what do you think would make more sense for this magic system: being able to create the element out of nothing, or having to have the actual element near you to manipulate it.
Personally, judging by how many types of magic there are and the different rarities of their respective elements, I feel like the first option would be better because otherwise lava and maybe storm magic might be pretty underpowered compared to the other magic types.
Like, unless you live near a volcano, you're not gonna be able to consistently use lava magic on a daily or even yearly basis. Many lava mages would need to travel pretty to get a taste of their magic, and if there's a fight between mages, chances are it won't be near any lava. But then again, that would depend on the world this magic system fits into- it could be very different from earth and have tons of lava/volcanoes around. Or a lava mage might be able to summon the lava from deep underground no matter where they are, depending on your definition of "the actual element near you".
As for storm magic, whether it would be underpowered or not under option 2 also depends on the extent of their powers, like can they control clouds and condensation or can they only use their magic when there's an actual storm overhead.
So imo both options could work but if you ask me option 1 would be more balanced for all magic types. Just my opinion though.
also i had some more ideas
That's an interesting idea, though would it still work that way for someone who uses one of the less "elemental" elements, like earth, steel, shadow, light/mist, or air? Like, do you know how excess of those types of elements would manifest for their bodies?
