Thoughts on each elemental magic in my story?

I feel like it’s unbalanced.

Global Info

Most elements (except fire and lightning) can be described as controlling the position and rotation of certain molecules. Those elements (mass: water, earth, wind, life) can’t create nor destroy matter. They can only control preexisting matter or convert from one form to another.

No two magical elements can have control over the same atomic element or compound. Subject to change, not final.

I would say that most elements have 3 “tools” or base functions, which are:

  • Move (move matter around)
  • Query (get how much matter is in a certain area)
  • Transform (change one form of matter to another, must follow the law of mass conservation)

For the “mass” magics, you could surround yourself or other things in it and move it.

Fire and lightning are very unfortunate in this aspect. They have zero mobility/moving capabilities. For example, you can’t (or could barely) use fire nor lightning magic to run faster. However, they have much higher power and destructive capability. For example, if a beginner water magic user (called mages) could fire a water stream at 6 meters, fire and lightning could do it at 15.

Water

Control H2O molecules. Also, you can control ice and steam.

Lmao it can only control 1 chemical.

Earth

Earth magic allows you to control different chemicals in rocks and metals.

Non-exhaustive list of chemicals it can control:
image
(no artificial elements for image above + there might be something missing)
…and a bunch more…

Fire

Violates the law of energy conservation, generate and control fire and heat.

Wind

Control different chemicals in the air.

Non-exhaustive list of chemicals it can control:

  1. O2
  2. O3
  3. N2
  4. H2
  5. CO2
  6. CH4
  7. Hydrogen
  8. Helium
  9. Nitrogen
  10. Oxygen
  11. Neon
  12. Argon
  13. Krypton
  14. Xenon
  15. Radon
Lightning

Violates the law of energy conservation, generate and control lightning and electricity.

Life

Control a giant array of different biomolecules, such as different proteins or plant-based drugs or natural toxins. Also, you could still manipulate dead organisms because they’re still made of biomolecules (assuming they haven’t decomposed or rot).

Life magic has way more fine control that other magics, but is slightly weaker in raw destructive power.

Aside from the 3 “tools” or “base functions”, it has 2 more:

  • Stimulate/Exhibit
  • Depress/Inhibit

I’m not sure who defined what stimulation and depression is in terms of life magic, but it seems too… arbitrary and human-defined? Nevermind, let Naruhati, the god of life, decide that.

I don’t think I have to explain these to you.

Non-exhaustive list of chemicals it can control (i asked chatgpt to generate this shit, things might be wrong or inaccurate and i handpicked some):

  1. Glucose (C6H12O6)
  2. ATP (Adenosine triphosphate)
  3. DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid)
  4. RNA (Ribonucleic acid)
  5. Ethanol (C2H5OH)
  6. Acetic acid (CH3COOH)
  7. Citric acid (C6H8O7)
  8. Lactic acid (C3H6O3)
  9. Urea (CO(NH2)2)
  10. Serotonin (C10H12N2O)
  11. Dopamine (C8H11NO2)
  12. Acetylcholine (C7H16NO2)
  13. Melatonin (C13H16N2O2)
  14. Histamine (C5H9N3)
  15. Insulin
  16. Glucagon
  17. Cholesterol
  18. Phospholipids
  19. Hemoglobin
  20. Hemocyanin
  21. Chlorophyll
  22. Adrenaline (Epinephrine)
  23. Noradrenaline (Norepinephrine)
  24. Prostaglandins
  25. Endorphins
  26. Glutathione
  27. Proline
  28. Glycine
  29. Cysteine
  30. Phenylalanine
  31. Tryptophan
  32. Tyrosine
  33. Serine
  34. Threonine
  35. Valine
  36. Leucine
  37. Isoleucine
  38. Histidine
  39. Methionine
  40. Arginine
  41. Asparagine
  42. Glutamine
  43. Aspartic acid
  44. Glutamic acid
  45. Alanine
  46. Lysine
  47. Hydroxyproline
  48. Collagen
  49. Elastin
  50. Keratin
  51. Myoglobin
  52. Estrogen
  53. Testosterone
  54. Progesterone
  55. Cortisol
  56. Thyroxine (T4)
  57. Triiodothyronine (T3)
  58. Calcitonin
  59. Parathyroid hormone
  60. Oxytocin
  61. Vasopressin
  62. Gastrin
  63. Cholecystokinin (CCK)
  64. Ghrelin
  65. Leptin
  66. Adiponectin
  67. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)
  68. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)
  69. Interleukins
  70. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
  71. Nitric oxide (NO)
  72. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S)
  73. Chitin
  74. Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
  75. Renin
  76. Ethylene (C2H4)
  77. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)
  78. Abscisic acid (ABA)
  79. Gibberellins
  80. Cytokinins
  81. Auxins
  82. Jasmonic acid
  83. Salicylic acid
  84. Polyphenols
  85. Alkaloids
  86. Terpenes
  87. Flavonoids
  88. Anthocyanins
  89. Tannins
  90. Phytosterols
  91. Saponins
  92. Quinine
  93. Morphine
  94. Caffeine
  95. Nicotine
  96. Theobromine
  97. Capsaicin
  98. Tetrahydrocannabinol
  99. Tetrodotoxin
  100. Psilocybin

Fun fact: you’re allowed to perform some chemical reactions even with chemicals outside your elemental domain, such as photosynthesis or respiration. Despite you not having control of H2O, CO2, or O2, you can still do the chemical reaction with magic. The compounds outside of your domain can’t be controlled by any mage at the time of reaction, though. This means you can’t perform photosynthesis on water that a water mage is controlling right now.

Which magic are you choosing?
  • Water
  • Earth
  • Fire
  • Wind
  • Lightning
  • Life
0 voters

Aside from the elements above, you can canonically in my word get a 2nd element. There are some good combos of elements, such as: water + lightning (water/lightning synergy is canon), fire + earth (lava), wind + life (haha biomolecules from air go brrrr).

What elements need a buff?
  • Water
  • Earth
  • Fire
  • Wind
  • Lightning
  • Life
0 voters
What elements need a nerf?
  • Water
  • Earth
  • Fire
  • Wind
  • Lightning
  • Life
0 voters

only thing i’d change would be to give fire and lightning the move ability like all the other magics, since fire and lightning do actually have mass that can be moved, lightning being the plasma or electrons and fire being the material used in the combustion reaction

this is also just impossible, water is a part of air, and carbon makes up a plethora of rocks while also being essential to life

1 Like

i think i worded shit wrong

just because you have control over every atomic element in a compound doesn’t mean you can control the compound

also holy shit trying to mix classical elements and chemical elements is janky af

life needs nerf :laughing:

should i nerf it by raw power or by its synthesis of chemicals (make it harder/more restricted to make chemicals)

originally it was gonna be simple chemical equations that work as long as you have control over the chemicals and it balances, but i might make it so you have to follow some proper synthesis/higher chemistry for shit

bro I have no idea about any of this don’t ask me :person_shrugging:

simplified version: should i nerf life magic by raw destructive power or by making it harder to change chemicals

harder

use life to give someone a nicotine addiction

even if i lose the fight, i won in the long run

water has the potential to be op assuming you just drain the water or blood out of someone but assuming you cant do that life and earth are kinda ridiculous

is it the fact that i listed so many chemicals

personally, fire or lightning ( i like setting things on fire )

ideally, probably wind

probably yeah, wind is kinda too but ig its kinda hard to nerf something thats straight up essential to ( almost ) all life on earth

the moment you decide to make this about chemical instead of classical element, it already bound to be unbalance

ofc, this can be balanced out by doing something like “yeah theoretically they can but its pretty rare and hard to do for [insert reason here]”

i don’t see why people are saying earth is op, i mean yea it has a lot of elements, but that’s because earth and stone and rocks have a lot of elements, it doesn’t really change anything to if they just hadn’t mentioned the elements

synthesis 100%
you literally made a magic that mass produces combat drugs

1 Like

i’ve noticed a big chunk of y’all wanted water to be buffed
how do i do it?

idk you suggest i guess, raw destructive power?

for fire and lightning, i alr know what i wanna do: give it “mobility” capabilities (can move shit) although weakened

there’s a druglord with life magic in my story lol

Walter Black

1 Like

give lightning magnetic manipulation too

2 Likes

All I need in my life is explosion. If not then doing toji build in a magic based world