History Main / TheRedMage

->''I am the Red Mage, pimpin' a feather in my hat''

->''Watch your step 'cuz I stand where you fall''

->''Introducing the Red Mage''
->''The jack of all trades''
->''Both magic, crazy tactics''
->''Leaving them all in their graves!''

* Job based ''FinalFantasy'' titles; in addition to [[TropeNamer the actual Red Mage]] (which can learn non-exclusive white and black magic up to level 7, but doesn't get the best spells like Dia, Warp and Exit, but makes up for it with heavy armor and powerful weaponry), you can normally make a White Mage that has a ''Black Mage'' commands (or vice versa). You also have the option that is more effective than the Red Mage or Black Mage/White Mage in the Summoner who has both healing and offensive summons in ''FinalFantasyV'', ''FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'', ''FinalFantasyTacticsA2'', and the original ''FinalFantasyTactics''. In ''Tactics A2'' the Seer job is introduced, getting second rank magic (''The'' Red Mage only gets first rank) in healing and the 3 attack elements (For bonus points, it is best used as a secondary job for MagicKnight jobs, as it allows attacks and magic to be used at the same time).

The most common form of Red Mage combines TheMedic and BlackMage with a hint of GlassCannon / SquishyWizard. In rare cases, they may also be as physically gifted as a MagicKnight or CombatMedic. However, the Red Mage isn't just a swordsperson who picks one school of magic to go with their blade, but just about any two (and sometimes more) schools of magic. Common pairings include: WhiteMagic and BlackMagic, [[LightIsNotGood Light]] and [[DarkIsNotEvil Dark]], or [[PlayingWithFire Fire]] and [[AnIcePerson Ice]] (and occasionally another [[ElementalPowers Elemental Power]]).

*** Yes, but that's only if you're looking at Wizard / Cleric type combinations. By looking for the right class (usually in add-on books) you can match up an Arcane spellcasting class with a Divine one, resulting in a Theurge that suffers from not a single one of the problems you mentioned. For example, the base class Wizard matches up with the Archivist class. Both are Intelligence-based,(looking for a Charisma-based Divine? Try Shugenja.) both are unarmored (and if you want an armored arcane? WarMage.) both use familiars, and both maintain spellbooks, which grants you, essentially, access to ANY spell you could run across, as Wizards can (at DM's discretion) learn any arcane spell through study or transcription, and Archivists do the same with Divine. Still a RedMage, but the Mystic Theurge doesn't HAVE to have all the flaws listed above.

The most common form of Red Mage combines TheMedic with a GlassCannon / SquishyWizard. In rare cases, they may also be as physically gifted as a MagicKnight or CombatMedic. However, the Red Mage isn't just a swordsperson who picks one school of magic to go with their blade, but just about any two (and sometimes more) schools of magic. Common pairings include: WhiteMagic and BlackMagic, [[LightIsNotGood Light]] and [[DarkIsNotEvil Dark]], or [[PlayingWithFire Fire]] and [[AnIcePerson Ice]] (and occasionally another [[ElementalPowers Elemental Power]]).

** [[FinalFantasyVI Terra]] is also a good candidate: Red outfit, can naturaly learn healing and attack magic, has access to the best equipement of the game. In her case, she is not a [[MasterOfNone Jack of all trades]] but a PersonOfMassDestruction. Celes is also a candidate, but with less raw power.

* In the DresdenFiles one of the requirements for being an [[InsistentTerminology actual Wizard]] is having some ability to use every non forbidden branch of magic. It's no a prefect example they allow for quite a lot of specialization and may not accept you for other reasons, but people who are limited to a single talent like summoners are automatically bared.

* In the DresdenFiles one of the requirements for being an [[InsistentTerminology actual Wizard]] is having some ability to to use every non forbidden branch of magic. It's no a prefect example they allow for quite a lot of specialization and may not accept you for other reasons, but people who are limited to a single talent like summoners are automatically bared.

* Job based ''FinalFantasy'' titles; in addition to [[TropeNamer the actual Red Mage]], you can normally make a White Mage that has a ''Black Mage'' commands (or vice versa). You also have the option that is more effective than the Red Mage or Black Mage/White Mage in the Summoner who has both healing and offensive summons in ''FinalFantasyV'', ''FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'', ''FinalFantasyTacticsA2'', and the original ''FinalFantasyTactics''. In ''Tactics A2'' the Seer job is introduced, getting second rank magic (''The'' Red Mage only gets first rank) in healing and the 3 attack elements (For bonus points, it is best used as a secondary job for MagicKnight jobs, as it allows attacks and magic to be used at the same time).

Contrast CripplingOverspecialization. See also ClassAndLevelSystem and {{Splat}}. May suffer doubly from LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards. To avoid confusion, the Red Mage may well be a single class with access to spells from different classes, or the result of a magician who has studied in more than one magical tradition.

** In [[DnD 4th edition]] it is possible to make this. The Artificer is a leader, the wizard is a controller... combine the two and you have the potential for +5 in melee and ranged attacks, AND healing (though more limited than the straight-up Artificer... does that class qualify alone?)

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* In the DresdenFiles one of the requirements for being an [[InsistentTerminology actual Wizard]] is being able to have some ability to to use every non forbidden branch of magic. Of course they allow for specialization and may not accept you for other reasons, but people who are limited to a single talent like summoners are automatically bared.

* ''MageTheAwakening'' goes out of its way to make this a difficulty, due to each mage Path having an "inferior" path of magic that costs ludicrous levels of XP and is capped at no more than two dots worth of self-education. However, ''MageTheAwakening'' has the prestige class Legacies, which allow for members to have a third Arcana at in-Path XP price. Considering that not all Legacies have a Path-membership requirement, sneaky players can get their Path's inferior Arcana at '''in path price'''. Most Legacies are spread out over a dozen different supplements, and so any large-scale M:tA Storyteller is at a disadvantage; the Storyteller literally has to take the time to read the whole Legacy collection, paying specific attention to not just the Attainments (Paradox-free at-will spellcasting) BUT the in-Path Legacy Arcana.

** To be fair, he did show [[InterspeciesRomance some]] [[{{Squick}} talent]] with [[RunningGag Animal Husbandry]]...

[[caption-width:237:The power to heal. The power to harm. The burden of ''style.'']]

** Terra is also a good candidate: Red outfit, can naturaly learn healing and attack magic, has access to the best equipement of the game. In her case, she is not a [[MasterOfNone Jack of all trades]] but a PersonOfMassDestruction. Celes is also a candidate, but with less raw power.

* The ''Tales of'' series is fond of red mages. At least one member of your party will fit the description of this trope :

* Parodied by Red Mage, from ''EightBitTheatre'', who is grew from being obsessed with total balance to obsessed with total dominance at every form of magic and every skill. Naturally, he's a MasterOfNone.

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* The titular Avatar of ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'' is a [[MessianicArchetype reincarnated mystical keeper of peace]] (basically the local superhero) who is most well known for being able to learn and use all four of the normally mutually exclusive ElementalPowers of the settings. They usually demonstrate great talent with their original element (as the title suggests, TheHero Aang is the LastOfHisKind) and have to learn the other elements one by one, which is the main driving plot of the series.

*** Yes, but that's only if you're looking at Wizard / Cleric type combinations. By looking for the right class (usually in add-on books) you can match up an Arcane spellcasting class with a Divine one, resulting in a Theurge that suffers from not a single one of the problems you mentioned. For example, the base class Wizard matches up with the Archivist class. Both are Intelligence-based,(looking for a Charisma-based Divine? Try Favored Soul.) both are unarmored (and if you want an armored arcane? WarMage.) both use familiars, and both maintain spellbooks, which grants you, essentially, access to ANY spell you could run across, as Wizards can (at DM's discretion) learn any arcane spell through study or transcription, and Archivists do the same with Divine. Still a RedMage, but the Mystic Theurge doesn't HAVE to have all the flaws listed above.

Contrast CripplingOverspecialization and MultiClass. May suffer doubly from LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards. To avoid confusion, the Red Mage may well be a single class with access to spells from different classes, or the result of a magician who has studied in more than one magical tradition.