History Main / MuggleWithADegreeInMagic

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'': Barley Lightfoot has an encyclopedic knowledge of magic from tabletop games and card games that are based on historical events and can easily figure out how to make magical spells work, but he lacks the gift of magic and thus cannot use it himself. When his younger brother, Ian, turns out to have the gift of magic, Barley takes it upon himself to use his knowledge to mentor Ian.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'': Barley has an encyclopedic knowledge of magic from tabletop games and card games that are based on historical events and can easily figure out how to make magical spells work, but he lacks the gift of magic and thus cannot use it himself. Naturally, that means he gets to be the magic mentor to his younger brother Ian, who turns out to have the gift of magic.

* Most ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' personnel are basic humans who have to deal with supernatural/alien/eldritch/memetic/logic-defying anomalies on a monthly to daily basis. A lot of them die quite quickly, especially [[WeHaveReserves D-Class]] [[RedShirts personnel]], but those who survive long enough tend to accumulate a lot of knowledge of [=SCPs'=] properties and abilities, while usually developing no specific supernatural powers. Even doctors and professors who feature seriously anomalous properties themselves, most likely due to prolonged exposure to [=SCPs=], rarely ever use direct powers. To contain or destroy dangerous [=SCPs=], the foundation mostly relies on [[AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle knowledge]], other [=SCPs=], planning, coordinated action, [[MoreDakka generous amounts of shooting]] if required (and efficient) and [[NukeEm on-site nuclear warheads]] as a last-resort measure.

* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'': People with no magical talent can train in the Magic Theory ability, although even the sourcebook warns that it's of minimal value to non-magi. It does, however, make them fantastic lab assistants for any mage, adding their skill score to the mage's own.

They may act as MissionControl to [[UnskilledButStrong less brainy mages]], who can put all of this muggle's knowledge and theories into practice. As TheSmartGuy of a {{team}}, they may also be the one to solve ancient mystical riddles and give [[CombatCommentator play by plays]] of [[MrExposition what magic is being used and why]].

* While she never personally studied magic, Kobayashi from ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' demonstrated herself to be a master of magical theory in chapter 65 when she got first place on a high ranking magic exam. This is due to the fact that the magic system is almost identical to the programming languages she uses at her job (the former having been used as the basis for the latter InUniverse).

* Most people in the world ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' are born with a Quirk (a superpower), though main character Izuku Midoriya is one of the very few people born [[UnSorcerer Quirkless]], [[spoiler:at least before All Might, Japan's greatest hero, transfers his own Quirk to him]]. Still, his main hobby is to analyze the Quirks of the superheroes he meets, trying to find strengths, weaknesses, and new ways to use and/or improve them. He has twelve notebooks completely filled with such information, and working on a thirteenth.

* Prodigy from ''ComicBook/XMen'' has the knowledge of every person he's ever met up to losing his mutation. This includes powerful sorcerers and mages. While he describes magic as too irrational to use, he manages to feint a spell that scares a universe devouring horror long enough to escape her.

* ''Fanfic/TheGreatAlicornHunt'' gives us Presto, who, despite born an Earth Pony (ironic, considering both his parents are a. Unicorns, and b. profs. of magic at the local university), is deeply fascinated with learning about and experimenting with magic. This, combined with his EideticMemory, means he's learned more about magic than most folks have forgotten about. What's more, he's figured out how to channel spells into crystals via his innate Earth Pony magic.

** Waldo Butters, the geeky, polka-loving medical examiner, is one of the foremost experts in the world on wizard physiology. He studies Harry whenever the titular wizard gets injured (which is a lot), and also gets a crash course on magical theory (circles and the use of "will") in ''Dead Beat''. By ''Changes'', he knows more about how Harry's body works than Harry does, and as of ''Ghost Story'', [[spoiler: he has Bob the Skull, who he loves to quiz for more information, which Bob is only too happy to provide]]. While Butters has exactly zero magical aptitude himself, he knows more about magical ''theory'' than any other main character and even some of the wizards on the Senior Council. This makes Butters a ''very'' dangerous man, and also a very big weakpoint, given that his knowledge could be used against everyone if he's captured. [[spoiler: So it's a good thing that as of ''Skin Game'', [[TookALevelInBadass he's now a Knight of the Cross, wielding an honest-to-God-with-a-capital-G]] ''[[LaserBlade lightsaber]]''.]]

* ''Literature/JasonWood'' in ''Paradigms Lost''. A data and image analyst, he has built a huge library magical and supernatural creatures from folklore and other sources and makes use of that to both counter and communicate with them.

* In ''Literature/MyBrotherIsASuperhero,'' Luke is an eleven-year-old boy and huge comic book nerd...which only makes it more annoying when his nerdy older brother, Zack, becomes a superhero instead of him. (Luke [[MissedTheCall was in the bathroom]] when TheChooserOfTheOne arrived.) Luke instead becomes Zack's heroic mentor and, inevitably, has to save the day when Zack is kidnapped/sick/etc.

* In ''Series/PennyDreadful'', Vanessa and, to a much lesser degree, Ethan are the only good guys who have supernatural powers. Victor (Literature/{{Frankenstein}}--yes, that one), meanwhile, does the analytical and scientific work for the team, helping them untangle the villains' dark magics. He is also episodically helped by Ferdinand Lyle, who, as a linguist, helps them decipher ancient prophecies and incantations.

* ''Series/TeenWolf'': Stiles Stilinski is the team's resident [[TheSmartGuy smart guy]] who is often relied to devise a solution whenever a new supernatural threat arises. Despite various teases, he remains a human throughout the series.

%% Neither of these examples demonstrate expertise in the power system, just using technology to get around it. If context exists, please add it.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'': Kraden is an old researcher who understands alchemy, but isn't an adept himself. He travels along with the party, analyzing the lighthouse and making suggestions on how to solve the mysteries of alchemy and psynergy.

** In the sequel series ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Zaheer ''was'' a nonbender expert on airbending, but when he first appears he's just been granted airbending powers. Convenient to not have to spend years mastering them.

** Zecora, despite being a zebra, which functionally means she has no way to use magic like unicorn characters can, knows an incredible amount about magic. She knows enough to where she can function as Twilight's mentor on the subject, despite that she herself can't use any magic. On several occasions, she's used her knowledge to either create potions for the ponies or to give them the information that leads to the episode's solution.

* The books of ''Literature/TheCosmere'' all include short guides on the magic systems and other elements of TheVerse. These are portrayed as [[FictionalDocument in-universe documents]] compiled by the InexplicablyAwesome scholar Nazh.

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'': [[EleventhHourRanger Hayato]] manages to figure out how [[FightingSpirit Stands]] work, despite not having a Stand of his own (and by extension, meaning he can't see them).
* Princess Anne-Sophie from ''Manga/TheMagicalRevolutionOfTheReincarnatedPrincessAndTheGeniusYoungLady'' is incapable of casting magic on her own, so instead she became the world's foremost researcher in developing magical technology that anyone can use.

* Most people in the world ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' are born with a Quirk(a superpower), though main character Izuku Midoriya is one of the very few people born [[UnSorcerer Quirkless]], [[spoiler:at least before All Might, Japan's greatest hero, transfers his own Quirk to him]]. Still, his main hobby is to analyze the Quirks of the superheroes he meets, trying to find strengths, weaknesses, and new ways to use and/or improve them. He has twelve notebooks completely filled with such information, and working on a thirteenth.

* In ''[[LightNovel/Overlord2012 Overlord201]]'', even though Climb has no talent for magic, he is informed he should still be familiar with it up to Tier 3 spells. That way, he would know what to expect and defend against them.

* In ''LightNovel/Overlord2012'', even though Climb has no talent for magic, he is informed he should still be familiar with it up to Tier 3 spells. That way, he would know what to expect and defend against them.

* In ''[[LightNovel/Overlord2012]]'', even though Climb has no talent for magic, he is informed he should still be familiar with it up to Tier 3 spells. That way, he would know what to expect and defend against them.

* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'': People with no magical talent can train in the Magic Theory ability, although even the sourcebook warns that it's of minimal value to non-mages. It does, however, make them fantastic lab assistants for any mage, whose RitualMagic gets a bonus from the extra expertise.

** Motoharu [[MeaningfulName Tsuchimikado]] was once a master UsefulNotes/{{Onmyou|do}}ji, but since infiltrating Academy City and becoming an [[PsychicPowers esper]] he [[MutuallyExclusiveMagic can no longer channel external forces through his body without suffering extreme pain, internal bleeding and potentially death]] (and being a ''[[RandomPowerRanking Level 0]]'' esper, he didn't even gain any useful powers in exchange). While he is ''incredibly'' well-informed on both the Magic and Science sides, he uses magic only as a last resort and when he's sure that an ally will be able to complete his mission while he's disabled. In all other situations, he FightsLikeANormal, using firearms and mundane spy skills.

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable'': [[EleventhHourRanger Hayato]] manages to figure out how [[FightingSpirit Stands]] work, despite not having a Stand of his own (and by extension, meaning he can't see them).

* [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable]]: [[EleventhHourRanger Hayato]] manages to figure out how [[FightingSpirit Stands]] work, despite not having a Stand of his own (and by extension, meaning he can't see them).

* In the ''Literature/{{MythAdventures}}'' book ''Literature/AnotherFineMyth'', Aahz loses his apparently high-level powers to a stunt of Garkin's. Unable to do magic and with Garkin dead by the end of the first chapter, Aahz takes on Garkin's apprentice Skeeve and begins to teach him. This relationship continues after Aahz finds out the cause, [[spoiler:a practical joke powder, and that there's no antidote, ''and'' it'll take a hundred years to wear off.]]

** Even though [[BlindSeer Chirrut Imwe]] from ''Film/RogueOne'' has a Jedi master-like understanding of the force, he can't use it the way a Jedi can. Though he has learned to sense it, which comes useful in both defensive and offensive combat applications.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyANewGeneration'', the DistantSequel to ''Frienship is Magic'' above, despite being of a race that can't fly or cast any magic spells even in the presence of magic, Sunny is determined to restore Equestria's magic if it kills her. [[spoiler: Averted at the end once she becomes an [[WingedUnicorn alicorn and gains access to a horn and wings]].]]