History Main / WildMagic

* ''Franchise/DragonAge'': Magic draws its power from an EldritchLocation known as the Fade, where the minds of humans and elves travel to in their dreams. The use of magic is dangerous since the Fade is also home to demons and abominations that are attracted to magic users, which can lead to demonic possession, leading to distrust of mages by others, particularly Templars. BloodMagic is especially feared by many since its use makes it easier for demons to take control of the user, in addition to being far more powerful than other schools of magic.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons': Due to the heavy use of MagicAIsMagicA, the game has an... ''odd''... relationship with this trope, and it often overlaps with EntropyAndChaosMagic.

* In ''Manga/HunterXHunter'', Kite's Crazy Slots ability takes the form of a jester-like being that will spin a wheel on its tongue and turn into whatever supernatural weapon corresponds with that number. Crazy Slots has a mind of its own and honestly doesn't care much about Kite's well-being. Crazy Slots is notable for being a case of this trope in a series otherwise full of MagicAIsMagicA, though powers in [=HxH=] become stronger when the user willingly creates limitations, so Kite making it harder to get what he wants also makes his weapons better.
* The drops in the anime adaptation of ''VideoGame/PuzzleAndDragonsX'' act as a BackgroundMagicField that tends to act strangely whenever a monster is about to appear and start rampaging, though there are also benign examples such as giving a village elder who passed away a sendoff by putting on a light show during his funeral.
* Most magic in ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' is either rule magic or theurgic, but Lina's DangerousForbiddenTechnique is wild magic. The Giga Slave is a version of a powerful theurgic spell, modified to call upon Chaos itself. As Chaos is both powerful beyond everything, and more than a little chaotic, there's the minor problem that a miscast Giga Slave could destroy the entire world. [[spoiler: Or not. The Lord of Nightmares is a very capricious being, and her mind always follows her power, so it really all depends on how she's feeling.]]

* Reed Richards of the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' doesn't like magic for this reason. Doom once trapped Reed by locking him up in a room full of magic tomes that could only be opened with simple apprentice-level magic. Reed followed the instructions in the books exactly, and the magic backfired because it turns out magic doesn't like people taking an academic approach to it.

* Loki in ''Comicbook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'' claimed that magic runs on [[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality story]] and so it has a will of its own. That series [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall leaned on the fourth wall]] very hard by the way.
* ''ComicBook/{{Melusine}}'': Mélusine's niece Malicella is a witch too, but because of her young age the effects of her spells, whether transformations or summoning, are rather random; she usually just pretends after the fact that the result [[IMeantToDoThat was what she intended to do]]. She also has no clue how to revert her enchantments, and starts asking Mélusine to teach her how to control her magic.

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' occasionally hints that the BackgroundMagicField (magic being the fifth fundamental force of the universe, and the more of it there is, the more it can affect the other four) is just a little bit alive. This doesn't have much effect, most of the time, but it does lead to the growth of GeniusLoci and is the reason why BlackMagic twists the user so much - magic doesn't like being twisted like that, and it ''will'' twist back.
* ''Fanfic/TheHeartTrilogy'': This series of ''Film/TheHobbit'' and ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' fics features Raw Magic. {{Seers}} like Kathryn are capable of seeing into all realities of past, present and future through Raw Magic which cannot be channeled, only released. Due to its erratic nature, Kathryn's visions are unpredictable when not induced with the right information. In ''Heart of Fire'', Elrond confirms that unlike the magic the wizards like Gandalf utilize, Raw Magic needs energy from a living being's body in order to be cast, and Smaug further explains to Kathryn the difference between Raw Magic and the wizards' magic.
-->'''Smaug:''' View Magic as energy. Like life in your body, like lightning in a tempest, it is a force of nature, the very fabric of the world around us. When a wizard or a conjurer uses magic, he is tapping into that force, merely reaching out in order to grasp it. But grasping and using are not the same... Somewhere between grasping that force and it becoming real through the wizard's staff, the magic becomes diluted, more focused, going only in the direction that the wielder aims it. Raw magic is not plucked and not channeled, it is fresh, wild, and completely erratic. It cannot be controlled or directed, merely released. Think of it as air: when a human blows air from his lungs he can control its direction, and that is regular magic; but with raw magic... have you ever seen a mortal man control the gale force winds?
* In ''Fanfic/TheWitchOfTheEverfree'', the Everfree Forest has a haze of magic that scrambles incoming scrying spells, making it an ideal hiding place. However, it also makes it somewhat more difficult to cast spells while inside it, which prevents Sunset from teleporting out of danger as quickly as she would otherwise be able to.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'' series, before they receive the magical geodes in ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsLegendOfEverfree Legend of Everfree]]'', the Rainbooms have little control over the magical remnant they received from the Element of Magic in the first movie, and the effects tend to be random. At first they "pony up" when playing music in ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks Rainbow Rocks]]'', but an effort to invoke directly ThePowerOfFriendship falls flat. In ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsFriendshipGames Friendship Games]]'' the magic manifests when they express their respective Element, but they take a while to realize it. Sunset Shimmer's attempt to analyze the magic scientifically in the short "[[WebAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsFriendshipGamesShorts The Science of Magic]]" results in a power outage, a deluge of apples, a rush of static-charged balloons, or a rainbow-colored splash of goo... and very little progress in comprehension.

* In ''Film/TheGamersDorknessRising'' one of the gamers plays a Wild Mage who in their first battle tries to cast a lightning bolt, but due to a random effect is delayed until the battle is over and it hits the just resurrected bard. Oddly it never happens when he/she is frying [=NPCs=] for lulz.

* In ''Literature/TheAscendantKingdomsSaga'', it's called ''visithara'' by mages, as opposed to human-controlled ''hasithara''. Without the anchors of the Lords of the Blood and their manors, ''hasithara'' is entirely replaced by uncontrollable ''visithara'', which causes magic storms that do tremendous and frequently bizarre damage (such as causing a man to disappear into an inch-deep puddle and [[BaaBomb exploding livestock]]) and summon monsters from other worlds. Even a partial restoration of ''hasithara'' isn't sufficient: though magic storms decrease, what spells ''can'' be cast become prone to MagicMisfire.
* The ''Literature/BasLagCycle'' has this in the form of the Torque, which is something like a cross between this trope and TheVirus. While some of the more layman characters believe it works like any of the setting's many other forms of FunctionalMagic, nothing could be further from the truth, and in reality, every previous attempt to harness or control the Torque led to some form of BodyHorror on a massive scale.
* In ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'', Wild Magic (channelled through white gold) is the only force powerful enough to destroy the Arch of Time. Naturally, [[OmnicidalManiac Lord]] [[BigBad Foul]] spends the first two trilogies trying to get his hands on Covenant's white gold ring.
* ''Literature/CircleOfMagic'' gives us academic magic and ambient magic, ambient magic being a little more like wild magic. Academic magic is more [[RitualMagic Ritual]], but ambient magic taps into the magic of the world itself and manifests itself in activities, such as cooking, weaving, [[GreenThumb gardening]], [[BreadEggsMilkSquick sheer nothingness,]] and [[EverythingTryingToKillYou the weather]]. For particularly powerful mages, this can turn into BlessedWithSuck.
* All magic in ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'' draws from the Wave of Possibilities, or Omniwave, which is also the force responsible for maintaining the universal balance. Normally the Wave affects individual spells very little, except to correct small flaws in them so they work, but in order to maintain balance, it can cause the most powerful spells to have... interesting (and opposite) side effects. For example, any time someone is raised from the dead by necromancy, somewhere else another person will die untimely.

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': Magic (alongside physics) is ''the'' fundamental building block that the universe is built upon. Sure, humans and various supernatural entities can draw upon magic (including using Ley Lines), and channel it to their will, but it's still wild.
* ''Literature/EnemyGlory'': very active in the North Country, where reality seems to be on a constant quest to turn into the most grandiose metaphor for itself that it can come up with.

* In the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'', as seen in the page quote, wild magic is found all over Alagaesia, most commonly in the form of the EnergyBeings known as [[StarfishAliens Spirits]].

* In ''Literature/TheMagicThief'', "magics" are quite literally alive, to the point of being able to speak (in certain cases) and have wants. Most magics inhabit cities, providing a general magical aura, and the central conflict of the trilogy is how [[spoiler: Wellmet's magic is stretched too thin and is draining away trying to provide for everyone, while the magic of a neighboring city was forced out when the city was abandoned and is so desperately lonely that it's begun attacking the Wellmet magic in hopes of displacing it and taking over.]] Magics in general seem to enjoy being used and providing for humans and display signs of stress when they're unable to latch onto a city or other hub of human life.
* In ''Literature/{{Mogworld}}'', magic is said to have a will of its own and gets upset if a spell is finished by another person if the original caster is incapacitated in some way. It ''really'' doesn't like being used by corpses (i.e., the caster is killed midway through, and someone aims their severed forearm at their enemy and finishes the spell).
* In ''Literature/TheMoonOfGomrath'', the human protagonists inadvertently return the imprisoned Old Magic to the world by lighting a bonfire on a sacred mountain on the right night of the year, the Eve of Gomrath. The wizard Cadellin, Guardian of the High Magic, is not pleased and points out it took a lot of effort to imprison the damn stuff in the first place. Apparently the ordered and somewhat anally retentive High Magic is man's stuff (wizards) whilst the Old Wild Magic is that of women (The Lady in the Lake, the opposed Morrigan - and Susan, the human girl who lit the bonfire.)

* A fundamental part of the world of ''Literature/TheObsidianTrilogy''. Wild Magic is essentially the consciousness of all life in the world and works to ensure as much life survives as possible. Using Wild Magic is essentially a series of bargains; whenever it does something for you, you have to do something for it in return; what that something ''is'' isn't revealed until you cast the spell, and is rarely if ever the same twice. For instance, a spell to heal a minor injury may cost "Plant twelve acorns" one day, and "Travel in this direction until you find something to help, then help it" the next. The costs are extremely variable, but are always, ''always'' fair. At one point, [[spoiler: Idalia Tavadon]] casts a spell to stop a huge, long-lasting drought which has turned a rainforest into a tinderbox; this spell carries the cost of [[HeroicSacrifice "you must die"]]. The time of death isn't specified, however; all the caster knows is that Wild Magic will inform them when the time comes. The next spell they cast, and any subsequent spell up until their now-inevitable death, ends up being ''free'', or more precisely "This spell has already been paid for", due to the immense worth in dying [[spoiler: to permanently prevent demons from ''ever'' invading the world]].
* The ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series uses both this and RitualMagic, though the latter is used much more often than the former, due to Free magic being extremely dangerous, as described in this trope. This actually ties into the main plot; [[spoiler:originally, [[RitualMagic Charter magic]] didn't exist, but seven of the nine great spirits who created the world sought to create something more organized and bound Free magic using the Charter. This was then used to organize and create the known world.]]

* In Laura Anne Gilman's ''Retriever'' series, the use of "current" borders between Force Magic and Wild Magic. Over use of it runs the risk of "wizzing out" which results in a mage that is both extremely powerful and completely insane.
* [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Rather obviously foreshadowed]] in ''Literature/ASuddenWildMagic''. [[spoiler: Zillah, a mage with [[ShrinkingViolet little to no self-confidence]], has been constantly referred to the Arth mages of what amazing power she has, and also fittingly has no control of it. It comes to show when she manages to teleport Marcus, Josh, Philo, and herself out of Arth and into Petarchy.]]

* In ''Literature/TheWarGods'': Magic is a raw background field of energy that can be tapped and manipulated. Traditional Wand Wizards use tools such as wands to bend magic in any way they wish. In the west, they've mostly died out and been replaced by mages or Magi. Magi instead have specific gifts able to use the magic in a specific way. But very rarely a Wild Wizard is born, with the ability to direct the raw magic without tools. Only a Handful have ever lived, and tend to be founders of an Imperial Dynasty.

* The Hollow from ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}''. A sentient magical force, its purpose seems to be to devour and absorb magic into itself. Powerful and difficult to control, it cannot be destroyed, merely contained and watched over by representatives of both good and evil.
* This is effectively what the "solar wind" in Creator/CirqueDuSoleil's production ''Solstrom'' is. The sun creatures who wield it are affable and playful [[TheTrickster Trickster figures]], but they can't fully control its effects. When it touches a person or environment, it can have positive effects -- granting magical abilities, bringing lovers together, and generally acting as a BlitheSpirit. But it can also cause heaps of trouble; in "Howling Wind", an episode heavy on BlackComedy, it turns a rundown hotel into a HellHotel / HauntedCastle hybrid and several of the people within it into eccentrics and even monsters. [[spoiler: By the end, two characters are dead, two are ''undead'', and one is a Wolf Man -- and the magic causes that last one to vanish to parts unknown in The Stinger.]]

* In ''Roleplay/ThereIsNoGATEWeDidNotFightThere'', magic in this universe comes from a dimension of sheer chaos, referred to as the Maelstrom. Those who use magic either naturally "dive" into the Maelstrom and simply "grab" the energy they need, or use a rigid [[RitualMagic spell structure]] to more safely tap into their magic. Considered a safer version of the Warp from ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''.

* In ''TabletopGame/CastleFalkenstein'', wild magic is what happens if you draw a Joker while gathering energy for a spell. The spell goes off immediately, with unpredictable effects -- determined by the gamemaster, which practically guarantees it will be... entertaining.
* Due to the heavy use of MagicAIsMagicA in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', it has an... ''odd''... relationship with this trope, and it often overlaps with EntropyAndChaosMagic.

** In the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'', the death of Mystra, Goddess of Magic, during the Time of Troubles left (at the time) permanent scars in the BackgroundMagicField. Collectively known as "Helmlands", in mockery of the god who killed her, these took two forms: the [[AntiMagic "dead magic"]] zones, where no magic of any kind can function, and "wild magic" zones, where all magic becomes inherently chaotic and all but impossible to control, functioning as per this trope. Mystra's second death prior to the century timeskip between 3rd and 4th edition also caused "the Spellplague", which basically converted the entire BackgroundMagicField into wild magic, unweaving almost all existing forms of stabilized magic -- magical items, passive enchantments, permanent spells, etc. -- with usually disastrous effects. Whilst the BackgroundMagicField ultimately restabilized itself, the Spellplague also left scars in the form of lingering pockets of warped reality, called "plaguelands" or "changelands". Those who entered such places would, if they were lucky, walk out with an inherent wild magic power, called a "spellscar". The unlucky would be horribly mutated.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Ironclaw}}'', necromancy draws upon the power of the restless dead, if someone rolls [[NumberOfTheBeast three sixes]] for ''any'' roll involved with black magic (casting, resisting, countering...) the spirits do other, horrific things. ''The Book of Mysteries'' supplement introduces Druid and Lutarist magic, which has some spells that carry a similar risk.

* ''The TabletopGame/{{Nightbane}}'' Supplement ''Through the Glass Darkly'' included rules for spells that had come alive and gained sentience. Later on, this led to a class of Magic Users who deliberately did this every time they cast a spell called the Spell Breather.
* Magic in ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' normally generates somewhere beyond reality, and is called and shaped by spellcasters to power their spells. Primal magic, also called wild magic, is what happens when magic enters the world without any directing force. The result is compared to thunderstorms, with potential to constantly accreting before discharging dramatically. Potential effects include rains of random objects, pits spontaneously opening in the ground, swarms of centipedes appearing out of nowhere and attacking spellcasters, surges of positive, negative, and elemental energy, teleportation storms that cause people to randomly switch places, and potentially a lot more besides. Primal magic normally only occurs in areas subjected to extensive magical devastation, although it's also very common in chaos-aligned Outer Planes.
* The Warp in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Some people can harness it, but it's very dangerous for them and others. This is known as "Perils of the Warp" in game terms, and can range from manifesting patches of frost or dropping an especially fragrant fart to tearing a hole in reality, with or without an attendant [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Daemon]] or other warp horror or being [[DemonicPossession possessed]]. This can result in any Psyker who rolls snake-eyes being shot "For Your Own Good."

* ''Franchise/BaldursGate''
** Wild Mages are introduced in ''[[VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal Throne of Bhaal]]'', it being a game set in the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' setting. The UpdatedRerelease makes it possible to play as one from the first game in the trilogy and introduces Neera, a Wild Mage follower, as a new character. They have mostly the same spell list as regular mages, but whenever they cast a spell, it's possible for a "wild surge" to cause random helpful or harmful effects.
** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'' has "Wild Magic" as a subclass for both Sorcerers and Barbarians. For Sorcerers, wild magic is triggered by casting a spell; while for Barbarians, wild magic is triggered by activating Rage. In both cases, the unleashing of wild magic causes random effects, from enchanting weapons and creating spontaneous growths of vines, to random polymorphing and suddenly summoning demons.
* In ''Franchise/DragonAge'', magic draws its power from an EldritchLocation known as the Fade, where the minds of humans and elves travel to in their dreams. The use of magic is dangerous since the Fade is also home to demons and abominations that are attracted to magic users, which can lead to demonic possession, leading to distrust of mages by others, particularly Templars. BloodMagic is especially feared by many since its use makes it easier for demons to take control of the user, in addition to being far more powerful than other schools of magic.
* The spellcasters in the ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' series have limited control over what they cast at best, and their world is full of malicious spirits they ''really'' have no control over. Occasionally, their magic will transport them to some other country or some other planet, and they have to find a way back home. That being said, every time the heroes are transported elsewhere, it always eventually leads them to discover some OmnicidalManiac's apocalyptic plans, whom they must then defeat.
* ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammerIII'': The Blue Scribes start any given battle with a set of six random spells taken from every lore of magic in the setting, and each time they cast a spell, the six get re-rolled once more.

* ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'': In the Wild Edge Territories magic is a little unreliable thanks to the ambient magic, which also mutated the native flora and fauna into all sorts of strange and bizarre forms.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Roommates}}'' and its SpinOff ''Webcomic/GirlsNextDoor'' magic is... fickle. As an [[MediumAwareness acknowledged plot device]] it's highly susceptible to the powers that shape these comics, mostly the TheoryOfNarrativeCausality and {{Fanservice}}. Saying something even vaguely similar to the ''[[WordsCanBreakMyBones Right Words]]'' ''can'' create a magic effect (even if it takes some [[JackassGenie creative interpreting]]) if the result is ''interesting'' from a narrative or fan-pleasing POV. And spells ''will'' backfire if/when dramatically appropriate... except if the characters [[GenreSavvy count on that]] or something that is.

* From ''WebAnimation/{{Glitchtale}}'' comes [[PowerOfHate HATE]], an enhancing force of BlackMagic that is sentient and [[OmnicidalManiac craves nothing more than complete destruction]]. [[spoiler:As Frisk, Chara and Betty can all attest to.]]
* The enigma from ''Literature/{{Phaeton}}'' is believed to be Wild Magic. If it had a caster then that caster is probably long gone by now.

* Wild magic in ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' exists in the Boiling Isles as a BackgroundMagicField. Witches in the past used to command it using [[RunicMagic glyphs]], before [[OurWitchesAreDifferent evolving a magic bile sac attached to their hearts]], an internal reserve of magic that they use to cast spells at will instead. Glyphs do not follow the same rules as the magic witches presently use, and it can malfunction in unexpected ways if not done correctly. Eda accidentally created an expanding sphere of spiked ice that absorbed whatever touched it after recklessly combining multiple glyphs on top of each other. Emperor Belos is on a religious crusade against wild magic which he facilitates by implementing a coven system to limit the kinds of magic each witch can use. In this way wild magic just refers to all magic that lies outside of the coven system, but there is magical phenomenon that occurs naturally on the Boiling Isles that's difficult to predict or control, though it can be defended against.

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' has Demonreach, a sentient island somewhere in Lake Michigan that you can only arrive at if you mean to and which actively opposes people who try to settle on it. Hell, most magic. In the Dresdenverse, magic (alongside physics) is ''the'' fundamental building block that the universe is built upon. Sure, humans and various supernatural entities can draw upon magic (including using Ley Lines), and channel it to their will, but it's still wild.

* In ''Franchise/BaldursGate'', Wild Mages are introduced in ''[[VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal Throne of Bhaal]]'', it being a game set in the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' setting. The UpdatedRerelease makes it possible to play as one from the first game in the trilogy and introduces Neera, a Wild Mage follower, as a new character. They have mostly the same spell list as regular mages, but whenever they cast a spell, it's possible for a "wild surge" to cause random helpful or harmful effects.

* Wild magic in ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' exists in the Boiling Isles as a BackgroundMagicField. Witches in the past used to command it using [[RunicMagic glyphs]], before [[OurWitchesAreDifferent evolving a magic bile sac attached to their hearts]], an internal reserve of magic that they use to cast spells at will instead. Glyphs do not follow the same rules as the magic witches presently use, and it can malfunction in unexpected ways if not done correctly. [[{{Characters/TheOwlHouseEdaClawthorne}} Eda]] accidentally created an expanding sphere of spiked ice that absorbed whatever touched it after recklessly combining multiple glyphs on top of each other. Emperor Belos is on a religious crusade against wild magic which he facilitates by implementing a coven system to limit the kinds of magic each witch can use. In this way wild magic just refers to all magic that lies outside of the coven system, but there is magical phenomenon that occurs naturally on the Boiling Isles that's difficult to predict or control, though it can be defended against.

* ''Webcomic/TheHandbookOfHeroes'' is based on ''D&D''/''Pathfinder'', and as such features wild magic zones. As in "[[https://www.handbookofheroes.com/archives/comic/un-wondrous-2 "Un-Wondrous"]], where Sorcerer casting a spell in the "Wild Magic Testing Ground" (a place filled with ominous craters) result the full Anti-Party [[AshFace scorched black and smoking]].

Casting a spell with this kind of magic is often extremely dangerous. You either have to convince magic to do what you want it to, subdue it in a battle of wills, or accept that you are basically tilting the metaphorical pinball machine of reality. Another danger of using wild magic to cast spells, generally more prominent when using methods 1 or 3, is a {{Heroic RROD}}. New users may also GoMadFromTheRevelation.

* Most magic in ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' is either rule magic or theurgic, but Lina's DangerousForbiddenTechnique is wild magic. The Giga Slave is a version of a powerful theurgic spell, modified to call upon Chaos itself. As Chaos is both powerful beyond everything, and more than a little chaotic, there's the minor problem that a miscast Giga Slave could destroy the entire world. [[spoiler: Or not. The Lord of Nightmares is a very capricious being, and her mind always follows her power, so it really all depends on how she's feeling.]]

* ''Fanfic/TheHeartTrilogy'': This series of ''Film/TheHobbit'' and ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' fics features Raw Magic. {{Seers}} like Kathryn are capable of seeing into all realities of past, present and future through Raw Magic which cannot be channelled, only released. Due to its erratic nature, Kathryn's visions are unpredictable when not induced with the right information. In ''Heart of Fire'', Elrond confirms that unlike the magic the wizards like Gandalf utilize, Raw Magic needs energy from a living being's body in order to be cast, and Smaug further explains to Kathryn the difference between Raw Magic and the wizards' magic.
-->'''Smaug''': View Magic as energy. Like life in your body, like lightning in a tempest, it is a force of nature, the very fabric of the world around us. When a wizard or a conjurer uses magic, he is tapping into that force, merely reaching out in order to grasp it. But grasping and using are not the same… Somewhere between grasping that force and it becoming real through the wizard's staff, the magic becomes diluted, more focused, going only in the direction that the wielder aims it. Raw magic is not plucked and not channeled, it is fresh, wild, and completely erratic. It cannot be controlled or directed, merely released. Think of it as air: when a human blows air from his lungs he can control its direction, and that is regular magic; but with raw magic… have you ever seen a mortal man control the gale force winds?

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

* In ''Literature/TheMagicThief'', "magics" are quite literally alive, to the point of being able to speak (in certain cases) and have wants. Most magics inhabit cities, providing a general magical aura, and the central conflict of the trilogy is how [[spoiler: Wellmet's magic is stretched too thin and is draining away trying to provide for everyone, while the magic of a neighboring city was forced out when the city was abandoned and is so desperately lonely that it's begun attacking the Wellmet magic in hopes of displacing it and taking over.]] Magics in general seem to enjoy being used and providing for humans and display signs of stress when they're unable to latch onto a city or other hub of human life.

* ''Literature/ForestKingdom'': oh boy. Not only is it alive. It wants the world as its playground. The first book is about trying to stop it. The second culminates in [[spoiler: going into the world where the embodiments of magic live and then going on a killing spree]]
* ''Literature/{{Greenwitch}}'', the third book in Creator/SusanCooper's ''Literature/TheDarkIsRising'' series. The Greenwitch is part of the Wild Magic, a force apart from (but equally as powerful as) the Light and the Dark. It's possible for others to control it, but attempting to do so is extremely dangerous.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' - in general, but especially in areas that suffered a direct strike in the Mage Wars, such as that around the Wyrmberg. Generally, the higher the amount of magic in an area, the more likely it has a personality of sorts ... and probably not an especially nice one.
* All magic in ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'' draws from the Wave of Possibilities, or Omniwave, which is also the force responsible for maintaining the universal balance. Normally the Wave affects individual spells very little, except to correct small flaws in them so they work, but in order to maintain balance, it can cause the most powerful spells to have... interesting (and opposite) side effects. For example, any time someone is raised from the dead by necromancy, somewhere else another person will die untimely.
* Daine from the ''Literature/TheImmortals'' uses Wild Magic, which could also be called 'animal magic' because it lets her shapeshift and talk with animals. It doesn't quite fit the above description, but it's explained as [[spoiler: a genetic ability from her God of Hunters father]] and overusing it can cause regression to a primitive state of mind, at least until Numair teachers her how to control it. It's specifically called "wild" magic in the books because there is only so much control she can exercise over it.
* ''Literature/CircleOfMagic'' gives us academic magic and ambient magic, ambient magic being a little more like wild magic. Academic magic is more [[RitualMagic Ritual]], but ambient magic taps into the magic of the world itself and manifests itself in activities, such as cooking, weaving, [[GreenThumb gardening]], [[BreadEggsMilkSquick sheer nothingness,]] and [[EverythingTryingToKillYou the weather]]. For particularly powerful mages, this can turn into BlessedWithSuck.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' has Demonreach, a sentient island somewhere in Lake Michigan that you can only arrive at if you mean to and which actively opposes people who try to settle on it.
** Hell, most magic. In the Dresdenverse, magic (alongside physics) is ''the'' fundamental building block that the universe is built upon. Sure, humans and various supernatural entities can draw upon magic (including using Ley Lines), and channel it to their will, but it's still wild.
* ''Literature/TalesOfTheFiveHundredKingdoms'' has the Tradition, which pushes people who are susceptible to it into the paths of traditional fairy tales -- the heroine of the first book is a Cinderella whose destined prince is still a child. If the magic of the Tradition can't be channeled into a tale, it simply accumulates around the person until someone decides to take it... or until the circumstances are changed until they no longer fit the story.
* In ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfThomasCovenant'', Wild Magic (channelled through white gold) is the only force powerful enough to destroy the Arch of Time. Naturally, [[OmnicidalManiac Lord]] [[BigBad Foul]] spends the first two trilogies trying to get his hands on Covenant's white gold ring.

* In Laura Anne Gilman's ''Retriever'' series the use of "current" borders between Force Magic and Wild Magic. Over use of it runs the risk of "wizzing out" which results in a mage that is both extremely powerful and completely insane.
* The ''Literature/BasLagCycle'' has this in the form of the Torque, which is something like a cross between this trope and TheVirus. While some of the more layman characters believe it works like any of the setting's many other forms of FunctionalMagic, nothing could be further from the truth, and in reality, every previous attempt to harness or control the Torque led to some form of BodyHorror on a massive scale.
* In the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'', as seen in the page quote, wild magic is found all over Alagaesia, most commonly in the form of the EnergyBeings known as [[StarfishAliens Spirits]].
* In ''Literature/{{Mogworld}}'', magic is said to have a will of its own and gets upset if a spell is finished by another person if the original caster is incapacitated in some way. It ''really'' doesn't like being used by corpses (i.e., the caster is killed midway through, and someone aims their severed forearm at their enemy and finishes the spell).
* A fundamental part of the world of ''Literature/TheObsidianTrilogy''. Wild Magic is essentially the consciousness of all life in the world and works to ensure as much life survives as possible. Using Wild Magic is essentially a series of bargains; whenever it does something for you, you have to do something for it in return; what that something ''is'' isn't revealed until you cast the spell, and is rarely if ever the same twice. For instance, a spell to heal a minor injury may cost "Plant twelve acorns" one day, and "Travel in this direction until you find something to help, then help it" the next. The costs are extremely variable, but are always, ''always'' fair. At one point, [[spoiler: Idalia Tavadon]] casts a spell to stop a huge, long-lasting drought which has turned a rainforest into a tinderbox; this spell carries the cost of [[HeroicSacrifice "you must die"]]. The time of death isn't specified, however; all the caster knows is that Wild Magic will inform them when the time comes. The next spell they cast, and any subsequent spell up until their now-inevitable death, ends up being ''free'', or more precisely "This spell has already been paid for", due to the immense worth in dying [[spoiler: to permanently prevent demons from ''ever'' invading the world]].
* In ''Literature/TheMoonOfGomrath'', the human protagonists inadvertently return the imprisoned Old Magic to the world by lighting a bonfire on a sacred mountain on the right night of the year, the Eve of Gomrath. The wizard Cadellin, Guardian of the High Magic, is not pleased and points out it took a lot of effort to imprison the damn stuff in the first place. Apparently the ordered and somewhat anally retentive High Magic is man's stuff (wizards) whilst the Old Wild Magic is that of women (The Lady in the Lake, the opposed Morrigan - and Susan, the human girl who lit the bonfire.)
* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': Chaos magic is basically energy from [[TopGod Lady Chaos]], who, as can be expected, has BlueAndOrangeMorality. Elven lore says that it deliberately backfired on [[spoiler: Dengel Tymh]] to teach him an object lesson in humility. It is impossible for any mage to successfully control [[spoiler: without becoming chaos themselves.]]
* ''Literature/PrincessesOfThePizzaParlor'': In ''Grandmothers and Other Fearsome Encounters'', it's mentioned that this can happen if magic is enhanced beyond a regular spell through adding more power to it, when it's not made to handle it, or just casting it with more, heroic, effort, and if it fails, it can produce wild magic, implied by other ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' references to be likely following its vein, a.k.a magic without any directing force and a tendency to discharge itself dramatically:
--> '''Uncle:''' Piling up spells like that is dangerous. Adding heroic effort to spells is also dangerous. [...] if it doesn't work, you end up with a surge of wild magic.

* ''Literature/TheObsidianChronicles'': Magical energy and creatures are unchecked mostly in the south, unlike the north, with even the sky showing its affect. In some places, it runs so strong people's ''dreams'' can come alive.

* The Hollow from ''Series/Charmed1998''. A sentient magical force, its purpose seems to be to devour and absorb magic into itself. Powerful and difficult to control, it cannot be destroyed, merely contained and watched over by representatives of both good and evil.

* The Warp in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Some people can harness it, but it's very dangerous for them and others. This is known as "Perils of the Warp" in game terms, and can range from manifesting patches of frost or dropping an especially fragrant fart to tearing a hole in reality, with or without an attendant [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Daemon]] or other warp horror or being [[DemonicPossession possessed]]. This can result in any Psyker who rolls snake-eyes being shot "For Your Own Good."

** In the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'', the death of Mystra, Goddess of Magic, during the Time of Troubles left (at the time) permanent scars in the BackgroundMagicField. Collectively known as "Helmlands", in mockery of the god who killed her, these took two forms: the [[AntiMagic "dead magic"]] zones, where no magic of any kind can function, and "wild magic" zones, where all magic becomes inherently chaotic and all but impossible to control, functioning as per this trope. Mystra's second death prior to the century timeskip between 3rd and 4th edition also caused "the Spellplague", which basically converted the entire BackgroundMagicField into wild magic, unweaving almost all existing forms of stabilized magic -- magical items, passive enchantments, permanent spells, etc - with usually disastrous effects. Whilst the BackgroundMagicField ultimately restabilized itself, the Spellplague also left scars in the form of lingering pockets of warped reality, called "plaguelands" or "changelands". Those who entered such places would, if they were lucky, walk out with an inherent wild magic power, called a "spellscar". The unlucky would be horribly mutated.
** After the Time of Troubles, the Wild Mage would be introduced into generic D&D as variant wizard who ''does'' use wild magic. Spells cast by wild mages are extremely unpredictable in their effects, with a tendency to be randomly stronger or weaker than it should be, or just to fall apart in the would-be caster's hands and trigger a random outburst of magic (called a "wild surge"). Wild mages would become a prestige class in 3rd edition and then achieve prominence in 4th edition as a subclass for the Sorcerer, whose lore meshed better with this trope, although ironically the sheer chaoticness of their spells would be toned down compared to their past edition incarnations. The Wild Mage sorcerer would continue on into the 5th edition, albeit partially restored to the chaoticness of its 2nd edition counterpart, precisely because of how it filled a previously untapped arcanist niche.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} Fantasy II''. The strange effects on magic cast in the Madlands.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Ironclaw}}'' necromancy draws upon the power of the restless dead, if someone rolls [[NumberOfTheBeast three sixes]] for ''any'' roll involved with black magic (casting, resisting, countering...) the spirits do other, horrific things. ''The Book of Mysteries'' supplement introduces Druid and Lutarist magic, which has some spells that carry a similar risk.
* In ''TabletopGame/CastleFalkenstein'', wild magic is what happens if you draw a Joker while gathering energy for a spell. The spell goes off immediately, with unpredictable effects -- determined by the gamemaster, which practically guarantees it will be ... entertaining.
* ''TabletopGame/InvisibleSun'' has the Order of Weavers, magic-users who shun formal rituals and instead take general types of magic and connect them together to get an effect. They may not get exactly what they want, but experienced Weavers can at least coax a good result out of things.

* In ''Franchise/BaldursGate'', Wild Mages are introduced in ''[[VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal Throne of Bhaal]]'', it being a game set in the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' setting. The UpdatedRerelease makes it possible to play as one from the first game in the trilogy and introduces Neera, a Wild Mage follower, as a new character. They have mostly the same spell list as regular mages, but whenever they cast a spell, it's possible for a "wild surge" to cause random helpful or harmful effects.

* ''Webcomic/{{Roza}}'': Roza's BloodMagic acts without her control.
* ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'': The Shield of Wonder causes a random magical effect whenever it's struck. Most of them are beneficial to the user of the shield (e.g., harming the attacker), but are very often dangerous to him, too.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Roommates}}'' and its SpinOff ''Webcomic/GirlsNextDoor'' magic is... fickle. As an [[MediumAwareness acknowledged plot device]] it's highly susceptible to the powers that shape these comics, mostly the TheoryOfNarrativeCausality and {{Fanservice}}. Saying something even vaguely similar to the ''[[WordsCanBreakMyBones Right Words]]'' ''can'' create a magic effect (even if it takes some [[JackassGenie creative interpreting]]) if the result is ''interesting'' from a narrative or fan-pleasing POV. And spells ''will'' backfire if/when dramatically appropriate... except if the characters [[GenreSavvy count on that]] or something that is.

* ''Webcomic/DaughterOfTheLilies'': [[https://www.daughterofthelilies.com/dotl/1001 Storms]] of natural magic are enough of a hazard that AntiMagic shelters are built in high-risk areas. At a distance, they only [[FieldPowerEffect amplify magical phenomena]], but reality within the Storm gets [[RealityIsOutToLunch warped]] to potentially deadly effect.
-->'''Orrig:''' People died. Or disappeared. Or changed.

[[folder:Web Original]]

* In ''Roleplay/ThereIsNoGATEWeDidNotFightThere'', magic in this universe comes from a dimension of sheer chaos, referred to as the Maelstrom. Those who use magic either naturally "dive" into the Maelstrom and simply "grab" the energy they need, or use a rigid [[RitualMagic spell structure]] to more safely tap into their magic. Considered a safer version of the Warp from ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''.

** Twilight Sparkle, a strong believer in SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic, tries to figure out how Pinkie Pie's "Pinkie Sense" works in ''Feeling Pinkie Keen''. Very few spells can [[OffscreenTeleportation teleport as Pinkie seems to]], or [[SpiderSense see the immediate future, as she seems to]]. Even then, Pinkie wouldn't be able to use them, being an earth pony, not a unicorn. Twilight eventually gives up trying to explain Pinkie's chaotic abilities. Though later episodes do imply that the SpiderSense may be an aspect of earth pony magic, given how other earth ponies showcase similar abilities.

* This is effectively what the "solar wind" in Creator/CirqueDuSoleil's WidgetSeries ''Solstrom'' is. The sun creatures who wield it are affable and playful [[TheTrickster Trickster figures]], but they can't fully control its effects. When it touches a person or environment, it can have positive effects -- granting magical abilities, bringing lovers together, and generally acting as a BlitheSpirit. But it can also cause heaps of trouble; in "Howling Wind", an episode heavy on BlackComedy, it turns a rundown hotel into a HellHotel / HauntedCastle hybrid and several of the people within it into eccentrics and even monsters. [[spoiler: By the end, two characters are dead, two are ''undead'', and one is a Wolf Man -- and the magic causes that last one to vanish to parts unknown in The Stinger.]]

** After the Time of Troubles, the Wild Mage would be introduced into generic D&D as variant wizard who ''does'' use wild magic. Spells cast by wild mages are extremely unpredictable in their effects, with a tendency to be randomly stronger or weaker than it should be, or just to fall apart in the would-be caster's hands and trigger a random outburst of magic (called a "wild surge"). Wild mages would vanish in 3rd edition and then resurface in 4th edition as a subclass for the Sorcerer, whose lore meshed better with this trope, although ironically the sheer chaoticness of their spells would be toned down. The Wild Mage sorcerer would continue on into the 5th edition, albeit partially restored to the chaoticness of its 2nd edition counterpart, precisely because of how it filled a previously untapped arcanist niche.

* Most magic in ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' is either rule magic or theurgic, but Lina's DangerousForbiddenTechnique is wild magic. The Giga Slave is a version of a powerful theurgic spell, modified to call upon Chaos itself. As Chaos is both powerful beyond everything, and more than a little chaotic, there's the minor problem that a miscast Giga Slave could destroy the entire world. [[spoiler: Or not. The Lord of Nightmares is a very capricious being, and her mind always follows her power, so it really all depends on how she's feeling.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'':
** Wild magic exists in the Boiling Isles as a BackgroundMagicField, that witches used to command using [[RunicMagic glyphs]], before [[OurWitchesAreDifferent witches evolved the magic bile sac]], an internal reserve of magic they use to cast spells instead.
*** Glyphs do not follow the same rules as the magic witches use, and can malfunction in unexpected ways if the rules are broken.
*** [[{{Characters/TheOwlHouseEdaClawthorne}} Eda]] accidentally creates an [[StuffBlowingUp explosion]], and later, an out-of-control expanding sphere of spiked ice, when combining multiple glyphs without following the rules.
*** Glyphs may also be considered a form of RitualMagic, since they have particular rules that must be followed for magic to behave as expected.
** Emperor Belos is said to have brought order to the wild magic by creating the Coven System, the current system of magic witches on the Boiling Isles use.
** "Wild Witches" (Witches unmarked with a coven sigil) are implied to be witches who shun the coven system, and use Wild Magic.
** The Golden Guard's family are stated to have been killed by Wild Magic.
** Wild Magic may just refer to all magic that lies outside of the coven system, rather than just the BackgroundMagicField.
** Emperor Belos [[spoiler:intends to destroy Wild Magic, along with all magic, during the [[ApocalypseHow Day of Unity]].]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Webcomic/{{Roza}}'s blood magic acts without her control.
* ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'' has the magic item named the Shield of Wonder, which causes a random magical effect when being hit. Most of them are beneficial to the user of the shield (i.e. they harm the attacker), but are very often dangerous to him, too.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Roommates}}'' also its SpinOff ''Webcomic/GirlsNextDoor'' magic is... fickle. As an [[MediumAwareness acknowledged]] [[AWizardDidIt plot device]] it's highly susceptible to the powers that shape these comics, mostly the TheoryOfNarrativeCausality and {{Fanservice}}. So yes. Saying something even vaguely similar to the ''[[WordsCanBreakMyBones Right Words]]'' ''can'' create a magic effect (even if it takes some [[JackassGenie creative interpreting]]) if the result is ''interesting'' from a narrative or fan-pleasing POV. And spells ''will'' backfire if/when dramatically appropriate... except if the characters [[GenreSavvy count on that]] or something that is.

* ''Literature/TheLastUnicorn'': Schmendrick's quest is to learn to use his magic. He can't make it do a single thing, but he can let it do what it wants ... which has some surprising results. Played particularly and expressly straight when Schmendrick [[spoiler:transforms the unicorn into a human woman to protect her from the Red Bull:]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Schmendrick:''' "The Red Bull came for a unicorn, so she had to become something else. The magic chose the shape, not I. I am a bearer, I am a dwelling, I am a messenger..."\\
'''Molly Grue:''' "You are an idiot! Do you hear me? You've lost her! You've trapped her in a human body! She'll go mad!"]]

* In ''Literature/{{Mogworld}}'', magic is said to have a will of its own and gets upset if a spell is finished by another person if the original caster is incapacitated in some way. It ''really'' doesn't like being used by corpses (i.e., the caster is killed midway through, and someone aims their severed forearm at their enemy and finishes the spell).
* In ''Literature/TheAscendantKingdomsSaga'', it's called ''visithara'' by mages, as opposed to human-controlled ''hasithara''. Without the anchors of the Lords of the Blood and their manors, ''hasithara'' is entirely replaced by uncontrollable ''visithara'', which causes magic storms that do tremendous and frequently bizarre damage (such as causing a man to disappear into an inch-deep puddle and [[BaaBomb exploding livestock]]) and summon monsters from other worlds. Even a partial restoration of ''hasithara'' isn't sufficient: though magic storms decrease, what spells ''can'' be cast become prone to MagicMisfire.

* In the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'', as seen in the page quote, wild magic is found all over Alagaesia, most commonly in the form of the EnergyBeings known as [[StarfishAliens Spirits]].

* In ''Manga/HunterXHunter'', Kite's Crazy Slots ability takes the form of a jester-like being that will spin a wheel on its tongue and turn into whatever supernatural weapon corresponds with that number. Crazy Slots has a mind of its own and honestly doesn't care much about Kite's well-being. Crazy Slots is notable for being a case of this trope in a series otherwise full of MagicAIsMagicA, though powers is HxH become stronger when the user willingly creates limitations, so Kite making it harder to get what he wants also makes his weapons better.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' This type of magic occurs on the Boiling Isles, with the elements literally having runes in them, and was stated to be the original type of magic early witches used before evolving their own internal magic reserves; this is the type of magic that Luz uses due to being human. Unlike most instances of the trope, "wild magic" actually can be controlled and does appear to follow rules, just different rules than the innate magic of witches. However, Hunter's parents were said to have been killed by wild magic, and Eda did accidentally cause a spell to go out of control by trying to draw two glyphs on top of each other. It is also revealed that wild magic is harmful to Emperor Belos, and he issued the Coven System to keep it in order, and simultaneously plans to destroy all wild magic forever with the upcoming Day of Unity.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': Magic normally generates somewhere beyond reality, and is called and shaped by spellcasters to power their spells. Primal magic, also called wild magic, is what happens when magic enters the world without any directing force. The result is compared to thunderstorms, with potential to constantly accreting before discharging dramatically. Potential effects include rains of random objects, pits spontaneously opening in the ground, swarms of centipedes appearing out of nowhere and attacking spellcasters, surges of positive, negative, and elemental energy, teleportation storms that cause people to randomly switch places, and potentially a lot more besides. Primal magic normally only occurs in areas subjected to extensive magical devastation, although it's also very common in chaos-aligned Outer Planes.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' This type of magic occurs on the Boiling Isles, with the elements literally having runes in them, and was stated to be the original type of magic early witches used before evolving their own internal magic reserves. Unlike most instances of the trope, "wild magic" actually can be controlled and does appear to follow rules, just different rules than the innate magic of witches. However, Hunter's parents were said to have been killed by wild magic, and Eda did accidentally cause a spell to go out of control by trying to draw two glyphs on top of each other.