I need help developing the pros and cons of Hand Casting, Staff Casting and Ritual Casting when it comes to spells

Question

I had an idea about different mages from different parts of the world having unique techniques when it comes to casting spells:

Hand Casting, Staff Casting, and Ritual Casting.

I'm trying to have these three aforementioned techniques be the industry standard, so to speak. However I'm having a hard time being able to clearly define them as if they are.

Do you guys have any ideas on differentiating and solidifying the techniques ?

(It's worth mentioning I do want every type of casting to require at least some audio cue, like "Flash Freeze" or "Mud Wall" or something like that.)

Answer 1

I will show you how to discover a story idea, by exploring what you 'know', and trying to find what is implied or missing.

What you know

I will make up some vague 'rules' suggested by your question. You will have more knowledge of your world so you will come up with different parameters.

1. magic exists, some people are more magical than others.
2. there are cultural/ethnic traditions to how magic is taught/practiced.
3. there are pros and cons to each tradition

Hand Casting

People who do not need a staff or a ritual to do magic, just their hands.

Suggests people who had their magical props stripped from them and learned to do without. Possibly nomads who are pushed off their territory, or were enslaved for a few centuries.

Extrapolating from archetypes (or stereotypes) these people have proud history of continuing their traditions in defiance of ethnic oppression. Many voices and regional 'flavors' in the technique, shared informally through social gatherings. Might be matriarchal through families. Might involve music, and certain labors where an instrument/tool can be a surrogate staff.

Might be associated with gambling and thieving and sexual assault – vices which are stereotyped to underclass morality. This untrustworthy reputation effects everyone of their ethnicity since anyone can be scapegoated for hiding a magic ability.

Staff Casting

Feels like the diametric opposite to everything above.

Nothing more conspicuous than carrying around a big stick announcing you are a Very Important Person indeed. And when they get together, someone has the biggest stick. I'm expecting mages who are extremely hierarchical, probably rigid in tradition and 'legitimacy' – however that is determined.

I'd also expect this can be backed up with actual power. The bigger the staff, the bigger the wallop. Hence, not a lot of dissent within the ranks because the hierarchy is well understood by all. Centrally organized, might be patriarchal.

Extrapolating from organized religion, they are a political force. Any scandals involve abuse of power and/or accumulation of wealth. With wealth and power come creature comforts, nepotism in high places, and henchmen that can 'take care of things'.

Ritual Casting

I don't know what 'ritual' means in this context. It is either endless research into the merits of esoteric minutia..., or interpretive dance with costumes – so I'll make it both.

Ritual is a wide tent that includes many philosophies and sciences, but also art and self-expression and (depending on your level of society) psychology and social popularity. Might have many 'schools' that teach multiple traditions. Despite the focus on history and tradition, they can also be unorthodox and experimental. Education is valued.

I suggest that their 'prop' might manifest through craft or invention, an heirloom or religious symbol. There is something personal to it, and how they fit into the world. Some are grounded in herbology and medicine, some are empathy-soaking divas with a Vegas entourage.

Most likely to be middle-class, boojie, or nouveau riche. Power shifts with popularity. Might be politically independent or neutral. Might have a reputation for vanity/insecurity and self-interest, Might actually be kookoo.

What's Missing?

Now comes the real challenge. What was left out?

If you were to arrange them in a 2x2 grid, and assign a polarizing description to each row and column, what could fit in the fourth position (if anything)?

	self-determined	collective-minded
hidden/secretive	Hand	???
exhibitive	Ritual	Staff

These categories aren't real because I don't know your magic system or the details of your story. This grid is one way to differentiate and solidify how they are alike and different in very fundamental (polarizing) ways.

It should bring up compatibilities and ideological objections between these factions. If there is a fourth 'type' that is a bonus that can appear late in your story, or as an anomaly or (as suggested above) a secret collective that is revealed later.

Answer 2

I would start by understanding in more detail what magic is used for. Does each type of casting have a different application or are they different ways to achieve the same results? What's more interesting for the reader? If the types of magic are just window dressing and have no real effect on the plot then I would posit that there’s no reason for having different types in the first place. If your mages are from different areas of the world, it seems unlikely that they would be creating or even want to create identical effects (just as languages often have words and phrases that cannot be translated directly because there are cultural connotations that don't exist in the other language).

So assuming there’s some difference, I would then think about how it should look/feel. Is it precise and finicky or big and sweeping – or a mix of both? What effect would each have on the what users can do? What's going to be more interesting to the reader when you describe it?

Using the fingers could allow more detail than a staff. What could you do with that – could you create a more precise effect, or even multiple effects simultaneously?

A staff could be seen at a distance while hands are more easily hidden. Does that affect the purpose or the type of person who is using it?

Is there any physical strain if you hand-cast or twirl a staff around for a long time? How heavy are staves? How can the physicality of casting cause problems for your protagonist?

Does the effect need to happen quickly or should it take time to set up? Rituals are likely to take longer than waving a staff, and may be able to be set up in advance. For example, perhaps a ritual casting can be used for planned attacks but not for improvised fights. How much longer and how far in advance will be dictated by plot (or if you're discovery writing, make a decision and let it affect what your characters can do). Describing the ritual will slow the pace down, which might be appropriate, depending on the type of story you’re writing.

You mention each type having an audio cue. Rituals would lend themselves towards longer audio cues, whereas a cue for a fighting technique by necessity would be only a word or two. If you write out the rituals, that will slow your pace down further – again, it might be a useful technique for you as a writer.

How loud do audio cues have to be? Does whispering work or do you have to shout? How could that get your protagonist into trouble?

I agree entirely with wetcircuit that you should be thinking about the cultural values of the mages alongside all of the practical aspects. I believe any magic system should be an intrinsic part of both the world-building and the plot itself. If it’s not, you might as well just stick with swords or whatever real-world thing magic is replacing/enhancing.