Magic System Idea I'm working out:
Magic shouldn't be an MP bar, but HP. It should be powered by your actual life force. Go too far, and you run out of energy, and you simply die. Your heart stops beating, lacking the energy to do so.
And overlying Architecture - Whatever method is commonly used for spell casting should be an overlay created in the distant past by unknown people. The Magic should be able to directly used, without needing to know the specific incantations or mechanizations, by those who are skilled enough to utilize it - But this is far more dangerous.
Structure - There shouldn't be any random ass words that just do a grand effect. No, it should be a structured spell. EG Instead of saying "Light" you would say "Make a Light appear at the end of my wand until I tell it to stop, or I am at less than 20% of my energy"
If you forget the "tell it to stop/20%" part, it will continue until you die - Unless you think to specifically say "Remove the light at the end of my wand" - Which will take far more power, as it's a second spell, and not a continuation of the first.
Training your Physical Body is a prime way to increase your magical output - But so is practice. Casting Magic will burn your fat reserves in a hurry, but go too far too often and you'll start burning muscle for energy too.
In this lore, a common thing for Mages to carry in their backpack is Energy Drinks, but far worse for you than anything found on earth - 4x more Caffeine and basically sugar in a can.
Raw Energy in an incredibly quickly digested form.
#Magic #MagicSystem #headcanon
