Greetings in Him! I am working on one of my main characters, the magic, if it is magic at all! It is usually fire, frost, and lightning. The main character releases this from two stones (called rune-stones). They are carried in a satchel on the character's side. The character--since my character is named Malladryl, I'll just use her as an example!--Malladryl uses these in defending herself, and her fellows. She can also switch from defending to healing, she can heal them during battle, (which, is quite frequent!). Do you all see any holes, any questions? Helpful criticism?

Magic in any form is a hole, the trick is to prevent it from widening itself.

So long as it doesn't feel cheap, bring it on. If you write it well, it will be good. Writing magic well usually requires limitations, such as certain wounds be unhealable, or needing to start healing soon after the wound is made, or you have to be within a certain distance, etc, but all of those are perfectly optional so long as it is all written believably.

Agreed. Magic in any form is a hole. For me magic is hard, I don't know why.

I wouldn't think it to be cheap, but I haven't delved into too much of the magic yet.

In the book, she uses it just in self defense, she hasn't used it to heal yet. When she uses it to heal, she is able to cure some wounds, she cannot heal fatal wounds. When she heals, it is mostly in-combat, (Have you played LOTRO.com? Lord Of The Rings Online?). When her fellows' morale goes down, she is able to heal them up, and when they take damage and get weaker, she is able to keep them going. Does that help any?

Nope, never played LOTR online. If I did I would not be on HW because 98.65% of my free time would be spent on LOTR online.
As long as you have rules for their use, that's all there needs to be. One question though, how can magic stones help someone's morale?

The stones really have no use; the magic is in Malladryl, she can't just zap it out of her though. (How do I explain it?) They are like a generator, they push out the energy stored in her. Does that answer your question?

I think I understand. The stones are like catalysts and outlets, right? The [insert whatever is the beginning stage of the magic] (is it like willpower?) to use the magic is in the character, but the stones are what are needed to turn that into magic and disperse it to its required use, right?

Hmm...also, where do the runestones come from? Is it enough to simply know a rune, and carve in into some rock you find on the path? Or is there magic of a different sort involved in their production?

Hello Sir Philip, I also play LOTRO and, well, this seems a bit to much like the Rune Keeper class....the satchel is fine, I can see someone using that, but....The whole thing with the lightning, fire and frost and the damage Vs. healing is a lot like the rune keeper. I know it's a sweet idea and I've been tempted to use it to, but one of the advantages of fantasy it's potential for new ideas.
I would also encourage you to be as original as possible, the future of fantasy lies not in the mind of the last great writer but in the mind of the next great writer.
Sorry if this comes off as discouraging, just trying to help.

Of course, I understand that.


What server do you play on? (:

I play on Brandywine, how about you?

Darn, hahah, I play on Arkenstone.

Well, I'm pretty sure it's been used in places before LOTRO though.

What ways can you change things to make them unique? Do you have any ideas for that?

I don't know, maybe have the power be within the person instead of through stones?

Okay. How do they get that power?

What if she looses them? What will she do?

In my writings so far, they get it from their ancestors, but they cannot use them yet, until their true inner power is brought out by being injected with a plant called The Verix.

If they lose it, they die.

That is a cool idea. Does she have to keep in constant physical contact with the stones?

Okay.

Nope, I'm not quite sure if I am using stones or not yet, but no, she doesn't, because the power is within HER, and the stones are what she uses to control the power out of her.

Very interesting, Justin.