The basic idea that I have is a fantastical world where nothing can change permanently unless the action is backed up by magic. I am looking for a system that balances narrative and crunch. Where magic can easily be represented by more than just spells. I would greatly appreciate any advice.
The crunchier the system, the more rules it's going to have about what magic can and cannot do.
What are some examples of crunch that you want? Maximum? Minimum?
Well, more crunch than FATE. I was looking into Cypher, but I am not sure of how to represent the villains that also have magic. Another thought I had was to hack Exalted 2e.
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What's the role of the PCs in the setting?
Does everyone use magic of a kind to bypass the setting's defining axiom or is magic (and thus the ability to enact meaningful change on the world) unevenly distributed?
How absolute is the setting-defining statement? Can you literally do nothing if you don't have magic or what?
Well, Fate might still be your best bet. Look at some different versions, some get pretty crunchy. Even if you don't go with Fate, you're going to need something with a mechanic like Fate. For example, if you're running Fate you could make it so only magic can create situational aspects, or that aspects created by magic are more powerful.
But a universal mechanical concept that can be layered on top of the magic is what you're going to want. It's the universal mechanic that lets you go beyond the written description of a spell or magical ability and create something on the fly without constantly causing headaches for the GM as they have to adjudicate something new every minute.
I'd check out the Fate System Toolkit, I've been told that some of the stuff inside is pretty crunchy.
The other suggestions I have get less crunchy than that. Except for Ars Magica, that's really crunchy, but you'd have to hack it to fit your concept potentially and I can't in good conscious recommend it. We tried making characters for the game once, it took us three session and then we gave up and moved on to something else. BTW, this was played with one of the owners of the publishing company that makes Ars Magica.
Soul wrestling, like mind Wrestling. Everyone has a will rating. Anyone using spells, prayer, or their crown chakra is fighting people trying for the opposite.
Example 1: A devoted Trekkie creates a synthetic dilithium crystal. If he(or she) can attend enough conventions and convince enough fans that it works, thus overcome the academics who think it's impossible, then warp drive will work.
Example 2: Your cleric discovers they can, though prayer, cast the evil out of a girl who thinks she wants to join ISIS. Through a massive, nationwide, prayer meeting, your cleric, with the aid of the pope and rabbinical council, finally manage to kill the hidden leader of ISIS. His head explodes.
How I wish this was real.
Just choose a game this fits in and you would like to play.
What gaming systems have you considered besides Fate?
What makes a system "crunchy" enough?
In service,