When it comes to our otherwise rather basic forms of magic, there are many different metaphysical elemental properties, often shortened to just elements, you can play around with, assuming you can imbue them on magical items. These elements are based off of a myriad of natural effects and forces of nature, but are intertwined in a most curious way.
While each element stands on its own, it is related to nearby to four elements of a similar type. Each element is connected to a Prime Element, one of the four primordial sources of existence: Time, Space, Life and Decay.
Below is a description of each Prime Element and the elements connected to each one, as well as how you can align a magical item to each element.
Prime Element – Time
As the name suggests, the element of time allows one to control and manipulate time, potentially being able to slow down existence itself, create localized time pockets and possibly even reverse time. Such power is currently impossible to obtain via magical means due to the requirements being physically impossible outside of godly interference.
Time-Born Elements
Elements connected to Time tend to have both a flow to them and an uncanny ability to not really be held, being felt rather than seen.
Air
Just like Time itself, Air flows with the user, twisting around it and forcing the user to follow. The Air element can be used to fly, to push and move items and to generally just blow things around. The average magical air item generally only allows the user to glide short distances though.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Magical item is to be exposed to high winds exceeding 80km/h for 80 minutes.
Ice
Ice allows for the reduction of temperatures, freezing of ice and general resistance to the cold. Most magical items are used for easy refrigeration but they are also popular in cold areas to provide protection from harsh weather.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Magical item must be sealed and frozen at temperatures below -4C for 40 hours.
Electricity
More than just the ability to throw lightning, it also allows one to control smaller currents and in some cases influence technology. Most of the time though, magical electricity items are only used as fancy chargers though, due to how difficult it is to create powerful magical items.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Magical item must be struck by lightning sixteen times.
Magnetism
Magnetism is the polar opposite of electricity yet is used in similar ways. Its most common use though is in the creation of more magnets and in the design of automatic floatation devices.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Magical item should be suspended in place for 400 hours via magnetic forces.
Prime Element – Space
Space is a very varied and rather physical Prime Element, responsible for the ground we stand on and the light that brightens our world. While Space is a powerful element, it is not known how one can imbue this Prime Element permanently onto objects – while many have tried, it has been discovered that anything attached to the Space element quickly reverts into Space-Born Elements before any experimentation can be done.
Space-Born Elements
Elements connected to Space are considered to be both light and heavy, literally. Gravity, Ground and Light are all by-products of the Space Prime Element, while Plasma is considered to almost be a combination of the three.
Gravity
The ability to control Gravity is insanely powerful, allowing one to move items with ease or make them immovable. But this element rarely manifests in particularly strong ways, often just giving one rather minor abilities such as hovering a few inches off the ground.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Magical item must be dropped from a height of 400m.
Ground
The element of Ground is a far-reaching one, giving one the ability to move the earth but also shape it. Magical items can make building and excavation easier as they can detect hollows and caverns, while more powerful items can be used to shift earth and rocks out of the way.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Magical item must be immediately buried underground and not exposed to any sources of light, water or air for 400 hours.
Light
Light is often considered to be a blessed element and is one of the more popular elements, due to the fact that it can be used for simple, almost permanent lighting. Unfortunately the creation of magical Light items is very difficult to do depending on the planet, due to varying night and day cycles.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Item must be kept in direct sunlight without exposure to water or darkness for 40-400 hours depending on desired potency. Non-natural sources and moonlight will not work.
Plasma
Plasma was originally considered to be an extension of Fire, but is actually closer to light, with the ability to also create heat. It has a dual usage as both a heat and a light source.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Consistent creation currently unknown. Most consistent method requires super-heating the item but risks turning the item into a Fire Element.
Prime Element – Life
Life is the most common of the Prime Elements as it is part of all living beings. That being said, Life is a finicky and fleeting element that is never permanent and endlessly cycling through different forms. Also unlike the other Prime Elements, it is possible to imbue items with Life, but only under the watchful eye of the Allbirther herself.
Life-Born Elements
These elements are somewhat oddly tied together, as if they are each two sides of the same coin. While one might consider things like Nature and Metal to be opposites, they are more integral to life than one would imagine.
Water
A very simple yet powerful element, if one can actually get it to work. Most magical water items tend to be rather weak, only being able to create small amounts of water, but more powerful uses of Water magic can create rivers and rainstorms at will.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Item is to be bathed in salt water for 4 minutes. Salinity must be high enough to make the water undrinkable. Exact water and quantities for maximum potential are unknown.
Nature
Nature is an insanely powerful element, allowing control over animals and manipulation and creation of plant life. But its power comes at a cost. Nature tends to overcome one’s mind and the use of Nature-based magical items can cause weaker minds to become feral.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Consistent creation method currently unknown. Most consistent requires placing magical item inside a fast-growing plant, but few plants grow large enough or fast enough to make this feasible.
Metal
While originally believed to be part of Magnetism, Metal is an unusual combination of abilities, a very weak mixture of magnetism, electricity and water, with the ability to bend metal to one’s will. On magical items though, Metal is a rather simple element, often only being able to change into other small, metal things.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Magical item is to be placed inside liquid metal and sealed for 400 hours. Liquid metal must be below 100C.
Psionics
Psionics is power over the mind, the ability to make suggestions, influence emotions and sometimes even control others. Due to how powerful it is, Psionics is both rare and dangerous
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Magical item is to be implanted in the brain of a dying, mortal or placed within the womb of a pregnant, conscious mortal for 40 hours. The intelligence of the subject is related to how powerful the magical item will become. Due to the high danger of this method, creating Psionic magical items from sapient beings is highly illegal across most of the universe and even Psionic items created from sentient beings requires governmental approval or is illegal in most cases.
Decay
Despite the fact that one of the most common elements, Fire, is connected to it, Decay is by far the most powerful and the rarest of the Prime Elements, due to the fact that, well, it constantly decays into lesser forms. Decay is not completely negative though, it is just as much connected to change as it is to death. Unfortunately, it is impossible to obtain Decay in magical form, due to the direct intervention of the Thantophor.
Decay-Drawn Elements
Unlike other elements, the elements related to Decay are not born from them but are tied around change and are drawn from purer versions of Decay over time.
Fire
The most common element by far, fire elemental items will always emit some sort of heat and, with the correct instruments, can be used to create flames or sparks as well as heat items or suck heat away.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Magical item is to be held in an open flame with temperatures exceeding 400C for 4 seconds.
Radiation
Despite its name, Radiation covers both traditional radioactivity and what some call “viral”, the spread of diseases and infections. Radiation is rarely used as an element due to its negative connections, but is considered the closest element to Prime Decay.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Magical item is to be sealed inside a lead container alongside a radioactive material and a sample of a common influenza for 40 hours.
Darkness
Darkness, often just called Shadow, is the ability to shroud oneself, hide within shadows and see in the dark. Despite its name, it is a mostly harmless element more tied to sneaking and stealth than anything else.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Magical item must not be exposed to any light what so ever for 40 hours. This includes time spent soaking in radia.
Sonics and Sound
No one is really sure why Sonics and the manipulation of sound are connected to the Prime Element of Decay. Sonics is a somewhat interesting element though, allowing the manipulation of sound as well as the ability to create insanely powerful sonic weaponry.
Controlled Elemental Status Method: Magical item is to be exposed to high frequency audio for 40 hours.