History Main / WhiteMage

* The [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER}} MOTHER/Earthbound]] series has a tradition of making [[TheHero the protagonist]] one of these, which is rare for the genre. [[VideoGame/{{Earthbound}} Ness]], [[VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings Ninten]], and [[VideoGame/Mother3 Lucas]] all qualify, having most of the advanced healing PSI and relying on physical attacks (and [[LastDiscMagic one or two late-game PSI attacks]], like PK Rockin' for Ness and PK Love for Lucas) for offense, leaving most of the combat PSI to their female counterparts, [[BlackMagicianGirl Ana, Paula, and Kumatora]].

* ''VideoGame/TheBriefAndMeaninglessAdventureOfHeroMan'': The Cleric marionette can only cast healing and some debuff spells.

* ''TheUnofficialHollowKnightRPG'': The Path of the Bloom grants a bug power over life, able to summon healing pollen, calm other creatures, and suppress negative traits. While they do have a few control spells such as trapping an enemy in a large flower or summoning entangling vines, they're notable for being the only Path that doesn't get any abilities capable of directly harming an enemy.

*** Minwu, a rare male example in the series, joins with White Magic in all of his spell slots and the stats to use them.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' had Rosa and Porom and also several White Mage [=NPCs=].

* ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'', from the ''Bravely'' games' producers, has the Cleric job, which mainly specializes in full-party healing and revival spells and Light-elemental attack spells. The Apothecary job also has a single-target heal and a single-target revive, but it's more specialized in removing and applying status ailments (and hitting things with an axe). Ophilia and Alfyn, the default Cleric and default Apothecary respectively, are capable of combining the two classes to get the full range of healing abilities.

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'' has Mint Adnade, who would more or less [[TropeCodifier codify]] the [[WhiteMagicianGirl "cute cleric"]] stereotype associated with most white mages.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
** Clerics, probably the UrExample. Although in practice, D&D Clerics tend to suck at their intended purpose in more than a few editions (damage out-grows healing ability quite quickly), but awesome through use of things that otherwise fall in UselessUsefulSpell, and have decent stat-buffing ability for themselves and their teammates, and an innate ability to drive away undead creatures. It should be noted that unlike most White Mages, D&D Clerics are extremely proficient physical fighters (with the second-best hit die, second-best attack proficiency, and capable of wearing heavy armor and shields), though up until the third edition, they were also forbidden from using bladed weapons, unless their religion specifically allows this.
*** 5e boosted the Cleric to the point where it is considered one of the best classes in the game. Every cleric has access to a solid list of healing spells, but their Divine Domains feature allows them to gain different powers and spells based on the deity they worship. The cleric can therefore fill any role in the party while still remaining a viable healer, plus, there is no better healer in the entire game than clerics of the ''Life'' domain.
** The Healer class in 3.5, as the name implies, was an attempt at making a pure healing class without any of the martial attributes of the Cleric. Almost their entire spell list is healing spells, with a small selection of defensive and utility effects, and zero offensive spells (except against undead, where ReviveKillsZombie). Not only that, but they have a lower attack bonus than Clerics, and lose their powers if they wear shields or metal armor. In exchange, their healing spells heal more HP, they get extra healing spells each day, and they can summon a unicorn companion (which comes with its own natural healing and protection abilities).
** The Favored Soul (from 3.5's ''Complete Divine'') is somewhere in between. They can wear medium armor (compared to the Cleric's heavy armor), they get the Cleric's higher hit die, and they can use all simple weapons. They only have a limited selection of spells (which, unlike a cleric or Healer, they can't swap out each day, but they do have access to the full Cleric spell list to choose from, unlike Healers), but they can cast them spontaneously. They also get the best saving throws (instead of one good category and two bad, all three are good), innate energy resistance, and damage reduction. Plus at higher levels, they grow wings and can fly. It's significantly less of a game-breaker in the hands of a min-maxer than a cleric (mostly due to the limited casting ability) but tends to be much more flexible and powerful within the healing role itself.
** 5e introduced the Divine Soul Sorcerer, whose soul and/or blood is divine in some way, and the Celestial Patron Warlock, whose power is derived from a deal struck with a celestial entity. Both retain the basic abilities of their base classes, while also gaining new abilities. The Celestial Warlock gains access to some useful healing spells and the potent Healing Light ability. Divine Soul Sorcerers have the entire Cleric spell list available from the start, as well as an ability that lets them boost the healing provided to teammates.
* TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}} Clerics flirt more with this trope. Some can take devastating offensive spells, but they lose heavy armor proficiency. TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons 3.5 Clerics were better warriors than the fighting classes with buffs, but this is not the case in Pathfinder. Most clerics also gain a massive boost to healing abilities and offense against undead via ReviveKillsZombie, making them far more effective. Evil clerics did not have buffed healing (a mild case of NoCureForEvil), but siphoned away the life force of living people and healed their often undead allies via an inversion of ReviveKillsZombie. Good and neutral Oracles can also fall into this trope, though Inquisitors and Druids usually do not, as the former is a "mysterious divine agent" with a limited selection from the Cleric's list.
* The entire point of the Life sphere in ''TabletopGame/SpheresOfPower''.
* In ''Heroica'', LEGO's dungeon crawl game system, the Druid character has a special ability that allows him to restore full health to himself or, depending on house rules, any other player. This is one of the only non-combat-related abilities to be found among the game system's eight playable characters.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Ammo}}'', a very rare character choice, at least at startup. Healing is very limited in efficiency (the caster must choose ONE stat that he knows how to heal, over 15 possible), and every heal reduced temporarily the caster Magic stat by one... on a max value of 3 (for humans). Worth to mention that starting as a White Mage means no offensive magic until you learn some?
* In ''TabletopGame/BunniesAndBurrows'', the Empath is an EmpathicHealer who can play as a White Mage, especially if they can reverse-heal as an attack.
* ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful:'' In combat, both the Mender and Grace Callings can fall into this trope. Menders have affinity for Charms of healing and restoration, while Graces have affinity for Charms that bless allies or manipulate supernatural forces.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western RPG]]
* Harriet in ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}''. Her spell list is like, "Heal, more heal, recuperate, move around, totally heal everyone, destroy every opponent instantly [[MagikarpPower but only once you've practised the spell a million times]]." Still, that last one is the only offensive spell she has, and it's not going to be her main asset except maybe right at the end of the game if you've really focused on it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''WebVideo/{{AFK}}'': Serena has healing powers, and even wears white.

!!Non Gaming Examples:

[[folder: Web Original]]

* ''Manga/TongariBooshiNoAtorie'': Medical witches. They used glyphs on the human body to heal them, however, once the BanOnMagic took place, they were eventually extinct after fighting against the ban for years. It's later revealed they weren't exactly good people either, and part of the reason why the ban even happened was the Medical Witches' increasingly gruesome and horrifying human experiments.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' currently has 3 healing classes, including the titular WhiteMage. And all of them qualifies as CombatMedic to some extent.
** The classic "White Mage" (WHM) Job. WHM's focus on direct powerful heals and restoring health over time. High-leveled White Mages can cast Benediction to fully restore HP in an instant, although it has a fairly long cooldown of 3 minutes. At an even higher level, they gain the Thin Air ability which allows them to temporarily cast their normally MP-intensive spells for free.
** The "Scholar" (SCH) Job. The SCH's job is interesting because it starts its life as a damaging dealing class. SCH's focus on mitigating damage, either through providing shields that absorb damage or weakening enemies. Also can summon a fairy pet that provides more healing!
** With the release of the Heavensward expansion the "Astrologian" (AST) job was added. Astrologians can use the healing over time of WHM or the damage absorbing shields of the SCH but must choose which one to use before the fight begins. In addition, they draw randomly from a deck of cards which allows them to buff their party in various ways.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' has Aeris or [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Aerith]] as the character closest to being a White Mage. While everyone had the potential to fill the role because of the materia system, Aerith fits the best because her Limit Breaks all revolved around healing or supporting the party instead of causing damage. She's even the only one who is associated with the signature White Mage spell Holy.

* ''VideoGame/PillarsOfDust'': Ruben is a healer who can also has an anti-undead spell.

->''"Maybe I don't have the strength to wield''
->''an elven sword or a mythril shield.''
->''But my heart is strong, and my wand is too,''
->''so try to keep in mind, that without me you'd be '''so''' screwed"''
-->'''--Music/{{Brentalfloss}}''', ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUVI5ukXcRI "The Ballad of the Mages"]]''

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' has Minwu, a rare male example in the series.

-->-- '''[[Franchise/FinalFantasy White Mage]]''' from Brentalfloss' "Balad of the Mages"

->''"Maybe I don't have the strength to wield,<br />
an elven sword or a mythril shield.<br />
But my heart is strong, and my wand is too,<br />
so try to keep in mind, that without me you'd be '''so''' screwed"''

''"Maybe I don't have the strength to wield,
an elven sword or a mythril shield.
But my heart is strong, and my wand is too,

-->-- '''White Mage''', ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasy]]'', from Brentalfloss' "Balad of the Mages"

''Maybe I don't have the strength to wield,

so try to keep in mind, that without me you'd be *so* screwed''
-->-- '''White Mage''', ''[[VideoGame/Final Fantasy]]'', from Brentalfloss' "Balad of the Mages"

* The entire point of the Life sphere in TabletopGame/SpheresOfPower.

* Abe no Seimei from ''[[VideoGame/{{Onmyoji}} Onmyōji]]'' is the only one out of the four ''[[PlayerCharacter onmyōji]]'' with only one active attack skill. The rest of his active skills is buffs, debuffs, a [[DeflectorShield defensive]] ability, and a (very weak) healing ability.

* The [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER}} MOTHER/Earthbound]] series has a tradition of making [[TheHero the protagonist]] one of these, which is rare for the genre. [[VideoGame/{{Earthbound}} Ness]], [[VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings Ninten]], and [[VideoGame/{{Mother3}} Lucas]] all qualify, having most of the advanced healing PSI and relying on physical attacks (and [[LastDiscMagic one or two late-game PSI attacks]], like PK Rockin' for Ness and PK Love for Lucas) for offense, leaving most of the combat PSI to their female counterparts, [[BlackMagicianGirl Ana, Paula, and Kumatora]].

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' gives us Konoka Konoe, the group's healer, who consistently references the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' white mages in appearance and behavior.

* ''{{WebVideo/AFK}}'': Serena has healing powers, and even wears white.

** The classic "White Mage" (WHM) Job. WHM's focus on direct powerful heals and restoring health over time. High-leveled White Mage can cast Benediction to fully restore HP in an instant, although it has a fairly long cooldown of 3 minutes. At an even higher level, they gain the Thin Air ability which allows them to temporarily cast their normally MP-intensive spells for free.

** With the release of the Hevensward expansion the "Astrologian" (AST) job was added. Astrologian's can use the healing over time of WHM or the damage absorbing shields of the SCH but must choose which one to use before the fight begins. In addition, they draw randomly from a deck of cards which allows them to buff their party in various ways.

A White Mage is a character archetype and often a gameplay archetype which focuses on healing and/or buffing magic. They may also have access to magic that causes some status effects. Modern incarnations will often be given some offensive ability, often magic of the {{holy|HandGrenade}} [[WhiteMagic variety]], though the ElementalPowers of [[HealItWithWater water]] or [[HealingWinds wind]] may be given a healing affinity.

Many games with a CharacterClassSystem or JobSystem, especially {{Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game}}s, will have a White Mage class that fulfils the [[AnAdventurerIsYou Healer]] role.

** The Favored Soul (from 3.5's ''Complete Divine'') is somewhere in between. They can wear medium armor (compared to the Cleric's heavy armor), they get the Cleric's higher hit die, and they can use all simple weapons. They only have a limited selection of spells (which, unlike a cleric or Healer, they can't swap out each day, but they do have access to the full Cleric spell list to choose from, unlike Healers), but they can cast them spontaneously. They also get the best saving throws (instead of one good category and two bad, all three are good), innate energy resistance, and damage reduction. Plus at higher levels they grow wings and can fly. It's significantly less of a game-breaker in the hands of a min-maxer than a cleric (mostly due to the limited casting ability) but tends to be much more flexible and powerful within the healing role itself.
** 5e introduced the Divine Soul Sorcerer, who's soul and/or blood is divine in some way, and the Celestial Patron Warlock, who's power is derived from a deal struck with a celestial entity. Both retain the basic abilities of their base classes, while also gaining new abilities. The Celestial Warlock gains access to some useful healing spells and the potent Healing Light ability. Divine Soul Sorcerers have the entire Cleric spell list available from the start, as well as an ability that lets them boost the healing provided to teammates.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Ammo}}'', a very rare character choice, at least at startup. Healing is very limited in efficiency (the caster must choice ONE stat that he knows how to heal, over 15 possible), and every heal reduced temporanely the caster Magic stat by one... on a max value of 3 (for humans). Worth to mention that starting as a White Mage means no offensive magic until you learn some?

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears'' has [[PlayerMooks an unnamed White Mage]] join your party. Rosa and Porom also return. Leonora starts as a White Mage, but quickly progresses to a RedMage.

* Abe no Seimei from ''[[VideoGame/{{Onmyoji}} Onmyōji]]'' is the only one out of the four ''[[PlayerCharacter onmyōji]]'' with only one active attack skill. The rest of his active skills is buffs, debuffs, a [[DeflectorShield defensive]] ability and a (very weak) healing ability.

* The monks from ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' fit this trope to a T and are almost allways expected to heal, reduce damage and cure conditions. Unfortunately for monk fans, the profession is no longer in the sequel because its design has no place for pure healing characters.

** The classic "White Mage" (WHM) Job. WHM's focus on direct powerful heals and restoring health over time. High-leveled White Mage can cast Benediction to fully restore HP in an instant, although it has a fairly long cooldown of 3 minutes. At even higher level, they gains the Thin Air ability which allows them to temporarily cast their normally MP-intensive spells for free.

** With the release of the Hevensward expansion the "Astrologian" (AST) job was added. Astrologian's can use the healing over time of WHM or the damage absorbing shields of the SCH, but must choose which one to use before the fight begins. In addition, they draw randomly from a deck of cards which allows them to buff their party in various ways.

* The ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' series has Clerics and Priests, which use healing magic through staves, and Troubadours, mounted healers. They usually promote to classes that either add holy magic or fall more under RedMage.

* ''VideoGame/FellSealArbitersMark'' has the Mender class, which uses Holy Magic to remove debuffs and heal or revive allies. Though it lacks any offensive abilities, it can unlock more advanced classes which ''do'' have them, like the [[BlackMage Wizard]] and the [[CombatMedic Plague Doctor]].

* Dende from ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' is a young child and not a warrior Namekian, and thus can't fight. But his healing abilities saved the heroes' (and Vegeta's) bacon multiple times during the fight against Frieza. Vegeta even exploits his power to get a zenkai boost by purposefully getting wounded and then having Dende heal him back up. When he become's Earth's Kami in the Cell saga, he's kept as a non-combatant (if he dies, the Dragon Balls die with him), but he still heals the others several times and is now the one behind ''Dragon Ball'''s main get-out-of-death-free card. The [[WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged abridged series]] even has him refer to himself as a White Mage (unfortunately, this is just before Freeza decides to ShootTheMedicFirst).

* Several games in the ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' series feature the Priest job class. Games that don't have job classes still have at least one character from this archetype (for instance, Serena from ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'').

[[folder:Fan Fics]]
* [=MarineAngemon=] from the ''FanFic/TamersForeverSeries'', whose talents lie in healing and support.

* ''Fanfic/UsAndThem'': [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Aeris]], naturally. While on the planet Beud A'Evori she actually becomes an accredited white mage after joining the White Mages Guild.