Natural vs Unnatural
What is Natural Magic?:
Natural magic is magic that exists naturally within an object. It is not given or bestowed to the user but is apart of them from the day they are born. An example of this would be a mage's 'natural' magical prowess/talent.
What are the Pros and Cons of Natural Magic?:
Pro/Con: Natural magic on its own already sets limits to a character. Character tends to be restricted to their natural talents, excelling in one art over another. Generally, the balance between their skill in different arts of magic remains mildly the same with maybe minor changes.
Pro/Con: Something that can swing either way is that in this case, magic users tend to have access to the study of a variety of different kinds of magic, or Archetypes. This can either be a pain to keep track of and potentially cause plot issues or it can be the perfect blessing to add variety to the table. Depends on your POV.
What is Unnatural Magic?:
Unnatural magic is magic given to someone who did not possess the ability to use magic previously. A blessing from a God or Goddess to use a single spell or an effect caused by an object within your possession. Anything that allows someone to use magic without them possessing a natural ability to use the magic without said object.
What are the Pros and Cons of Unnatural Magic?:
Pro/Con: Unnatural magic is a lot more loose with the rules. Because the magic is taken from an external source, the abilities gained can be more random and do not need to be classified into archetypes. Though the option is still there to use archetypes. Too much randomness can destroy a plot though so tread with care.
Pro: Unnatural magic tends to be more flexible, able to merge and cross with other magic systems without causing too much havoc. Unless the goal is to cause havoc xD This makes the magic easier to adapt to different situations, often allowing objects to possess several abilities for the user to use that can vary across the archetypes.
Pro: These types of systems tend to be easier to establish rules and limitations. With the lack of extreme complexity in most cases, finding ways to limit an object or ability is less difficult.
Can these two be merged together?:
Most definitely. A prime example of this balance is Harry Potter. Each spell belongs to an archetype of magic and each wizard is born with some natural talent. They use magic through objects that boost power and other objects can give you abilities.
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