Read this article's sister post, Designing Magic Systems , to get a proper introduction first!

STARTER QUESTIONS

• How widespread is magic use in this world? What about awareness of magic and what it can do?
• So, how do people actually learn magic? Is there some sort of central academic institution, or localized schools? Are they more like trade schools or universities? Do people do apprenticeships or indentured servitude? Do people ever teach themselves? (I do get a bit annoyed in fantasy when the only form of education is apparently the Grand University of Magic, when college isn’t the dominant and only form of human learning)
• What do people learning the magic typically use it for?
• How does magic interact with the natural world? Are natural forces considered magical? Are artificial forces considered magical?
• Where does science begin and magic end? Should there even be a distinction?
• Is there a canon way this magic came about? If there isn’t, what theories do people have? this will probably play a lot into dominant religions and folklore.
• Did people always know the technical ways to use it, or has it developed like a technology? How did they always know how to use it? Or, who first discovered it and how?
• Was magic, or any magical technique, discovered originally in pursuit of one purpose, but then re-used for a more widespread one? (for example, gunpowder)
• If there are separate ways of deploying the magic, how do they differ and why did they develop differently? Is there a strategic advantage to having multiple ways to make magic?
• What situational factors go into the efficacy of a spell? For example, time of year, weather, surroundings, etc.
• Is magic spiritually or biologically tied to the body? If so, how does the body get that magic? Eating, sleeping, having sex etc.
• Is magic spiritually or physically tied to objects? if so, how do these objects get that magic? For example, it could come from their materials, the artisan who made them, or an event they were involved in, or simply all objects have an essential spirit.
• Do human morals affect or even create the magic (eg. do concepts like honor or sacredness influence it?)
• Are there any areas of industry, besides WizardryTM, that commonly use magic?

SKILL LIMITATIONS

• What type of hard skills is being good at magic comparable to? For example, weaving, programming, singing, or calligraphy? Hint: figure out your usage limitations.
• What are the most powerful users capable of? Think of a max-skill spell. What about the least powerful?
• What is the cost of doing magic incorrectly? Is it potentially lethal or just a load of frustration?

OBTAINMENT LIMITATIONS

• How do people get magic? Are there different ways? Why is it like this?
• If someone ends up without magic, are there any loopholes they can exploit to gain it (ex. magic organ transplants, the help of spirits, or even convincing sleight of hand to look like they can do it)
• By the same token, can somebody lose magic?

TYPE LIMITATIONS

• Are there standardized types or is everyone just doing their own thing? Do people even try to categorize this stuff?

USAGE LIMITATIONS

• What are the available methods of casting a spell?
• If magic is deployed via tools, how easily obtained are they, and how easily repaired are they? Seriously, it would suck to have a magic instrument only for it to break in a desert or something with no way to repair it. Or maybe they have a magic toolbox too, lol
• Does the time of day, season, or year matter in deploying magic?
• If magic is deployed using a body part, what happens to people who can’t use that part correctly? Can they use magic at all? Are there like.. warlock disability aids?

SOCIAL LIMITATIONS

• What types of magic are socially unacceptable? Why?
• Are there any unexpected magic-related crimes?
• Are there specific social cues around when and where to use magic?

LIMIT CEILINGS

• What are the lines this magic cannot cross? How close can it get to that line?
• Are there horrible consequences to trying to achieve the impossible? An example is Full Metal Alchemist, where this is literally the main theme.

ENERGY

• Where is the energy for spells typically coming from? Is there any industry specifically it comes out of?
• How feasible are the energy costs for the average spellcaster?

Society and Culture

• Are there double standards as far as the usage of magic?
• Who in society uses what magic? For example, how is magic deployed in labor, in entertainment? How does this differ among classes?
• If illusion magic commonly exists in your world, how can the wealthy tell each other apart from the lower class? How can any classes that want to discriminate from one another realistically exist like that?