This and other mystic resources are gathered in my Magic Directory for you to explore.
Find more worldbuilding content in my Codex Directory.
As explained in this note on the widespread use of magic, magic is prevalent in the Known World, and generations of magic scholars have compiled their observations to create the Magic Codex, a functioning taxonomy of magic.
This post series corresponds with Magic Codex Chapter 6 - Rare Magics.
Rare magic is a heightened form of natural magic, a class comprised of magics that arise instinctively in children and are mastered by repetition. Every race has a standard pair of two purviews for each branch of natural magic, resulting in three total pairings and six total purviews for individuals of that race.
Check out the Magic of the Known World for more resources!
Individual aptitudes for a specific magic power vary per person and are more generally defined by race. Though minor deviations from the racial standard are not uncommon, most people's abilities will fall within a normal range from poor to excellent, and each magic for a specific race can be given a raking, often called a score, of 1-5 as follows:
On rare occasion, an individual may be born with a magic aptitude even higher than the excellent score of 5. While this heightened ability can be exceptional or even legendary, the individual suffers a substantial weakening of his other two branches of magic power as a result.
SCORE APTITUDE PREVALENCE 1 Poor less than 10% of the population 2 Fair less than 30% of the population 3 Decent about 50% of the population 4 Good over 70% of the population 5 Excellent over 90% of the population
In my Tales of the Known World saga, only those exceedingly rare individuals born with a legendary score of 7 are capable of wielding rare magic.
SCORE APTITUDE OTHER MAGICS 6 Exceptional Decent/Poor or Fair/Fair 7 Legendary Decent/absent entirely
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The Known World is rife with magic. Over time, scholars have compiled all these magics and magical effects into a comprehensive taxonomy. For more about the role and inner workings of magic, check out the complete Magic Codex above.
Within the codex, the term rare magic is located at (6.0) and is defined as:
rare magic (N) A highly uncommon deviation within an individual's array of magic powers. Also the extended purview said deviation affords the individual.
The term rare magic can refer to two different things.
First is a rare distribution of powers in a person's natural magic array, resulting in a drastically heightened ability and an extended purview over a related phenomenon (as in, That person has rare magic, or, People with rare magic lose an entire branch of other magics).
Second is the related phenomenon itself (as in, Shape-shifting is a rare magic, or, Her rare magic is controlling the weather).
Depending on the type of rare magic, this related phenomenon may be considered an extension of an existing purview, such plant magic extending to support a whole forest being created. Or, the related phenomenon may be considered a new purview all its own, such as control of nourishment being neither a flavor magic or a light magic.
Either way, the related phenomenon forms the foundation of a person's magic abilities, and all other magics depend on the prior development of this rare magic purview.
Check out the Magic of the Known World for more resources!
Often, individuals with rare magic display incredible power at a very young age. These powers typically manifest in obvious ways, drawing early attention from the local community. As a child with rare magic grows older and more powerful, his notoriety spreads to neighboring communities, and the local government takes notice.
Because of their grave potential for mass destruction, young people with rare magic are typically conscripted by their state or national government, which has the resources to devote to their mitigation, training, and education. Most rare magic users throughout history grew up in the service of a royal family or ruling power, and the exceptions were often hermits or outlaws.
There are three types of rare magic user, depending on the user's cardinal magic. A rare magic user is known as either an elemental, a sensate, or a magus. Note that rare magics are organized by their users, not by the magics they cast.
There is also a rough correlation between the frequency of rare magic users and population size. Surprisingly, smaller populations produce a greater proportion of rare magic users than larger populations with the same pairing scores. Scholars believe that it is the actual presence or absence of other rare magic users that influences frequency, as opposed to a percentage of the population.
That's it for this post! Up Next: The four types of elemental rares...
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