History Main / UnequalRites

* In [[TamoraPierce Tamora Pierce's]] ''CircleOfMagic'' series, the two types of mages (ambient and academic) each view the other with derision; the academics viewed the ambients as backwater weaklings, and the ambients viewed the academics as stuffy snobs.
** Academic mages, for the record, are those who have an inner font of plain power that they can channel into any direction they want. However, ambient mages have a different magic which only responds to (and can act upon) the magic within the outside world, and is associated with a certain discipline, such as metalworking, cooking, or gardening.
*** For the record, nearly all of the protagonists are ambient mages. And if you thought ''any'' kind of ambient magic could be [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway useless or silly]]? [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower No. NONE of them are]].

** {{Dragonlance}} has four types of main magic users: Wizards of High Sorcery, Clerics of the gods, Primal Sorcerers, and Mystics. The Wizards do not get along with the Sorcerers a lot of the time because the Wizards see the Sorcerers as infringing on their territory. The relationship between Mystics and Clerics of good deities is more friendly because of the Citadel of Light, which has both Mystics and Clerics working together to help people. Clerics of Neutral and Evil deities view of Mystics often depends on how their deity feels about Mysticism. And Wizards and Clerics sometimes do not get along because a Cleric, the last Kingpriest of Istar, was the one who tried to kill all Wizards on Ansalon prior to the Cataclysm. And since Wizards of High Sorcery are moon-dependent, there are three sorts of ''them'' -- one per Krynnish moon.
** There's also the "renegade" category, which is where wizards who refuse to acknowledge the authority of the orders of High Sorcery are classified. Mostly, it's a place to file wizardly characters or classes that get imported from other game-settings.

Much like the [[FantasticRacism rivalry]] involved in MagicVersusScience, magic users will be prejudiced against each other based on their philosophy regarding magic, how they study it, and/or how they cast spells. You'll frequently see Mages versus Wizards versus Witches versus Clerics versus Shamans versus Druids [--deep breath--] versus Warlocks versus Monks. Put another way, a wizard of RitualMagic will sneer at a bard who approaches magic as [[MagicMusic music]], casting spells based on poetic rules. And of course both will scoff at the cleric whose magic is based on [[ReligionIsMagic articles of faith]] rather than academic or artistic viewpoints.

Frequently the themes behind the various forms of magic will take one of the various points within FunctionalMagic. Magicians who follow MagicAIsMagicA will be [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic academic, studious, and always "researching"]] new spells. Artistic mages usually have some form of FunctionalMagic that they [[MagicMusic tap into]] in [[MagicDance unconventional ways]]. HermeticMagic practitioners follow ritual like academic magicians but usually ignore they “how” and “why” in favor of theological explanations or even plain old faith. Expect these mages to be on differing sides of HarmonyVersusDiscipline, with some seeking to “Control” magic, others to “Channel” it, and some to understand and influence it.

Mages that ignore differences and mix-n-match supposedly-incompatible varieties of magic are described under [[TheRedMage Red Mage]]. Compare MagicVersusScience, and HardOnSoftScience, since usually one approach will be more [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic scientific]] than the other. Of course, if you [[{{Magitek}} throw in science]] ''as well'', expect all degrees of deadly projectiles to start flying.

** 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[[hottip:*:His two firebending teachers being the insane, self-loathing Jeong-Jeong and Prince Zuko, who had to shake off his own cultural conditioning to teach Aang.].

** 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 teacher.

* In Diana Wynne Jones' Chrestomanci Chronicles, there are levels and ranks in magic from "the lowest certified witch" to the most powerful nine-lived enchanters. Passing references are made to people being sorcerers, magicians, hedgewitchs, warlocks, hags (though the last threee are insulting).

** Fan expansion ''GeniusTheTransgression'', as usual, just adds fuel to the fire with the MagicPoweredPseudoscience known as Inspiration. [[MadScientist Geniuses]] trying to [[{{Technobabble}} explain themselves]] usually just gets mages inexplicably mad, and the way magic works is similar to a Genius who's gearing up for a [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope long jump into Illumination]]. Naturally, both sides make sure that one doesn't get mistaken for the other and given incorrect training, [[{{Understatement}} that wouldn't end well]].

* ''{{Warcraft}}'' 'verse is full of this. There's the main Priests, Paladins, Druids & Shamans vs. Mages, Warlocks, Necromancers & Death Knights rift, where the former think that all of the latter are reckless and/or evil, risking [[SuperPowerMeltdown losing control]], gaining the attention of the Burning Legion, joining the Scourge or [[EarthShatteringKaboom worse]]. They are right, but mages think that ''they'' are using magic responsibly (and at least a few of them really are), and the former are just luddite fools, and the real villains are Warlocks, Necromancers and Death Knights. Then there's the good warlocks (read: player characters) who think they're strong enough to make a DealWithTheDevil without losing control and think that everyone else are naive fools who don't go far enough or lack the willpower to do so. Good Death Knights think that BadPowersBadPeople doesn't apply to them. Finally, there's AlwaysChaoticEvil demon-worshipping warlocks and life-scourging Necromancers & Death Knights.

** Player Death Knights aren't so much ignorant of the source of their abilities as they are rebelling against it. When you start a Death Knight there's a whole questline where you explore/learn your powers through some rather questionable activities, and at the end it turns out [[spoiler:the whole Death Knight army buildup was just a ruse by the Lich King in order to lure out one specific paladin. That didn't work out so well for the Lich King, so the Death Knights broke free from his control and are now dedicated to getting revenge]].

** ''ForgottenRealms'' has Spellsingers (AD&D2) / Spelldancers (D&D3) -- magic users who do it in a slow way, but aren't as strictly bound by rules of VancianMagic as others. Netherese arcanists used to have no VancianMagic limitations. Less outstanding variations include Incantatrix (specialist in metamagic and fighting extraplanars), elven Dualists (specialists limited to two opposite schools), Dukar (same, but spread to more races under sea, tied to MagicKnight orders and defensive symbionts implantation), and Shadow Magic adepts (using a different power source). Magic of Faerûn sourcebook added gem and rune magic as playable options. Dragons and Elves as inherently magical creatures have their own forms of magic that no one else can use ([[TooMuchForManToHandle or survive if they would find a way]]).
*** Al-Quadim setting has different types of wizards, including Sha'ir -- wizards who use magic via little genie-kin {{familiar}} but are not strictly limited in almost any other way, like using divine spells (not that it was a ''prudent'' option).

** The same in [[PsychicPowers Psionics]] for the psion, wilder, and ardent classes. The psion develops powers though strict mental discipline that takes years. Wilders use raw emotion to manifest their powers. Ardents recognize basic connections the world and develop powers through the understanding of those connections. And of course, all of these classes tend to conflict with regular magic users.

** {{Dragonlance}} has four types of main magic users: Wizards of High Sorcery, Clerics of the gods, Primal Sorcerers, and Mystics. The Wizards do not get along with the Sorcerers a lot of the time because the Wizards see the Sorcerers as infringing on their territory. The relationship between Mystics and Clerics of good deities is more friendly because of the Citadel of Light, which has both Mystics and Clerics working together to help people. Clerics of Neutral and Evil deities view of Mystics often depends on how their deity feels about Mysticism. And Wizards and Clerics sometimes do not get along because a Cleric, the last Kingpriest of Istar, was the one who tried to kill all Wizards on Ansalon prior to the Cataclysm.

** ''ForgottenRealms'' has Spellsingers (AD&D2) / Spelldancers (D&D3) -- magic users who do it in a slow way, but aren't as strictly bound by rules of VancianMagic as others. Less outstanding variations include Incantatrix (specialist in metamagic and fighting extraplanars). Magic of Faerûn sourcebook added gem and rune magic as playable options. Dragons and Elves as inherently magical creatures have their own forms of magic that no one else can use (or survive if they would find a way).

* LawrenceWattEvans' ''Ethshar'' series has a ''large'' number of different types of magic, several of which are strongly opposed to one another. In-world, different experts have classified magic into between 3 (psionic, clerical, arcane) to 12 different disciplines! The main ones are (deep breath): Wizardry (rituals, requires components, taps into raw chaos, possibly the most powerful), Sorcery (use of "talismans" which appear to be some form of [[{{Magitek}} ultra-advanced technology]] such as a genetic scanner and a wand that acts as a machine gun and grenade launcher), witchcraft (psychic powers including telepathy and telekinesis, as tiring to use as doing something by hand), warlockry (a different form of psychic powers, stronger and not tiring, but as it gets stronger with use, eventually draws one to the source of the power never to be seen again; said source is either a meteor, crashed UFO, or [[{{HPLovecraft}} Lovecraftian Horror]] that no-one can get near without becoming a warlock too powerful to resist its call), theurgy (priests call upon gods to manifest and aid them, no priest can be heard by more than a handful of gods, each only capable within their narrow specialty), demonology (calling and binding demons), and things such as herbalism, science, ritual dance, necromancy and prestidigitation have all been mentioned at one point! Clearly priests and demonologists hate one another, as do wizards and sorcerers; there was a major war which the priests and wizards won when the gods and demons took to the field themselves after 200 years of fighting. Warlocks are new and regarded with suspicion, but can work well with witches (power and precision working together) as a YinYangBomb. *pant, pant, pant* The politics of magic is a major underlying theme of the series.

It's not uncommon to see a lot of rivalry between magicians in a fantasy setting, be it due to academic pride, competitive spirits, or plain jealousy. This is especially common if the setting has MutuallyExclusiveMagic... and even if it [[TheForce all comes]] from [[{{Mana}} the same source.]]

Much like the [[FantasticRacism rivalry]] involved in MagicVersusScience, magic users will be prejudiced against each other based on their philosophy regarding magic, how they study it, and/or how they cast spells. You'll frequently see Mages versus Wizards versus Witches versus Clerics versus Shamans versus Druids [--deep breath--] versus Warlocks versus Monks. Put another way, a wizard of RitualMagic will sneer at a colleague who approaches magic as [[MagicMusic music]], casting spells based on poetic rules. And of course both will scoff at the witch whose magic is based on [[ReligionIsMagic articles of faith]] rather than academic or artistic viewpoints.

Frequently the themes behind the various forms of magic will take one of the various points within FunctionalMagic. Magicians who follow MagicAIsMagicA will be [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic academic, studious, and always "researching"]] new spells. Artistic mages usually have some form of FunctionalMagic that they [[MagicMusic tap into]] in [[MagicDance unconventional ways.]] HermeticMagic practitioners follow ritual like academic magicians but usually ignore they "how" and "why" in favor of theological explanations or even plain old faith. Expect these mages to be on differing sides of HarmonyVersusDiscipline, with some seeking to "Control" magic, others to "Channel" it, and some to understand and influence it.

Mages that ignore differences and mix-n-match supposedly-incompatible varieties of magic are described under [[TheRedMage Red Mage]]. Compare MagicVersusScience, since usually one approach will be more [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic scientific]] than the other. Of course, if you throw in science ''as well'', expect all degrees of deadly projectiles to start flying.

For a trope that covers a very different kind of predjudice among fantasy characters, see FantasticRacism.

* The ''StarWars'' EU books feature Force users who are ''not'' Jedi knights. They have some very different ideas about what the Force is or how to use it.

* In ''{{Warhammer}}'', it gets justified by different races having to approach magic in different ways due to their different mindsets and how they open themselves up to MindRape by an EldritchAbomination. So short lived humans takes magic, split it up into specialities and study it in an academic and scholarly manner in colleges to make it safe; the hair brained Skaven ratmen use GreenRocks to power magical contraptions and their minor "wizards" are called engineers; Dark Elves and Chaos worshippers make pacts with daemons while High Elves will elegantly weave the winds of magic around them like a tapestry. For the Slann, the most powerful wizards in the world who taught the elves their thing, magic comes as naturally as breathing.

* Used all over the place in ''DragonAge'': the most obvious example would probably the animosity between [[BloodMagic Blood Mages]] and Circle Mages loyal to the [[TheChurch Chantry]]; as the Chantry teaches that blood magic is what led to the creation of the Darkspawn, coupled with the fact that blood magic can also be used to control human minds and bind demons to the caster's will, most orthodox mages take a very dim view of its practitioners, labelling them as [[EvilSorcerer Maleficars]] regardless of wether they've used their powers for evil purposes or not. Orthodox Circle Mages also have a less-than-cordial relationship with Apostates- mages outside the control of the Circle and the Chantry- viewing them as potential maleficars, from the Dalish Keepers to [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifters]] like [[DarkMagicalGirl Morrigan]] and [[CompleteMonster Flemeth]]. Even the Circle itself isn't exempt from this sort of thing, having divided itself into a number of different Fraternities with different ideas as to how mages should be governed and how they should use magic... and then, in the expansion packs, it's possible find a book on Spirit Magic that's been hopelessly vandalized by a proponent of Entropy Magic.

* Used all over the place in ''DragonAge'': the most obvious example would probably the animosity between [[BloodMagic Blood Mages]] and Circle Mages loyal to the [[TheChurch Chantry]]; as the Chantry teaches that blood magic is what led to the creation of the Darkspawn, coupled with the fact that blood magic can also be used to control human minds and bind demons to the caster's will, most orthodox mages take a very dim view of its practitioners, labelling them as [EvilSorcerer Maleficars]] regardless of wether they've used their powers for evil purposes or not. Orthodox Circle Mages also have a less-than-cordial relationship with Apostates- mages outside the control of the Circle and the Chantry- viewing them as potential maleficars, from the Dalish Keepers to [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifters]] like [[DarkMagicalGirl Morrigan]] and [[CompleteMonster Flemeth]]. Even the Circle itself isn't exempt from this sort of thing, having divided itself into a number of different Fraternities with different ideas as to how mages should be governed and how they should use magic... and then, in the expansion packs, it's possible find a book on Spirit Magic that's been hopelessly vandalized by a proponent of Entropy Magic.

** In HeroesOfMightAndMagic IV this is why the AntiVillain [[VillainProtagonist Protagonist]] of the Death campaign refuses to expand his kingdom after fighting tooth and nail to get it. He's GenreSavvy enough to realize that ambitious Necromancers have a ZeroApprovalRating and everyone else would be gunning for him if he seemed the least bit hostile. He's all too aware that his brand of magic doesn't have a very good reputation.

* The more loyal Circle Mages in ''DragonAge'' hate [[BloodMagic Blood Mages]] just as much as the rest of society, if not more. Partly because BloodMagic is one of the reasons people give mages such a hard time, and partly because a major part of Circle training is learning how to confront and resist demonic influence while harnessing your powers for the well being of others. Blood Mages tend to openly consort with demons in exchange for favors without any concern for bystanders. It is possible to learn BloodMagic without ever meeting a demon, but most mages just associate BloodMagic with demon worship anyway. Less loyal Circle Mages are either secretly Blood Mages themselves [[spoiler:like most of the mages in Kirkwall's Circle in ''DragonAgeII'']], have secret dealings with Blood Mages, or secretly desire that kind of power.

* ''DungeonsAndDragons'' has the divisions between divine and arcane magic, between different wizard specializations, special spellcasting methods of bards and wild mages, and more. It's probably safe to call D&D the MostTriumphantExample. Additional possible differences are illustrated in the "Controllability" scale (from AD&D ''Net Wizard's Handbook''): Magic is Chaos -- Magic is Art -- Magic is Science. Most settings are in "Art" position, thus some variation between traditions is to be expected.

* In the ''DragonAge'' world of Thedas, a powerful nation called the [[TheEmpire Tevinter Imperium]] once conquered nearly all of the known world by using an extremely dangerous sorcery called Blood Magic which allowed them to broker deals with and summon demons as well as use a powerful form of MindControl. Eventually, their reign was toppled by the appearance of [[TheCorruption The Blight]], which struck the Empire from nowhere and left them crippled. Most of the world's nations were formed by barbarian clans that rebelled against the weakened Empire, and the followers of those early rebels quickly formed a religion called The Chantry. The Blight continues to plague the world to this day, and the Chantry teachings blame magic for unleashing it. Because of this, mages in general are treated as worse than dirt, and any mage that is not under the direct control of the Chantry is labeled as an apostate and killed on sight. Worse than them are the "Maleficar", apostates who use the hated Blood Magic which unleashes demons and once enslaved the world.

* LawrenceWattEvans' ''Ethshar'' series has a ''large'' number of different types of magic, several of which are strongly opposed to one another. In-world, different experts have classified magic into between 3 (psionic, clerical, arcane) to 12 different disciplines! The main ones are (deep breath): Wizardry (rituals, requires components, taps into raw chaos, possibly the most powerful), Sorcery (use of "talismans" which appear to be some form of [[{{Magitek}} ultra-advanced technology]] such as a genetic scanner and a wand that acts as a machine gun and grenade launcher), witchcraft (psychic powers including telepathy and telekinesis, as tiring to use as doing something by hand), warlockry (a different form of psychic powers, stronger and not tiring, but as it gets stronger with use, eventually draws one to the source of the power never to be seen again; said source is either a meteor, crashed UFO, or [[{{HPLovecraft}} Lovecraftian Horror]] that no-one can get near without becoming a warlock too powerful to resist its call), theurgy (priests call upon gods to manifest and aid them, no priest can be heard by more than a handful of gods, each only capable within their narrow specialty), demonology (calling and binding demons), and things such as herbalism, science, ritual dance, necromancy and prestidigitation have all been mentioned at one point! Clearly priests and demonologists hate one another, as do wizards and sorcerers; there was a major war which the priests and wizards won when the gods and demons took to the field themselves after 200 years of fighting. Warlocks are new and regarded with suspicion, but can work well with witches (power and precision working together) as a YinYangBomb. *gasp* The politics of magic is a major underlying theme of the series.

* LawrenceWattEvans' ''Ethshar'' series has a ''large'' number of different types of magic, several of which are strongly opposed to one another. In-world, different experts have classified magic into between 3 (psionic, clerical, arcane) to 12 different disciplines! The main ones are (deep breath): Wizardry (rituals, requires components, taps into raw chaos, possibly the most powerful), Sorcery (use of "talismans" which appear to be some form of [[{{Magitek}} ultra-advanced technology]] such as a genetic scanner and a wand that acts as a machine gun and grenade launcher), witchcraft (psychic powers including telepathy and telekinesis, as tiring to use as doing something by hand), warlockry (a different form of psychic powers, stronger and not tiring, but as it gets stronger with use, eventually draws one to the source of the power never to be seen again; said source is either a meteor, crashed UFO, or [[{{HPLovecraft}} Lovecraftian Horror]] that no-one can get near without becoming a warlock too powerful to resist it's call), theurgy (priests call upon gods to manifest and aid them, no priest can be heard by more than a handful of gods, each only capable within their narrow specialty), demonology (calling and binding demons), and things such as herbalism, science, ritual dance, necromancy and prestidigiation have all been mentioned at one point! Clearly priests and demonologists hate one another, as do wizards and sorcerers; there was a major war which the priests and wizards one when the gods and demons took to the field themselves after 200 years of fighting. Warlocks are new and regarded with suspicion, but can work well with witches (power and precision working together) as a YinYangBomb. The politics of magic is a major underlying theme of the series.

* Lawrence Watt-Evans' {{Ethshar}} series has a ''large'' number of different types of magic, several of which are strongly opposed to one another. In-world, different experts have classified magic into between 3 (psionic, clerical, arcane) to 12 different disciplines! The main ones are (deep breath): Wizardry (rituals, requires components, taps into raw chaos, possibly the most powerful), Sorcery (use of "talismans" which appear to be some form of ultra-advanced technology such as a genetic scanner and a wand that acts as a machine gun and grenade launcher), witchcraft (psychic powers including telepathy and telekinesis, as tiring to use as doing something by hand), warlockry (a different form of psychic powers, stronger and not tiring, but as it gets stronger with use, eventually draws one to the source of the power never to be seen again; said source is either a meteor or a crashed UFO that no-one can get near without becoming a warlock too powerful to resist it's call), theurgy (priests call upon gods to manifest and aid them, no priest can be heard by more than a handful of gods, each only capable within their narrow specialty), demonology (calling and binding demons), and things such as herbalism, science, ritual dance, necromancy and prestidigiation have all been mentioned at one point! Clearly priests and demonologists hate one another, as do wizards and sorcerers; there was a major war which the priests and wizards one when the gods and demons took to the field themselves after 200 years of fighting. Warlocks are new and regarded with suspicion, but can work well with witches (power and precision working together) as a YinYangBomb. The politics of magic is a major underlying theme of the series.

* In 3rd edition of ''DungeonsAndDragons'', wizards must endure years of unwavering discipline and intense study before they can cast even the simplest of spells. Sorcerers have no training, just an innate talent for magic that manifests naturally -- and which they may or may not care to control. [[UnderStatement The two have been known to conflict.]]

** The possibilities of inherent differences are illustrated in the "Controllability" scale (from AD&D ''Net Wizard's Handbook''): Magic is Chaos -- Magic is Art -- Magic is Science.
** In 2nd edition ''ForgottenRealms'' has spelldancers, magic users who do it slow way, but are not bound by VancianMagic rules or even strict level limitations.
** Al-Quadim setting has different types of wizards, including Sha'ir -- wizards who use magic via little genie-kin {{familiar}} but are not strictly limited in almost any other way, including use of divine spells (not that it was a ''prudent'' option).

*** And there is nothing stopping you from just playing a Warlock who went with the pacts because the whole "Infinite Spellcasting" thing was appealing to them. When the Wizard runs out of gas, they are pretty much screwed, but Warlocks keep chugging along!

** And ''then'' there are the divisions between divine and arcane magic, between regular magic and Incarnum, between different wizard specializations, between bards and other arcanists, and more. It's probably safe to call D&D the MostTriumphantExample.

** Warlocks, which graduated to being a primary class in 4e, have it even worse. Wizards may think that Sorcerers are messing with powers beyond their control or otherwise irresponsible, but they acknowledge that the Sorcerer usually didn't have a choice -- they were born sorcerers, or the power just "awoke" after something happened to the Sorcerer. Warlocks, on the other hand, make a DealWithTheDevil to acquire magical power and/or knowledge, simply because it's easier. Sometimes, it's with literal [[LegionsOfHell devils]], sometimes with TheFairFolk, sometimes with the malevolent spirits that dwell in the darkness, sometimes with the vestiges of places and beings lost to time, and sometimes it's with the... [[EldritchAbomination forces]]... that resonate from the stars. Needless to say, while DarkIsNotEvil and it's quite possible to play BadPowersGoodPeople as a Warlock, it's a very sinister class and very easy to play as BadPowersBadPeople.
* {{Dragonlance}} has four types of main magic users: Wizards of High Sorcery, Clerics of the gods, Primal Sorcerers, and Mystics. The Wizards do not get along with the Sorcerers a lot of the time because the Wizards see the Sorcerers as infringing on their territory. The relationship between Mystics and Clerics of good deities is more friendly because of the Citadel of Light, which has both Mystics and Clerics working together to help people. Clerics of Neutral and Evil deities view of Mystics often depends on how their deity feels about Mysticism. And Wizards and Clerics sometimes do not get along because a Cleric, the last Kingpriest of Istar, was the one who tried to kill all Wizards on Ansalon prior to the Cataclysm.