History Main / Whatevermancy

* Some ''FinalFantasy'' games have [[ClassAndLevelSystem character classes]] that use this. A recurring character class is the Geomancer (ala [[FinalFantasyVII Aerith]], whose powers are drawn from the terrain/earth.
** The Necromancer class added to the Game Boy Advance remake of ''FinalFantasyV''.

* Tiromancy is honestly the divination of the future by using cheese.

** One Superboy has "tactile telekinesis" which therefore really isn't ''tele''kinesis at all.

* In the ''GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'', Madras, who could telekinetically control fabric, called his power "Fasmokinesis", bastardizing "yfasma", the Greek word for "cloth".

* Aversion; ''DungeonsAndDragons'' only uses the -mancer suffix for Necromancers, using more unique names for the other schools of magic.

** And the above exceptions notwithstanding, it's still not really an aversion in the first place because a necromancer in D&D is not a diviner.

Notable variant: When classifying people with PsychicPowers, the suffixes "Kineticist" and "Kinesis" come up instead of "Mancer" and "Mancy". So a fiery psychic is a pyrokineticist/pyrokinetic, a water-controlling psychic is a hydrokinetic, a cold-manipulating psychic is a cryokinetic and a general user of PsychicPowers is simply psychokinetic. Kinesis gets combined with ''all'' sorts of Greek and [[CanisLatinicus Pseudolatin]] worlds. Most fields of FantasticScience have a similar naming scheme. Note this is also an erroneous use of the term: dropping the "tele" drops the "distance" part of "telekinesis". "Telepyro" would almost be more accurate, if it wasn't silly.

Notable variant: When classifying people with PsychicPowers, the suffixes "Kineticist" and "Kinesis" come up instead of "Mancer" and "Mancy". So a fiery psychic is a pyrokineticist/pyrokinetic, a water-controlling psychic is a hydrokinetic, a cold-manipulating psychic is a cryokinetic and a general user of PsychicPowers is simply psychokinetic. Kinesis gets combined with ''all'' sorts of Greek and [[CanisLatinicus Pseudolatin]] worlds. Most fields of FantasticScience have a similar naming scheme.

* JusticeLeague had at least one instance of "ferro-kenesis.

* Justice League had at least one instance of "ferro-kenesis."

[[AC:TVTropesWiki]]
* Tropes that use this form:
** {{Necromancer}}
** ThreadNecromancy, ThreadNecromancer
** ThePornomancer
** This article.

* Ninjas in {{Empowered}}'s world can learn all kinds of cool magic, like kyonyujutsu (fake boobery magic), sosuijutsu (fast/quick/early to be drunk magic), sekushi nyanko "Monroe walk" jutsu (sexy cat "Monroe walk" magic), and more.

** One exception is the NPC class Oracle, introduced in one issue of {{Dragon}} magazine. The class is a diviner with 26 different divining abilites, all pertaining to a different thing, and each ending with -mancy. However, this one is actually an appropriate use of the term -mancy, as the Oracle is a diviner.

** Psionics seem to avoid the trope altogether, except for the fire-wielding Pyrokineticist prestige class, which suggests variants for the various energy types, like a Cryokineticist that wields cold (who actually shows up in the ''Frostburn'' book)

* The powers granted by pins in ''TheWorldEndsWithYou'' are PsychicPowers, using the -kinesis form.
* As are a number of the psychic powers available in ''{{Psychonauts}}''

* As mentioned above, both terms come from RealLife usage, and the various forms of -kinesis are still used widely today.

* William Gibson's iconic CyberPunk novel ''{{Neuromancer}}''. Actually a good use of the "mancer" suffix - a "Neuromancer" [[TheCracker "divines information"]] with a [[UnusualUserInterface "neural interface"]], albeit through the use of [[ClarksThirdLaw technology]] rather than magic. Also a pun, "New Romancer", connected to the New Romantic music genre of the '80s.
** {{Lampshaded}} by the titular AI in conversation with the protagonist.

* ''TheDresdenFiles'' have a few; Pyromancy, Necromancy, Neuromancy, and the like. Joked about when Harry refers to wizard Peabody as a "Bureaucromancer."
** And when he calls Mac "a master Beeromancer". He's not kidding, either.
** Queen Mab refers to mortal technology as "Ferromancy".

** Those people actually exist.

* In the "Divination" episode of ''{{QI}}'', the four contestants were invited to predict their scores by various methods of divination. [[ButtMonkey Alan Davies]] was invited to use [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumpology Pygomancy]].
** Alan got the last laugh, however, by 'vanishing' from the set (he wanted to watch his football team, Arsenal, play in the finals). It was the only episode of ''QI'' in which he was not a panelist.

*** I guess they call it that because "Pornurgy" [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean sounds like something else entirely]].

* Averted in ''{{GURPS}}''. All of the various "mancy" spells are just different ways of using Divination.
** With the exception of [[{{Necromancer}} Necromancy]].

* Applied liberally to ''{{Erfworld}}'', with the usual half-cutesy twists added. Here, the "death" mages are called Croakamancers, the illusion-casters are called Foolamancers, and the earth-specialist is a Dirtamancer. Every school of magic (except for a few, like Hat Magic) bears the Mancy suffix, and we get stuff like Hippymancy, Lookamancy, Luckamancy, etc.
** Deletionism is a TakeThat at certain users of the OtherWiki (specifically refering to the policy of deleting things "un-notable", which is a problem for {{Webcomics}} which tend to lack print sources even when widely known).
*** [[CanonDiscontinuity Deletionism?]] What's that? Are you talking about [[RetCon Retconjuration?]]
** Dirtamancers do move earth, but they can also use... night soil.

** ThreadNecromancy
*** ThreadNecromancer

** and, of course, {{Whatevermancy}}.
*** Which is the process of determining what you do by [[GenreSavvy the prefix of your ability's name]].

This is a fairly simple idea, common throughout many different media and hundreds of stories. Specialized spellcasters will be referred to as a something'''mancer''', and their specialized form of magic will be referred to as something'''mancy'''. The something is usually the Greek word for the thing or some other acceptably important-sounding term for it. As an example, death mages are known throughout all of fiction as necromancers. This structure makes it quite easy to create names for branches of magic using just about anything you can think of. You use [[PlayingWithFire fire]]? You're a pyromancer. [[MakingASplash Water]]? Hydromancer. [[AnIcePerson Ice and cold]]? Cryomancer. It's that simple.[[hottip:%%: This use of the word suffixes mancer and mancy are actually misplaced. The suffixes -mancer and -mancy come from the greek ''manteia'', meaning divination, so the terms originally referred to the practice of divining the future using whatever the prefix was as a medium. So a classical necromancer would ask important questions of the a dead person's spirit, and a pyromancer looks for important symbols in flames (Rei of ''SailorMoon'' is a good example of this kind of pyromancer). The proper suffix for someone magically manipulating a substance, force, or entity would be "-urgy" and "-urge" which derives from érgon or "work". Unfortunately, "-mancy" sounds closer to "magic" than "urge" (probably because ''everyone'' knows about necromancy, and probably because metallurgy is a RealLife profession), which may be why it's the more popular suffix. However, you could justify this if Whatevermancers talk to their Whatever in the same way {{Aquaman}} talks to fish.]]

This is a fairly simple idea, common throughout many different media and hundreds of stories. Specialized spellcasters will be referred to as a something'''mancer''', and their specialized form of magic will be referred to as something'''mancy'''. The something is usually the Greek word for the thing or some other acceptably important-sounding term for it. As an example, death mages are known throughout all of fiction as necromancers. This structure makes it quite easy to create names for branches of magic using just about anything you can think of. You use [[PlayingWithFire fire]]? You're a pyromancer. [[MakingASplash Water]]? Hydromancer. [[AnIcePerson Ice and cold]]? Cryomancer. It's that simple.

This use of the word suffixes mancer and mancy are actually misplaced. The suffixes -mancer and -mancy come from the greek ''manteia'', meaning divination, so the terms originally referred to the practice of divining the future using whatever the prefix was as a medium. So a classical necromancer would ask important questions of the a dead person's spirit, and a pyromancer looks for important symbols in flames (Rei of ''SailorMoon'' is a good example of this kind of pyromancer). The proper suffix for someone magically manipulating a substance, force, or entity would be "-urgy" and "-urge" which derives from érgon or "work". Unfortunately, "-mancy" sounds closer to "magic" than "urge" (probably because ''everyone'' knows about necromancy, and probably because metallurgy is a RealLife profession), which may be why it's the more popular suffix. However, you could justify this if Whatevermancers talk to their Whatever in the same way {{Aquaman}} talks to fish.

* T.A. Pratt's Marla Mason series has all kinds of sorcerers with different (and often bizarre) specialties depending on what they draw power from: pyromancers, aquamancers, geomancers, pharmacomancers, necromancers, biomancers, technomancers, sex magicians(who are jokingly referred to in the books as pornomancers), aviomancers, vermomancers(who have power over vermin like rats and roaches) nihilomancers(who can drive their enemies to suicide), herbomancers, mycomancers(who derive power from mushrooms of all things), and nearly every other kind of -mancer one could possibly imagine. Marla herself, an Anti-Heroine/''very'' Dark Action Girl, refers to herself half-seriously as a "brute-force-o-mancer."

* The {{Belgariad}} universe contains necromancers, who are briefly mentioned on occasion without any details or importance attached until the last book, when one appears in the plot. Turns out [[AvertedTrope their only power is to question the dead]] in the manner noted in the trope description.

* In ''The WorldOfDarkness'', [[ChangelingTheLost changelings]] have oneiromancy as the art of entering and manipulating dreams (as opposed to interpreting them to tell the future) and [[MageTheAwakening mages]] have geomancy as the art of manipulating the local landscape to redirect ley lines to alter local auras (as opposed to divining using the landscape).

* The Flash RPG ''MARDEK'' has necromancy, pyromancy, aeromancy, elemancy (which uses all four natural elements), and one character even claims to be an ''equillibriumancer''.

!!Examples

* In {{Popotan}} Ai uses Anthomancy: She divines by flowers, specifically dandelions.

* The Tabletop RPG ''UnknownArmies'' uses this heavily. Every magic school is some kind of "-mancy." Examples include the entropomancer (who powers up through risking her own life), dipsomancer (power from alcohol), bibliomancer (power from acquiring rare books), and many others.

* ''Talislanta'' uses this trope with Cartomancy, Cryptomancy, Crystalomancy and Necromancy, although all of these do include some divinatory effects. It averts it with its other Orders of magic, such as Mysticism or Invocation.
* Averted in {{GURPS}}. All of the various "mancy" spells are just different ways of using Divination.

* In {{Everquest}} wizards get 3 Alternate advancement abilities called Pyromancy, Cyromancy, and Acromancy that cause additional damage and resist debuff to Fire, Cold, and Magic respectively.
* In the {{Dresden Files}} RPG, one of the available templates for your character is a "Focused Practicioner" - apparently they were called that instead of Prefixmancers because it's easier to pronounce.
* {{Legend of the Five Rings}} doesn't specifically use the -mancy/-mancer suffixes for its magic-users, but could justifiably do so: rather than directly creating the effects, the Shugenja talks to the relevant spirits (fire/water/earth/whatever) and asks them to (cause a fireball/heal someone/strengthen a weapon/summon {{Captain Planet}}).

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* The ''HarryPotter'' books have [[FormulaicMagic Arithmancy]], a class Hermione (and only Hermione) takes. This one is an accurate use of the suffix, though, as arithmancy is divination by numbers.[[hottip:*:In real life it's an alternative, and not much used nowadays, term for numerology.]] Amusing when you consider that Hermione once stated that she considered divination to be very "woolly".
* Don Callandar's novels: Pyromancer, Aquamancer, Geomancer, and Aeromancer.
* William Gibson's iconic CyberPunk novel ''{{Neuromancer}}''. Actually a good use of the "mancer" suffix - a "Neuromancer" [[TheCracker "divines information"]] with a [[UnusualUserInterface "neural interface"]], albeit through the use of [[ClarksThirdLaw technology]] rather than magic. Also a pun, "New Romancer", connected to the New Romantic music genre of the '80s.
**{{Lampshaded}} by the titular AI in conversation with the protagonist.
* One of the ElricOfMelnibone stories referred to Elric as a nigromancer, evidently meaning someone who uses black magic.
* The {{Mistborn}} trilogy features metal-fueled magic called allomancy, in which only two out of sixteen metals involves divination (the mythic atium that gives you a few seconds' sight into the future, and its pair malatium that allows you to see glimpses of a person in their own past). The similar magical system is called feruchemy, which is poorly named for the opposite reason - it is indeed a chemical magic, but only two of the sixteen metals contain iron. The blood-based magic, hemalurgy, is the only one with a truly appropriate name.
* TheDresdenFiles have a few; Pyromancy, Necromancy, Neuromancy, and the like. Joked about when Harry refers to wizard Peabody as a "Bureaucromancer."
**And when he calls Mac "a master Beeromancer". He's not kidding, either.
**Queen Mab refers to mortal technology as "Ferromancy".
*T.A. Pratt's Marla Mason series has all kinds of sorcerers with different (and often bizarre) specialties depending on what they draw power from: pyromancers, aquamancers, geomancers, pharmacomancers, necromancers, biomancers, technomancers, sex magicians(who are jokingly referred to in the books as pornomancers), aviomancers, vermomancers(who have power over vermin like rats and roaches) nihilomancers(who can drive their enemies to suicide), herbomancers, mycomancers(who derive power from mushrooms of all things), and nearly every other kind of -mancer one could possibly imagine. Marla herself, an Anti-Heroine/''very'' Dark Action Girl, refers to herself half-seriously as a "brute-force-o-mancer."
* AndAnotherThing introduces "Tyromancy", which uses ''cheese'' to predict the future.
** Those people actually exist.
* One of DavidLangford's spoof OccultDetective stories features a discussion of various methods of divination, each with a -mancy name. They get increasingly ridiculous, before ending with the art of predicting the future by ''doing absolutely nothing''. Which is, of course, [[spoiler: dormancy]].
* Averted in the NasuVerse, where the general term for that thing magi do is "Thaumaturgy", or miracle working (derived from an eponymous RealLife term). As the name implies, the aim of Thaumaturgy is to replicate or reproduce "miracles" or "true magic".
* In TheMagicians, when Quentin finds his Discipline is unclassifiable, he says of himself "I'm a nothingmancer. I'm a squatmancer."

[[AC:{{Live Action TV}}]]
* In the "Divination" episode of ''{{QI}}'', the four contestants were invited to predict their scores by various methods of divination. [[ButtMonkey Alan Davies]] was invited to use [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumpology Pygomancy]].
** Alan got the last laugh, however, by 'vanishing' from the set (he wanted to watch his football team, Arsenal, play in the finals). It was the only episode of ''QI'' in which he was not a panelist.
--->'''Alan''': Well, you did say, "Divination, my [[IncrediblyLamePun arse," and all]].

* [[Legend of the Five Rings]] doesn't specifically use the -mancy/-mancer suffixes for its magic-users, but could justifiably do so: rather than directly creating the effects, the Shugenja talks to the relevant spirits (fire/water/earth/whatever) and asks them to (cause a fireball/heal someone/strengthen a weapon/summon [[Captain Planet]]).

[[AC: Tabletop Gaming]]
* UnknownArmies has the schools of Adept magic follow this rule. In the Urbanomancy section is notes that this isn't technically correct, but most adepts have better things to do than worry about the name and think it sounds good anyway since they're not classically educated for the most part.