History Main / VancianMagic

** [[PsychicPowers Psionics]] have been in since as early as ''AD&D'', and use {{Mana}}-style 'Power Points' (or similar) that can only be refreshed by resting. Psionic powers tend to be more flexible and long-lived (rather than falling by the wayside and going unused as the psion unlocks higher-tier powers) given the ability 'augment' them by [[TimTaylorTechnology pouring in more power points]].

** [[PsychicPowers Psionics]] existing alongside the magic optional used [[strike:{{Mana}}]] Psionic Strength Points from the very beginning in ''AD&D''.

This is demonstrated with the various transportation spells used in the series: In one book, a character who wants to ascend to the top of the tower first has to use magic to knock loose a stone from the top, and use its energy and momentum as a lever in the spell. In ''Discworld/InterestingTimes'', they teleport Rincewind to the the Aurient, but have to exchange him with something from his landing spot. At the same time, in ''Discworld/EqualRites'', levitating a staff a handful of feet is extremely physically taxing because there isn't anything nearby to use as a counterweight, so the wizard in question has to do ''all'' the heavy lifting with his mind.\\\
This is subverted in a fashion in ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}'', when a character who is a literal font of magical energy is present, wizards are capable of overriding the usual restrictions of conservation of their own bodies by using the excess energy floating around. This also allows them to perform highly tricky transmogrification of turning people into Newts without the usual floating bag of flesh containing all the parts that are too big to fit.\\\
Also, the whole idea of spells taking so much energy to prepare is by now sometimes being passed with "well, it was the least competent wizard in the world claiming that". (This was in ''{{GURPS}} Discworld'', probably.)

This tends to create the problem that the mage must somehow ''know'' (or at least predict) which spells will be most useful in the near future. If you are expecting combat, then you (probably) aren't going to prepare a "talk with animals" spell that day, which may leave you up a creek if that's precisely what you need to do later. (And if you use up all your spells too quickly, you may ''really'' be up a creek later.) To work around this problem, some writers use a {{Mana}} or "spell points" system, where the mage can cast any spells they know at any time as long as they have a large enough reserve of energy at the time, which they can replenish later (either with time or with a ManaPotion).

Arguably, this only applies to a Pokemon's battle capabilities, at least [[GameplayAndStorySegregation if the Pokedex is to be believed]]: For example, if a Pokemon that is known for being able to power entire cities was held to this trope, rolling blackouts must be painfully frequent. Or the people running the power plants simply use elixirs and/or Pokemon centers to restore PP. The better example is the HM instance.\\\

* Present in the ''SaGa'' series along with BreakableWeapons, where it is implemented as pretty much a magical analog of said trope. Each spell/ability or spellbook takes up a slot in the character's inventory and has a fixed number of "charges"; spellbooks will "break" when used up, though innate abilities like mutant spells or monster skills will recharge by staying at an inn.

* Magic in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' consists of putting scrolls in attunement slots, each one giving a certain number of uses that spell before needing to rest at the bonfire. And if you find multiple scrolls of the same spell, you can double up on it.

*** The Magus class released in an expansion has an interesting hybrid with their Arcane Pool class feature. At a fairly low level, they gain the ability to expend points from the pool to re-use a a prepared spell they already used that day. At a higher level, they can do this for less points, as well as being able to prepare a different spell for the same cost as simply re-using a spell in the weaker version of the skill.

* In ''Literature/TheObsidianTrilogy'', by MercedesLackey and James Mallory, the term "cantrip" refers to a spell of the High Magick that has been prepared in Vancian fashion. High Magick spells are mostly long, complex, and cast all at once, but if a Mage has need to leave his workroom and time to prepare, most of the casting for certain spells can be done in advance.

* ManaKhemiaAlchemistsOfAlRevis uses a variant of this. Common Skills (spells for damage, healing, StandardStatusEffects, etc.) use the same ManaMeter as the inherent skills unique to each character, but can only be accessed by [[ItemCrafting synthesizing a piece of equipment with that skill attached]]. The skill can then be used by any character equipped with that item, for as long as they have it equipped.

* In ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'', Black Mage started being able to use the Level 9 [[KamehameHadoken Hadoken]] once per day, [[CripplingOverspecialization and nothing else.]]

The name comes from the late Creator/JackVance, writer of exotic ScienceFiction and {{Fantasy}}. Vancian magic first appears in his ''Literature/DyingEarth''. GaryGygax and his collaborator Dave Arneson subsequently "borrowed" the basic ideas for the magic system of TropeCodifier ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''.

And, well, GaryGygax [[http://www.google.com/search?q=%2B%22Gary+Gygax%22+%2B%22jack+vance+%26+the+d%26d+game%22 was big fan of Vance]], so not only ''D&D'' obviously was influenced, but its lore contains {{shout out}}s to Vance: the evil necromancer turned [[AGodAmI God]] named [[SignificantAnagram Vecna]], said to have been the most powerful mortal wizard ever; also, Robe of Eyes from ''The Dying Earth''.\\\

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}: Thaumatology'' spends a few pages discussing how to make Vancian magic work with its system. The default magic is based more on LarryNiven than Vance, however, and ''Thaumatology'' consists mostly of a toolbox for inventing any magic system you want.

* Each card in MagicTheGathering represents knowledge of a particular spell. While there are multiple ways to reuse, duplicate, or recover cards from the graveyard, players are allowed only four copies per deck.

* Alchemy in ''VideoGame/{{Mabinogi}}'' uses [[ItemCrafting specially prepared]] crystals, which when "fired" from an [[BoomStick alchemy cylinder]] allow you to create golems, [[LifeDrain drain life]], etc. It also has base elemental crystals, used both in crafting advanced crystals and in basic attacks such as [[KillItwithWater Water Cannon]] or [[KillItWithFire Flameburst]].

* Rin Tohsaka from ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' uses gems which store prana in them. They act as prana bombs and are an equivalent of an A-rank spell.

The name comes from Creator/JackVance, writer of exotic ScienceFiction and {{Fantasy}}. Vancian magic first appears in his ''Literature/DyingEarth''. GaryGygax and his collaborator Dave Arneson subsequently "borrowed" the basic ideas for the magic system of TropeCodifier ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''.

* ''LegendOfDragoon'' features spells as buyable, boostable combat items. This would be useful, were they not [[InventoryManagementPuzzle forced to share the same limited inventory space as your healing items]]. It does have a few reusable spell items though.
* The panel system in ''[[KingdomHearts Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days]]'' works this way. On a grid, you select which items, weapons, abilities, and magic spells you have before you take on a mission. During the mission, you are limited only to the amount of casts that you've set up for your spells.
* Earlier versions of ''NetHack'' had a similar system, where reading a spellbook would give you a finite number of uses of the spell. An [[GameMod unofficial patch]], later integrated into the main game in version 3.3.0, changed spells to be forgotten after a sufficient amount of time had passed.
* ''KingsBounty'' (the original one). The hero has a finite number of spell slots (determined by class, level, and gained artifacts). Spells can be bought in towns or found as treasure, and to be able to buy spells hero must have free spell slots (when found, spells may go over the limit number, though). Each spell is one-shot.
* In ''WanderingHamster'', Bob the Hamster, who is a CuteBruiser MagicKnight, uses this type of magic in the form of his Magic Smite spells.

* Magic in ''DarkSouls'' consists of putting scrolls in attunement slots, each one giving a certain number of uses that spell before needing to rest at the bonfire. And if you find multiple scrolls of the same spell, you can double up on it.

* In ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'', Black Mage started being able to use the Level 9 [[KamehameHadoken Hadoken]] once per day, [[CriplingOverspecialization and nothing else.]]

** [[{{Mana}} Spell-point]] systems of all official products were used only in [[ForgottenRealms Netheril]] setting [[hottip:*:where arcanists were ''supposed to be'' quite powerful]] and Players Options [[hottip:*:PO were [[ExecutiveMeddling sadly half-baked]] in average, so even best of innovations didn't take root]]; plus, of course, [[GameMod homemade variants]] -- in ''The Net Wizard's Handbook'' alone 3 of 6 systems were spellpoint-based.

* In ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'', Black Mage started being able to only use the Level 9 [[KamehameHadoken Hadoken]] once per day.

* The game ''Balances'' by Graham Nelson was written as a demonstration of how to write Vancian magic in the [[http://www.inform-fiction.org Inform programming language]], and is explicitly based on the ''Enchanter'' series. As befits its status as a demo program and source of code snippets, it takes Vancian magic UpToEleven -- spells can be reversed, [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything work on almost every object and NPC in the game (and fail gracefully when they don't),]], and one spell even provides an example of a spell that can only be memorized once.

* ''LegendOfDragoon'' features spells as buyable, boostable combat items. This would be useful, were they not [[InventoryManagementPuzzle forced to share the same limited inventory space as your healing items]]. It does have a few reuseable spell items though.

* Witches in Kim Harrison's ''TheHollows'' series usually make spells in advance. Spells are made in small batches, and only last for a couple of days before they won't work. And one can only carry as many as one has space for on one's person or in one's handbag, or car, or... More accurately, they prepare spells as potions, making this more [[FunctionalMagic Device Magic]].

* In ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'', WeaselMascot chamo often shows up to bring up concepts such as magical limits and exertion, [[HeroicResolve which Negi tends to push]]. Also, some wizards in the series like to subvert the "Magic-bomb" variety of spells by ''overpreparing them'': wizards who chant a spell -- depending on its power and complexity -- are said to be able to hold said spell for at least 20 seconds, effectively eliminating the weakness of enemies knowing what they're about to be attacked with (RPG-style interruption becomes a full-on plot-point when fighting speedy warriors because of this). For a good example of this in action, see the fight with [[spoiler:Takamichi and Rakan]], but mainly the former.