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Welcome to So You Think You Can Incant: Em's Guide to Incantations! I'm Em, aka romesilk, and I'm here to help you with the wide world of spell incantations! Well, okay, it's kind of a narrow focus where spells and magic are concerned, but I'm taking it on anyway.

This thread contains information which is part of the Magic Level 2 course at the Liberty Center. The basic incantation information is part of the course, the spell creation information is for your OOC benefit.

Let's begin with the basics!

What Is An Incantation?

An incantation is a magic spell with a spoken/verbal component. It may be that the spell is entirely verbal, or that the incantation is part of a ritual or process involving magical tools and supplies. This guide will help you with either type!

The goal of this guide is to help you create your own incantations, so no matter what type of magic your character wields, you'll find something helpful!


So, what kinds of incantations are out there?


Low & High Magic Spells
Everyone who knows Harry Potter or D&D knows what magic spells are. You have a wizard or something comparable who uses a handful of words to create a magical effect, sometimes in conjuncture with physical components or aids. If you use a word in addition to spell ingredients, it is a low incantation, whereas if the spell requires only a knowledgeable caster or mental components, it is a high incantation. (Debate still rages on whether or not the use of a wand constitutes low or high magic. Consult your specific magical system's bylaws.)

Rituals
Rituals are stylized systems of chants steeped in tradition. They generally involve longer series of words, often in one's native tongue, but can be chants in foreign or made up languages, too.

Power Words
Power Words are a special subset of incantations, generally a single word which is tied somehow to the intrinsic nature of the universe. They require a great deal of magical power


But these are just a few examples! There are always ways to adapt and incorporate incantations into other types of magical system.

Creating Your Own Incantations

Sure, you could just have your character shout "Magic Arrow!" and "Earthquake!" but what's the fun in that? You could also come up with spell names which are complete gibberish, but I personally think it's easiest to use existing language systems for a few reasons.

First, if you use an existing language for a basis, your spells will sounds more like words instead of random gibberish. Languages have their own intrinsic rules which shape the vocabulary, so your spells will seem more consistent. And on top of all that, real languages have words with real meaning, which can help you come up with things when you're stuck.

Most magic systems used in roleplay and literature are Latin-based. Maybe it's because the Romans had so many gods and lived long ago and sort of formed the basis of the Western world, including our languages, so there's something intrinsic to us Westerners in their words. They formed the backbone, ergo their words are powerful?

Regardless, Latin words can get you really far when it comes to incantations. Since we're creating fictitious magic systems and not trying to learn the language, there's no need to really know the rules and the conjugations and the diclensions. Leave that to the Latin students. We can just make up nifty-sounding words!

Latin Word List

This handy dandy word list will have you creating spells to equal J. K. Rowling in no time. You can use Ctrl-F to find words related to the spell you're creating -- like "earth" or "light." You can combine words and play with the endings to get something you like the sound of. Say you want to make a magical fog spell, how about silver (argentum) + vapor (nidor)? You could make a spell called Argenta Nidora, or Nidorargent, or just plan Nidor Argentum. The important thing is it sounds all mystical.

But Latin is so common, say you want to do things a little differently? How about expanding into Greek, too?

Latin & Greek roots

Greek and Latin are quite compatible, and you'll get something a little more interesting than just the regular old Latin spells.

But it doesn't end there. Say you want something with more flair, something more interesting than Latin and Greek. How about Arabic?

Arabic Word Roots

Arabic is rally fantastic because these wrod roots are all sets of letters which you can then mix vowels and other letters into. So, working just from the roots, you can come up with spell words which have a meaning rooted in reality, but are totally original word creations.

And, of course, there are HUNDREDS of languages both ancient and modern for you to choose from. Sanskrit? Aramaic? Hawaiian? Maybe your character has a relation to a particular culture or theme.

The possibilities are truly endless, but hopefully this guide has gotten you started in creating your very own spell incantations, giving you the freedom to use all sorts of incantatations in your roleplay!

Just remember: a balanced spell is better than an all-powerful one! Nobody likes to play with a godmoder whose character can do ANYTHING, and limitations make things much more interesting to RP!

Good luck!