D&D 5E What Does Your Magic Look Like

doctorbadwolf · Jul 6, 2019

Recently, one of the fellow players in my only game I don’t DM ran a one-shot involving a ride on a magical giant flying squirrel and his old man caretaker.

In the setup for that, he asked us questions to set the scene and lead in to the adventure. Things like, “what is your ritual at the end of the day?” And “What is your speaking stones conversation with your family like, what do you tell them? What is that relationship like?”

For my character, the pre-sleep ritual involves some simple alchemy, and he asked me what that looks like, what tools I’m using, what I’m making, etc.

Then he asked if I’d planned on scribing a spell into my spellbook, bc I’d mentioned that previously, and I said that was the plan, so he asked me how I arrange my space and where I keep my materials and all that.

Then, he asked the really interesting question.

“What does your spell inscription actually look like?”

I was delighted! I explained that my spells look like code and equations and diagrams, with instructions, similar to what an inventor might take in to the patent office in a movie. Like a mix of schematic, hermetic diagram, calculus work, and instruction manual form something very complex and advanced.

Then as we progressed he came back to me and asked what it looks like when I focus my thoughts and bend my will toward magical study, and as a Bladesinger I was inspired to describe it in terms of how my actual magic looks from my perspective.

My Bladesong isn’t magical shielding, it’s an Augmented Reality overlay showing me a dynamic layout of all creatures and moving objects, with boundaries and such for obstacles and annotations of size and distance, and intersecting lines as these many circles move, intersect, and change in various ways. I dodge an arrow because I can see the opportunity for a shot against me before the arrow is loosed, and I step to the side, shifting my angle of approach to my next target.

In rituals, I create, piece by piece, the most basic representation of this moving diagram in my mind. An encompassing circle, containing a small central circle, which is flanked by three other circles, and 3 lines which run perpendicular but don’t intersect within the circle. From there, I build the rest of the ritual geometry.

And now I wonder, what does your magic look like?

Imaculata · Jul 6, 2019

As a DM I often ask my players to describe their own spells. For example, when one of my players casted the Many Jaws spell, I asked him: "What do the jaws look like?". He them described them as looking like piranhas flying through the air. I then also asked him: "And are you summoning it from a nearby source of water?", and he described them as being summoned from a nearby river.

In my experience players love adding their own flavor to the look of a spell. They love describing what kind of gestures and incantations their character makes too.

Nevvur · Jul 6, 2019

Not that my players lack for creativity, but if they're imagining such things at the table, they haven't shared. Could be worth my while to chat with them about it. The closest thing that's come up at this time is our e-blaster warlock, who uses a bow to shoot force arrows from an ethereal string. Mechanically, it's just a staff focus and eldritch blast, but it jives well with his demon hunter concept.

There's only one spellcaster PC I've played whose magic I really went into detail with. Oath of the Ancients Paladin. His magic was not sourced from within, but through his relationship with an archfey. Thematically closer to a warlock. I was joining a campaign in progress, the DM started me at level 8 with mithril plate. Covered in etchings of trees, ivy, etc. We said it was a gift from his 'patron,' and it reacted to the paladin's magic use. The etchings would writhe and twist anytime he invoked magic, with specific spells having more unique effects. His sword burst forth small showers of golden leaves when he used smite. That sort of thing.

His 'inner world' while casting amounted to getting spiritually laid by his hawt archfey patron. Immensely pleasurable. When he fought, it was with an expression of unbridled joy.

Richards · Jul 6, 2019

Nothing quite so involved with my players, but my son once ran a human wizard with a parrot familiar. His magic missiles took the shape of the parrot's claws striking the wizard's enemies.

Johnathan

BlivetWidget · Jul 6, 2019

If you want to "play wizard" you just tell your dm that your character does something super cool. If you want to be a wizard, you begin by going to your component shelf and acquiring some bones.

Haha, I joke! Everyone knows you don't actually need the bones to record your spells! But they are comforting, so keep a few with you anyhow.

To scribe the spells, you need to begin with the formula appropriate to your casting system. I use Reticulata notation, so I use the Reticulata Formula: Script = %targets not self?% (school) |casting time| [requirements] !prime resonance (based on elemental effect, or school again if not distinct; and note that elemental mixtures are the reverse of compounds)! /balance A/ \balance B\ :range: #area of effect# <attack, save> {duration} &targets self?&

Then I consult my aspect chart:

And from there, I consult the appropriate tables and equations to determine the proper symbol for each aspect. What you might call Mage Armor, I call Abjurer's Armor as a useful mnemonic (since the resonant value is "j" and I enjoy alliteration).

It is then a fairly straightforward matter to map the linear script on to a hexagram (around the outside, then in around the center).

And you're done. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. All you had to do was dedicate your life to understanding the fundamental properties of the multiverse.

Blue · Jul 6, 2019

I am all for this as both player and DM. I often ask for descriptions, especially the first time something comes up like a new spell, or when something awesome happens. Note that I do this for martial characters as well, given them a chance to pose and give a description of their chain of moves.

Recently had my halfling bard hit 7th and get polymorph. He was legitimately the worst in the party when it comes to melee, dishing it out or taking it, but he was fearless (inspired from the halfling racial feature) he'd get into it often, with the rest of the party bailing him out without looking like they were doing so to save his feelings. Most of his spells were crowd control, he really wasn't a big damage dealer. Also, he had a thing that Hospitality was Sacred, part of his halfling upbringing. When NPCs offered us food or drink and others were worried about poison, he always accepted.

Well, as you expect from that run up, a powerful enemy posing as an ally tried to poison us. My halfling was okay, and started stalking toward them to do (minuscule) bodily harm. But while heading there he was intoning these really discordant notes. But with each step, it was like reality itself was changing to make those notes into a melody, twisting into a local new shape where this was beautiful but powerful music. By the time he finished stalking over, the music was triumphant and the twists of reality had turned him from a three and a half foot tall pipsqueak to a gargantuan size Giant Ape who then proceeded to Hulk Smash!

And that was the party's introduction to my polymorph spell.

Adamant · Jul 6, 2019

The closest I have gotten to this is with my kobold sorcerer Ixen. He's pretty detailed in general, having been kicked out of his home during the famine referenced in the AL documentation for volo's guide. He has wings that unfortunately don't work until 14th level, but the main thing is whenever he uses magic you can see fire in his eyes, and really powerful spells(highest slot available OR 6th level and higher once I get them) make him burst into illusory flames for a brief period. It makes it really hard to hide and use spells, but practically speaking using a spell would give me away anyway. Other than that, AL doesn't really have that many descriptive players, although there are some funny ones.

Satyrn · Jul 6, 2019

I don't have an answer.

I'm at a point in the cycle of my gaming where the default flavor of the game is good enough and I just don't care to flesh it out, even if the default favor is non-existent.

But still, your Bladesong description is awesome!

MNblockhead · Jul 7, 2019

[MENTION=6912801]BlivetWidget[/MENTION] Have you thought of putting together these for all the PHB spells and selling as PDF in DMs Guild?

These would make great handouts.

BlivetWidget said:
It is then a fairly straightforward matter to map the linear script on to a hexagram (around the outside, then in around the center).

View attachment 107436

And you're done. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. All you had to do was dedicate your life to understanding the fundamental properties of the multiverse.

Dannyalcatraz · Jul 7, 2019

And now I wonder, what does your magic look like?

Depends on the game, campaign, character and group. Sometimes I don’t bother thinking about it because it won’t matter to anyone.

Other times I really get into it, and all of the magic a PC has goes through a certain lens. Whatever doesn’t fit, doesn’t get used, regardless of whether it’s “optimal” or not.