History Main / UnequalRites

** Witches: Use cats and objects innate magic in their spells. Broomsticks are only reliable transportation for them. They get along reasonably well with other magic-users, but make it a point to keep everyone else scared enough of them to leave them alone.

** The Aes Sedai vs. Wise Ones vs. Windfinder vs. damane split - that is, the place of female channelers in society - is just an instance of CultureClash, which the series is full of. The different methods required for male vs. female magic is a better example of UnequalRites, as are the varying approaches to all the non-channeling kinds of magic out there, particularly foresight: wolfbrothers, Foretellings, Dreaming and Min's viewings. We have never seen anyone use more than one of the above and no one agrees on how reliable any of them are.

* Since its world is based on [=DnD=] 3.5 rules, ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has the same UnequalRites. In ''StartOfDarkness'', Xykon is looked down upon often by wizards for his being a sorcerer, which, naturally, [[BerserkButton pisses him off]]. Since this is Xykon, these people tend not to live much longer. Especially notable when Dorukan is fighting Xykon and at one point asserts the superiority of his wizardry to Xykon's sorcery. [[spoiler:Xykon responds by casting Energy Drain every turn, while giving a HannibalLecture about the advantages of spontaneous casting.]] At the beginning of ''StartOfDarkness'', Xykon is told that sorcery is like a rubber mallet, whilst wizardry is a finely crafted watch. At the end, Xykon says that he'd much rather have the sledgehammer than the watch.

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''generally the big distinction between magic users come down to a combination of their specialties and ability levels. There are some basic hierarchical distinctions and categories though:
** A ''Wizard'' refers specifically to a member of the White Council and is basically equivalent to having a [=PhD=] in magic. Anyone with enough magical talent can try out, although it generally requires a wide range of magical knowledge as well as a substantial raw magical power.
** The bulk of magic users have some magical abilities, but no enough to become wizards. Harry uses the term "Minor Talent", and [[TabletopGame/TheDresdenFiles the RPG]] uses "Focused Practitioner" as well. These can range from people with general but weak magical power as well as those with more powerful but specific skills or abilities.
*** A few times the "whatevermancy" designations (such as Mort the Ectomancer who communicates with ghosts) are used to refer to specific skill sets. Harry acknowledges that Mort is actually capable of things Harry can't do in his specific domain, but is entirely lacking outside his specialization.
** The term ''Sorcerer(ess)'' is used a few times, but lacks a clear cut definition. The implication seems to put them somewhere near the middle of the spectrum, capable of considerable magical feats, but lacking the power or training of a full fledged wizard. It has also been used in the context of nonhuman magic users like vampires.

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' has no formal label for practitioners of magic owing to it being extremely variable but there are some hierarchical distinctions:
** A ''Wizard'' is a magical heavyweight and refers specifically to being a Wizard of the White Council and is mostly like having a [=PhD=] in magic. To make the grade one has to be capable of many types of magic as well as having substantial raw magical power then endure some formal Trial.
** A ''Sorcerer(ess)'' refers to a medium-weight spell slinger. They can possess considerable power and/or a range of abilities comparable to a Wizard but generally have an incomplete education in some fashion and are not members of the Council. It has also been used in the context of nonhuman magic users like vampires.
** A ''Warlock'' refers to a criminal of any actual ability who has [[BlackMagic broken one of the Laws of Magic]], if caught by the Council they are executed (almost) without exception. Significantly this is no mere political distinction as breaking the Laws both make it easier to do so in the future and eventually [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity makes you go mad with power]].
** At the bottom there are more limited talents some of whom might match a Wizard, but only in very specific areas as well as the true "have nots" who have just a smidgen of magical ability. They have no formal designation in-universe but [[TabletopGame/TheDresdenFiles the RPG]] uses "Focused Practitioner" and "Minor Talent" to refer to these characters.
** Additionally various "prefixmancer" designations (such as Ectomancers who communicate with ghosts) and other titles are used to refer to specific skill sets. Mostly for the lower end of the spectrum, but not always -- an Ectomancer like Morty, for instance, is capable of things even a full wizard like Harry can't do, but everything he does is focused on that one specific skillset. Morty couldn't cast a simple fire spell to light his candles, but he ''can'' take on the skills and abilities of spirits on the fly.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Birthright}}'' has magical forces that can be fully understood only by [[OurElvesAreBetter elves]], half-elves and [[InTheBlood blooded]] humans. They can use True Magic, much like wizards in other settings. All others can only become Magicians and outside Illusion and Divination schools use only minor spells. For the Realm magic even a bloodline isn't enough, it's available only to regent wizards with their own magical holdings.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' features at least two distinct types of supernatural power. The first is [[KiManipulation Aura]], a manifestation of one's soul, which is widely known about to the point where it isn't considered "supernatural" in-universe, and can be used by anyone with enough training to protect themselves from harm and gain a minor HealingFactor. There is also [[FunctionalMagic magic]], which has unknown origins and is much less widely known about, and can only be used by a very small number of people.

* Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's ''Literature/NightWatch'' shows a more benign example - wizards, sorcerers, warlocks were originally direct spellcasters, while witches and enchanters specialized in creating powerful artefacts. As of the series' events, there are almost no pure representatives of those traditions, although the Inquisition often issues their operatives rare or obscure artefacts to give them a certain combat advantage. Witches do tend to be CloserToEarth, which allows them to use more primal forces but also ages them to an old crone in under a decade, requiring them to maintain their youthful appearance with magic. Typically, an old witch [[NoOntologicalInertia will crumple to dust]], if her magic is taken away. Vampires and werewolves (which also includes other kinds of "weres") are special cases. They're the only type of Other, who are able to turn normal humans into Others. They are also kept at the bottom of the Other hierarchy. The Dark Others dislike them for their animalistic nature and a focus on physical strength, as opposed to magic. The Light Others don't like them, because both of those groups need to feed on human blood and meat, respectively, and the Grand Treaty forces the Night Watch to hand out hunting licenses for them using a lottery-based system to pick which humans will be sacrificed for the greater good. While vampires are typically reviled, high vampires are treated with more respect due to their experience and strength. The author also can't seem to decide whether vampires and werewolves are truly undead or not.

* The Order of Hermes in ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'' tends to look down on non-Hermetic magic[[labelnote:*]](Not [[HermeticMagic this kind]].)[[/labelnote]] as uncivilized, to such a degree that a member can take "Hedge Wizard" as a social Flaw. Consequently, they tend to get a bit peeved when "primitive outsiders" pull off stunts that their own Art can't replicate. Different Houses within the Order aren't immune either: the Faerie based spells used by House Merinita get a measure of distrust, and House Verditius' inability to cast spells without special tools gets them something of a bad rap.

** In addition to the species/racial differences, there also exists an arcane/divine dichotomy throughout, well, pretty much every civilised realm. In Bretonnia and parts of the Empire, for example, wielding arcane magic is grounds for a burning/hanging/impalement/decapitation/other execution method, but the miracles a priest performs aren't a problem (or aren't considered magical). Well, in the Empire using arcane magic without the training and sanction of the colleges is grounds for execution full stop, but certain peasants and [[KnightTemplar prea]][[ChurchMilitant chers]] haven't quite got that message. In Bretonnia, all arcane magic is banned, but the situation is a little complex- College trained mages visiting from the Empire usually get a pass thanks to politics, and the priestesses of the Lady[[labelnote:*]]Patron goddess of Bretonnia, particularly Bretonnian nobility.[[/labelnote]] technically use arcane magics, but are widely believed to use divine magic. [[TheFairFolk There are no priests of the Lady]].

** This is an obstacle that [[TheRedMage Avatars]] always have to overcome, as the [[ElementalPowers different elements]] require different frames of mind and techniques. And it proves especially troublesome for Aang when he wants to find a firebending teacher[[labelnote:*]]His two firebending teachers being Jeong Jeong, who was wary of his own firebending abilities, and Prince Zuko, who had to shake off his cultural conditioning to teach Aang[[/labelnote]].

** Another in-game book that looks at this subject is "Response to Bero's Speech". Bero, an illusionist, thinks poorly of the Destruction School of magic and gives a speech arguing that that it should be treated as a sub-school within the the Alteration School instead of a school in its own right. The battlemage Malvisor responds by writing a treatise that points out multiple fallacies in Bero's arguments, argues an illusionist has no place criticising a school he hasn't studied for himself and takes a few snipes against Bero and his favored school of magic in the process:

** Wild Mages, when first introduced in ''Advanced D&D'', were generally looked upon with scorn, distrust or other negative feelings by other magic users. This is because Wild Mages use a unique form of EntropyAndChaosMagic, which makes their spells have a significant chance of failing and exploding in a "wild surge" instead of working as intended. Wild surges are always chaotic, with results that can be anything from funny, to annoying, to potentially deadly. Needless to say, other wizards look down on wild mages both for their inability to retain control and for the practical reason that nobody really likes someone who has a chance of randomly randomly hurling around fireballs, {{Gender Bender}}s, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking clouds of rainbow bubbles]] whenever they try to use even the mildest form of magic.

* Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's ''Literature/NightWatch'' shows a more benign example - wizards, sorcerers, warlocks were originally direct spellcasters, while witches and enchanters specialized in creating powerful artefacts. As of the series' events, there are almost no pure representatives of those traditions, although the Inquisition often issues their operatives rare or obscure artefacts to give them a certain combat advantage. Witches do tend to be CloserToEarth, which allows them to use more primal forces but also ages them to an old crone in under a decade, requiring them to maintain their youthful appearance with magic. Typically, an old witch will [[NoOntologicalInertia will crumple to dust]], if her magic is taken away. Vampires and werewolves (which also includes other kinds of "weres") are special cases. They're the only type of Other, who are able to turn normal humans into Others. They are also kept at the bottom of the Other hierarchy. The Dark Others dislike them for their animalistic nature and a focus on physical strength, as opposed to magic. The Light Others don't like them, because both of those groups need to feed on human blood and meat, respectively, and the Grand Treaty forces the Night Watch to hand out hunting licenses for them using a lottery-based system to pick which humans will be sacrificed for the greater good. While vampires are typically reviled, high vampires are treated with more respect due to their experience and strength. The author also can't seem to decide whether vampires and werewolves are truly undead or not.

** Witches versus wizards? There is considerable philosophical difference. Witches are village wisewomen who perform some unintrusive magic, but mostly use tricks and "headology" (psychology), though they're able to do pretty powerful stuff if they need to. Wizards go to Unseen University (i.e. WizardingSchool) and spend long years learning, similarly, not to use serious magic unless absolutely necessary. The differences between them are mostly in their public image and in the ''kind'' of magic they... aren't using. The short story ''The Sea and Little Fishes'' presents the basic difference as basically the same as a hammer and a lever: wizards tend to use the magical equivalent of lots and lots of brute force, while witches tend to use their magic in subtler but equally as powerful ways. ''Literature/EqualRites'' examines this, as it's about a girl who has a talent for wizardry, although she's also a skilled witch. When she shows up again some [[ChekhovsGunman thirty-five books later]], she's drifted more towards witchcraft, but still has a talent for quantum-based MagiBabble (the Elasticated String Theory) that would fit well in the High Energy Magic Building. ''Equal Rites'' also has the one direct magical combat between a powerful witch and a powerful wizard in the books; they are interrupted after being stuck in a draw for a while, and later both just seem embarrassed about the whole thing and try to pretend it never happened.

* ''Literature/WizardOfYurt'': There's tension between wizards who use magic (deemed "natural") vs. clergy and evildoers invoking saints or demons (i.e. the "supernatural"). Both wizards and clergy are taught they're incompatible.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' features at least two distinct types of supernatural power. The first is [[KiAttacks Aura]], a manifestation of one's soul, which is widely known about to the point where it isn't considered "supernatural" in-universe, and can be used by anyone with enough training to protect themselves from harm and gain a minor HealingFactor. There is also [[FunctionalMagic magic]], which has unknown origins and is much less widely known about, and can only be used by a very small number of people.

* The five colors of magic in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' all have at least one thing in common: They consider their way to be the only ''right'' one, two of the other colors are agreeable, if a bit misguided, and the last two are just ''dead wrong''. A prime example would be Blue, the color of knowledge, respects Black for it's ambition and desire for control and White for its diligence and drive for order. Green and Red, on the other hand, are mindless and savage and should either be locked down or eliminated. Of course, this is the abstract version of color philosophies: with actual organizations and people it gets more complicated, but the trope remains in force.

* In the ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'':

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** Perhaps the epitome of this mindset are the Thinkamancers, who consider their discipline holy and all others "just" magic. They've made themselves self-appointed guardians of all magic and it's secrets (what with being telepaths and enablers of [[HiveMind caster fusions]]) and will kill or cripple anyone who even comes ''close'' to finding out a single secret of Thinkamancy, or does something as obscene as researching how Thinkamancy could, for example, collaborate with Dollamancy.

** Additionally, Wandless practitioners have a number ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' style distinctions: Wizard (gender-neutral term, part of the White Council: the InUniverse equivalent of a PhD and/or a Black Belt, though a certain level of power is required), Sorcerer/Sorceress (mid to heavy weight practitioner, but poorly educated), Warlock (also gender-neutral, power-level irrelevant - someone who's broken one of the 7 Laws of Magic), and 'Minor Talent' or 'whatevermancer' for lesser/more specialised practitioners. Wizards tend to look down on all of the others, and not ''entirely'' without reason... but the associated arrogance can be their downfall.

** The recurring [[FictionalDocument in-game book]] titled "The Black Arts On Trial" is a series of debates on the ethics of Necromancy, and the arguments for and against the Mage Guild officially studying it in a controlled academic environment. While the book does come down on the side that Necromancy is wrong (the book's written by the above-mentioned Archmage), the author notes in it he can still respect the logic presented in the debates and the need to discuss the matter intelligently.

* [[http://worldpeace.emilymarthasorensen.com/ To Prevent The World Peace]] has two opposite magical systems. There are [[MagicalGirl magical girls]], whose power comes from power items, and born mages, who have their powers since birth and usually don’t need any additional artifacts. Other magic users consider magical girls system to be "cheating", mostly because it lets them survive as [[BroughtDownToNormal depowered humans]], when their transformed form is killed. The fact that the mages are considered AlwaysChaoticEvil and the magical girls AlwaysLawfulGood, doesn’t help at all.
* In ''WebComic/MagickChicks'', the goddess of witches Hecate really doesn't like [[MagicalGirl magical girls]] for some reason. [[spoiler:This is bad news for Melissa Hellrune, since she's a witch who recently became a MagicalGirl after acquiring a mysterious wand.]]

** Additionally various "prefixmancer" designations (such as Ectomancers who communicate with ghosts) and other titles are used to refer to specific skill sets. Mostly for the lower end of the spectrum, but not always (though the ones that do might hide their true capabilities).

** Necromancy, [=AKA=] Post-Mortem Communication, has a bad reputation on the Disc, yet its practitioners are formally permitted a modest degree of misbehavior under University statute. Fortunately, the allowed misconduct only rises to the level of being a bloody nuisance, hence (nowadays) not triggering outright hostility or anyone hunting down rogue necromancers with extreme prejudice. It's accepted that having someone around who (a) knows about this stuff and (b) is willing and licensed to use the occasional low blow or dirty trick in a good cause, is worth any minor annoyances.

** In ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'' there are both philosophical and religious reasons prejudicing users of Theban Sorcery against Cruac. The former is practiced by the Lancea Sanctum, an unholy church based off of Catholicism which sees humans as sinful, that vampires can never be saved, and that it is their duty to apply ScaredStraight to humanity. Cruac on the other hand is practiced by the Circle of the Croan, an essentially pagan offshoot that sees vampires as divine and that they must be unbound. Most often both attempt to persecute and purge the other for "getting it wrong". Then add the Ordo Dracul into the mix, who in fact would ''love'' to learn everything about Cruac and Theban Sorcery possible so they can advance their study of the Coils of the Dragon. Essentially, taking the Suck out of BlessedWithSuck via rigorous scientific(ish) study without a care for the religion of either. Naturally, the Lancea and Circle are not amused. None of these groups, however, would tolerate a member with these secrets leaving with their unlife intact.