The Fundamentals of Magic: Soft vs. Hard Magic
By: Atlas Sallow
Tags: Fantasy Writing, Writing Advice, Worldbuilding, Fantasy, Magic

Image by Javardh on Unsplash.

So, magic.

Magic is an intrinsic part of the fantasy genre. It’s the element that primarily distinguishes fantasy from its fiction contemporaries and is a focal part of any given fantasy setting. Magic is the one facet of worldbuilding that inherently affects all other branches of the process, but to accurately determine how your magic system will affect the setting, you must first decide what kind of magic system you’re trying to employ.

To find the right style of magic system for your story, we must first define our terms. If you’re a fantasy fan, I’m certain you’re familiar with Brandon Sanderson. Considered something of a titan in the fantasy genre, Sanderson was the first to popularize the terms “soft magic” and “hard magic” when describing how magic systems can be differently utilized from book to book; the dichotomy comes down to narrative relevance.

Soft magic is essentially without rules — or rather, it keeps its rules close to the chest. Soft magic isn’t explained within the story, and for the most part readers and characters alike aren’t sure of how it functions or where it comes from. Likewise, most characters won’t be able to harness its power.

Sanderson describes soft magic as being used to evoke a “sense of wonder,” to make the world seem bigger and more mystical than the characters within it. Some prime examples of soft magic systems are The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.

No one — most characters included, really knows why Gandalf can do what he does, or the extent of Force powers, and we don’t have to; soft magic is almost never explicitly solutional and in fact, Sanderson believes that soft magic should cause problems, not solve them.

This comes back to the idea that soft magic is used to elicit wonder in the reader; centering our story around characters that face powerful magic but can’t use it serves to both expand the sense of danger and fantasy within the setting, and bring the reader closer to the characters.

We may not connect immediately with an all-powerful wizard that can conjure fire and lift things with his mind, but certainly we can all relate to a few hobbits with no magical experience facing off against a greater evil.

For soft magic to work effectively in a given story, it needs to be used sparingly by characters who aren’t your protagonist, or as an obstacle to overcome.

Hard Magic, on the other hand, is a tool used to directly influence the plot. It isn’t an obstacle or a challenge to overcome, but a means to do so. Hard magic has rules, limitations, weaknesses, and costs, and readers, as well as at least some of the characters, should have an explicit understanding of how the magic works.

The characters should use their powers to solve problems, and through that usage, the readers should glean a clear understanding of the magic’s rules.

Sanderson’s First Law of Magic states that “an author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic,” which means that how your characters utilize their abilities to progress the plot will dictate how well your readers grasp the ins and outs of their power.

However, hard magic should by no means be a remedy to all conflicts in the narrative; the point of hard magic being a tool is not so that the characters can have a free pass to success, but rather a means for the characters to be developed through their creative applications of their power.

Examples of a hard magic system would be Allomancy in Sanderson’s own Mistborn series, Hunter x Hunter’s Nen system, or Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s Alchemy.

In each of these examples, we as readers and viewers have a clear understanding of how the magic works and all of the limitations and costs the users are or can be subject to. We’re able to learn about the magic as the plot of each respective story progresses, with our characters learning new magic and techniques in order to solve problems presented to them within the narrative.

In these instances, the magic system is not only a part of the setting, but an essential aspect of the plot, because our characters are actively affecting the direction of the story with the ways they utilize their magic. This is to say that hard magic systems are intrinsically related to whatever plot they’re featured in.

Of course, magic systems are a spectrum, and while many stories fall to one side or the other, there are also plenty of systems somewhere in the middle. These magic systems are often referred to as “hybrid” systems, and they’re essentially some mix of both soft and hard magic.

Perhaps some facets of the system are clearly defined, while the details of other powers or types of magic may be vague in comparison.

Hybrid systems can be very effective and maintain the intrigue of soft and hard systems; however, hybrid systems, in my opinion, are more difficult to get right. It might sound simple to just pick and choose which parts of the magic to reveal and which parts to keep mysterious, but if done poorly, your readers might be frustrated or disappointed with the way the mixture of soft and hard magic evens out.

Say you want your characters to use magic and creatively solve problems with it — like in a hard system — but you also want them to face off against an unspeakably powerful enemy with magic far greater and less understood than their own; this absolutely can be done, but in order to maintain the illusion of your setting’s magical “logic,” you need to have a good idea of what you’re not revealing and why.

If the characters’ magic has distinct limitations, weaknesses, and costs, but the antagonist’s doesn’t, and they defeat him anyway, your reader might feel robbed of the clever strategizing they’re used to seeing when the protagonists use magic. If the antagonist performs an act that was previously costly for the protagonist and suffers no consequences, you might be breaking your own rules, and thus the things that once defined the system begin to fall apart.

Creating a magic system is a delicate and timely process, which is why you should have a sense of what kind of system best suits your story before you begin. Ultimately, it’s about what kind of story you’re looking to tell. If you’re interested in using magic to create a fantastical setting or arouse a particular feeling in the reader, perhaps soft magic is for you. If your intent is to use magic to explore social constructs or institutions, hard magic might be best. Both sides of the spectrum have their uses. When utilized effectively, either make for a memorable and intriguing story.

All in all, have fun and get creative. Happy writing!