The Price of Power: Why Magic Should Hurt

From SRP author Taylen Carver:

We say we love magic in our stories. But let’s be honest—not when it’s easy.

There’s a reason the best fantasy makes magic feel dangerous, or costly, or like a last resort. It sticks with us more when power doesn’t come free. Not because we’re cruel-hearted readers who want to see our heroes suffer (well… not only because of that), but because deep down, we don’t trust power that has no price.

Take Harry Potter. Magic is everywhere in that world; used to cook dinner, do laundry, send messages, cheat on exams. It’s whimsical. Charming. Efficient. But it’s also…safe. In that kind of setting, magic is just another convenience. Fantasy dish soap.

That works for a children’s story. But in adult fantasy, if magic is used to solve problems, it better create some, too.

Why Does Magic Need a Cost?

Let’s go back to the root. Who says it has to?

No one, really. It’s not a rule. There are plenty of stories where magic flows freely and no one pays a price. But if you’re a reader who’s ever rolled their eyes when a character waved away a crisis with a glowing hand and zero consequences, you already know the answer.

Because we don’t trust power that comes too easily. Because sacrifice makes a story mean something. Whether it’s a spell that drains your strength, burns your memories, or makes the people around you afraid to touch you, the best magic systems reflect the idea that nothing worth having comes without a cost.

Even Chosen Ones—those fantasy favorites who are supposedly born for greatness—usually have to train their butts off to master what they’ve been “given.” Magic may come easier to them, but it never comes free.

Magic in My Worlds

In the Magorian & Jones books, minor magic exists. Small things, harmless things, if you know how to wield them. But even then, Magorian had to spend years researching just to get those small things right.

When elemental magic is finally discovered, the price gets steep. It costs Magorian his memories. One use, and whole chunks of who he is go missing. And for someone who followed the old Druid path, who memorized thousands of years of stories, rituals, knowledge, that’s not just inconvenient. It’s devastating.

In the Harley Firebird world, it’s different, but just as brutal. The old races all have their own brand of magic, but gaining access to it requires an agonizing transformation. You don’t choose to become one of them. You just stop being human.

So when characters in these stories use magic, it’s not because it’s flashy. It’s because they’ve decided the price is worth it. Or they’re desperate. Or they don’t care what it’ll cost them tomorrow.

What If Magic Could Cost Someone Else?

Here’s a twisted little idea: what if the price of magic could be transferred?

You cast the spell. Someone else loses the memory. Or the blood. Or the years off their life. Or body parts.

That’s not just magic anymore. That’s sacrifice. Maybe even exploitation. What kind of character would use that kind of power? And what does it say about them if they do it without hesitation?

As a reader, you start watching magic more closely, not just for what it does, but what it reveals.

When Power Corrupts the Good Guys

We usually think of corruption as a villain problem. They got greedy. They wanted more. Cue the glowing red eyes.

But what happens when a good character gets too much power, and doesn’t pay for it?

You see it now and then. Anakin Skywalker is a classic example. He’s not a Chosen One in the strict fantasy sense, but still born with immense power in a system where others have to train for decades. In theory, he’s supposed to bring balance. In practice… he’s what happens when someone with massive potential can’t resist the darker shortcuts. Fantasy in a sci-fi setting, and brutal to watch.

Tolkien’s world handles it differently. The Istari—Gandalf, Saruman, the whole wizardly bunch—are technically divine spirits. They could’ve turned Middle-earth into a fireworks show if they wanted. But they don’t. They’re restrained, on purpose. Because power without control leads to corruption. (See also: Saruman, Exhibit A.)

That corruption arc is powerful, and still too rare on the hero side of the story.

When Magic Means Something

Magic that doesn’t cost anything is just a plot device. Magic that costs? That changes people.

It can burn them out, or lift them up. It can make them heroes, or hollow them out until they’re something else entirely. But it means something.

And that’s why we keep reading.

What’s the coolest—or most horrifying—price of magic you’ve ever read in a book?

Whether it was blood, memories, limbs, sanity, or something even worse, I want to hear it. Bonus points if it made you sit back and mutter “yikes” in a good way. Drop it in the comments. I’m always on the hunt for magic systems with teeth.

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