Paired Magics

It is not all that uncommon for someone to possess two forms of magic. One of these will usually be referred to as their primary magic whilst the other will be referred to as their secondary magic. Some systems classify the first form of magic to appear as the primary magic whilst other systems refer to the more powerful form of magic as the primary magic.

Generally speaking, people with two forms of magic can be broken up into two groups: those with paired magics and those with unpaired magics. Paired magics are forms of magic that work in conjunction with each other whereas unpaired forms of magic are those that do not relate to each other very much.

Timmy has unpaired magics. His earth magic has almost nothing to do with his necromancy. Indeed, his earth magic is considered broken, which is why he has to use his shovels to help control it. In contrast, he has exceptional control over his necromancy.

Old Man has paired magics. His primary magic is spatial manipulation whereas his secondary magic is temporal manipulation. Full mastery of his magic demanded mastery of both, and his most powerful techniques involve seemingly impossible feats that demand the manipulation of both space and time.

There is, however, a third group. There are some forms of magic that do not bear any obvious relationship to each other or which should naturally reject or clash with each other. Occasionally, however, people are able to combine these forms of magic to basically create something new. Some would argue that the resulting magic should be considered a third (and separate type). There is someone in Timmy’s group who potentially falls into this category.

Incidentally, Vicky has three forms of magic. Her magics could be considered triplet magics in that all three forms (light, astral, and holy magic) are related to and influence each other. For example, possessing exceptionally strong light magic will generally make someone’s holy magic stronger, as well as improving their astral magic. Likewise, stronger astral magic often results in stronger light and holy magic, and stronger holy magic often produces stronger light and astral magic. Vicky is monstrously powerful in all three forms of magic, which means the combined result is strong to the point of being considered inhuman.

For a necromancer, soul magic would be considered a paired magic. Katie’s shadow magic is not considered a paired magic with necromancy. Technically speaking, Amanda’s illusion magic could be considered two separate forms of magic (external illusions and internal illusions operate using different mechanisms), but the two are so closely intertwined and occur together so frequently amongst illusionists that they are often just lumped together for convenience.