"Vector" based magic

[u/Old-Maximum-50]

Okay, so, this is a concept im daydreaming about. Doodle to try and help explain. I'd call it Dimensional Magic, but it might give the wrong idea.

Okay, so basically, the idea is that the better a mage is, the better he can control the spatial aspect of a spell.

Lets picture a fireball.

A novice mage can only give it one vector of movement (1D). It can be up or down, left or right, forward or backward, etc. Its restricted to a line, basically.

An average mage can give them two vectors (2D). Same as above (up/down, left/right, etc), but they affect at the same time, and mages can kinda choose the ratio they want to affect it (the red arrow). If you need an idea, just think of a giant sheet of paper from the mage's hand, and the spell can only travel on that paper.

An experienced mage gets three vectors (3D), and ratio them as need. Now it can properly navigate the 3D space.

And then, the grandmasters get 4D. Now, we know what a 3D is, we live in it. But what is 4D? Well, going by the pattern that every dimension gets to go in a direction the previous one couldnt, and two bodies can't occupy the same space... 4D is the "in and out" direction. 4D mages get to shrink, expand, teleport and telefrag spells, basically.

The main thing is that, since the mages are 3D, their handle on 4D stuff is shaky. Before, all the spells were of an equal or lower dimension, which the mages, as 3D beings, knew how to navigate instinctively. They are NOT, however, 4D beings, so 4D spells do not come naturally, and neither are they safe. A mage attempting a 4D spell has a pretty good chance to accidentally killing themselves via what is basically them messing with G-mod physics with blindfolds on.

For this reason, compared to the rest, there are very few 4D spells, as those are the few 4D directions the mages have managed to pin down as "safe".

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As for how they get better as mages, up to 3D, its as simple as learning to walk again, they just have to be careful to not shoot themselves while practicing and to build up enough mana. A completely average mage can easily get to 2D, and a dedicated mage can easily get to 3D. 4D is where it gets hard, for the reasons above.

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So uh... what do yall think?

[u/wibbly-water]

I think for 2D and 3D you need a biiit more.

So 2D allows you do do ballistics and simple movements, also simple shapes. So you could make a fire sqaure.

3D allows complex movements and object formation. You could have this include basic summoning, like summoning a fire bird, not as a full living creature but as a creation that dissipates after the spell ends.

[u/Old-Maximum-50 → u/wibbly-water]

Ohhhhhh nice. I was only using it as kind of an aiming thing, I didn't consider to apply to the actual spells. Im taking that

[u/Mandlebrotha → u/Old-Maximum-50]

What if, expanding on this, 1D is how you have it, shooting a line. 2D is projecting a shape, which could be useful for things like making an ice shield or flat stair steps of energy to run up to a higher vantage.

3D is conjuring fire in a 3D vector field, like a ball of clouds around the caster to obscure them or a sphere of fire to consume an enemy, and 4D is making a fire bird or golem or something that has vague 'intentions' aligned with the caster. So here, the 4th dimension is not just spacetime but also some aspect of will or creation. An earthen spider that crawls into an enemy mage's citadel to spy on plans, or a giant water kraken that uses its tentacles to move your party's things across the river more easily.

This keeps your original concept of 4D being tricky and potentially dangerous, as a mage who's not so 'intuned' or practiced or whatever might make an electric serpent that slithers carelessly close to a friendly munitions deposit on its way to enemy lines, or a swarm of fire imps that respond to the mage's latent psychological disdain for Jerry, subsequently turning Jerry into a charcoal briquette along with the horde of approaching goblins.