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* ''Inherent Gift'': along the lines of [[Piers Anthony]]'s ''[[Xanth]]'' books, in which characters are born with abilities that are quite specifically defined, in addition to their superhuman ability to survive puns. This also can happen in [[Magic Realism]]. Often the Inherent Gift is simply the ability to use magic, in which case it's often, though not always, hereditary.
* ''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
: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 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.
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* ''[[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]].
* ''Force Magic'': Practitioners of magic tap into and control or weave together one or more magical forces. Often invokes a [[Background Magic Field]]. Magic which waxes and wanes according to how close the manipulator is to a "[[Ley Line]]" falls into this category. See also [[The Force]], [[Minovsky Physics]], [[Mana]], [[Magic A Is Magic A]].
* ''Device Magic'': Magic performed with some form of mystical device or relic. This is the magic packaged for use by non-casters, as are alchemical potions. Making new devices is sometimes a trade in magic-heavy worlds. Some settings [[Doing
* ''[[Wild Magic]]:'' No one has any control over what happens or when it happens, although sometimes these can be influenced. The magic is basically alive. It has its own will and its own agenda or, more often, its own set of rapidly changing whims no sane person could hope to predict and it will only help you if it feels like it. [[Finagle's Law]] often applies. Usually [[Magic Realism]] permits only this and Inherent Gift.
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* Kido (Demon arts) in ''[[Bleach]]'' are a form of Rule Magic; anyone can use them if they have [[Life Energy|spirit power]] (though some of the incantations sound like Theurgy). All the incantations do is focus it, though you need to be skilled to do a spell without the incantation, and the more powerful the spell the more skill you need. Other races like Hollows use parallel systems that have similar effects of use their special abilities to focus their energy in unique ways.
* ''[[The Slayers]]'' uses all of the above listed types at some point. Most humans are restricted to Theurgy and Rule Magic with a bit of Alchemy thrown in for good measure. The Mazoku and Dragons use a combination of Inherent Gifts and Rule Magic. A lot of the Theurgy in this setting calls upon the really powerful Mazoku. Wild Magic shows up when Lina finds out that Giga Slave has the capability of actually summoning the Lord of Nightmares, Chaos herself, into the world, and if the casting is performed incorrectly, allows Chaos free rein to do anything she likes.
* In keeping with its origins in ''[[Dungeons
* ''[[Scrapped Princess]]'' appears to use a form of theurgy, except the gods that are invoked are unthinking machines that follow commands without judgment.
* ''[[Getter Robo]]'''s "Getter Rays" are initially thought to be a new and versatile form of radiation, but this is only partially true. Later on in the continuity, they are revealed to be alive, intelligent, inscrutable, and by most definitions supernatural. Therefore using them could be considered a kind of theurgy or wild magic, the rays will only let you do stuff that it agrees with. As this show is a classic [[Super Robot]] series, this gives a justification for [[The Power of Friendship]] and raw idealism being used to win battles. In later iterations of the series, the rays shift from rewarding friendship and hope to responding to (and sometimes creating) sheer berserk rage.
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* In [[Garth Nix]]'s ''[[Old Kingdom]]'' series, there are a few types of magic. "Charter Magic" is strict Rule Magic. "Necromancy", with the bells, is Device Magic paired with Inherent Gift. "Free Magic" is less-strict Rule Magic, with an element of Wild Magic.
* The "warrens" and "wards" in the ''[[Malazan Book of the Fallen]]'' are examples of Force Magic. Though we later find out that this may be Theurgy masquerading as Force Magic courtesy of all the magic in the series' warrens being derived from the God Krul.
* As stated above, Force Magic, when explained in detail, can sometimes shade into [[Science Fiction]]. If, for instance, a space traveler from a high-tech culture lands on a planet with "magic" that turns out to [[Doing
* The witches and wizards of [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld]]'' typically ''avoid'' using magic, since it's ultimately all wild magic, so there's no guarantee exactly what will happen when you use it. When they do use it there tends to be a certain amount of rule magic to it, and the rules are often [[Fake Difficulty|made more complicated by the wizards themselves]], who invented most of them so that laypeople wouldn't get the idea that magic was easy and start trying it themselves—that, and all the spectacle and paraphernalia of magic really impresses the non-wizards.
* [[J. K. Rowling]]'s ''[[Harry Potter]]'' books use Inherent Rule Magic plus Alchemy, plus a number of magic devices, though it has been hinted that this sort of magic is just the beginning. The Unforgivable Curses would be Black Magic achieved through Rule Magic, Force Magic, or some combination thereof. Lily Potter's mysterious protective magics for Harry are explicitly described as Blood Magic, and most fans interpret it as the self-sacrifice variety. There are also traces of Wild Magic in instances such as the Ford Anglia spontaneously gaining sentience.
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* In [[Dragonlance]] Wizards use Rule Magic (which is really just [[Vancian Magic]], as the setting is a DnD setting) Primal Sorcerers and Mystics could be considered to use a form of Force magic, and Clerics use Theurgy. There is also Device Magic in the form of many magic items. Technically speaking, Wizards get their magic from the gods of Wizardry.
* In Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett's ''[[Havemercy]]'' magicians of Volstov have Inherent Gifts powered by Force Magic from a source called "the Well". There are also [[Magitek|mechanical dragons]]. Ke-Han magicians use Elemental Magic but how they power and/or focus it is a mystery.
* Lev Grossman's ''[[The Magicians]]'' has heavily rule-based magic, in which young mages are required to memorize information on the factors that effect their spells from massive books before they can cast them. In fact, [[Training
* Several kinds from the ''[[Chronicles of the Kencyrath]]''. Shanir, like heroine Jame and her twin brother Tori, have [[Inherent Gift]], granting them powers that can range from healing to claws to supernatural bad luck. Priests use theurgy (if they're of the Three Faced God) or force magic (of the other gods, as those gods are actually ''shaped'' from ambient energy by their followers beliefs). Then there is the world itself, which is filled with wild magic, which powers both supernatural events and creatures and can be tapped in to by sorcerers (like Matriarch Rawneth) via rule magic.
* From the ''[[Codex Alera]]'', the human civilization uses a strange mix of inherent gift and theurgy (elemental spirits called furies do all the heavy lifting, but all Alerans have the innate ability to summon and command them). In the same world, the [[Wolf Man|Canim]] Ritualists use rule magic powered by blood, while the [[Proud Warrior Race|Marat]] have the inherent gift of forming empathic bonds with other life forms.
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** In the ''[[Well Of Echoes]]'', the second quadrilogy, walking tanks known as "clankers" run on this weak force, channelled through specific crystals and guided by a controller. Hovering Aachan "constructs" also run on the weak force, but have specialised machinery to channel the strong forces to fly.
** There's also a more direct form of magic called Geomancy that the protagonist of the ''[[Well Of Echoes]]'', Tiaan, uses: rather than rely on the omnipresent field to do magic, it relies on one-off geographical activity and the energy it produces to produce effects: for example, Tiaan manages to conjure up a heat ray from a crystal by tapping into a stalactite breaking off the ceiling of a cave and falling into a lava pool.
* In ''[[An
* Erna, the world of ''[[The Coldfire Trilogy]]'', is saturated by a mystical energy called the Fae, which responds to the human subconscious. Humans can learn to manipulate the Fae via rule magic, becoming sorcerors, and some are born with the inherent gift of seeing the patterns of the Fae, making them natural sorcerors (these people are referred to as Adepts). It's also possible to break the normal rules of magic after making a sacrifice of some sort- the greater the sacrifice, the greater the power. All Fae can be considered Wild Magic. There are four basic kinds of Fae:
** The Earth Fae is the most commonly used, and is comparatively stable. Most human sorcerors and adepts use this kind of Fae.
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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* Speaking of ''[[Dungeons
** Divine magic users (Clerics and Paladins) mainly use Theurgy.
** Wizards use Rule Magic, and in the earlier editions, this was Vancian.
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* Magic in ''[[Shadowrun]]'' blends Wild Magic with several of the other systems, most notably Force Magic; magic is an unstable, quasi-living force that can sometimes simply cause things to happen (as with The Awakening), but it can be controlled either through complex formulas (as practiced by mages, the setting's Rule Magic users) or by interacting with one of the aspects of magic (as shamans do; they practice Theurgy). As well, there's a certain level of Inherent Gift involved, as only certain people are able to become mages or shamans, those with a particular affinity for the astral plane. Later supplements imply that the only reason any of this works is because the magic user believes it works, and that people who are particularly attuned to magic are capable of creating entire magic systems of their own (which makes it more [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe]] mixed with Inherent Gift).
* ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'' has an interesting combination of these. The [[Negative Space Wedgie]] at the north pole causes the entire Arctic to essentially be overrun with Wild Magic. This is spread through the world by the "winds of magic" which can be tapped into by wizards as a power source (Force Magic), to power learned spells (Rule Magic) or enchant items (Device Magic).
* The equivalent to magic in ''[[Warhammer
* ''[[Mage: The Awakening]]'' TRPG combines most of these in the form of the ten Arcana. Basically, given enough mana and enough skill in the necessary Arcanum or Arcana, you can do pretty much whatever you want. That is, unless there's a human around, in which case you have to worry about Paradox...
** The [[Sourcebook]] ''Night Horrors: The Unbidden'' also goes into how magic can go [[Wild Magic|wild]] either in terms of a mage losing control of their own power, or spontaneous and inexplicable magical phenomena occurring. The reason for the latter can be anything from the result of a big magical battle, to power accumulating over time, to spirits passing between dimensions, to just because.
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* ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'' uses a combination of Theurgy in the form of Guardian Forces and Force Magic in the form of para-magic, the ability to do such sometimes being granted by Guardian Forces. Sorceresses use magic that resembles the Inherent Gift, but the methodology in which they use this magic is what para-magic is based on. Though Guardian Forces are used to allow SeeDs to use para-magic, they are not required, as most Galbadian and Estharian soldiers can use it without GF assistance.
* ''[[Final Fantasy XII]]'' uses Force Magic, the Mist is the source of all magic, and when concentrated into nethicite, it starts to act like plutonium gone beyond the critical mass.
* ''[[Final Fantasy I]]'' notably featured rare (for this series) examples of straightforward Device Magic, as several items could be used to cast spells even by classes prohibited the use of natural magic. However, most of the game stayed true to a [[Dungeons
* In ''[[Final Fantasy XIII]]'', the main characters are all [[Cursed with Awesome|marked as l'Cie]] [[Touched by Vorlons|by fal'Cie]], which grants them the ability to use magic. Their summons don't show up until later, and are related to the mark somehow.
* The ''[[Myst]]'' universe uses Rule Magic. Write in the right language with the right ink in books made with the right sort of paper and the book will become a portal to the universe described in the book. Opinions differ as to whether this creates the universe or merely links to a pre-existing one, and whether "be of the right bloodline" is also in the conditions.
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== [[Web Comics]] ==
* Most magic in ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'' is the Inherent Gift type: Antimony's and Surma's talent as mediums, as well as Zimmy and Gamma's various [[Psychic Link|telepathic]] [[Psychic Powers|abilities]]. There are some borderline cases, as well: The [[Power Crystal|Blinker Stones]] are magic devices which focus the user's latent [[Psychic Powers]]. Ysengrin's "[[Green Thumb|terrifying skills of gardening]]" border on Theurgy, as they were a gift given to him by Coyote (but they otherwise function like an Inherent Gift). The Donlans' abilities seem to be a hybrid of Rules Magic and [[Magic From Technology]]. And [[Esoteric Motifs|various symbols from Alchemy]] appear frequently, but their significance is unclear.
* Most of the magic in ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'' falls into three categories; Durkon uses Theurgy by praying to Thor, Vaarsuvius uses Rule Magic and the Gates are based on Relic Magic. However, since the webcomic's universe is specifically based on ''[[Dungeons
* [[Fey Winds]] has Force Magic and literal Rule Magic: fey and other creatures of nature (as well as some very rare mortals) tap into "the Song," the force of magic, directly; while humans, elves, and other mortal races must employ "the Rule," a system of formulas and spells. Most of the main cast are also chasing after artifacts (Device Magic) left behind by a strange fey/{{spoiler|war golem}} called Sylphe when she rebelled against those who wanted to use her in a war.
* Theurgy seems to be the main magic in the world of ''[[The Challenges of Zona]]'' with Tula getting her power from the Goddesses of the Moon and Earth while Gruach gets his from Shuach, the evil Fire God. However Mentl uses Magic Music and Vito seems to use Rules Magic, but neither of them is from that world but ours. Shamans have been mentioned but not shown as yet and seem to user a lesser form of Theurgy, than Priests and Priestesses, calling on their tribal totems.
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