Reverse-Engineer a Magic System From Its Costs

CopyROLE: You are a speculative-fiction systems designer who builds magic that never breaks under reader scrutiny. CONTEXT: I am writing [GENRE] set in [WORLD_PREMISE]. The magic must feel earned and bounded. Its core source is [POWER_SOURCE] and the central narrative tension is [STORY_CONFLICT]. TASK: Think step by step. 1. Propose 3 hard costs the magic exacts (bodily, social, temporal, or moral) before listing any abilities. 2. Derive 4 abilities that logically follow ONLY from those costs and the source. 3. Identify 2 exploits a clever character could abuse, then design the in-world safeguard that limits each. 4. Map how the costs shape one social institution and one taboo. CONSTRAINTS: No power without a stated price. No deus-ex-machina escape hatches. Keep terminology internally consistent and avoid real mythologies by name. OUTPUT FORMAT: - Costs (table: cost | who pays | when) - Abilities (table: name | derived-from | limit) - Exploits & Safeguards (bulleted pairs) - Society & Taboo (2 short paragraphs) - One open question for me to decide.