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Functional Magic: Difference between revisions
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* ''Theurgy'': where the magic is done entirely by [[Religion Is Magic|spirits and gods]] with whom the caster makes deals; the "caster" in this case knows nothing more than the contents of a glorified telephone directory—and preferably how to negotiate really well. The fictionalized version of "Wiccan" magic seen in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' and, to a lesser extent, ''[[Charmed]]'' is mostly Theurgy. The clerics of ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' and the Priests of ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' both practice Theurgy (as does any real-world religion whose deity or deities are said to answer prayers of the faithful with miracles and/or intercessions). When Magic ''itself'' is a kind of entity with which casters make bargains and cut deals, this becomes a variety of Wild Magic (below).
:The highest level of this type of magic is [[Summon Magic]], in which the caster summons the entity itself to wherever he is and bosses it around. As one might imagine, this can easily lead to the entity [[Turned Against Their Masters|turning on its would-be temporary master]] if done wrong, especially if the entity is a demon or some other form of [[Exclusively Evil]]. Remember, kids -- [[Evil Is Not a Toy]]!
* ''Rule Magic'': where some underlying magical rule system is applied, as in manipulation by [[I Know Your True Name|"True Name"]] or [[Sympathetic Magic|sympathetic symbolism]], or [[Ritual Magic|ritual]]. Most "study spells and say [[Words Can Break My Bones|words of power]]" magic seen in fantasy literature, films and TV shows are Rule Magic. Real world examples include [[wikipedia:Wicca|Wicca]], [[Hermetic Magic|Hermeticism]], [[wikipedia:Kabbalah|Kabbalah]], and [[Onmyodo]]. [[Vancian Magic]] is a completely fictional example. This variety is where you find things like the [[Locard's Theory|"Law of Contagion"]]—that is, if you have a piece of the target, you can affect it from afar since it's still part of a "whole", even if it's miles or kilometers distant. This is, however, usually just one rule in a larger system. This form is heavily dependent on [[The Laws of Magic]] or the author's own custom-made limitations.
* ''Alchemy'': Magical chemistry. Effectively a variety of Rule Magic, but it is limited to creating magical substances rather than the direct application of power/energy by force of will. Differs from other Rule Magics in that it often employs only the magic inherent in the materials used, rather than magic from the "caster"; depending on the setting, practitioners of alchemy may or may not have (or be ''required'' to have) magical ability of their own.
* ''[[Magic Music]]'': Another form of rule magic where music is the key to activating it. Used in settings where bards have magical abilities. [[Personality Powers|As one might guess]], it is rarely used to be outright offensive and tends to focus more on [[Healing Hands|healing friends]] and [[Standard Status Effects|befuddling or beguiling enemies]].
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