Up to this point, we’ve looked at several major weapons you’re likely to see in many fantasy worlds and you might have noticed a rather important one missing. What’s the one thing that’s unique to fantasy not found in any other genre? Magic! You didn’t expect wizards or sorcerers to ride into battle defenseless, did you? Well, some are so skilled they don’t need any but that’s for another article. This one is all about the almighty magic rod.
Nearly every person capable of magic relies on a magic rod, depending on the person and the world he lives in. Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Gandalf the Grey/White, and Saruman the White are four examples of countless others who use them to perform spells across the genre.
Due to their ability to generate and channel magic, magic rods are far more powerful than a mere sword or bow and arrow. This means they have the potential to drastically shift the tide of battle instantly. Sadly, due to their great power, in the wrong hands, they have the ability to severely harm or kill or bring destruction upon a world, bringing it to ruin.
At its heart, every story in fantasy is about the endless war between good and evil for supremacy. While the vast majority of people have no magic abilities whatsoever, many of those who wield magic are looked upon to for leadership out of reverence and fear. This applies to both sides.
This article breaks down the two significant weapons magic users carry with them at all times. This is a series covering the types of weapons you commonly see in fantasy. If you like this article, why not check out the others on our blog?
Let’s delve into the exciting world of magic, beginning with one weapon everybody knows is a big part of fantasy: wands!
A long, thin stick that’s lightweight and easy to carry, a wand emits powerful bursts of magic upon the user’s command. It can be placed in the pocket for protection as the wizard moves from one place to another. They’re one of the two magic rods you see in many works across the genre.
Magic wands are made up of so many different materials. In the world of Harry Potter, every aspiring wizard in Britain goes to Ollivander’s to select a wand and he tells them what their wand is made of. Unicorn hair and phoenix feathers are just a couple examples of the materials that go into constructing a magic rod.
Due to their lightness, wands are susceptible to suffer damage, from slight bending to being broken into pieces beyond repair. You see this occur several times throughout the Harry Potter series. One instance is with Ron Weasley’s wand malfunctioning after he and Harry crash into the whomping willow in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Another is when Hermione accidentally breaks Harry’s wand when Voldemort’s snake Nagini attacks him when he’s visiting the place where his parents lived in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Damaged magic rods leave their users with little to no protection against their enemies, which makes them quite vulnerable since they have no way to fight back. Usually they can rely on someone else’s wand but it’s only a temporary measure until they get a replacement wand. Minor damage can be repaired easily but major damage, well it depends on the extent of how bad it is and how widespread it is.
Wands develop a relationship with their owners and as they grow together, they become more powerful since they’re more in-tune with each other. That’s why when their wand gets damaged, their owners suddenly feel a sense of loss, a powerlessness. Many of the most powerful wizards have been using the same wand for years, if not decades. That means they know their wands just as well as they know their families.
Essentially a longer version of a magic wand, the staff is a long thin stick that goes from the ground all the way up to at least the user’s height with an orb-like object at its tip. Occasionally it can be as tall as the person holding it. A staff’s design can range from simple to elegant, depending on who it’s for.
Staffs are far more powerful than a wand, since they can emit immensely potent spells like tsunamis or bursts of flames. However, there’s a trade off. Such spells tax the user far more than those of a wand, which means he can’t use it all day long.
Additionally, there’s a recharge time, usually a number of seconds, before the staff can be used again. You see in a lot in fantasy games such as Skyrim. This is used to prevent the player character from abusing that power throughout the game.
Many different materials go into the construction of a staff. You have common ones like wood though they have to be durable and able to withstand the power without crumbling under the pressure. Rarer materials like steel or other metals are also used, giving those staffs a smooth appearance. Many wizards prefer rarer materials over common ones because they consider them to have more power and are able to withstand a wide assortment of spells.
Since it’s what they’ll be bringing with them wherever they go, wizards play a great role in putting their staffs together. Their design reflects who they are and how they perceive the world. They fuse the different materials together to form the shaft and they come up with their own orb-like object at the tip where the spells come from.
Every wizard works to ensure their staff is hard to break. Unlike the magic wand, staffs are notoriously difficult to destroy. Only a spell from another staff can break one. This ensures they don’t need to worry about their weapon splintering into pieces from an accident, which enables them to focus their attention on more pressing issues.
Magic rods bring the excitement of wizards furiously unleashing spells on the battlefield, raining fire upon their enemies. People also love watching two sorcerers unleash salvo after salvo in an intense, climatic duel that will determine the fate of the world.
If you’re planning on building your own fantasy world, magic rods are required. To bring them into your world, consider who they’ll be for and design them accordingly. Everything has a trade off, even rods. Think about how long someone can use them for, depending on the spell or incantation. Stronger and complicated spells consume more energy than weaker, simple ones.
Before long, you’ll have magic rods that fit right in your world and your wizards, sorcerers, and other magic users will be using them!
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