The Magic Guide

Hello, prospective magicians! Welcome to the Magic Guide. Here, I will attempt to explain in an easy to understand way everything you need to know about magicians and the magic they use. Now, magic in the Raildex verse is kind of vague, so it can seem a little intimidating, but really, it's just incredibly simplistic, and offers great amounts of creative freedom as a result.


#1 Basics on Magic, Idol Theory and Spell Creation

Magicians, in order to use magic, convert their life force to mana, similar to his crude oil can be refined to create gasoline. They then take that mana and use it to cast their spells. However, it is important to note that when creating a magician, you should never, at any point in time, take mana into account. This is because throughout all of the novels, all of the manga, and all of the anime, not once is there even the slightest mention of the possibility of running out of mana. As such, things like fuel consumption, recovery, every cost, etc. do not need to be considered at any point in the character creation process.

Now that that's out of the way, I'll start explaining how the spells themselves work. There is a single, very simple law that is the only thing you need to consider when creating a spell: Idol Theory.

Nearly every spell in the Raildex verse draws its power from Idol Theory. Idol Theory states that a replica, an idol, is capable of drawing upon a fraction of the original’s power. It's actually quite similar to how solar panels absorb energy from the sun. No matter how much power is drawn forth, the sun’s energy is not depleted in the slightest. No matter how much power you draw from the original, it will always have more. Regardless of how much energy is gained from the sun’s rays, it only ever measure up to the barest fraction of the sun’s power. No matter how powerful the replica, in the end it is only a replica, and only able to utilize the barest fraction of the original’s power. And that's all you'll ever need to know about Idol Theory.

Now that we have the theory down, I suppose it's time to explain how it’s applied in the spell creation process. To that end, I'll give you a simple three step guide on how to create a spell.

1. Choose something from the occult to draw power from, be it a  myth, legend, religion, or something else entirely. e.g., Sun Wukong, the Lernaean Hydra, Mjölnir, the Seven Deadly Sins, tarot cards, the zodiac, the five Chinese elements, the duality of yin and yang, anything.

2. Use symbolism to emulate the figure, object, or concept you intend to draw power from using Idol Theory. One in universe example is the saint. Saints such as Kanzaki Kaori have such power because of Idol Theory. God made man in His image, and saints have special bodies that are able to draw forth power using that connection. Well, while saints make good examples for explaining how the concept works, if you want to see some more inventive uses, I suggest looking at some of the already approved magician’s profiles.

3. There is no three. Spell creation is just that simple!


#2 Application of Idol Theory and Spiritual Items

Most magicians (though definitely not all) rely on a magical tool to cast their more complex spells which would otherwise require equally complex rituals and thus wouldn't be so practical out in the field work. This is where the Magicians would rely on such tools called the Spiritual Items. Spiritual Items are magical tools that simplify these complex steps by imbuing the Spiritual Items with Idol Theory of their choosing.


Let's take Aaron's Rod from a Biblical Context. Aaron's Rod was mythical and it was primarily possessed by the Prophet Moses who parted the sea with the strike of the staff and during their pilgrimage from Egypt to the Promised Lands, his people suffered thirst like no other. It was also notably used here when Moses struck the nearby rocks which then produced a fountain/oasis for his people to drink from.

From these two details we can safely deduce that Aaron's Rod is capable of manipulating water. While it's not possible for your Magician to come in possession of the original artefact, it is possible for your magician to possess a replica with its power reduced by 1/10th or more. As for the application, you can pretty much think of anything as long as it fits into the biblical context.

1. Ability to create water from rocks.
2. Ability to summon an invisible barrier against water based spells?
3. Ability to bend water (At this point you might as well be from the Water Tribes j/k).
4. Ability to turn invisible by using water particles in the air to reflect light.

etc. etc. Possibilities are endless and of course you can't have every one of these perks unlocked for the staff. After all, the one your Magician would be using would be a lesser Replica hence it won't have the same power as the original but I hope you can understand where this is all going. While you won't be using the original Aaron's Rod, through the application of Idol Theory you might be able to craft a Spiritual Item that could succeed as a authentic Replica and wield similar powers as the Prophet Moses though with limitations of course.


#3 Magicians and Magic Names

Magicians all share a single characteristic: They have a goal they strive for, something they want obtain, achieve, or accomplish. They use their magic for the sake of that goal. They ventured into the world of the occult because for whatever reason, they found that if they continued to be restricted by the common sense which binds the rest of the world, then their goal will never be accomplished.

That goal is the driving force behind everything they do. Why they fight, why live. As a result, magicians are fiercely individualistic. They may form cabals and work together, but even that is merely for the sake of pooling their power for the purpose of achieving their own personal goal. If they were to ever determine that the cabal had lost its usefulness, then a magician would leave without hesitation. Even groups such as the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches are the same, their cohesion is simply a result of the members having incredibly similar, if not identical goals.

And the magic name. A magician’s magic name is as important to them as their magic and even their goal. The three letters are simply for preventing duplicates, but the significance of that Latin word should not be underestimated. It is a declaration of the magician’s dream, and a sign of their resolve to see it through to the very end.

So, prospective magicians. You know now everything necessary to create a magician of your own. So, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and write that profile!