Some typical strengthening methods I can think of are:
training
using some enhancement item like a magical stone, talisman, weapon, gem, item of clothing, or what have you
contacting a powerful god or ancestral spirit
fusing with someone else or with a magical animal or with a weapon
nearly dying or dying and coming back to life stronger than before
casting a strengthening spell
drinking a potion
meditating
Am I missing any other typical ones?
What do your characters do? Any unique ways?
For my case, I have this idea that my fire elemental character Scorvius sometimes uses hot peppers to fuel his fire magick in an emergency. It will give him a burst of heat he can use as energy for a short while. The magick comes out stronger than normal. The cost is that it can be hard to calm down, make him overheat, and often it can burn his skin.
Using a red pepper is crazy, but it matches with his often chaotic personality. Idk if Iāll keep this idea though.
Before he sends prophetic dreams to people, Tristram has to eat an entire wolf heart raw. the downsides to that areā¦well, heās eating a wolf heart raw what do you think? lol
i do love the idea of peppers! Itās super unique and you can go like āomg i ran out of peppersā during some big fight and he has to rely on his own non-boosted fire magic and himself to defeat an enemy.
Iām guessing the wolf heart has some kind of symbolism? It sounds like a ritual to me. Does he have to eat it? And does it have to be a wolf heart?
That would be great XD And his twin brother Tar is a water elemental. So, maybe he could be randomly doused in water after consuming a pepper. In the middle of a battle, Scorvius be like: āAw, man, now Iām all wet!ā Tar be like: āYouāll dry.ā
Wolf is considered a strong, if not the strongest totem (kinda a lucky sign your born with if you can do magic) and Tristram himself both has that totem and is called the White Wolf for being albino and living in a land thatās perpetually winter. Theās also known as The Ghost to outsiders and itās not a very respectible nickname like the White Wolf is. So it is part of a ritual. Heās gotta go out and kill a wolf, any color is okay but a white one is the strongest due to his being albino, and he brings the wolf back and the normal skinning/preparation youād make on a hunt is made except for he has to eat the wolf heart as the heart is where the totem is considered to lay. Then after that he takes a psychadelic tea and when he sleeps (which will knock him out for around a week) he can send dreams to other people but theyāre all in the form of animals. So, a dangerous unknown enemy might be shown as a snake or a snitch might be shown as a rat.
Sounds like a wonderful exchange between siblings.
If youāre wondering, a person finds out their totem because their mother will dream of it the night before she gives birth. Of course this is ONLY people who can do magic so thereās maybe 2-3 per Clan of people.
I use that in my Assassinās Journs and Gordon R. Dicksonās Dragon Knight series. We use it in totally different manners: my character, just self-exploring and him, itās a whole fight of magic and ideology and allotment of powers dukeing it out for control over ideas.
For Magick 101, itās actively making a āstarter magic growerā that bubbles just under ānuclear cascadingā expansion, under the limit grows more available power to back yourself up, over the limit causes the nuclear equivalent wells (in places) and living wells called Gods (in people/creatures).
In the Assassinās Journals, being the last of your kids is being the first of your kind. And the first is a demi-god, so technically you could kill your whole species to abruptly gain power.
Normally, the magic can be strengthened by years of schooling/training or with self-learning.
When they reach a certain age, their magic is already strong, but when they are younger, they need to do some years of schooling/training. However, self-learning how to strengthen your own magic is another way of getting the job done. That can be done through reading magic tomes and practicing or certain rare gems that can not only enhance the power but cause the person to get stronger.
The rare gems are normally for Gaians, since Rhaks and Zirkens donāt really need to strengthen their magical powers due to it being strong enough once they reach a certain age or period of their lives.
Rhaks are pretty much a magical humanoid species with extended lifespans.
Zirkens are lesser but powerful Firstling (gods) that choose to live out their immortal lives on Llyria.
Gaians are mortals who can live up to the age 120.
Machina are humanoid machines that have extended lifespans.
Anyway, Rhaks and Zirkens donāt need to strengthen their magical powers too much.
Yes, I was wondering about that I was going to ask you and you answered before that. But I do have a slightly different question. How was it discovered that eating the animal that is your totem will strengthen the power?
So, is this like if thereās a mind-reading magic, using that in unconventional ways strengthens the power itself? Like from mind-reading, you then use it to control minds, and then next take over minds. Kind of like leveling up your skill through discovering new ways to use your magic. Something like that or different?
So, this certain age, does it depend on the species or the individual? How long does it take for, like, Gaians to strengthen their powers with gems? Immediately or over the course of months or years?
Ah, yes, demons. I have heard. Do you contract with them and get stronger?
Nice They just get strong, donāt they? Just so powerful. It must be awesome Do you ever run into problems where a character starts to become too magically powerful?
plot convenience 
I was going to ask you and you answered before that. But I do have a slightly different question. How was it discovered that eating the animal that is your totem will strengthen the power?
They just get strong, donāt they? Just so powerful. It must be awesome 
Do you ever run into problems where a character starts to become too magically powerful?
