What is the most conceptually terrifying/horrifying kind of magic?

GlassRose

Kaleidoscope of Harmonious Contradiction
Joined
Apr 20, 2021
Messages
405
Points
133
What magic/supernatural ability would terrify you the most if it existed?

Not just, what would cause you to be the most afraid in the actual encounter, like fear magic or something, but what power would, by it's mere existence, horrify you to the point of nightmares? To the point where you'd rather die than encounter it?
 

RepresentingWrath

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Messages
13,556
Points
283
The one that causes dementia or something that makes you forget yourself gradually. The main point gradually. Turning into a vegetable in a second isn't as scary since I can consider it as something akin to death. Death is scary, but losing yourself slowly and not being able to reverse it or even stall it is scarier.
 

VertisGuguChalimoth

RepresentingRationality
Joined
Feb 13, 2025
Messages
63
Points
33
Possibly【Botfly Breath】.
Entomancer spell that summons a swarm of botflies to attack their opponent. The thought of hundreds of botflies laying larva within Vertis is terrifying.

Or any spell that restricts Vertis' movement while Vertis is still conscious.
 

Nekyo

Otaku Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2025
Messages
80
Points
18
Nightmare magic, where you can infinitely kill over and over your victims while not allowing them to die and make them suffer indefinitely. I guess Itachi's Tsukuyomi was terrifying when put in perspective if you are vulnerable to it.
 

ElijahRyne

A Hermit that’s NOT that Lazy, currentlycomplainen
Joined
Aug 12, 2021
Messages
1,840
Points
153
What magic/supernatural ability would terrify you the most if it existed?

Not just, what would cause you to be the most afraid in the actual encounter, like fear magic or something, but what power would, by it's mere existence, horrify you to the point of nightmares? To the point where you'd rather die than encounter it?
The one that causes dementia or something that makes you forget yourself gradually. The main point gradually. Turning into a vegetable in a second isn't as scary since I can consider it as something akin to death. Death is scary, but losing yourself slowly and not being able to reverse it or even stall it is scarier.
Or the one where you cause others to forget about you.
 

N0xiety

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 15, 2020
Messages
88
Points
58
Animal transformation with fleshcrafting magic, but it happens gradually. The victim getting their skin changed slowly, hands and feet slowly turning into hooves, fingers and toes fusing with time, spine curving to become more suited for quadrupedal locomotion, face elongating to more and more resemble the animal, each day another pain as their bones and organs are rearranged/transformed slowly. At some point, talking will become impossible, and even instincts and preferences start to change that of the animal, but the memories of the human that used to be remain which only torments the victim more.

The close ones of the victim helplessly watch them turn day by day in agonizing fashion. And when it's over, when the transformation is done, they are left with the situation of having to look after the now animal victim for life, like a twisted pet, hoping against hope that there would be another mage whose expertise in fleshcraft can turn the victim back to human. Yet no matter what the mage does they can never fully bring back what once was, there is no magic or curse to undo you see, the best they can do is to fleshcraft the victim into the approximation of the blurry memories others have of them. Hope will keep them going for some time, prolonging their suffering. And if the hope eventually fails, they will have to face the reality that it just might be better to put the victim down, that is if the victim doesn't just run away and throw themselves off a cliff first.
 
Last edited:

naosu

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 18, 2020
Messages
336
Points
83
I think rotting their body would be worst. I mean... say you kill them. Well if they are dead they don't stay in the body that's dead. They are released... its worse to be stuck as a quadroplegic. Or to be stuck in a zombie body while it rots slowly even while you are concious of it rotting but unable to stop or do anything. The slow death of very slow rotting... this is the worst kind of death.

If you get killed, you just move onto some other form of existence. There's life after death. This is why just getting killed alone wouldn't be scary anymore.

So... really bad necromancy would be the worst, where its 'imprisoning them' in horrific undead bodies.
 

Echimera

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2021
Messages
308
Points
103
Possibly【Botfly Breath】.
Entomancer spell that summons a swarm of botflies to attack their opponent. The thought of hundreds of botflies laying larva within Vertis is terrifying.

Or any spell that restricts Vertis' movement while Vertis is still conscious.
Yes, more than one Botfly would be kind of really bad.
 

Daitengu

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
917
Points
133
Mind/Body Control magic.

Nothin quite like being the strongest and getting Mind/body controlled by the evilest person in the world. Then being forced to watch as your body does "all the bad things" to everyone you loved then use you like the Winter Soldier to off the vilain's enemies. Then there's all the stuff that gets done to hypnoed girls in H manga.

Like Marvel's purple man. Or the whole demon MCing Ms. Marvel and having her get preg to birth him into the material plane.
 

Plantorsomething

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
310
Points
103
What magic/supernatural ability would terrify you the most if it existed?

Not just, what would cause you to be the most afraid in the actual encounter, like fear magic or something, but what power would, by it's mere existence, horrify you to the point of nightmares? To the point where you'd rather die than encounter it?
Magic is realizing the world and everyone in it is a dream, and learning to semi-lucid dream within it. The more insane and delusional you become, the stronger and less focused the magic. People who tip off the edge become living myths with fleeting self awareness, extreme charactures of who they once were. They key is striking the balance of madness and power, where you can slip into the abyss at any moment.
 

GlassRose

Kaleidoscope of Harmonious Contradiction
Joined
Apr 20, 2021
Messages
405
Points
133
Possibly【Botfly Breath】.
Entomancer spell that summons a swarm of botflies to attack their opponent. The thought of hundreds of botflies laying larva within Vertis is terrifying.

Or any spell that restricts Vertis' movement while Vertis is still conscious.
I had a similar thought, but with parasitic mushrooms... especially, those ones that can take over and control their prey. Luckily, so far that's mostly restricted to tiny insects, but the thought of a magic plague of parasitic mushrooms- scary.
 

Navillus

The Humble Cat
Joined
Jan 2, 2024
Messages
610
Points
133
Personally I’ve always seen telekinesis and chaos magic as the two scariest as long as the wielder is creative enough-nyah.
 

Rezcore

Well Hewn Timber
Joined
Aug 18, 2022
Messages
1,094
Points
153
All of it. Let's think logically, most magic is bending physics, with the power of imagination. Which is why fantasy tends to be medieval, because any magical society with knowledge of basic physics, would Fermi Paradox themselves from existence
 

StoneInky

Heart of Stone, Head of Ink
Joined
Jun 24, 2024
Messages
445
Points
108
Animal transformation with fleshcrafting magic, but it happens gradually. The victim getting their skin changed slowly, hands and feet slowly turning into hooves, fingers and toes fusing with time, spine curving to become more suited for quadrupedal locomotion, face elongating to more and more resemble the animal, each day another pain as their bones and organs are rearranged/transformed slowly. At some point, talking will become impossible, and even instincts and preferences start to change that of the animal, but the memories of the human that used to be remain which only torments the victim more.

The close ones of the victim helplessly watch them turn day by day in agonizing fashion. And when it's over, when the transformation is done, they are left with the situation of having to look after the now animal victim for life, like a twisted pet, hoping against hope that there would be another mage whose expertise in fleshcraft can turn the victim back to human. Yet no matter what the mage does they can never fully bring back what once was, there is no magic or curse to undo you see, the best they can do is to fleshcraft the victim into the approximation of the blurry memories others have of them. Hope will keep them going for some time, prolonging their suffering. And if the hope eventually fails, they will have to face the reality that it just might be better to put the victim down, that is if the victim doesn't just run away and throw themselves off a cliff first.
Why did this make me think of furries.

Anywayyyy. Hm... what about emotion control magic?

The ability to make em love or hate whatever I want, as much as I want. Their sister. A chair. A child who is 6 years old. Eating parasites. Writing as a career. Or even me! I'll be able to make em completely subservient to me, and they'll do messed up stuff hoping to please, awwww. This one sounds funnnnn.

"If you really love me, you should do something about your horrid mom!" :blob_teehee:

I'll wait until they make irreversable choices, turn em back to normal, and watch them blame themselves! Yayyy! Again and again and againnnn.
 
Last edited:
Top