I'm developing a system of powers or magic skills for a new story. It's only going to be a novella, so i don't want to go too far into the world building but I also want it too make sense.

It's genetic based ability in manipulation, and usually pretty low power. The powers vary, but inclused some elemental type pwers and a few others. What I know for cetain is Air, Water, Earth, Temperature, Emotion, and an odd one which is some kind of aether power, but I'm calling binding, because it's good of that.

A person can have two different skills, or double of one. (or be a regualr person who has the whole lot switched off.) This means the powers can work in combination, though that only works well with some with what I currently have worked out. Air and Temperature manipualtion work well to cause combustion, Water and teperature make ice or steam (which then is outside the water power), and so on from that.

I'm not going to lay aout all my details now (because I should go to sleep), but I can provide further details. There's one main thing I'm stuck on. Earth powers. What are they?

Earth is sometimes power to burrow through rock or cause earthquakes, and at other times it's related to plants and growing things. Plants doesn't fit well with some other restrictions I've made, and making things grow faster is really in a different league to simply moving it arounds and changing its shape. Yet with the low level of power and short range I have, I can't see anything particularly interesting to do with this power.

I know I would like to have Temperature and Earth work together for a little bit of metal working, and that it would be nice to indirectly work on plants. Improving soil perhaps could be donw through a combintion of Earth and either Air or Water. (Probably both, which means there would be team work happening!)

This specific skill won't show up much, so i don't have a specific plot requirement for it to do anything, but I do want to know what it could do.

Hmm...Earth can provide strength, ground/resist other powers, fix structures, heal.

Having the powers work together is really clever - I love the idea. (It's kinda similar to Avatar: The Last Airbender world.)

I like Domici's suggestion of providing strength, fixing structures and so on. Earth and temperature could go into metal working, glass-making (?), maybe lava, and intense cold could shatter rocks/building/etc.

Air and water could make rain/snow?

The earth's core is also the source of its Magnetic field and 'lodestone' is a naturally magnetic iron ore, so magnetism could also play into Earth Powers.

The traditional "earth, air fire, water" are actually based on the three states of matter (solid, liquid, gas) of physics, plus the thing that makes the difference (energy). So "earth" could have anything to do with manipulating solids.

In the Tales of Alvin the Maker, magic was called a 'knack' and one use of a knack was carving a grinding stone from a cliff face. The Maker saw a new pattern that people were cutting into the face of the millstones and when they struck the rock to break it free from the cliff, the face naturally cleaved into the pattern he desired ... so exact control of how a rock breaks.

Interesting thoughts, but it doesn't quite fit with what I'm going for.

I'm going for more literal, physical earth powers, over thematically earthen powers. Which is what most of those feel like.

I like the idea of healing, but given the potential lethality of elemental powers, I'm making living things and/or organic matter resistant. Or maybe just partially resistant. I've already got something else that stop water manipulators from messing with people's blood.

I love the magnetism idea, and controlling how rocks break. And if you can pull it apart, I think you sould be able to put it together so I'll do that too.

Glass-working and metal-working will both be there as Heat/Earth combined skills. Now I really wish I had more room to explore this. I may have to write something else.

Now, I've got one other main thing I want to figure out. I want some substance that a tower could be built from that resists any manipulation. Wood might, but I don't think it's strong enough to withstand damage that could be done to it.


Another idea that I think I'll use is about how the powers can become stronger. Good family ties can increase your focus, and to a small degree, your power. Also people with an emotional connection can work together to create combined effect. The stronger the connection, the better it will work.
In contrast, negative and broken family relationships can cause diminished power. Therefore, bad people are less likely to try this, and may instead turn to evil methods of gaining more power. The skills themselves aren't evil, but it's not difficult for someone to stray that way.