Mutually Exclusive Magic: Difference between revisions

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The reasons for this may vary. It may be that the teachers of either school [[Un-Equal Rites|don't particularly get along very well]], it may be that the talent for any given type of magic is an inherited trait, or it may simply be that all you used to learn one type contradicts what's used to learn the other, and most people just can't get over that hump. In some settings, this extends to ''all'' forms of [[Functional Magic]]: [[Hermetic Magic]], [[Psychic Powers]], [[Ki Attacks|Ki-powered]] [[Supernatural Martial Arts]], etcetera.

 

== Tabletop Gaming ==

** While not ''fully'' incompatible, in the classic versions magical creatures and magic-users are less likely to discover psionic talents, while psonically powered creatures tend to be resistant to magic and have hard time studying it.

** [[Forgotten Realms]] after [[Gotterdammerung|Karsus's Folly]] has Weave and Shadow Weave split as two independent power sources, controlled by warring goddesses. One can't use both and when magic from both in raw form collides, it causes large-scale unpleasantness such as planar rifts. Also, Phaerimm magic and Sharn magic are so non-standard and incompattible that their spells interact violently, changing the landscape.

** In [[Dragonlance]] magic comes from the trio of moon gods, and while it's not technically incompatible, the leading wizardly organization enforces the split into three Orders.

* In ''[[Shadowrun]]'' you could be a hermetic mage or a shaman but not both, because their mindsets were so different. As more magical traditions were introduced, they all (as far as I can remember) followed this rule. In later editions you could mix the physical adept (magical martial artist) with spellcasting, though.

* In ''[[Exalted]]'', Sorcery and Necromancy are opposed, being based on manipulating Creation's living Essence and the Underworld's entropic Essence respectively, and any given Exalt type will have a higher affinity for one or the other, having access to spells one circle lower for their tier in the case of their lower affinity.

** Infernals of both types (Green Sun Princes and Akuma) are unable to learn sorcery in the standard sense (that is, as normal Exalts of their type). Instead, their sorcery is channeled through initiation charms specific to each Yozi, which has limits and enhancements on the types of magic they can perform.

 

== Video Games ==

** This has been a staple since the ''[[Romancing SaGa]]'' Trilogy: you can only learn only half the magic spells. In ''[[Romancing SaGa 2]]'', however, you can combine specific elements if they are not opposite to each other to create new and more powerful spells.

* In the storyline of the ''[[Warcraft]]'' universe, Priests cannot use both Holy and Shadow spells, but this is averted in [[World of Warcraft]] due to game mechanics. Priests in the game still can't use them both well at the same time, since they'll need to specialize.

* In ''[[Age of Wonders]]'' your leader can choose only non-antagonistic magic spheres.

** In ''Age of Wonders 2'', you can either choose all of them, giving your a random selection that often ends up game-breakingly good or bad, or a single sphere. Notably, no matter which you choose, you can still buy/find/receive any spell. Also, Common sphere spells always can be researched and Secret sphere never.

* Variation in ''[[Knights of the Old Republic (video game)|Knights of the Old Republic]]''. Jedi can use Sith powers, and vice-versa, but suffer a penalty to the spell cost (and likewise a bonus to more properly aligned force powers). They're not completely exclusive, just more costly.

** ''[[Star Wars: Dark Forces|Jedi Knight]]'''s [[Karma Meter]] is more strict. At a certain point of the game, it checks the tally and locks out the opposite alignment powers. [[Guide Dang It|Any points you invested in those]] are [[Lost Forever]].

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[[Category:Magic and Powers]]