What do you think about... wizards compared to onmyoujis?

[naosu]

I am working on a story that uses an onmyouji magic build instead of a wizard build. I think it will be fun. (Its not up here yet though.) But before I can get into it, I realized I wish I had a better idea how onmyouji magic systems would be different than a wizard system build?

What do you think about this? How should they be different?

 

[RainyLiquid]

No clue what a Onmyoujis is.

 

[naosu]

No clue what a Onmyoujis is.

Exactly! I'm not sure we have a good feel for what it is and isn't. Its supposed to be an Eastern Asia type magic concept... but I can't really say that its very well defined.

 

[ph03nix]

No clue what a Onmyoujis is.

Onmyouji is like an spirit exorcist with chi powers like yin yang based.

I am working on a story that uses an onmyouji magic build instead of a wizard build. I think it will be fun. (Its not up here yet though.) But before I can get into it, I realized I wish I had a better idea how onmyouji magic systems would be different than a wizard system build?

What do you think about this? How should they be different?

I am just an avid anime watcher and binge reader.

Here is an idea for you. Its only a suggestion. You must have watched mob psycho 100, bleach, witcher saga or devil may cry. First you should define what kind of spirit or demons are in your world. Are they energy based or blood based or chi-aura based. Can they shape physically or are only seen by onmyoujis. Does they control humans or they have been in the living world.

Next i suggest you focus on character artifacts and weapons that can associated. For lead power system i suggest you to create either one system for heroes and villains, or create an anti system for villains. If you want uniqueness you can bring signs systems or clan/guild/academy concept so different ways of incorporating the power.

As for if it should not be wizard build, l recommend you to introduce different realms or dimensional attacks. As onmyouji are spirit hunter, physical attacks as on fleshly body can be made limited and more focus on psychic ones can be adapted. It solely depends on your innovation though. Or you can introduce different similar type of careers in your novel, the feeling of wizards should be more technical focus and one on onmyouji should spiritual/psychic focus. Both keeping their aspects. I hope it helps.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

No clue what a Onmyoujis is.

It's a board with letters and numbers on it and kids trick themselves into thinking it can contact spirits. Or a really bad horror movie franchise

 

[naosu]

It's a board with letters and numbers on it and kids trick themselves into thinking it can contact spirits. Or a really bad horror movie franchise

No. That's Ouji/ouja (weejee pronounciation) boards. I think those are separate... aren't they? Or at least I never knew of a connection between them?

I don't want to make a story about weejee boards. :S

 

[Jerynboe]

Onmyōdō is a whole bunch of separate disciplines under an umbrella, so I’m gonna make some random suggestions.

Ofuda, those paper talismans, are covered in sacred script and usually intended as a defensive or specifically anti-evil type of magic. They can ward away enemies, suppress curses, or seal demons, but against a normal dude (even a total asshole) they probably can’t be used offensively.

The five elements are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Learn what each of these mean in Chinese philosophy and that can give you some idea of what each “school of magic” derived from them might be good at.

Shikigami can be read as essentially “equation spirit” which implies that you could treat the use of them as a bit like computer programming. Summon a spirit and give it very precise instructions, if you have a script set up you can have it do much more complicated shit.

Shikigami can also be read as “fierce death god” iirc, with an extremely different set of implications. Both can be true if you can figure out a way of making them mesh.

“Kyu-Kyu Nyo Ritsu Ryo” is sometimes used as the end of a command as a way to imbue it with divine authority in Taoism. Look up its meaning yourself if you intend to use it, but the tldr is “quickly, in accordance with the law.” Saying this is essentially invoking the authority of the celestial bureaucracy, which implies that a practitioner could deal directly with the gods and petition for certain “licensing” to be allowed to perform certain miracles, if you wanted to go that direction.

Basically, if you don’t want it to feel shallow as hell, do at least a little bit of research into Chinese philosophy for aesthetics if nothing else.

 

[BearlyAlive]

Aren't those just eastern freelance ritualists & diviners? They do Feng Shui, leyline readings, divinations and other (paper-based) rituals or talismans like Ofuda (and Shikigami, depending on how you want to depict them).

They were pretty much the spiritual jack of all trades.

 

[Amelia-chan]

I am working on a story that uses an onmyouji magic build instead of a wizard build. I think it will be fun. (Its not up here yet though.) But before I can get into it, I realized I wish I had a better idea how onmyouji magic systems would be different than a wizard system build?

What do you think about this? How should they be different?

Like a Druid but instead of western spiritual elements it’s eastern

 

[Worthy39]

Well, it's your story, so you can take creative liberties and give them some variations and stuff, never limit yourself to just the facts. But to give a brief rundown, they kept track of the date in older times, were responsible for handling spiritual issues, and were famous for their shikigami techniques (think magic familiar, but made of paper or wood).

The discipline itself is called onmyōdō, I think. Something famous they used was (like we see often in bleach) a five pointed star. They also used hand symbols called Kuji-in, and were known for using divination and astrology. The five elements they used were, I believe, wood, water, fire, earth, and metal. Those elements are each represented as one point of the star they use. Most of their abilities come from rituals, and are mostly focused on appeasing, sealing, or warding off spirits. They also used talismans.

Of course, I'm not an expert, so all my information could be a bit off, but I think I got the basics here.

 

[expentio]

I always found that talisman stuff pretty weird. They place it somewhere, and suddenly the thin paper is indestructable and irremovable and does whatever, while some can still treat it as the scrap paper it is.

 

[PancakesWitch]

I always found that talisman stuff pretty weird. They place it somewhere, and suddenly the thin paper is indestructable and irremovable and does whatever, while some can still treat it as the scrap paper it is.

They are just a cheap way to carry magic spells around, just throw the talisman and magic happens, its' not that the paper is powerful, it just carries the magic, same logi as magic scrolls and grimoires

 

[Cipiteca396]

I always found that talisman stuff pretty weird. They place it somewhere, and suddenly the thin paper is indestructable and irremovable and does whatever, while some can still treat it as the scrap paper it is.

Think of it like a magnet. Normally, is just rock. But stick to fridge, and you never get that fucker back.

The magic flows through the paper like ELECTROMAGNETISM, and reality is the fridge it sticks the talisman to when active.

I realized I wish I had a better idea how onmyouji magic systems would be different than a wizard system build?

I don't think they should be different, unless you have a VERY good in universe reason for them to be different.
For example, you could easily take a wizard and flavor everything they say and do to make them seem like an exorcist. Instead of a spellbook, you have a deck of talismans. Instead of spell slots, you have spirit allies or qi points. So on.

Contrarily, if you want to make them different, you should figure out the core difference, and then try to make them do the same things as similarly as possible to highlight that difference. Both casters can open a locked door, but if the innate process that allows that is so fundamentally different, it should stand out when you compare them side by side like that.
For example, the wizard modifies reality itself so that the door just isn't locked anymore, the exorcist convinces a friendly spirit to open the latch from the other side.

If you don't have a clear idea of the distinction between the two, it's better not to meddle with it too much. If it's just a cultural difference, use the same system for both sides but make it look different. If there's an actual difference, you can have different cultures have both systems side by side but with different aesthetics.

 

[SternenklarenRitter]

The difference is about paper. Both wizards and onmyoujis write spells on paper. Wizards then publish those papers in academic jounals about magical theory. Onmyoujis instead throw their papers hard enough to crush a human skull.