Have been mulling over the base mechanics for a world i'm "building" and wanted some critism on it. Poke holes if possible. Magic Everyone possesses mana of varying amounts and can expand mana capacity through a wide variety of methods. Everyone learns from a young age how to use their Mana externally. Magic spells are not widely known due to the intimate knowledge necessary to manipulate mana and produce the desired effect. As a substitute for this knowledge, humanity has learned to refine "Magic Stones" taken from monsters and enchant said refined stones with magical properties complementary to the creature the stone comes from. The refining process is a closely guarded secret and not even rumors of the process exist. With the refined and Enchanted Stone, one only needs to pour your Mana into the stone (or device the stone is mounted) to achieve the desired effect. One does not need to make direct contact with a stone to pour one's Mana into it. Mana can be radiated from the body up to one foot away. Magic Stones These Stones exist within every monster in the world. These Stones serve to regulate the flow of Mana within a monster. The stone is located where the animal's bladder would normally be. Everything a Monster eats is converted into Mana with few exceptions. Monsters can eat another's Magic Stone and gain some of their wisdom as well as the Mana it currently stores. The Mana Stones vary in size proportionate to the monster size. But this Stone will grow with the monster. The mana stone is encased in an organ that converts all digested and waste materials into mana. The monster can then utilize this mana to a certain degree. Mana is a monster's life force. As such, it normally will not have access to the vast majority of mana stored in the stone. As the monster grows and possesses more mana, it will naturally have a greater passive mana bolstering its natural abilities. When injured, the monster will heal at a rate dependent on its class and species, as well as mana available. Magic Stones possess mana, and in their raw state can be used as a magical fuel source for makeshift devices. This is a common practice among those with low Mana or otherwise poor Mana control. Magic stones are used for offensive magic spells and traditionally Enchanted in that way. They can be enchanted with non-offensive magic, however, the effect is greatly reduced. Spirit Stones Spirit Stones grow naturally. They are similar to Magic Stones, only they are mined from the earth. They are born from areas with strong mana flowing through the area. Often forming in natural caves, the stones grow on the walls and ceiling of the caves. Depending on the strength of the mana flow and the proximity to the mana flow, the stones can grow low, medium, or high tier stones. Even with high mana flow, high-tier Stones require substantial time to fully grow. Once a stone has reached its peak power, it will no longer grow. If a stone is harvested from a mine, another one will begin growing to replace it. Spirit Stones are used for defensive enchantments, usually mounted on accessories and armor/clothing.
Your magic/spirit stones sounds kinda similar to the Eldar Soul Stones, but with a different purpose than trying to save ones soul from being eaten by a Chaos God. Instead for pooling one's own mana for a greater amount, kinda like a battery of sorts to increase the amount the person already has. So are all of the monsters in your story bad? Cause I know in some things they aren't always that way, but possibly just another race/species that simply coexists with the rest of the world. Further more, couldn't somebody just go on a hack and slash farming adventure killing monsters and growing their own mana pool, instead of waiting for the spirit stones to grow to maturity? I see that as something that has come to mind, considering there is more than one way to get the stones and grow one's own power. That is one way I could see the protag/antag becoming ultra powerful over a short amount of time, thus giving the ability to become too overpowered to the point of the whole thing being comical by design. Kinda like going Super Saian or something, making them too OP to the point that it ruins the challenges on either side (good or bad), making the whole thing kinda moot. IDK, that is what I can gleen from what you have so far.
First thoughts the mana and mana stones put me in mind of a video game or something like that. Neither appear to occur naturally to me. So I feel like I need more convincing of the true source (route). At the moment they appear to be mana and mana stones just because you say so. Just my opinion. This is absolutely not the case with the spirit stones. They sound more mystical and interesting. I think because they occur naturally. The spirit stones are very much convincing to me as there is a simple clean and believable explanation for their occurrence. (Simple clean and plausible explanations are always best) If it were me I'd keep the spirit stones and say that mana stones are derived from them. You could say spirit stones change to mana stones if they are eaten by a monster or corrupted in some way like a bad creatures/people. Or that clever people realised that using spirit stones that were changed to mana stones could greatly enhance the power and ability. That way everything would follow a clear line and fewer questions would be asked. You could also keep all of the above explanations. Edit: Otherwise we are expected to believe that two sets of stones have been discovered. Hope this helps.
I'm not trying to go for the super strong MC type. More of a struggle of building a life in a more primitive world. Monsters can be hostile, though intelligent monsters exist. Because of monster's overall aggression towards humanity, humanity has had less than ideal views towards monster kind. Since human possess the knowledge and experience to cultivate crops and livestock, they sometimes come under attack by monsters and fight over resources. Think modern day encroachment on other species territory, however, those species can fight back to an extent. People can use magic stones as one off batteries, however, through expending mana and consuming potions made from certain plants and animal, they can expand their capacity for mana. Not some godlike overpowered unstoppable monster. More along the lines of capacity doesn't equal output. Just because you have a lot of mana, doesn't mean you can use it all at once. I haven't decided on a max capacity yet, but i don't want it to be stupidly large. Human's mana capacity shouldn't exceed that of larger monsters. As for the magic spells, i was thinking about using a visualization of the effects you want. Example, fire is simply the molecules in something being excited until they combust. However, this kind of knowledge is exceptionally rare and has taken quite a few years for people to research. Thus magic spelks of any kind are valuable and closely guarded. Some instances of spells and knowledge being sold can be used, however, that relies on the buyer to understand what is read in the book. I don't want a heavy reliance on casting magic, yet i still want it to be a normal part of life. I'm about 25ish chapters in and i thought it would be a good opportunity to review what i've writen and clean up a bit. Some mechanics were vague at best and i prefer a clearly defined foundation to build on. Otherwise it becomes a confusing plot device that can easily contradict itself at later times.
I am trying for two seperate stones for the story. So far, the spirit stone's quality govern's how strong the enchant on it can be. Spirit stones can't be refined, nor can they be used as fuel sources. Magic stones are what spirit stone can't be. I don't want a substance or object to be all powerful. So far, monsters can eat spirit stones to gain mana, but the conversion rate is poor due to compatibility. Magic stones are from monsters exclusively and benifit offencive type enchantments. Spirit stones are geared towards defensive enchantments. While both types can be cross enchanted, the incompatibility makes it a poor or desperate choice. I should have clarified earlier, i'm aiming for a fantasy world. Nothing too outrageous. Just a corrupted world similar to the corruption we see today and an MC who doesn't follow conventional thinking. Oh and i'm also an oldschool gamer. The RPG elements are more than likely from that. I know they aren't everyone's forte, however, i'm wanting to write something i'd like. Before i can do that though, got to solidify the basics.
One thought: why are magic stones present in all creatures except humans? I would either explain that or have humans have the magic stones, but have using them be taboo.
In this world, there are basic domesticated animals. Not every creature has a magic stone. Monsters simply exist in the wild alongside wild animals. I apologize, i should have made that clear at the beginning.
