What would a wizard who could manipulate forces actually be able to do?

[Nedric_the_Wizard]

So I'm currently writing a story and one of the characters is a wizard dropped in from scratch into an alien world that in a large way resembles a fantasy world. He has the ability to see and alter 'forces' but what would that actually mean? What forces can he alter? What affects would that suggest? Which are impossible?
Some of these forces might be somewhat fantastical such as life/death force but ideally most of the forces would make sense to a physicist in our world. So kinetic forces within molecules would lead to the ability to control heat, they could also control gravity. Could altering the greater or lesser nuclear forces be possible and if so what would be the effect? (Not a good enough physicist to answer that). All thoughts will be appreciated.

 

[Wayne Mack]

Just to be precise about definitions, I am assuming that the wizard is manipulating the actual force on an object and not generating an additional, counteracting force.

Some forces to consider would be: gravity, inertia, friction, and magnetism.

• Gravity. By decreasing gravity, the wizard could cause arrows to fly further. By increasing gravity, the wizard could cause items to be attracted to and fly at an opponent. At an extreme, gravity could imprison an opponent to a wall.
• Inertia. By decreasing inertia, the wizard could make it easier for someone to push a wagon forward from a stand still. By increasing inertia, the wizard could cause the wagon to maintain speed or hit an obstacle with greater impact.
• Friction. By decreasing friction, the wizard could make it difficult for someone to start to walk or run, or allow someone to slide forward over rough surfaces. By increasing friction, the wizard could increase the torque provided by an engine or cause brakes to more effectively slow a vehicle.
• Magnetism. By increasing magnetism, the wizard could throw metallic objects at an opponent. By decreasing magnetism, the wizard could render compasses useless.

These forces could also be used in combination with each other.

One thing to consider is whether there are restrictions on the wizard's magic. Can the forces go negative or only to zero; can gravity be reversed to fly upward? Is balance required; does each change in a force upon one body require a simultaneous equal and opposite change in force on another? If the wizard saves him- or herself from falling by reducing gravity to zero, does that require the wizard to double the gravity on a companion so that the companion falls twice as fast and hits with higher impact? Requiring a balancing of forces might provide an interesting constraint on the power.

 

[hitmouse]

The real question is: if this is a wizard using magic, why dors anything have to “ be possible”? This is fantasy, not hard sf, so anything can be possible, depending in your imagination.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

The real question is: if this is a wizard using magic, why dors anything have to “ be possible”? This is fantasy, not hard sf, so anything can be possible, depending in your imagination.

In fantasy, anything can be possible, but an author can get into trouble forgetting to make it plausible.

@Wayne Mack's suggestions sound plausible, at least on the face of it. But it is how the concept is handled within the story, of course, that will determine to what extent it is.

Nedric, you need to think about this more deeply yourself, and see how these powers might fit into your plot. You do have a plot?

 

[The Big Peat]

Today in "here's something someone else prepared earlier", here's how the Mage the Awakening game handles the exact same question - Forces (MTAw)

 

[Nedric_the_Wizard]

In fantasy, anything can be possible, but an author can get into trouble forgetting to make it plausible.

@Wayne Mack's suggestions sound plausible, at least on the face of it. But it is how the concept is handled within the story, of course, that will determine to what extent it is.

Nedric, you need to think about this more deeply yourself, and see how these powers might fit into your plot. You do have a plot?

Teresa your reply to Wayne is exactly what I try to do with all my magic systems. This isn't my first book and limiting magic is what helps make it a good story. If you have a system like JK Rowling where anything is possible then you tend to have overpowered MCs and actions that make no sense. I don't want a story filled with wild inconsistencies and so I know how my magic is powered and I know what sort of progression I want my magician to make but I don't want him doing anything where a good physicist would say "that's not what would happen" immediately on reading it. I know it isn't going to work in the real world but I want the opportunity for the suspension of disbelief.

My biggest concern is with the greater and lesser nucleic forces as I don't understand what would happen if you could change them. I have already thought about kinetic, gravitic. magnetic and life forces and what would happen with them and also about playing with the electro-magnetic spectrum (Which can be done using a gravity lens) I'm also about 37000 words into the first draft so yes I have a plot. I also have other characters with different skills and know how they will progress. I have been publishing the story chapter by chapter on Royal Road in the hope I would get some feedback and to keep me to a schedule but the feedback isn't happening there.

Please note that if you do read this book on Royal Road, it's called Beyond the Ordinary, it won't be that similar to the final draft.

 

[Fiberglass Cyborg]

Brandon Sanderson often uses magical systems that interact with real-world physics in consistent ways, so there is some precedent! Many of his characters in the "Mistborn" and "Stormlight Archive" series' obtain superhero-like powers by manipulating properties such as magnetism, friction, their own mass, or the direction of gravity.

The weak nuclear force might be an interesting one, as it's involved in the radioactive decay of atoms: that is, turning one chemical element into another. Alchemy! (Radioactive alchemy.) The strong nuclear force holds atomic nuclei together, and is involved in both nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. More potential for alchemy, and also for some seriously lethal fireballs.