DC Magic, Mysticism, Fantasy And Supernatural Thread 2020

[MajorHoy]

. . . Interesting. I didn't know there was another character besides the Zatara's who did backwards magic.

Back in All-Star Comics #1 from 1999, James Robinson and David Goyer had Merlin and Tor as backwards spellcasters (though I'm not sure how common that was in their original Quality Comics stories)

[warzon]

DC Needs an Mystic Ongoing i personally would Love for Zatanna.Vixen.Empress.Dr Fate and Bloodwynd to have one

[warzon]

BLOOD 1.jpgHe wasn't around for long but the possibilities with this Character could be so instresting if given the chance .

[scary harpy]

Back in All-Star Comics #1 from 1999, James Robinson and David Goyer had Merlin and Tor as backwards spellcasters (though I'm not sure how common that was in their original Quality Comics stories)

https://www.cosmicteams.com/quality/profiles/Tor.html

Both of the magicians, Merlin and Tor, were at one point written and drawn by Fred Guardineer (who had previously created the magician Zatara for DC’s groundbreaking Action Comics #1 in 1938). Guardineer stayed at DC only into 1940 (Action #29, Oct. 1940 was his last on Zatara). At Quality, he created Tor (Crack #1, Feb. 1941) and soon after took over “Merlin” as well, with National #12 (June 1941). According to Alter Ego #21, Dan Zolnerowich worked for the Iger shop at this time, but Guardineer did not. (Both signed the strip “Lance Blackwood.”) Guardineer also created a fourth magician that ran simultaneous to Zatara, Marvelo, in Columbia’s Big Shot Comics #1–10 (May 1940–Feb. 1941).

Guardineer’s artwork was spectacular, but he spent little effort in distinguishing the magicians from one another—or from his other works. Like Zatara, both Merlin and Tor sported moustaches, plus capes over their tuxedos (Merlin added a hood). But most significantly, under Guardineer both Quality magicians began speaking their spells backwards at the same time (but not at their inceptions). Merlin only began speaking reverse spells when Guardineer took over (National #12). And although Guardineer worked on Tor from its debut, that hero only began speaking in reverse around the same time (Crack #14, July 1941). Both series also ended at the same time, but Guardineer's work continued appear at Quality through 1944

[John Venus]

Bloodwynd's an underrated character. Wish they would do more with his concept.

[HandofPrometheus]

What do you guys think of this official classification system? I like the idea of trying to develop some sort of structure and mythos on DC's magic side but it seems kinda screwy when certain characters don't fit one branch like Nightshade or Circe.




Summary provided by DC Wiki:

School of the Magician Zatanna- The most basic classification of all magic users, the magician category encompasses every practitioner of magic from a magic pupil who can perform a single spell to the most skilled and dangerous magic practitioner in the world. Zatanna Zatara is considered the most powerful magician in the world.

School of the Sorcerer- Sorcerers are magic users who, to mitigate the risks that spells can cause, turn to the use of enchanted artifacts to enhance their abilities. From the focus of these magical objects, these magicians are capable of tapping into a deeper well of magic. Well known sorcerers includes those who bear the name "Doctor Fate", Kent Nelson being considered the greatest sorcerer of the modern age.

School of Magic Blood- These magic users are those, whom by birth or intervention, carry the blood of a fully magical being in their veins and are capable of handling an amount of magic in which the human body is unable to contain. John Constantine is the most notable user.

School of Champions- These magic users have beings, be it gods or demons, bound to their human souls and are granted magical powers through them. However, as a result, many of these Champions' consciousness switch places with one another in some form (ex. When Etrigan is invoked, Jason Blood's consciousness is sent to hell until he regains control). Etrigan is considered the most powerful of Champions.

School of the Guardians- Guardians are selected people and magic users whom were bestowed powers from elemental forces, usually to create their own protectors. They can become immensely powerful and typically bind themselves to a mortal being's consciousness. Swamp Thing is considered the most powerful guardian.

School of the Archmage- Some of these archmages are powerful sorcerers whom have managed to transcended enchanted objects and are magical beings themselves while others are higher beings of magic that fell into the known plain of existence. The Phantom Stranger is the latter and is the most recognized and powerful of all archmages.

School of the Judges- The most powerful of all classifications and schools of magic users, they're also among the most powerful forces of all of creation. Judges are given powers by The Presence and are extremely powerful and can be apocalyptic if allowed to reign freely. As such, they're limited to tasks set by The Presence. The Spectre is considered one of the most powerful of judges.

[Agent Z]

What do you guys think of this official classification system? I like the idea of trying to develop some sort of structure and mythos on DC's magic side but it seems kinda screwy when certain characters don't fit one branch like Nightshade or Circe.




Summary provided by DC Wiki:

School of the Magician Zatanna- The most basic classification of all magic users, the magician category encompasses every practitioner of magic from a magic pupil who can perform a single spell to the most skilled and dangerous magic practitioner in the world. Zatanna Zatara is considered the most powerful magician in the world.

School of the Sorcerer- Sorcerers are magic users who, to mitigate the risks that spells can cause, turn to the use of enchanted artifacts to enhance their abilities. From the focus of these magical objects, these magicians are capable of tapping into a deeper well of magic. Well known sorcerers includes those who bear the name "Doctor Fate", Kent Nelson being considered the greatest sorcerer of the modern age.

School of Magic Blood- These magic users are those, whom by birth or intervention, carry the blood of a fully magical being in their veins and are capable of handling an amount of magic in which the human body is unable to contain. John Constantine is the most notable user.

School of Champions- These magic users have beings, be it gods or demons, bound to their human souls and are granted magical powers through them. However, as a result, many of these Champions' consciousness switch places with one another in some form (ex. When Etrigan is invoked, Jason Blood's consciousness is sent to hell until he regains control). Etrigan is considered the most powerful of Champions.

School of the Guardians- Guardians are selected people and magic users whom were bestowed powers from elemental forces, usually to create their own protectors. They can become immensely powerful and typically bind themselves to a mortal being's consciousness. Swamp Thing is considered the most powerful guardian.

School of the Archmage- Some of these archmages are powerful sorcerers whom have managed to transcended enchanted objects and are magical beings themselves while others are higher beings of magic that fell into the known plain of existence. The Phantom Stranger is the latter and is the most recognized and powerful of all archmages.

School of the Judges- The most powerful of all classifications and schools of magic users, they're also among the most powerful forces of all of creation. Judges are given powers by The Presence and are extremely powerful and can be apocalyptic if allowed to reign freely. As such, they're limited to tasks set by The Presence. The Spectre is considered one of the most powerful of judges.

Interesting idea. I could see it an adaptation at the very least.

[Mai Zen]

What do you guys think of this official classification system? I like the idea of trying to develop some sort of structure and mythos on DC's magic side but it seems kinda screwy when certain characters don't fit one branch like Nightshade or Circe.




Summary provided by DC Wiki:

School of the Magician Zatanna- The most basic classification of all magic users, the magician category encompasses every practitioner of magic from a magic pupil who can perform a single spell to the most skilled and dangerous magic practitioner in the world. Zatanna Zatara is considered the most powerful magician in the world.

School of the Sorcerer- Sorcerers are magic users who, to mitigate the risks that spells can cause, turn to the use of enchanted artifacts to enhance their abilities. From the focus of these magical objects, these magicians are capable of tapping into a deeper well of magic. Well known sorcerers includes those who bear the name "Doctor Fate", Kent Nelson being considered the greatest sorcerer of the modern age.

School of Magic Blood- These magic users are those, whom by birth or intervention, carry the blood of a fully magical being in their veins and are capable of handling an amount of magic in which the human body is unable to contain. John Constantine is the most notable user.

School of Champions- These magic users have beings, be it gods or demons, bound to their human souls and are granted magical powers through them. However, as a result, many of these Champions' consciousness switch places with one another in some form (ex. When Etrigan is invoked, Jason Blood's consciousness is sent to hell until he regains control). Etrigan is considered the most powerful of Champions.

School of the Guardians- Guardians are selected people and magic users whom were bestowed powers from elemental forces, usually to create their own protectors. They can become immensely powerful and typically bind themselves to a mortal being's consciousness. Swamp Thing is considered the most powerful guardian.

School of the Archmage- Some of these archmages are powerful sorcerers whom have managed to transcended enchanted objects and are magical beings themselves while others are higher beings of magic that fell into the known plain of existence. The Phantom Stranger is the latter and is the most recognized and powerful of all archmages.

School of the Judges- The most powerful of all classifications and schools of magic users, they're also among the most powerful forces of all of creation. Judges are given powers by The Presence and are extremely powerful and can be apocalyptic if allowed to reign freely. As such, they're limited to tasks set by The Presence. The Spectre is considered one of the most powerful of judges.

It's an interesting idea. I think some classes isn't so rigid. Everyone can be Sorcerer with magical items, and Zatanna having homo magi dna in her blood could be inserted in School of Magic Blood (?)

[Agent Z]

What do you guys think of this official classification system? I like the idea of trying to develop some sort of structure and mythos on DC's magic side but it seems kinda screwy when certain characters don't fit one branch like Nightshade or Circe.




Summary provided by DC Wiki:

School of the Magician Zatanna- The most basic classification of all magic users, the magician category encompasses every practitioner of magic from a magic pupil who can perform a single spell to the most skilled and dangerous magic practitioner in the world. Zatanna Zatara is considered the most powerful magician in the world.

School of the Sorcerer- Sorcerers are magic users who, to mitigate the risks that spells can cause, turn to the use of enchanted artifacts to enhance their abilities. From the focus of these magical objects, these magicians are capable of tapping into a deeper well of magic. Well known sorcerers includes those who bear the name "Doctor Fate", Kent Nelson being considered the greatest sorcerer of the modern age.

School of Magic Blood- These magic users are those, whom by birth or intervention, carry the blood of a fully magical being in their veins and are capable of handling an amount of magic in which the human body is unable to contain. John Constantine is the most notable user.

School of Champions- These magic users have beings, be it gods or demons, bound to their human souls and are granted magical powers through them. However, as a result, many of these Champions' consciousness switch places with one another in some form (ex. When Etrigan is invoked, Jason Blood's consciousness is sent to hell until he regains control). Etrigan is considered the most powerful of Champions.

School of the Guardians- Guardians are selected people and magic users whom were bestowed powers from elemental forces, usually to create their own protectors. They can become immensely powerful and typically bind themselves to a mortal being's consciousness. Swamp Thing is considered the most powerful guardian.

School of the Archmage- Some of these archmages are powerful sorcerers whom have managed to transcended enchanted objects and are magical beings themselves while others are higher beings of magic that fell into the known plain of existence. The Phantom Stranger is the latter and is the most recognized and powerful of all archmages.

School of the Judges- The most powerful of all classifications and schools of magic users, they're also among the most powerful forces of all of creation. Judges are given powers by The Presence and are extremely powerful and can be apocalyptic if allowed to reign freely. As such, they're limited to tasks set by The Presence. The Spectre is considered one of the most powerful of judges.

I forget, where is this page from?

[John Venus]

What do you guys think of this official classification system? I like the idea of trying to develop some sort of structure and mythos on DC's magic side but it seems kinda screwy when certain characters don't fit one branch like Nightshade or Circe.



Summary provided by DC Wiki:

School of the Magician Zatanna- The most basic classification of all magic users, the magician category encompasses every practitioner of magic from a magic pupil who can perform a single spell to the most skilled and dangerous magic practitioner in the world. Zatanna Zatara is considered the most powerful magician in the world.

School of the Sorcerer- Sorcerers are magic users who, to mitigate the risks that spells can cause, turn to the use of enchanted artifacts to enhance their abilities. From the focus of these magical objects, these magicians are capable of tapping into a deeper well of magic. Well known sorcerers includes those who bear the name "Doctor Fate", Kent Nelson being considered the greatest sorcerer of the modern age.

School of Magic Blood- These magic users are those, whom by birth or intervention, carry the blood of a fully magical being in their veins and are capable of handling an amount of magic in which the human body is unable to contain. John Constantine is the most notable user.

School of Champions- These magic users have beings, be it gods or demons, bound to their human souls and are granted magical powers through them. However, as a result, many of these Champions' consciousness switch places with one another in some form (ex. When Etrigan is invoked, Jason Blood's consciousness is sent to hell until he regains control). Etrigan is considered the most powerful of Champions.

School of the Guardians- Guardians are selected people and magic users whom were bestowed powers from elemental forces, usually to create their own protectors. They can become immensely powerful and typically bind themselves to a mortal being's consciousness. Swamp Thing is considered the most powerful guardian.

School of the Archmage- Some of these archmages are powerful sorcerers whom have managed to transcended enchanted objects and are magical beings themselves while others are higher beings of magic that fell into the known plain of existence. The Phantom Stranger is the latter and is the most recognized and powerful of all archmages.

School of the Judges- The most powerful of all classifications and schools of magic users, they're also among the most powerful forces of all of creation. Judges are given powers by The Presence and are extremely powerful and can be apocalyptic if allowed to reign freely. As such, they're limited to tasks set by The Presence. The Spectre is considered one of the most powerful of judges.

I've seen this before and I like it. It's good to see somebody trying to sort this thing out for once.

Though my main criticism is that some of the categories overlap too much. Like Magician and Sorcerer. Champions and Guardians. Archmage and Judges. You're right that some characters don't fit into those categories because the classifications are so narrow.

My suggestions would be something like this:

This is what I came up with after seeing the above posted page sometime back.

The Enchanted: Regular humans or animals who get their powers from magical items, potions or altered in some way by a magical being. This would be the case for characters like Vixen, Detective Chimp, Blue Devil, Nightmaster, Shining Knight, Bloodwynd, certain iterations of Dr Fate, the reincarnated Hawkman (depending on how you want to explain his reincarnation), Ralph (depending on whether you think the substance he drank was magical or scientific in nature) as well as Vandal Savage (again, depends on whether you think that the meteor was magical or scientific in nature). Some of these characters would just be regular people (or animals) if they lost their enchanted items or if whatever spell that gives them their abilities were lifted. I would categorize Atlanteans and their ability to breath and survive underwater as a result of being enchanted as well. Vampires, werewolves, dragons and their variations would fall under this category.

The Magi: This is where your typical spell chanting or wand waving magicians would be. These characters are born with magical powers, their body creates it and the more spells or the bigger the spell they cast the more they run out of energy and need a moments rest to recharge. Experienced mages have a larger pool of magical energy while novices would get tired after one spell but the more you train, the more your power grows.

I would categorize them into two: type 1 would be the likes of Zatanna, Zachary, Traci 13, Dr Occult, Madame Xanadu, Merlin, Tala, Circe, Morgane Le Fay, Constantine basically characters who throw around bolts of technicolor lightning falls into this category. They manipulate 'pure' magical energy to cast illusions, alchemy, teleknisis, travel between dimensions, astral projections, etc. Usually they need a 'key' to channel their abilities through for the Zataras its backwards speaking and for others it could be hand movements or gestures. Magic is everywhere, some places more than others. Most regular cities have very faint magical energy but there are magical hotspots like Stonehenge or Atlantis or the Bermuda Triangle which the Magi can tap into for more power but they have to be their for it or have a connection to it for it to work. Because magic is vast and there are multiple different skills sets involved, different magi specialize in different things; Xanadu specializes in divination, Circe is an expert in turning humans into animals, the Zataras are a jack-of-all trades and Traci 13 has her 'urban magic'.

The second type would be characters whose magical power express themselves in specific powersets; Raven, Nightshade, Black Alice, Mera, , et al would fall into this category. Everything Raven does is derived from her soul self. Everything that Nightshade does is derived from her connection to shadows and the land of Nigthshade. Raven and Nighshade have more variety with their powers while Mera can only do water bending with her powers. Likewise, Black Alice's power is just tapping into other people's powers and utilizing a copy of whoever she is channeling. I would also throw in Johnny Quick and Jesse Quick, this is why they need a password for their powers to work because it's not scientific in nature. They access the Speed Force through magic while the Flash Family accesses it through science.

I will also take a page of out of JLA Vol 1 #165: the magical gene is recessive. If a magi had a child with a normal human then that child would only have half of their magical parent's power and if that child were to marry another normal human then they would have a third, a quarter in the next generation until eventually the power just fades after a couple of generations. Somewhere down the family tree, maybe centuries later, someone might develop full blown magical powers like John Zatara did but that's rare. Because of this many magical communities simply walled themselves away from normal human society hence why you have so many hidden societies in the DCU like Kor (Dr Mist), Hidden City (Zatanna), Azarath (Raven) and a bunch of others.

Wish I had a better name than Type 1 and 2.

The Champions: These are characters chosen by gods or god like beings to be their emissary's in our world. This is where Wonder Woman, Cheetah, Deadman, Captain Marvel & The Marvel Family, Dr. Fate, Spectre, Etrigan and possibly even the Phantom Stranger come in. Also depending on how you're handling Hawkman's reincarnation, he could fall into this category too. In CM, Etrigan and Dr Fate's case, they've been given their powers by powerful wizards and not Gods. The wizards are just Magi who climbed up the ladder high enough to have power almost comparable to that of Gods. The purpose of the Champions is to carry out whatever task has been assigned by their patrons. Sometimes their task is more hopeful and optimistic like WW and the Marvel Family, other times it's dark like the Spectre's mission. The instructions from their patrons could either be very loose or hands off like for Deadman and Etrigan or it could be very stringent like it is for the Spectre.

The Entities: Ranging from minor spirits easily vanquished to primordial gods who rule over entire dimensions, they are beings made of pure magical energy who embodies an aspect of existence and it's humans thoughts that gave them their personality. Kind of like an American Gods take. People have bloodlust? Hello Ares! Mars! And other war gods! Their flaw is that they need followers since belief is their power. Examples would be all the Pantheons; the Greek Gods, the Norse Gods, the Presence who represents the Abrahamic Gods, and basically The Endless would be a step above these guys. Somewhere in between would the New Gods; they are the next step after the Greek/Roman Gods. They don't need followers to maintain power but characters like Darkseid feeds on others misery and their power comes from the Source. All these beings are in competition with each other, sometimes they may support each other but ultimately they all want the top spot of being the ruler of the universe.


Anyway, that's my take. Thoughts?

[HandofPrometheus]

I forget, where is this page from?

DC Nation #5

[HandofPrometheus]

I've seen this before and I like it. It's good to see somebody trying to sort this thing out for once.

Though my main criticism is that some of the categories overlap too much. Like Magician and Sorcerer. Champions and Guardians. Archmage and Judges. You're right that some characters don't fit into those categories because the classifications are so narrow.

My suggestions would be something like this:

This is what I came up with after seeing the above posted page sometime back.

The Enchanted: Regular humans or animals who get their powers from magical items, potions or altered in some way by a magical being. This would be the case for characters like Vixen, Detective Chimp, Blue Devil, Nightmaster, Shining Knight, Bloodwynd, certain iterations of Dr Fate, the reincarnated Hawkman (depending on how you want to explain his reincarnation), Ralph (depending on whether you think the substance he drank was magical or scientific in nature) as well as Vandal Savage (again, depends on whether you think that the meteor was magical or scientific in nature). Some of these characters would just be regular people (or animals) if they lost their enchanted items or if whatever spell that gives them their abilities were lifted. I would categorize Atlanteans and their ability to breath and survive underwater as a result of being enchanted as well. Vampires, werewolves, dragons and their variations would fall under this category.

The Magi: This is where your typical spell chanting or wand waving magicians would be. These characters are born with magical powers, their body creates it and the more spells or the bigger the spell they cast the more they run out of energy and need a moments rest to recharge. Experienced mages have a larger pool of magical energy while novices would get tired after one spell but the more you train, the more your power grows.

I would categorize them into two: type 1 would be the likes of Zatanna, Zachary, Traci 13, Dr Occult, Madame Xanadu, Merlin, Tala, Circe, Morgane Le Fay, Constantine basically characters who throw around bolts of technicolor lightning falls into this category. They manipulate 'pure' magical energy to cast illusions, alchemy, teleknisis, travel between dimensions, astral projections, etc. Usually they need a 'key' to channel their abilities through for the Zataras its backwards speaking and for others it could be hand movements or gestures. Magic is everywhere, some places more than others. Most regular cities have very faint magical energy but there are magical hotspots like Stonehenge or Atlantis or the Bermuda Triangle which the Magi can tap into for more power but they have to be their for it or have a connection to it for it to work. Because magic is vast and there are multiple different skills sets involved, different magi specialize in different things; Xanadu specializes in divination, Circe is an expert in turning humans into animals, the Zataras are a jack-of-all trades and Traci 13 has her 'urban magic'.

The second type would be characters whose magical power express themselves in specific powersets; Raven, Nightshade, Black Alice, Mera, , et al would fall into this category. Everything Raven does is derived from her soul self. Everything that Nightshade does is derived from her connection to shadows and the land of Nigthshade. Raven and Nighshade have more variety with their powers while Mera can only do water bending with her powers. Likewise, Black Alice's power is just tapping into other people's powers and utilizing a copy of whoever she is channeling. I would also throw in Johnny Quick and Jesse Quick, this is why they need a password for their powers to work because it's not scientific in nature. They access the Speed Force through magic while the Flash Family accesses it through science.

I will also take a page of out of JLA Vol 1 #165: the magical gene is recessive. If a magi had a child with a normal human then that child would only have half of their magical parent's power and if that child were to marry another normal human then they would have a third, a quarter in the next generation until eventually the power just fades after a couple of generations. Somewhere down the family tree, maybe centuries later, someone might develop full blown magical powers like John Zatara did but that's rare. Because of this many magical communities simply walled themselves away from normal human society hence why you have so many hidden societies in the DCU like Kor (Dr Mist), Hidden City (Zatanna), Azarath (Raven) and a bunch of others.

Wish I had a better name than Type 1 and 2.

The Champions: These are characters chosen by gods or god like beings to be their emissary's in our world. This is where Wonder Woman, Cheetah, Deadman, Captain Marvel & The Marvel Family, Dr. Fate, Spectre, Etrigan and possibly even the Phantom Stranger come in. Also depending on how you're handling Hawkman's reincarnation, he could fall into this category too. In CM, Etrigan and Dr Fate's case, they've been given their powers by powerful wizards and not Gods. The wizards are just Magi who climbed up the ladder high enough to have power almost comparable to that of Gods. The purpose of the Champions is to carry out whatever task has been assigned by their patrons. Sometimes their task is more hopeful and optimistic like WW and the Marvel Family, other times it's dark like the Spectre's mission. The instructions from their patrons could either be very loose or hands off like for Deadman and Etrigan or it could be very stringent like it is for the Spectre.

The Entities: Ranging from minor spirits easily vanquished to primordial gods who rule over entire dimensions, they are beings made of pure magical energy who embodies an aspect of existence and it's humans thoughts that gave them their personality. Kind of like an American Gods take. People have bloodlust? Hello Ares! Mars! And other war gods! Their flaw is that they need followers since belief is their power. Examples would be all the Pantheons; the Greek Gods, the Norse Gods, the Presence who represents the Abrahamic Gods, and basically The Endless would be a step above these guys. Somewhere in between would the New Gods; they are the next step after the Greek/Roman Gods. They don't need followers to maintain power but characters like Darkseid feeds on others misery and their power comes from the Source. All these beings are in competition with each other, sometimes they may support each other but ultimately they all want the top spot of being the ruler of the universe.


Anyway, that's my take. Thoughts?

I definitely like this classification better!

I like the idea of types 1 and 2. Especially since type 2 characters don't really use "base" magic but as you said their specialized powerset. I also can't come up with a name for the types

I would also make a note for the Enchanted, that if excessive use, long exposure, or ever-lasting effects with whatever item or thing that enchanted the user, can have a permanent imprint. An example of this can be Dr. Mist, Vixen (Pre-52), or Vampires.

[Rac7d*]

Where has this thread been hiding

[Factor]

I've seen this before and I like it. It's good to see somebody trying to sort this thing out for once.

Though my main criticism is that some of the categories overlap too much. Like Magician and Sorcerer. Champions and Guardians. Archmage and Judges. You're right that some characters don't fit into those categories because the classifications are so narrow.

My suggestions would be something like this:

This is what I came up with after seeing the above posted page sometime back.

The Enchanted: Regular humans or animals who get their powers from magical items, potions or altered in some way by a magical being. This would be the case for characters like Vixen, Detective Chimp, Blue Devil, Nightmaster, Shining Knight, Bloodwynd, certain iterations of Dr Fate, the reincarnated Hawkman (depending on how you want to explain his reincarnation), Ralph (depending on whether you think the substance he drank was magical or scientific in nature) as well as Vandal Savage (again, depends on whether you think that the meteor was magical or scientific in nature). Some of these characters would just be regular people (or animals) if they lost their enchanted items or if whatever spell that gives them their abilities were lifted. I would categorize Atlanteans and their ability to breath and survive underwater as a result of being enchanted as well. Vampires, werewolves, dragons and their variations would fall under this category.

The Magi: This is where your typical spell chanting or wand waving magicians would be. These characters are born with magical powers, their body creates it and the more spells or the bigger the spell they cast the more they run out of energy and need a moments rest to recharge. Experienced mages have a larger pool of magical energy while novices would get tired after one spell but the more you train, the more your power grows.

I would categorize them into two: type 1 would be the likes of Zatanna, Zachary, Traci 13, Dr Occult, Madame Xanadu, Merlin, Tala, Circe, Morgane Le Fay, Constantine basically characters who throw around bolts of technicolor lightning falls into this category. They manipulate 'pure' magical energy to cast illusions, alchemy, teleknisis, travel between dimensions, astral projections, etc. Usually they need a 'key' to channel their abilities through for the Zataras its backwards speaking and for others it could be hand movements or gestures. Magic is everywhere, some places more than others. Most regular cities have very faint magical energy but there are magical hotspots like Stonehenge or Atlantis or the Bermuda Triangle which the Magi can tap into for more power but they have to be their for it or have a connection to it for it to work. Because magic is vast and there are multiple different skills sets involved, different magi specialize in different things; Xanadu specializes in divination, Circe is an expert in turning humans into animals, the Zataras are a jack-of-all trades and Traci 13 has her 'urban magic'.

The second type would be characters whose magical power express themselves in specific powersets; Raven, Nightshade, Black Alice, Mera, , et al would fall into this category. Everything Raven does is derived from her soul self. Everything that Nightshade does is derived from her connection to shadows and the land of Nigthshade. Raven and Nighshade have more variety with their powers while Mera can only do water bending with her powers. Likewise, Black Alice's power is just tapping into other people's powers and utilizing a copy of whoever she is channeling. I would also throw in Johnny Quick and Jesse Quick, this is why they need a password for their powers to work because it's not scientific in nature. They access the Speed Force through magic while the Flash Family accesses it through science.

I will also take a page of out of JLA Vol 1 #165: the magical gene is recessive. If a magi had a child with a normal human then that child would only have half of their magical parent's power and if that child were to marry another normal human then they would have a third, a quarter in the next generation until eventually the power just fades after a couple of generations. Somewhere down the family tree, maybe centuries later, someone might develop full blown magical powers like John Zatara did but that's rare. Because of this many magical communities simply walled themselves away from normal human society hence why you have so many hidden societies in the DCU like Kor (Dr Mist), Hidden City (Zatanna), Azarath (Raven) and a bunch of others.

Wish I had a better name than Type 1 and 2.

The Champions: These are characters chosen by gods or god like beings to be their emissary's in our world. This is where Wonder Woman, Cheetah, Deadman, Captain Marvel & The Marvel Family, Dr. Fate, Spectre, Etrigan and possibly even the Phantom Stranger come in. Also depending on how you're handling Hawkman's reincarnation, he could fall into this category too. In CM, Etrigan and Dr Fate's case, they've been given their powers by powerful wizards and not Gods. The wizards are just Magi who climbed up the ladder high enough to have power almost comparable to that of Gods. The purpose of the Champions is to carry out whatever task has been assigned by their patrons. Sometimes their task is more hopeful and optimistic like WW and the Marvel Family, other times it's dark like the Spectre's mission. The instructions from their patrons could either be very loose or hands off like for Deadman and Etrigan or it could be very stringent like it is for the Spectre.

The Entities: Ranging from minor spirits easily vanquished to primordial gods who rule over entire dimensions, they are beings made of pure magical energy who embodies an aspect of existence and it's humans thoughts that gave them their personality. Kind of like an American Gods take. People have bloodlust? Hello Ares! Mars! And other war gods! Their flaw is that they need followers since belief is their power. Examples would be all the Pantheons; the Greek Gods, the Norse Gods, the Presence who represents the Abrahamic Gods, and basically The Endless would be a step above these guys. Somewhere in between would the New Gods; they are the next step after the Greek/Roman Gods. They don't need followers to maintain power but characters like Darkseid feeds on others misery and their power comes from the Source. All these beings are in competition with each other, sometimes they may support each other but ultimately they all want the top spot of being the ruler of the universe.


Anyway, that's my take. Thoughts?

I really like this. It's a way simpler and more comprehensive categorization than Tynion's.
My only nitpick is that's not how recessive genes work. If the magic gene is recessive, a child would need to have two magi parents for their magic abilities to present themselves (and even then, they could end up not getting the magic genes at all). What you've described is closer to how genes dictate skin tone (two pairs of non-dominant genes, which cause a variety of combinations, occasionally making a certain characteristic less likely to appear in future generations if the genes from a specific characteristic aren't inserted again).

[Agent Z]

I've seen this before and I like it. It's good to see somebody trying to sort this thing out for once.

Though my main criticism is that some of the categories overlap too much. Like Magician and Sorcerer. Champions and Guardians. Archmage and Judges. You're right that some characters don't fit into those categories because the classifications are so narrow.

My suggestions would be something like this:

This is what I came up with after seeing the above posted page sometime back.

The Enchanted: Regular humans or animals who get their powers from magical items, potions or altered in some way by a magical being. This would be the case for characters like Vixen, Detective Chimp, Blue Devil, Nightmaster, Shining Knight, Bloodwynd, certain iterations of Dr Fate, the reincarnated Hawkman (depending on how you want to explain his reincarnation), Ralph (depending on whether you think the substance he drank was magical or scientific in nature) as well as Vandal Savage (again, depends on whether you think that the meteor was magical or scientific in nature). Some of these characters would just be regular people (or animals) if they lost their enchanted items or if whatever spell that gives them their abilities were lifted. I would categorize Atlanteans and their ability to breath and survive underwater as a result of being enchanted as well. Vampires, werewolves, dragons and their variations would fall under this category.

The Magi: This is where your typical spell chanting or wand waving magicians would be. These characters are born with magical powers, their body creates it and the more spells or the bigger the spell they cast the more they run out of energy and need a moments rest to recharge. Experienced mages have a larger pool of magical energy while novices would get tired after one spell but the more you train, the more your power grows.

I would categorize them into two: type 1 would be the likes of Zatanna, Zachary, Traci 13, Dr Occult, Madame Xanadu, Merlin, Tala, Circe, Morgane Le Fay, Constantine basically characters who throw around bolts of technicolor lightning falls into this category. They manipulate 'pure' magical energy to cast illusions, alchemy, teleknisis, travel between dimensions, astral projections, etc. Usually they need a 'key' to channel their abilities through for the Zataras its backwards speaking and for others it could be hand movements or gestures. Magic is everywhere, some places more than others. Most regular cities have very faint magical energy but there are magical hotspots like Stonehenge or Atlantis or the Bermuda Triangle which the Magi can tap into for more power but they have to be their for it or have a connection to it for it to work. Because magic is vast and there are multiple different skills sets involved, different magi specialize in different things; Xanadu specializes in divination, Circe is an expert in turning humans into animals, the Zataras are a jack-of-all trades and Traci 13 has her 'urban magic'.

The second type would be characters whose magical power express themselves in specific powersets; Raven, Nightshade, Black Alice, Mera, , et al would fall into this category. Everything Raven does is derived from her soul self. Everything that Nightshade does is derived from her connection to shadows and the land of Nigthshade. Raven and Nighshade have more variety with their powers while Mera can only do water bending with her powers. Likewise, Black Alice's power is just tapping into other people's powers and utilizing a copy of whoever she is channeling. I would also throw in Johnny Quick and Jesse Quick, this is why they need a password for their powers to work because it's not scientific in nature. They access the Speed Force through magic while the Flash Family accesses it through science.

I will also take a page of out of JLA Vol 1 #165: the magical gene is recessive. If a magi had a child with a normal human then that child would only have half of their magical parent's power and if that child were to marry another normal human then they would have a third, a quarter in the next generation until eventually the power just fades after a couple of generations. Somewhere down the family tree, maybe centuries later, someone might develop full blown magical powers like John Zatara did but that's rare. Because of this many magical communities simply walled themselves away from normal human society hence why you have so many hidden societies in the DCU like Kor (Dr Mist), Hidden City (Zatanna), Azarath (Raven) and a bunch of others.

Wish I had a better name than Type 1 and 2.

The Champions: These are characters chosen by gods or god like beings to be their emissary's in our world. This is where Wonder Woman, Cheetah, Deadman, Captain Marvel & The Marvel Family, Dr. Fate, Spectre, Etrigan and possibly even the Phantom Stranger come in. Also depending on how you're handling Hawkman's reincarnation, he could fall into this category too. In CM, Etrigan and Dr Fate's case, they've been given their powers by powerful wizards and not Gods. The wizards are just Magi who climbed up the ladder high enough to have power almost comparable to that of Gods. The purpose of the Champions is to carry out whatever task has been assigned by their patrons. Sometimes their task is more hopeful and optimistic like WW and the Marvel Family, other times it's dark like the Spectre's mission. The instructions from their patrons could either be very loose or hands off like for Deadman and Etrigan or it could be very stringent like it is for the Spectre.

The Entities: Ranging from minor spirits easily vanquished to primordial gods who rule over entire dimensions, they are beings made of pure magical energy who embodies an aspect of existence and it's humans thoughts that gave them their personality. Kind of like an American Gods take. People have bloodlust? Hello Ares! Mars! And other war gods! Their flaw is that they need followers since belief is their power. Examples would be all the Pantheons; the Greek Gods, the Norse Gods, the Presence who represents the Abrahamic Gods, and basically The Endless would be a step above these guys. Somewhere in between would the New Gods; they are the next step after the Greek/Roman Gods. They don't need followers to maintain power but characters like Darkseid feeds on others misery and their power comes from the Source. All these beings are in competition with each other, sometimes they may support each other but ultimately they all want the top spot of being the ruler of the universe.


Anyway, that's my take. Thoughts?

I like it mostly but I think the Magi system should have characters whose magic learned. Or maybe that should be a separate category.

Otherwise, good system.