History Main / OurMagesAreDifferent

** Mundus, the mortal plane, has a BackgroundMagicField. [[{{Mana}} Magicka]]) flows in from [[SpiritWorld Aetherius]], visible as nebulae in the night sky. It flows through the [[AlienSky sun and stars]], which are actually holes punctured in reality by escaping spirits (Magnus and the Magna-Ge) during the [[CreationMyth creation of the world]]. Any mortal on Mundus is capable of tapping into this Magicka field (averting it being an InherentGift), with [[WitchSpecies some races and species more naturally adept at it than others]]. Many civilian [=NPCs=] will know a low-level utility spell or two, and even a relatively MagicallyIneptFighter who [[DumpStat doesn't develop their magical stats]] can benefit from same. Those who choose to do so may take the scholarly pursuit of studying magic, where increasing their knowledge also increases their magical prowess. Tamriel has a number of [[MagicalSociety Magical Societies]] and {{Wizarding School}}s which train members/students in the use of magic. For this type of mage, there are a number of "[[FunctionalMagic school of magic]]" specializations as well. Though the exact breakdown varies from game to game (along with the spells classified within), the primary schools of magic are [[UtilityMagic Alteration]], [[SummonMagic Conjuration]], [[ElementalPowers Destruction]], [[MasterOfIllusion Illusion]], Mysticism (a class of spells which alters the nature of magic itself, such as AntiMagic and ManaDrain type spells, as well as WarpWhistle and [[YourSoulIsMine Soul Trap]] type spells), and [[WhiteMagic Restoration]].

* Ninjutsu in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is a combination of Inherent Gift and study/training. If you don't have the gift (like Rock Lee), you can't do ninjutsu, but even if you have it, it takes a lot of training to do anything with it. There are also bloodline-specific techniques (called "Kekkei Genkai") that are only inherited by a subset of ninja.

[[AC:Races]]

* Magic-users in ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' are Chemists and Gadget Users, either making expendable spells by mixing together ingredients (like Maddie and Barry) or using magical artifacts (Valeriana).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Owl House}}''

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[[AC:Gadget users]]

How does someone become a mage? Why should someone have the power to alter reality? Obviously, mages use magic -- but how does one gain access to magic? Look no further - this page will detail them.

[[AC: Mages are like Artists]]

[[AC: Mages are like Athletes]]

[[AC: Mages are like Chemists]]

[[AC: Mages are like Gadget Users]]

[[AC: Mages are like Gods]]

[[AC: Mages are like Lottery Winners]]

[[AC: Mages are like Monks]]

[[AC: Mages are like Mutants]]

[[AC: Mages are like Naturalists]]
Here, one can become mage by getting closer to nature. How exactly that is may vary, and overlap with other means: Maybe you're close with a mystical entity pertaining to nature that entrusts you with the power of nature (Cultist), maybe you study hard about nature (Scholar), maybe you find deeper meaning in how nature works and thus become enlightened (Monks). They're not just limited to those, however; e.g being kind and friendly to nature may make them help you in return, or there's an unseen force of nature (often, but not always, confined to a place) that you can manipulate by different means.\\

[[AC: Mages are like Programmers]]

[[AC: Mages are like a Race]]

[[AC: Mages are like Scholars]]

[[AC: Mages are like Theurgists]]

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* Magic in ''Manga/FairyTail'' is totally mundane and accessible to anyone(a certain percentage of the population), but it requires training, making them a mix between Athletes and Scholars. Some are also Gadget Users, requiring items to access their powers.

* In ''Manga/BlackClover'' it is a mix of multiple version of mages. Mages are like scholars: Some people like Yuno can take time to study and improve their magical abilities and have magic that is not physically based. Mages are like a race: As almost everyone in the series has the ability to use magic. Mages are like gadget users: Even though the people can use magic on their own, their true power comes from the use of grimoires. Mages are like athletes: some mages can increase their magical strength through training. Asta is unique in that he is not a mage. The way others react to finding out he has no magical power at all, it's implied that this is very unusual.

* Mages in ''WesternAnimation/{{The Dragon Prince}}'' come in two varieties. First, there are Dark Mages, who are a mix of Scholars and Chemists (Dark Magic spells require components to produce a desired effect). However, there is also Primal Magic. While almost every creature (apart from humans) are born with a connection to a Primal Source -- called an arcanum -- Primal ''Mages'' primarily resemble Monks, in that they have to cultivate a deep mental and spiritual connection to their arcanum, learning to perform complex abilities such as crafting illusions, super-strength, or flight. Mages in Primal Magic are partially also Scholars (in that they have to learn the right runes and draconic words for each spell) as well as Athletes (they have to draw the rune in he air, and often need to physically exert themselves in order for the spell to work).
** Depending on the primal source, mages have different specialties. Moon mages are primarily illusionists, Sun mages are healers, and Sky mages tend to be acrobats and dancers.

'''Associated tropes:''' WitchSpecies, SuperpowerfulGenetics, MagicGenetics\\

Note that these analogies could be mixed: for instance, it is possible that the innate ability to wield magic is based on bloodline (as with the mage race), but that to develop this innate ability, the mage must use ancient lore (as with the scholarly mage). Also note that this is about ''how'' the mage acquires power, not the ''source'' of that power; that is, whether magic is drawn from nature, the elements, the spirit world, or what-have-you is not relevant.

** Halfway through adventure I, Reynir and Onni encounter Pastor A[[spoiler:nne, a Lutheran priest and old world mage. While she had no powers she knew of in life (possibly due to living before the apocalypse), she lingered on as a spirit even after her body had fully succumbed to the plague. In this state, she can effortlessly fend of the attacks of a hostile MindHive and guides them onwards to Heaven.]]

'''Associated tropes:''' ScienceWizard, SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic, ScientificallyUnderstandableSorcery, WizardingSchool \\

The ability to do magic is passed from parents to children. It may skip generations, or crop up unexpectedly on occasion, but it is ultimately based on inheritance. When mages are like this, they'll tend to make an isolated community of themselves, but not always.

In this variant, a mage is not a human being. The mage may take on the appearance of a human, but the actual nature of the mage is divine, whether demonic or angelic. The mage might also be ''[[HalfHumanHybrid half]]''-divine and can draw magic from that part of themselves. May overlap with the Theurgist subtype if these gods can allow their followers to use a portion of their power.\\
'''Associated tropes:''' TheFairFolk, OurDemonsAreDifferent, OurAngelsAreDifferent, GodInHumanForm\\

* ''TabletopGame/{{Fellowship}}'' has the Harbinger playbook, who has more in common with Gandalf the Grey than your typical fantasy RPG wizard. The Harbinger is a sage and soothsayer who wields powerful but dangerous magic, and joins the Fellowship to [[ScryVsScry avert the end of days]] threatened by the Overlord. They have a unique core stat, Doom, that allows them to Finish opponents [[WindsOfDestinyChange with luck or fate]], and they have spells with a variety of simple effects or a big, flashy magical attack that [[CastFromHitPoints takes a lot out of them]]. Variants include Angelic Remnants (who can "read the prophecies" on someone to get info without speaking directly to them), [[BlindSeer Blind Prophets]] (who can use their second sight to see right through walls, or through the eyes of others), Principled Academia (who can conduct powerful rituals with the help of their SpellBook), and Servants of the Dark ([[HeelFaceTurn former minions]] of the Overlord with great destructive power).

** This anime is an interesting example. By making a contract with Kyubey, a girl gets a Soul Gem that allows her to become a MagicalGirl in exchange for a wish, making them Gadget Users. [[spoiler: It is revealed however that the Soul Gem is actually the girl's soul, taken apart from the body. This grants magic but also makes the soul get corrupted with time, making them Mutants]]

* ''Literature/MagicByTheNumbers'' by Creator/LyndonHardy has five types of magic. All of them are primarily Chemist type with leanings toward Scholar, with the only requirements being knowledge of what elements to combine and how. Thaumaturgy (sympathetic magic, i.e. using a splinter of wood to cause a crate of goods to fly) and Alchemy are those two almost exclusively. Magic (rather confusingly, one of the five magics is called magic) uses elaborate rituals to create magic items enabling Gadgeteers. Sorcery (mind control) and Wizardry (summoning demons) are accessible to anyone via Chemist principles, but require hefty amounts of Monk and Athlete to actually produce useful results. In the latter case, a useful result meaning not being eaten by a demon -- wizards are by far the rarest type of magic user.

* In ''Literature/TheSwordOfTruth,'' most wizards and sorceresses are a Race and Lottery Winners, but learn their powers like Scholars. The gift is sometimes inherited from one's ancestors (less and less common ever since a major magical disruption 3,000 years ago), and sometimes, it seems, pops on its own (there used to be a time when nearly everyone was a wizard, so there isn't much difference). However, it is possible for a wizard to take an apprentice without a gift, and teach him to use magic, with the process probably using some magical procedures (Mutants). The wizards trained that way are, apparently, considerably less capable. Subtractive magic is also Theurgic, as it requires a DealWithTheDevil unless the wizard is born with the most powerful gift, that of the war wizard. War wizards and prophets are wizards with extra powers, even more rare than the less powerful kind.

* ''Literature/MasterOfTheFiveMagics'' by Creator/LyndonHardy has [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin five types of magic]]. All of them are primarily Chemist type with leanings toward Scholar, with the only requirements being knowledge of what elements to combine and how. Thaumaturgy (sympathetic magic, i.e. using a splinter of wood to cause a crate of goods to fly) and Alchemy are those two almost exclusively. Magic (rather confusingly, one of the five magics is called magic) uses elaborate rituals to create magic items enabling Gadgeteers. Sorcery (mind control) and Wizardry (summoning demons) are accessible to anyone via Chemist principles, but require hefty amounts of Monk and Athlete to actually produce useful results. In the latter case, a useful result meaning not being eaten by a demon -- wizards are by far the rarest type of magic user.

It is also possible that there are multiple kinds of mages in one setting; sometimes they are {{mutually exclusive|Magic}}, sometimes [[TheRedMage they can be mixed]]. When one of them is supposedly rare or unusual in universe, see WrongContextMagic. Sometimes different types of mage [[UnequalRites will look down on each other]].

Oftentimes there'll be discussions about how [[NotThatKindOfMage one type of mage differs from another.]]

It is also possible that there are multiple kinds of mages in one setting; sometimes they are {{mutually exclusive|Magic}}, sometimes they can be mixed (see above). When one of them is supposedly rare or unusual in universe, see WrongContextMagic.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Fellowship}}'' has the Harbinger playbook, who has more in common with Gandalf the Grey than your typical fantasy RPG wizard. The Harbinger is a sage and soothsayer who wields powerful but dangerous magic, and joins the Fellowship to [[ScryVsScry avert the end of days]] threatened by the Overlord. They have a unique core stat, Doom, that allows them to Finish opponents [[ContrivedCoincidence with luck or fate]], and they have spells with a variety of simple effects or a big, flashy magical attack that [[CastFromHitPoints takes a lot out of them]]. Variants include Angelic Remnants (who can "read the prophecies" on someone to get info without speaking directly to them), [[BlindSeer Blind Prophets]] (who can use their second sight to see right through walls, or through the eyes of others), Principled Academia (who can conduct powerful rituals with the help of their SpellBook), and Servants of the Dark ([[HeelFaceTurn former minions]] of the Overlord with great destructive power).

** The Avatar (who can bend [[MasterOfAll all four elements]]) is a special case in that he/she also has traces of Theurgist and Lottery Winner in him/her: The Avatar's power comes from [[GodOfGood the spirit of light, Raava]], that inhabits his/her body, and the Avatar has all the knowledge and power of the previous generations of Avatars in his/her hands. Who gets to wield this power is chosen by Raava alone, so from the point of view of humans this is completely random.

* Magic in ''Manga/FairyTail'' is totally mundane and accessible to anyone, but it requires training, making them a mix between Athletes and Scholars. Some are also Gadget Users, requiring items to access their powers.

* Sorcerers in ''Literature/TheBelgariad'' are a mix of Lottery Winner and Monk-the potential for sorcery is present in every human, but unless you're being guided in some way you'll probably never unlock your potential (without vaporizing yourself). Once the power is released that first time, it's probably closer to Monk, since everything you do is by force of will. There's also a touch of theurgy-except for those few with the random gift of sorcery, people trained in magic live normal lifespans unless chosen as Disciple of a god, in which case they become immortal.