Basic Trope: A character is in good physical condition, but lacks knowledge of science, magic, phlebotinum or any other equivalent to an intellectual combat discipline.
- Straight: Claidheamh the Scotsman can bench-press an ogre and his weapon of choice is a Claymore that can put even Guts' Dragon Slayer to shame, but his strongest fireball spell is only practical for killing Mooks.
- Exaggerated: Claidheamh can sunder boulders with only his fists, but doesn't even know cantrips.
- Downplayed: Claidheamh is the token heavy-weapons wielder in a party that can all use magic to varying degrees of ability.
- Justified:
- Claidheamh doesn't want to stray from his exercise regimen to study, reasoning that the increase in magical power will be less than his current physical strength.
- The setting causes individuals to lose spellpower when heavily encumbered, and Claidheamh prefers to invest in some form of personal protection.
- Counterspells and creatures and items that inflict the spell-inhibiting silence condition are common. Claidheamh wants to avoid the possibility of being made absolutely useless in a fight.
- Claidheamh lacks the ability or desire to increase his magical abilities.
- Claidheamh is simply a Dumb Muscle who's unable to learn magic spells.
- Inverted:
- Alvin the Extravagant is a powerful practioner of the magical arts, but he is a physically inept individual who can only carry a small sachet, hits like a 2-year old, and takes punches as about as well as a twig.
- Magic Knight
- Kung-Fu Wizard
- Subverted: Fighting against an intangible enemy, Claidheamh reveals that his Claymore carries an extremely powerful enchantment, enabling him to use magic to take down his opponent.
- Double Subverted: A flashback reveals Claidheamh paid a wizard to enchant the Claymore for him. He personally does not know many spells and continues to fight relying on his strength and durability.
- Parodied: Claidheamh's testosterone eats his mana to give him strength. This comes hand-in-hand with an aversion to sissy staffs and robes and the equivalent of a hangover whenever he so much as reads a magic rune.
- Zig Zagged: Claidheamh uses shaman-style spellcasting that only works when the temperamental spirits bound to him oblige him. This naturally varies from scene to scene, sometimes leaving him to cave his enemy's faces in by himself.
- Averted:
- Claidheamh is not particularly good or bad in combat or magic.
- Claidheamh is equally terrible at physical contests and magical duels.
- Enforced: The viewers are getting tired of flashy spells which anticlimactically end fights in one hit, so a warrior is introduced to tone down the combat scenes and introduce some relative realism.
- Lampshaded: "Basically, this guy is the jock of our fantasy playground."
- Invoked: Claidheamh notes that he will never catch up with a professional traditional mage. So instead of consciously channeling mana externally he constantly channels his magical energies through his body. This means he can't so much as generate a candle's worth of light magically but his whole body is enhanced. Including his brain.
- Exploited: Since he is durable, strong in close-quarters combat and never needs to drink a mana potion, Keith gets a lot of business escorting fragile wizards in dangerous territory.
- Defied: Claidheamh's personal trainer makes sure that he can at least defend himself against hostile magic before he lets him use the most advanced manoeuvres.
- Discussed:Claidheamh: So, ya whole lot can all cast spells an' work magic, huh? I feel a little left out here.Alvin: Don't worry, Clay. We've got your back. You can cleave things while we handle the magical fireworks.
- Conversed:Alice: Have you been watching Claidheamh's Adventures? That guy is a walking tank but can't even cast a basic spell!Bob: Haha, yeah! I guess he missed the memo that muscles don't equal magic. But hey, he's got his own unique style, right?
- Implied:
- Early on in their adventure, Claidheamh's party encounters an abandoned library. While the others eagerly search the tomes and scrolls for new spells, Claidheamh stands aside and watches for trouble.
- After a tough battle, Claidheamh is seen carrying several injured party members back to safety while the magic users deal with their own wounds. It is implied that Claidheamh's physical abilities are valuable in situations where magical solutions fall short.
- Deconstructed: Claidheamh encounters a warlock, who easily dominates his mind with a spell just before he can land a hit.
- Reconstructed:
- Claidheamh's allies come out of hiding and spring him out of the spell, leaving him and the warlock in close quarters. Cue the Curb-Stomp Battle.
- Claidheamh wears an Anti-Magic trinket, so the warlock's spell fades very quickly.
- Claidheamh is so inept (read: stupid) that it creates a feedback loop and essentially makes him immune to all sorts of spells. Even the Warlock's pretty stumped at this.
- Claidheamh himself may be considered Dumb Muscle due to his inability to cast spells, but he's actually really damn smart in his own way: He's got a knack for tactics and planning. He knows he can muscle his way against droves upon droves of hapless mooks, and he also knows that those using magical powers do have an edge on him. So what does he do? He uses subterfuge and trickery, sneaking around, creating distractions, and essentially making the safest path directly to the warlock and getting him in the back. Bonus points if Claidheamh wasn't previously known to be such a Stealthy Colossus.
- Played for Laughs: Claidheamh attempts to learn a simple spell, but his lack of finesse and understanding of magic lead to comically disastrous results, such as accidentally setting his own hair on fire or summoning a rain of toads instead of rainwater.
- Played for Drama: During a critical battle, Claidheamh's inability to use magic becomes a significant disadvantage, and his friends are forced to protect him while he struggles to contribute to the fight in any meaningful way.
- Played for Horror: In a dark and eerie encounter, the party faces a powerful magical enemy, and Claidheamh realizes that his physical strength is useless against the foe's mystical powers. He becomes helpless and terrified in the face of such overwhelming magic.
Back to Magically Inept Fighter, where the muscles bulge and mana stops working.
