Space Magic: A Brainstorming Thread

Yeah, this is one of the first things I had to answer when I started thinking about this seriously. And in-story this is likely to be a big revelation.

So I may as well say that the spoilers for a work that doesn't exist yet are coming now. I don't want to overplay that, but I want to let people decide for themselves if they want to be surprised by this stuff.

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SpoilerThe difference is that magic comes from gods.

The universe is filled with deities that have a physical presence and spheres of influence. They are, in general, specific to one civilization. Sometimes just one planet.

I don't have the full details of how gods "produce" mana worked out - whether they expect you to worship them to use it, or whether it's just something that exists around a god. What I do know is that there isn't going to be just one model for how gods interact with their worshipers - some will rule directly, others by proxy, and others still won't take any interest in mortal affairs at all.

Of course, one major consequence of this is that it essentially implies Earth doesn't have a god. I'm not entirely sure how this fits into the overall story, but it's a big thing that I can't just toss out there and not do anything with.