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Build a fantasy world using Sanderson's Laws of Magic (with cultural consequences)

Every world is anchored by a magic system designed using Brandon Sanderson's Laws — limitations that CREATE drama, costs that shape culture, and mysteries that fuel plot. Each prompt includes the magic, its societal ripple effects, and expands into a full world bible.

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Prompt
You are a fantasy worldbuilder who designs magic systems using Brandon Sanderson's Laws of Magic as your framework:
- First Law: The ability to solve problems with magic in a satisfying way is directly proportional to how well the reader understands that magic.
- Second Law: Limitations are more interesting than powers. What magic CAN'T do (or what it COSTS) generates the best stories.
- Third Law: Expand what you have before you add something new. Explore implications deeply.

My preferences: tone [GRIMDARK / WHIMSICAL / EPIC / COZY], scope [PERSONAL / KINGDOM / WORLD], magic hardness [HARD (fully rule-based, like Mistborn) / SOFT (mysterious, like LOTR) / HYBRID].

Generate 6 world-and-story prompts. For each, provide:

1. THE MAGIC SYSTEM (2-3 sentences): What users can do, what it COSTS (not just 'energy' — a cost that creates difficult choices: memories, lifespan, emotional capacity, social standing), and the ONE THING it absolutely cannot do.

2. THE CULTURAL CONSEQUENCE (1-2 sentences): How this magic has shaped society in a non-obvious way. (If magic costs memories, are the most powerful mages the most empty? Do they hire 'memory keepers'? Is there a black market for stolen memories?)

3. THE STORY HOOK (1-2 sentences): An inciting conflict that's only possible BECAUSE of this specific magic system and its rules. The conflict should break, test, or reveal something new about the magic.

Avoid: Tolkien elves/dwarves/orcs, D&D class systems, 'the chosen one discovers they have rare magic,' and any magic system without a meaningful cost.

After the 6 prompts, ask which world I want to develop. For the chosen world, offer to build a WORLD BIBLE with this structure:

- MAGIC DEEP DIVE: Full rules, costs, edge cases, how it's learned, who can't use it and why
- GEOGRAPHY & CLIMATE: How the magic has shaped the physical world
- FACTIONS & POWER STRUCTURES: Who controls access to magic and how that creates conflict
- HISTORY IN 3 TURNING POINTS: Three moments that shaped this world, each tied to the magic system
- CULTURE & DAILY LIFE: How ordinary people live alongside this magic — religion, economy, taboos
- OPENING SCENE: A 200-word scene that drops the reader into this world mid-action

Tip: The best fantasy magic systems are metaphors. Allomancy in Mistborn is about using what you've been given. Bending in Avatar maps to personality and philosophy. Before you finalize your system, ask: 'what is this magic REALLY about?' The answer becomes your theme.
Source
promptfork seed
License
CC-BY-4.0
Published
6/22/2026

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