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ediciones
Diferencia entre revisiones de «Leyes de la magia de Sanderson»
Rewrote most of the page. Same info, but more clearly written, and more logically formatted.
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; [[bws: sandersons-first-law|Sanderson's First Law]]
: '''An author's ability to solve conflict with magic is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic.'''
If characters (especially viewpoint characters) can solve a problem by using magic, the reader should be made to understand how that magic works. Otherwise, the magic constitudes a 'deus ex machina.'
Ideally, the magic is explained to the reader before it is used to reslove a conflict. Much like a sword or a large pile of money, magic is a useful resource. Understanding the resources available to a character helps the reader understand the character's actions. It avoids questions like, "Where did he get that?" or "How did he do that?"
"Mysterious magic" (or "Soft Magic"), which has no clearly defined rules, should not solve major problems, although it may create them.
Thus magic systems, like the science in Sci-Fi, can be categorized as Hard or Soft.
* Soft Magic
** Magic is included in the stories
** Magic
* Hard Magic
** Magic is a
** Magic
** The capabilities and limitations of magic are precisely defined. Skilled magic-users are often those with an advanced understanding of magic's underlying principles.
* Brandon places J.K. Rowling right in the middle of Soft and Hard magic, noting that her magic has specific rules that are followed, but that the reader is never sure of the full capabilities.
; [[bws: sandersons-second-law|Sanderson's Second Law]]
: '''Limitations > Power'''
The limitations of a magic system are more interesting than its capabilities. What the magic ''can't'' do is more interesting than what it ''can''.
The limits of magic (including the ''cost'' of using it) are a source of conflict. They provide challenges for the characters to solve, and problems to overcome. If magic can simply and easily solve any problem, a story becomes boring. But when magic has a cost, or when it can only be used in certain situations, it becomes a source of ''dramatic tension''.
** What makes Superman's stories compelling is not his powers, but his weakness, kryptonite, and his code of ethics.▼
Brandon offers Superman as an example. Superman's numerous and virtually unlimited superpowers make him boring; he can easily defeat any opponent, and solve many problems in the blink of an eye. A bad guy appears, superman quickly defeats him, and then the story is over. But when the bad guy wears armor made of Kryptonite, suddenly he poses a threat. Superman faces a challenge. There is conflict, and dramatic tension.
One might also pit Superman against political corruption, or an emotional threat, like a betrayal. These are problems he can't solve with his powers.
▲
Brandon also proposes that limitations can make a magic system more original and exciting. Almost every conceivable magical power has already been used in fiction, but applying new limitations can make a power seem novel again. For example, all the powers of Allomancy can be found in popular comic books, but the need to burn ingested metals is an intriguing and inventive twist.
▲** Limitation - what the magic cannot do.
** Weakness - what the power is vulnerable to.
** Cost - the inherent cost of using magic.
** Ability - who can use magic, and how they acquire the distinction.
** Other (at the creative author's discretion)
This rule is designed to keep systems of magic from sprawling out of control, while ensuring that magic systems are as deeply developed as possible.
"A brilliant magic system for a book is less often one with a thousand different powers and abilities -- and is more often a magic system with relatively few powers that the author has considered in depth."
* Magic is an integral part of worldbuilding.
** A magic system interacts with many different parts of the world -- domestic life, industry, warfare, religion. How does it affect these things? How might it shape cultures and social mores?
** Any magic can be used in many different ways, and solve many different problems. Realistically, people will explore every possibility.
Brandon offers several specific recommendations:
* Extrapolate
** Think about how the changes you've made to the world will impact the world as a whole.
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