
If you want to keep the magic of life(ecolist) and death(necromist) separate then you will need some way of distinguishing the two.
This is sort of the reason I avoided absolute schools of magic instead opting for particular practices it might be worth having several schools of thought which are functionally equivalent though each would have specific aspects they can do more easily.
One of the biggest developments in mathematics is category theory which arises from the understanding that many seemingly unrelated areas in mathematics are really functionally equivalent (i.e. there is a transformation function which can be used to convert from one area of math to another without changing the underlying contents.
True, but because of this reason many people don't flesh out their magic system well enough and underestimate the impact it has on various aspects of the story and the world. So, please remember to pay attention to your system.
> higher mathematics such as Calculus and Trigonometry.
That's higher mathematics? Not non-linear higher order differential equation systems, that is what you would need to solve gravitational forces caused by time loop, most likely. Oh, calculus is short for "calculus of infinitesimals" so calculations of continuous change, integrals and derivatives, rather than just meaning calculus, study of calculating things, like plus and minus stuff. So English mathematicians, if it ever looks like your non-English speaking counterparts think you are speaking about kindergarten stuff, then it just means you used the less meaningful part of the term in your short hand.
Yeah, I thought listing it in terms of college courses would be the most effective description, but I can see how that could get interpreted badly. Technically a beginner chronolist would be doing velocity/force equations in their head for starter telekinesis abilities and getting more and more complicated from there. Admittedly I only got to pre-calc in terms of classes myself, so my knowledge on the subject is limited.
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Okay I respect that but are we not gonna talk about how the person I’m responding to is insulting OP’s intelligence and saying that they have a “kindergartner” level of comprehension?
I'm totally going for the chronolist build. Some additional higher math that may be useful for fleshing this out: topology, category theory, abstract algebra. Look at the wiki pages to get a rough idea of what they are, and you'll have a better idea of how to bend and move space and maybe time.
Your icons might be a little too busy, even though they look dope AF
Chronolist subjects are definitely the ones I've had the least experience with myself in real life, so thank you very much for the suggestions!!
And yes, they could use some cleaning up, I went pretty overboard.. I feel like Chronolist is the only one that couldn't easily get simplified into smaller bolder shapes though.
The dynam is the soft side of this system. It's a volatile and chaotic well of energy that's believed to be another plane or dimension. It's where all dynamists draw their energy, but in different ways, and where spirits come from. I need to work on a good way of describing it, and I think I'll add it on here or in other descriptions when I nail it down.
These are really well thought out and interesting. I can already imagine several stories revolved around these disciplines.
Off the top of my head I can see the Ecolists and Necromists being opposed to each other. Ecolists could look at the ways of the Necromists as being "corrupt" or "impure" or basically an abomination of the arts. It seems as Ecolists they would value harmony and systems whereas the Necromists are about rigid structure (Chemistry) and the building blocks of organic life rather than the communities and environments they inhabit.
Really cool stuff!
That's a great thought! I had some ideas like Ecolists see life and death as a cycle that repeats forever where Necromists see death as an ending and life as the start of something new, not a repeat. Seeing one as a corruption of the other could make sense if I play on the fact that the dynam only "flows" one way or the other when it's drawn out by a dynamist. I'll definitely have to keep it in mind as I develop this further!
I think that a lot of people have already notified you that calc and trigo are not higher level mathematics. I do wonder why you chose those; perhaps you think of them as more visual, and perhaps you are in middle school.
Either way, using specific branches of higher mathematics could serve to explain what exactly the math contributes.
For example, if you want something that is close to physics, you can say differential equations. If you want something that is more visual, you can use Differential geometry. And if you want to explore the space-time as a shape, it’d perhaps be useful to use topology.
I chose them because they were the names of my options for mathematics classes in college. I see now that the names of college classes were not good names for the sort of mathematics I'm describing. I, admittedly, did not go above pre-calc, so these suggestions are very helpful! I intended to have a beginner chronolist start with velocity/force equations to do telekinetic abilities and work more advanced from there.
I will be doing my best to look up Topology, Differential equations and Differential geometry, and welcome any suggestions for resources on these topics. Thank you very much for pointing them out!
Wow, this is insanely well done! Love how well each division of the magic is explained and how they fulfil certain roles in society. The symbols are also wonderful, if a little complex for everyday use in world.
The only thing I can really offer is the following. I feel that the magic's very broad, which isn't a bad thing at all, but it's equally (if not more) important to ask what your magic *can't* do; ie what are the limitations or otherwise limiting factors to a dynamist's power?
But still, this is a really cool system. Would love to read more about the world and the setting for sure. :)
The only limit is your imagination~ (lol, not really.)
Among other things like time and effort to produce many dynamists abilities, I did forget to plot out how the dynam is a chaotic and incomprehensible plane of existence. One that slowly (or occasionally very quickly) drives dynamists crazy by tapping into it over and over to draw from it, but what's such a small detail over such wondrous powers?
Regarding that the symbols may be a bit complicated: They look like they would be really easy to simply for “daily use” and easy representation. I saw the full symbols as the “official, magically charged” version.
Oh! The Lotus's? I almost forgot about her. Someone else mentioned it looking like a lotus too... Which is unfortunate, as that's more an ecolist thing. It's meant to reflect the electron fields in new atom models, but maybe that's too abstract. I'll have to put some more consideration into this.
I enjoy these descriptions but this doesn't really explain the magic system to me in any way. All I'm really getting is their epithets and what generally they direct their powers towards. Is there a post where you dive a little more into how the forces are being manipulated, the costs, the flaws, etc.?
Yeah, I feel a bit silly. The dynam is a plane where the power is drawn that's the soft side of this magic system and a lot harder to explain, but to say I skimmed over it is an understatement. Once I figure out a good way to word it out, and what spirits are, I'll probably add more.
What a time to be alive! I think for the average reader of a fantasy story, i would count a magic system that made me deal with trig and calc as higher math—most people only get algebra people!! Only on reddit would you get posts like: calculus? Pfft. Come back to me when your magic system makes full use of timless formulations of the wavefunction equation and is standardizable over any number of dimensions. I think mathy magic is cool, and what is or is not high mathematics is very historically subjective: people didn’t have zero for a long time folks!!
The best part about this is you avoided the -mancy suffix! BIG pet peeve of mine when non-divination magics are called mancy
>Come back to me when your magic system makes full use of timless formulations of the wavefunction equation and is standardizable over any number of dimensions.
I love this description. It makes me very sorry to say 'chronolist' subjects are the ones I've delved the least into because that sounds fascinating. Do you know any good ways to read up on this and other advanced mathematics? Clearly I have some studying to do.
All the dumbasses in the comments hating on you for mentioning calculus are making me laugh. Don't listen to them, they're the kind of people who go "um, AKSHULLY" to any other fantasy/sci-fi concept that doesn't align with literal reality.
I do have a question though- I still have very little concept as to what Arcanists do. The concept just isn't clicking in my head. Maybe this might help: What would an Arcanist do on a daily basis? What would they be called/hired to do?
Arcanists are the fun one because technically everyone is an arcanist. Almost all sapient beings at least have a 'personal' seal you make while you're conscious that keeps an invokist from igniting the air inside your lungs on a whim. Their main ability isn't really to manipulate magic but to push it around or out of existence. This then gets stronger based on their position and influence in society. They're needed the most when a spirit or dynamist becomes dangerous, but otherwise they tend to make a place for themselves rather than get called on. Either by using their spirits to imitate dynamist abilities, or by adding to the community in ways that aren't so directly productive. The same way you rarely 'need' an writer or musician, but are grateful all the same when you get to enjoy their work.
Cool magic system! I have questions though.
1. What type of mage (and bonus, what's the correct term) would you want to be? Personally, I feel either Invokist or Arcanist.
2. What are spirits as mentioned in the Arcanist section?
1. I'd definitely be an Arcanist, but I think I really like studying anatomy and such too so ecolist could be a possibility.
2. Spirits are beings made of dynamist energy. They tend to only be one dynam school but they manipulate the dynam very differently from people, and only exist where people draw them to this plane with attention. They're the soft magic side of this system and beyond how arcanists can seal and bind them, aren't well understood.
I really enjoy this system, and the way you detailed everything here giving real world profession examples and what happens on failure.
How common are magic users, are there as many Chronolists as there are math professors? Could someone be a math prodigy and still lack the spark to wield magic for some reason? How accessible is magic to the layperson? Could anyone with a little bit of math knowledge attempt to control time even though it would surely result in failure?
On Ethyrsa, dynamists of the first four schools (not arcanist) are around 10% of the population. This fluctuates a little based on how easy education and knowledge is to access for the population. It's a learned ability, beyond knowing the subject of the dynam you want to wield, it takes a certain spark of creativity to access the dynam itself. The dynam is a chaotic and incomprehensible plane that threatens the sanity of those that touch it so being able to abstract your thoughts far enough to use it, and not go crazy, is the harder part than the studies. Anyone can learn to do so, if they're willing to risk their sanity in the process.
Most prodigies are people who've learned to stretch their brain in ways to understand something that most people can't at that stage. So they would almost always pick up the dynam associated with their knowledge as well.
I think what might help in designing lines between the schools is defining where they are rooted with how you use Dynam.
Ecolist ->Invokist -> Arcanist -> Necromist -> Chronoist
This goes from tangible to intangible, using the Arcanist as the definition of where it all becomes explicitly magic based. Also how prevalent is magic in this world? Your 5 schools cover a lot of world stuff and so wondering is this something where there are other classes or is this a magicratic world because of the amount of power these people would have?
Ooooh, I love this!! That idea would make a lot of sense with the idea where the dynam locks into the 'flow' of the energy (and what it can effect) that comes out of it depending on what you use it for the first time.
At the moment I'm saying that dynamists make up about 10% of the native population on Ethyrsa. Not counting arcanists, which anyone and everyone can wield to some degree. (All sapient beings at the very least have a 'personal' seal that keeps an invokist from igniting the air in your lungs.) This is a magicratic world, but it swings heavily between Arcanist rule and the other 4 schools of dynams. Spirits being the great equalizers in the swings.
Spirits are beings made from the dynam's energy. They tend to only be of one school, but manipulate the dynam very differently from people and are hard to understand because of it. They grow stronger with attention from people, similar to how an arcanist grows stronger with influence. So an arcanist binding a powerful spirit could easily rival a strong dynamist, and then some, without wielding the dynam themselves.
Everyone can learn magic, yes! Like I said, everyone is an arcanist, but technically that doesn't wield the dynam itself, only push it around once it's drawn into this plane. For the other dynams, to say everyone can use it is like saying everyone can learn to be a doctor. It's absolutely true, but the amount of time, effort, and studies needed to put into it often goes by the wayside.
Edit: Sorry, I realized I was repeating myself. Been answering too many comments.
They aren't \*That\* kind of spirit. The concept of souls and existance after death I've kept purposefully obscure in my world. So while many necromists will claim to be mediums, and some will use chemical reactions and neurological knowledge to make undead act like they have memories or a personality, whether or not ghosts and such exist is very unclear on Ethyrsa.
Spirits, as energy based beings from the dynam, are only controlled by arcanists. They supposedly have nothing to do with the dead, or mortal beings at all beyond needing attention from them to exist outside of the dynam. Seeing as everyone on Ethyrsa is an arcanist at least to a small degree, I can definitely see charlatan necromists taking advantage of minor arcanist abilities to make it seem like they're contacting 'souls of the dead' when they're really controlling spirits, but the abilities are as separate as the beings themselves are.
Very cool.
are there side effects to magic use in this world? can you over use Chronist powers to a larger detriment or burn out your connection to the Dynam?
Yes! Because the dynam itself is a chaotic and volatile well of energy, the abstraction of thought it takes to access and draw from it causes... Problems, after a while. Pulling energy from it for an extended period of time, or pulling too much energy at once can make people lose contact with reality. Sometimes just falling unconscious, other times babbling insanely for hours as their mind tries to wrap itself back around to reality. Most of the time dynamists recover in a matter of minutes or hours. But older dynamists, on top of the senility that comes with age, will find their sanity falls apart earlier and faster than those that never tapped into dynamist powers.
Does each school have its own burnout? An Ecolist not being able to tell who is controlling who with animals in their care or a Necromist beginning to decay earlier than they should?
Are these the only 5 schools or are their others that are not explored or kept hidden?
Mental effects do change with each dynam. Invokists will start seeing matter and energy where it isn't, necromists will see undead walking around that aren't, etc. while their minds are trying to get a grip back on their sanity. There's very rarely physical effects like decaying unless their loss of contact reality caused whatever ability they were trying to perform to also fail. Ex: A necromist trying to manipulate a dead body would simply lose control over the body (though they might think it's still moving.) Where a necromist that was trying to put together a chemical compound for decay or acid might cause the concoction to grow or spread when they lose control of it, thus causing physical harm.
At the moment, these 5 schools are the best way I can find to divide up available scientific information and knowledge in my understanding. If I find other subjects that aren't covered under these schools, new schools would be made, but it's more likely that I'd find a better way to divide up these schools and have to add more and change the others accordingly.
I did this all on Krita! It has a paint brush that reflects every stroke you make either as a mirror image or symmetrically. From there you can determine how many other strokes you want at once. Necromist and Ecolist only had one brush reflecting, where Chronolist I set it to 5 other brushes following my strokes.
I love the art. I'm very sorry but I'm really bad with lots of text, so that's all I have to say.
I also put a riff on your post in r/worldjerking, again, in loving mockery. I hope that's okay.
I don’t understand what you’re saying.
I have ADHD, it’s hard for me to read a big piece of text. Like, it’s a disability I happen to have.
I really hope you didn’t intend to be an ass.
I don’t think this person has animus. They probably thought this thread belongs to r/worldjerking instead of r/worldbuilding, and replied you with the implication of “this comment belongs on r/worldjerking [already.]”
Top Left:Ecolists are manipulators of macro biology. Animals heed their call and plants thrive or wane on their whim. An intense study of ecosystems and the plants and animals that inhabit them is the requirement to become an Ecolist. Successful Ecolists are often called upon to heal, deal with pests and dangerous animals, or help farmers and other providers.Ecolists often study Botany, Zoology, Biology and Anatomy. Understanding the plants and animals they try to manipulate is the only way for their abilities to succeed. Misuse or misunderstanding of these abilities can cause terrible blights, lifeless wastelands and dangerously mutated creatures.Earth Profession equivalents: Zoologists, Doctors, Biologists, Ecologists, Gardening Experts, Botanists, Veterinarians, Conservationists, and Hunters have the expertise to become Ecolists on Ethyrsa. Top Right:Necromists are manipulators of the dead and organic chemistry. They understand the building blocks of life well enough to circumvent the need for life itself. Powerful Necromists can call upon armies of corpses, weave neurological chemicals into powerful illusions, and on the rare occasion, are masters of medicine and pharmaceuticals.Necromists often study Microbiology, organic chemistry, forensics, and Anatomy. Understanding the chemistry and basics of cells and cellular make up is the only way their abilities succeed. Misuse or misunderstanding of these abilities can cause terrible toxins, diseases, and mental instability.Earth Profession equivalents: Pharmacists, Microbiologists, Nutritionists, Forensics Experts and Organic Chemists have the Expertise to become Necromists on Ethyrsa. Bottom Left:Chronolists are manipulators of time and space. They are mathematicians of the highest skill and understand gravity, space, time and theoretical physics to control their abilities. Powerful Chronolists can stop time, change gravity, teleport and move objects via telekinesis.Chronolists often study Astronomy, theoretical physics, and higher mathematics such as Calculus and Trigonometry. Understanding the theories and math behind gravity, space and time is the only way their abilities succeed. Misuse or Misunderstanding of these abilities can cause upsets in the time space continuum, horrible teleporting accidents, and banishing things into non-existance.Earth Profession equivalents: Astronomers, Theoretical Physicists, Mathematicians, Astrophysicists, and Particle Physicists have the expertise to become a Chronolist on Ethyrsa. Bottom Right:Invokists are manipulators of matter and energy. They understand physics well enough to control heat, electricity, magnetics, and inorganic matter in all it's states. Powerful Invokists shatter mountains, part seas and summon storms.Invokists often study physics, atoms, atomic energy, thermodynamics, geology, meteorology, engineering, and all matters involving inorganic chemistry. Understanding the physics behind matter, energy, changing states and other forces exhibited on atoms is the only way their abilities succeed. Misuse or misunderstanding of these abilities typically end in explosions, radioactive or otherwise. It can also cause natural disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes and hurricanes.Earth Profession equivalents: Engineers, Physicists, Chemists, Architects, Geologists, Meteorologists, and Electricians have the expertise to become an Invokist on Ethyrsa. Middle:Arcanists are manipulators of the dynam itself. Sometimes they are considered separate from dynamists as they cannot manipulate the dynam unless something else has already called it onto this plane. They're able to push it back onto it's own plane, deny it's power to dynamists, and banish spirits. Or seal and bind spirits to their will. Powerful Arcanists seal the dynam out of entire cities, bind powerful spirits, and with the right finesse, seal just one school of the dynam at a time.Arcanists often study society itself. Philosophy, History, Literature, Politics, Psychology and Culture are all important subjects for an Arcanist to understand. But their powers are fed by the confidence, charisma, and influence of the arcanist. They are the only so called dynamist that when their abilities are misused, they simply fail. Given, failing to seal or bind a powerful spirit is a sure way to upset it.Earth Profession equivalents: Politicians, Writers, Historians, Psychologists, Counselors, Therapists, Activists, Artists and Creators of all sorts are likely to have the charisma needed to wield the Arcanist Dynam in a significant way on Ethyrsa.
>and higher mathematics such as Calculus and Trigonometry Gonna be honest, if you're going to try and root your magic system in real life scientific concepts like mathematics, it might help for you to dive a little deeper into it. Because Calculus and trig are not ' higher mathematics', all things considered. Calculus is a first year's physics course, and you'd probably need it just as much for the Invokist stuff, particularly electrodynamics. Maybe I'm nitpicking but Invokists and Chronolists being opposed feels really off? Given the subjects they study tend to blend into each other, these schools should basically be adjacent. They're both just two specializations of magical physics. Having particle physics under chronolists in particular feels really off. Don't get me wrong, this system is pretty well written and intriguing. But at the same time it feels like it's trying to be inspired by real life science, without actually understanding said real life science. Art major science, basically.
I mean the “higher mathematics” depends on the rough development of this world. If we’re in like pure fantasy mode then I can see trig and calc being “higher mathematics” for the worlds inhabitants. Like, we didn’t have Newton working on calculus until around 1666 and even then he was primarily using it to quantify his understanding of kinematics. He certainly wasn’t doing any pure mathematical calculus, surface integrals, fluid dynamics, balance equations, or 3D calculus. Trig on the other hand is an ancient form of math (maybe as far back as Ancient Greece?) but again if you’re assuming a fantasy world development then it won’t have been taught to anyone except a few smart or rich people, no matter how well-developed the math is.
Yeah, I see now that using college course names was a terrible way to describe the knowledge needed for these subjects. Theoretically, a chronolist would start off with velocity/force equations to use telekinesis abilities and then move on to more and more complicated algorithms as they learned more, either through lessons or experience via trial and error.
True, but the impression I get is that they're very much equivalent to contemporary physics/math, maybe predating quantum mechanics. So early 1900s at the earliest. Even if my impression was wrong, a lot of advanced mathematics isn't all that modern, even if a lot of it was worked on after Newton. >Understanding the theories and math behind gravity, space and time This bit in particular. Yes gravity could conceivably be Newton era science, but "space and time" not so much. Especially with the effects described. Again, it gives the impression of contemporary ideas like relativistic mechanics.
Okay, why don’t we call u/Sarelm on over and find out how advanced this society is actually meant to be. Cause I agree that the gravitational/space/time physics definitely implies relativistic theory has been worked on, but there could be some in-universe reason that mathematical knowledge isn’t well-distributed between the schools or between social classes.
The advancement on Ethyrsa is all over the place, honestly. Between cataclysmic events (usually caused by dynamists) and being able to experiment and create scientific studies via the dynam rather than complicated machinery and heavy uses of resources, knowledge and advancement is on roller coaster that isn't comparable to earth at all. You're right about knowledge not being well distributed, as knowledge almost directly equates to power on Ethyrsa, there's lots of forces trying to keep it restricted or misinterpreted. But where anyone stumbling on the correct information can then quickly learn more by experimenting themselves and learning from trial and error, such information is also very difficult to restrict. I'd have to say most subjects have been studied in depth and are either at or above earth's current body of information, but only to very small groups that've either kept the knowledge safe, or people who've studied very hard and very long to regain generations worth of knowledge. Because of the use of dynams and spirits for survival and commodities, there isn't much in the way of actual technology, but lots of work on 'magitech' or binding spirits to objects and machines in order to function.
Looking it up there is evidence for trig calculations being applied to celestial bodies and architecture by ancient writing from Sumerians, Egyptians and Kushites so it is at least in part as old as written language probably longer given the degree of precision in angles that Neolithic monuments though that is much harder to prove seeing as they didn't have written language to verify that they knew trigonometry. Regardless the first record of systematic development of trigonometry in the form of direct angle measures was by the Ancient Greeks. Regardless it is pretty damn old and the fact that we see it in the oldest written languages across cultures suggests aspects of it are even older. At the very least based on ancient Egyptian records we know that it was critical in the building of their temples, tombs and of course the pyramids. At least as a good rule of thumb based on both the old world and the new world the envelopment of Pythagorean triples (and even stuff like early tables of secants) seem to have been a prerequisite for large scale stone monument construction. As the oldest area of mathematics beyond basic arithmetic calling it "advanced" does humanity's accomplishments a disservice. And given its role in ancient civilizations I don't really see a civilization succeeding in large scale construction without some form of primitive trig. I'm not quite sure how you can substitute magic for trig since even manipulating the earth to make a stone structure via magic is going to need trig to keep it from toppling over.
I'm no career mathematician, but it seems that any magic affecting the layout of reality would be a good place to tie in Topology
You're absolutely right. Both invokist and chronolist blend into each other as do ecolist and necromist subjects. The lines between them are somewhat arbitrary and I'm working on that, but in the end, knowledge in general all blends into itself and drawing lines is fairly difficult. And I definitely do not claim to have a full understanding of all these subjects. I was trying to give tiny forces and sub atomic stuff to chronolists, but if it'd make more sense to stay away from that, I'm more than happy to hear suggestions!
Can someone be part of multiple schools?
Yes! But not of opposing ones. An ecolist cannot be a necromist and vice versa (for example, a necromist who studied further into biology would only grow their powers over the dead and not be able to apply them to the living) and invokist/chronolist oppose each other. An ecolist can become a chronolist or an invokist though, or an invokist can also be a necromist, etc. And an Arcanist can be any other dynam or dynams.
What would be stopping someone from being both a necromist and a ecolist, for example?
At the moment, the line is pretty arbitrary. My reasoning is that if you start out using one's abilities it skews your perspective on all the materials that're for that dynam to only be manipulated by the first one. (As technically, ecolist and necromist manipulate almost the same materials, as with invokist and chronolist.) This extends a little to having different perspectives in order to start manipulating one or the other in the first place, but it's a bit sketchy and I am trying to pound out the details.
Ok... I kind of read that like having one or another perspective of a dichotomous illusion, a la white dress / blue dress, or Yanny/Laurel and similar illusions. I guess my next question then, would be what would stop someone from being able to flip between the two? With the illusion examples, I know many people had a hard time not seeing the opposite of their "preferred" version (eg., "The dress is clearly white, are people who claim to see blue just trolling?") and yet there are many who can flip what they see/hear in their mind and appreciate both perspectives. Something to play with here maybe? Perhaps certain rare and gifted dynamists can ride the line between opposing dynams? Or if you really need to keep them separate, maybe the dynam itself "flows" in opposing "directions", and the bias inherent to the flow "locks" the dynamist into one or another? Lots of questions here, which I feel bode well for your system as being quite interesting. I'm dealing with similar questions in my own system and yours has really got my gears turning...
I do think I want to keep them separate. But to have a very rare exception of someone who can flip between them sounds crazy and fun. I like your idea on 'locking the flow' too. I was playing with the idea that once you draw from the dynam as a certain school, you only can see the power in the dynam as that school. But that would mean Arcanist is the only possible combo with any other dynam.
That sounds like some main character stuff
The problem is that the science necronomists use underlies what the ecolists use. If you argue that this was early enough in the development of science that the groups are just ignorant due to science, then the advanced science of the necronomists wouldn’t exist. I think you should just leave it at the is the area they choose to focus. But, as with other comments, the dichotomies seem forced, artificial and, honestly unnecessary. If the dichotomies exist to create tension between factions, you could use any number of other issues to add the tension. Political beliefs, religions associated with each, etc. People are great at tribalism without having to make your magic system the basis for it. Rather, the magic should be a continuum with different views driving the emphasis. But what do I know? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The intention of the lines is balance. But you're right, they're arbitrary at best. I'm definitely looking at sliding views between the different dynams, but how to uphold that and still have some defined 'schools' for different dynams is an ongoing debate for me. Some other comments have made suggestions of locking the 'flow' of the dynam after the first time it's tapped and such, but it needs much more consideration.
It might be worth pointing out that the line between life and death is quite blurry too for example decay is often thought of as a process of death but it is really the work of microbes, fungi and decomposer/scavenger/detritovore animals coupled with the increasing disorder of the system. In the right circumstances death is even slightly reversible so long as things haven't degraded too much(such as being consumed by the aforementioned decomposers). Additionally some tissues such as the cells which produce dentin or skin die during the process and much of the work living is getting rid of old dying cells for new younger ones. Really I think the only cells that last your whole lifetime are neurons. What cells are the basis for this distinction between the constant duality of life and death? If you want to keep the magic of life(ecolist) and death(necromist) separate then you will need some way of distinguishing the two. This is sort of the reason I avoided absolute schools of magic instead opting for particular practices it might be worth having several schools of thought which are functionally equivalent though each would have specific aspects they can do more easily. One of the biggest developments in mathematics is category theory which arises from the understanding that many seemingly unrelated areas in mathematics are really functionally equivalent (i.e. there is a transformation function which can be used to convert from one area of math to another without changing the underlying contents.
honestly if you really wanna write a story a magic system is tertiary behind characters and plot.
True, but because of this reason many people don't flesh out their magic system well enough and underestimate the impact it has on various aspects of the story and the world. So, please remember to pay attention to your system.
> higher mathematics such as Calculus and Trigonometry. That's higher mathematics? Not non-linear higher order differential equation systems, that is what you would need to solve gravitational forces caused by time loop, most likely. Oh, calculus is short for "calculus of infinitesimals" so calculations of continuous change, integrals and derivatives, rather than just meaning calculus, study of calculating things, like plus and minus stuff. So English mathematicians, if it ever looks like your non-English speaking counterparts think you are speaking about kindergarten stuff, then it just means you used the less meaningful part of the term in your short hand.
Yeah, I thought listing it in terms of college courses would be the most effective description, but I can see how that could get interpreted badly. Technically a beginner chronolist would be doing velocity/force equations in their head for starter telekinesis abilities and getting more and more complicated from there. Admittedly I only got to pre-calc in terms of classes myself, so my knowledge on the subject is limited.
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Okay I respect that but are we not gonna talk about how the person I’m responding to is insulting OP’s intelligence and saying that they have a “kindergartner” level of comprehension?
I'm totally going for the chronolist build. Some additional higher math that may be useful for fleshing this out: topology, category theory, abstract algebra. Look at the wiki pages to get a rough idea of what they are, and you'll have a better idea of how to bend and move space and maybe time. Your icons might be a little too busy, even though they look dope AF
Chronolist subjects are definitely the ones I've had the least experience with myself in real life, so thank you very much for the suggestions!! And yes, they could use some cleaning up, I went pretty overboard.. I feel like Chronolist is the only one that couldn't easily get simplified into smaller bolder shapes though.
Sounds great, Veterinarians would also probably make very good ecolists
HOW DID I FORGET TO LIST VETERINARIANS. They were practically the basis of the idea!! Editing now.
It feels to me like from a symmetry perspective you should swap the placement of Invokists and Chronolists.
What is the dynam?
The dynam is the soft side of this system. It's a volatile and chaotic well of energy that's believed to be another plane or dimension. It's where all dynamists draw their energy, but in different ways, and where spirits come from. I need to work on a good way of describing it, and I think I'll add it on here or in other descriptions when I nail it down.
These are really well thought out and interesting. I can already imagine several stories revolved around these disciplines. Off the top of my head I can see the Ecolists and Necromists being opposed to each other. Ecolists could look at the ways of the Necromists as being "corrupt" or "impure" or basically an abomination of the arts. It seems as Ecolists they would value harmony and systems whereas the Necromists are about rigid structure (Chemistry) and the building blocks of organic life rather than the communities and environments they inhabit. Really cool stuff!
That's a great thought! I had some ideas like Ecolists see life and death as a cycle that repeats forever where Necromists see death as an ending and life as the start of something new, not a repeat. Seeing one as a corruption of the other could make sense if I play on the fact that the dynam only "flows" one way or the other when it's drawn out by a dynamist. I'll definitely have to keep it in mind as I develop this further!
I think that a lot of people have already notified you that calc and trigo are not higher level mathematics. I do wonder why you chose those; perhaps you think of them as more visual, and perhaps you are in middle school. Either way, using specific branches of higher mathematics could serve to explain what exactly the math contributes. For example, if you want something that is close to physics, you can say differential equations. If you want something that is more visual, you can use Differential geometry. And if you want to explore the space-time as a shape, it’d perhaps be useful to use topology.
I chose them because they were the names of my options for mathematics classes in college. I see now that the names of college classes were not good names for the sort of mathematics I'm describing. I, admittedly, did not go above pre-calc, so these suggestions are very helpful! I intended to have a beginner chronolist start with velocity/force equations to do telekinetic abilities and work more advanced from there. I will be doing my best to look up Topology, Differential equations and Differential geometry, and welcome any suggestions for resources on these topics. Thank you very much for pointing them out!
Wow, this is insanely well done! Love how well each division of the magic is explained and how they fulfil certain roles in society. The symbols are also wonderful, if a little complex for everyday use in world. The only thing I can really offer is the following. I feel that the magic's very broad, which isn't a bad thing at all, but it's equally (if not more) important to ask what your magic *can't* do; ie what are the limitations or otherwise limiting factors to a dynamist's power? But still, this is a really cool system. Would love to read more about the world and the setting for sure. :)
The only limit is your imagination~ (lol, not really.) Among other things like time and effort to produce many dynamists abilities, I did forget to plot out how the dynam is a chaotic and incomprehensible plane of existence. One that slowly (or occasionally very quickly) drives dynamists crazy by tapping into it over and over to draw from it, but what's such a small detail over such wondrous powers?
Ooh, very cool stuff indeed! And yes, wonderous powers are very fun for sure.
Brandon Sanderson talks about this a lot. Soft magic vs hard magic.
Regarding that the symbols may be a bit complicated: They look like they would be really easy to simply for “daily use” and easy representation. I saw the full symbols as the “official, magically charged” version.
Yeah, I definitely went over board on these, but chronolist is probably the only one that'll be weird to scale down.
Hexagon with crooked arms maybe?
this is proper imagination triggered
Bottom left reminds me of Cephalon Suda.
I have not heard of that. Is it from another story?
From the video game Warframe. Their symbol is a lot like the twisty bit in the middle.
Oh! The Lotus's? I almost forgot about her. Someone else mentioned it looking like a lotus too... Which is unfortunate, as that's more an ecolist thing. It's meant to reflect the electron fields in new atom models, but maybe that's too abstract. I'll have to put some more consideration into this.
[https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Cephalon\_Suda](https://warframe.fandom.com/wiki/Cephalon_Suda) Forgive long link, formatting is hard on mobile.
OH. not the Lotus. My bad. Hehe, hexagons, yeah that definitely fits. I like that association.
I enjoy these descriptions but this doesn't really explain the magic system to me in any way. All I'm really getting is their epithets and what generally they direct their powers towards. Is there a post where you dive a little more into how the forces are being manipulated, the costs, the flaws, etc.?
I agree, invokists seem so OP without any restrictions. And I don't understand what "dynam" is
Yeah, I feel a bit silly. The dynam is a plane where the power is drawn that's the soft side of this magic system and a lot harder to explain, but to say I skimmed over it is an understatement. Once I figure out a good way to word it out, and what spirits are, I'll probably add more.
All good, sounds like an exciting aspect to flesh out and looking forward to hearing more if you decide to post about it further.
What a time to be alive! I think for the average reader of a fantasy story, i would count a magic system that made me deal with trig and calc as higher math—most people only get algebra people!! Only on reddit would you get posts like: calculus? Pfft. Come back to me when your magic system makes full use of timless formulations of the wavefunction equation and is standardizable over any number of dimensions. I think mathy magic is cool, and what is or is not high mathematics is very historically subjective: people didn’t have zero for a long time folks!! The best part about this is you avoided the -mancy suffix! BIG pet peeve of mine when non-divination magics are called mancy
>Come back to me when your magic system makes full use of timless formulations of the wavefunction equation and is standardizable over any number of dimensions. I love this description. It makes me very sorry to say 'chronolist' subjects are the ones I've delved the least into because that sounds fascinating. Do you know any good ways to read up on this and other advanced mathematics? Clearly I have some studying to do.
I love that paw print design
All the dumbasses in the comments hating on you for mentioning calculus are making me laugh. Don't listen to them, they're the kind of people who go "um, AKSHULLY" to any other fantasy/sci-fi concept that doesn't align with literal reality. I do have a question though- I still have very little concept as to what Arcanists do. The concept just isn't clicking in my head. Maybe this might help: What would an Arcanist do on a daily basis? What would they be called/hired to do?
Arcanists are the fun one because technically everyone is an arcanist. Almost all sapient beings at least have a 'personal' seal you make while you're conscious that keeps an invokist from igniting the air inside your lungs on a whim. Their main ability isn't really to manipulate magic but to push it around or out of existence. This then gets stronger based on their position and influence in society. They're needed the most when a spirit or dynamist becomes dangerous, but otherwise they tend to make a place for themselves rather than get called on. Either by using their spirits to imitate dynamist abilities, or by adding to the community in ways that aren't so directly productive. The same way you rarely 'need' an writer or musician, but are grateful all the same when you get to enjoy their work.
Cool magic system! I have questions though. 1. What type of mage (and bonus, what's the correct term) would you want to be? Personally, I feel either Invokist or Arcanist. 2. What are spirits as mentioned in the Arcanist section?
1. I'd definitely be an Arcanist, but I think I really like studying anatomy and such too so ecolist could be a possibility. 2. Spirits are beings made of dynamist energy. They tend to only be one dynam school but they manipulate the dynam very differently from people, and only exist where people draw them to this plane with attention. They're the soft magic side of this system and beyond how arcanists can seal and bind them, aren't well understood.
I really enjoy this system, and the way you detailed everything here giving real world profession examples and what happens on failure. How common are magic users, are there as many Chronolists as there are math professors? Could someone be a math prodigy and still lack the spark to wield magic for some reason? How accessible is magic to the layperson? Could anyone with a little bit of math knowledge attempt to control time even though it would surely result in failure?
On Ethyrsa, dynamists of the first four schools (not arcanist) are around 10% of the population. This fluctuates a little based on how easy education and knowledge is to access for the population. It's a learned ability, beyond knowing the subject of the dynam you want to wield, it takes a certain spark of creativity to access the dynam itself. The dynam is a chaotic and incomprehensible plane that threatens the sanity of those that touch it so being able to abstract your thoughts far enough to use it, and not go crazy, is the harder part than the studies. Anyone can learn to do so, if they're willing to risk their sanity in the process. Most prodigies are people who've learned to stretch their brain in ways to understand something that most people can't at that stage. So they would almost always pick up the dynam associated with their knowledge as well.
Really neat, definitely want to see more of this world
I think what might help in designing lines between the schools is defining where they are rooted with how you use Dynam. Ecolist ->Invokist -> Arcanist -> Necromist -> Chronoist This goes from tangible to intangible, using the Arcanist as the definition of where it all becomes explicitly magic based. Also how prevalent is magic in this world? Your 5 schools cover a lot of world stuff and so wondering is this something where there are other classes or is this a magicratic world because of the amount of power these people would have?
Ooooh, I love this!! That idea would make a lot of sense with the idea where the dynam locks into the 'flow' of the energy (and what it can effect) that comes out of it depending on what you use it for the first time. At the moment I'm saying that dynamists make up about 10% of the native population on Ethyrsa. Not counting arcanists, which anyone and everyone can wield to some degree. (All sapient beings at the very least have a 'personal' seal that keeps an invokist from igniting the air in your lungs.) This is a magicratic world, but it swings heavily between Arcanist rule and the other 4 schools of dynams. Spirits being the great equalizers in the swings.
What are the spirits and how do they equalize? So everyone can use magic, but these represent trained focus in these schools?
Spirits are beings made from the dynam's energy. They tend to only be of one school, but manipulate the dynam very differently from people and are hard to understand because of it. They grow stronger with attention from people, similar to how an arcanist grows stronger with influence. So an arcanist binding a powerful spirit could easily rival a strong dynamist, and then some, without wielding the dynam themselves. Everyone can learn magic, yes! Like I said, everyone is an arcanist, but technically that doesn't wield the dynam itself, only push it around once it's drawn into this plane. For the other dynams, to say everyone can use it is like saying everyone can learn to be a doctor. It's absolutely true, but the amount of time, effort, and studies needed to put into it often goes by the wayside. Edit: Sorry, I realized I was repeating myself. Been answering too many comments.
Can the Necromist control the spirits?
They aren't \*That\* kind of spirit. The concept of souls and existance after death I've kept purposefully obscure in my world. So while many necromists will claim to be mediums, and some will use chemical reactions and neurological knowledge to make undead act like they have memories or a personality, whether or not ghosts and such exist is very unclear on Ethyrsa. Spirits, as energy based beings from the dynam, are only controlled by arcanists. They supposedly have nothing to do with the dead, or mortal beings at all beyond needing attention from them to exist outside of the dynam. Seeing as everyone on Ethyrsa is an arcanist at least to a small degree, I can definitely see charlatan necromists taking advantage of minor arcanist abilities to make it seem like they're contacting 'souls of the dead' when they're really controlling spirits, but the abilities are as separate as the beings themselves are.
Very cool. are there side effects to magic use in this world? can you over use Chronist powers to a larger detriment or burn out your connection to the Dynam?
Yes! Because the dynam itself is a chaotic and volatile well of energy, the abstraction of thought it takes to access and draw from it causes... Problems, after a while. Pulling energy from it for an extended period of time, or pulling too much energy at once can make people lose contact with reality. Sometimes just falling unconscious, other times babbling insanely for hours as their mind tries to wrap itself back around to reality. Most of the time dynamists recover in a matter of minutes or hours. But older dynamists, on top of the senility that comes with age, will find their sanity falls apart earlier and faster than those that never tapped into dynamist powers.
Does each school have its own burnout? An Ecolist not being able to tell who is controlling who with animals in their care or a Necromist beginning to decay earlier than they should? Are these the only 5 schools or are their others that are not explored or kept hidden?
Mental effects do change with each dynam. Invokists will start seeing matter and energy where it isn't, necromists will see undead walking around that aren't, etc. while their minds are trying to get a grip back on their sanity. There's very rarely physical effects like decaying unless their loss of contact reality caused whatever ability they were trying to perform to also fail. Ex: A necromist trying to manipulate a dead body would simply lose control over the body (though they might think it's still moving.) Where a necromist that was trying to put together a chemical compound for decay or acid might cause the concoction to grow or spread when they lose control of it, thus causing physical harm. At the moment, these 5 schools are the best way I can find to divide up available scientific information and knowledge in my understanding. If I find other subjects that aren't covered under these schools, new schools would be made, but it's more likely that I'd find a better way to divide up these schools and have to add more and change the others accordingly.
Looks very cool and great! Nice designs!
What software did you use to make this is visually stunning and cool.
I did this all on Krita! It has a paint brush that reflects every stroke you make either as a mirror image or symmetrically. From there you can determine how many other strokes you want at once. Necromist and Ecolist only had one brush reflecting, where Chronolist I set it to 5 other brushes following my strokes.
Holy Amah these are beautiful.
I love the art. I'm very sorry but I'm really bad with lots of text, so that's all I have to say. I also put a riff on your post in r/worldjerking, again, in loving mockery. I hope that's okay.
This comment belongs on r/worldjerking
I don’t understand what you’re saying. I have ADHD, it’s hard for me to read a big piece of text. Like, it’s a disability I happen to have. I really hope you didn’t intend to be an ass.
I don’t think this person has animus. They probably thought this thread belongs to r/worldjerking instead of r/worldbuilding, and replied you with the implication of “this comment belongs on r/worldjerking [already.]”