Whatevermancy: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

A standard naming convention for specialized magic- (or [[Magic by Any Other Name|magic-equivalent]]-) users; they are referred to as something'''mancer'''s, and their specialized form of magic is called something'''mancy'''. The something is usually the Greek word for the thing or some other acceptably important-sounding term for it. As an example, death mages are known throughout all of fiction as necromancers. This structure makes it quite easy to create names for branches of magic using just about anything you can think of. You use [[Playing with Fire|fire]]? You're a pyromancer. [[Making a Splash|Water]]? Hydromancer. [[An Ice Person|Ice and cold]]? Cryomancer. It's that simple.

 

{{examples}}

=== Anime and Manga ===

* In ''[[Popotan]]'' Ai uses Anthomancy: She divines by flowers, specifically dandelions.

 

 

* The light-hearted ''[[Stanley and His Monster]]'' series by [[DC Comics]] included a character who practiced "Jell-O-Mancy".

* ''[[Hellblazer]]'' does this ''a lot'', usually with the title character.

* Kieron Gillen's [[Phonogram]] is centered around London's [[Britpop]] scenesters, who practice "phonomancy," or the application of music as magic.

 

=== Literature ===

** Also, Legilimency and Occlumency, the arts of mind reading and blocking mind reading, respectively. Legilimency comes from Latin "''legens''" and "''mens''", which mean "reader" and "mind;" Occlumency, from "occlude," which means "conceal," and "''mens''." Or alternitavely, from "occulus" meaning "eye".

* Don Callandar's novels: Pyromancer, Aquamancer, Geomancer, and Aeromancer.

* One of the [[Elric of Melnibone]] stories referred to Elric as a nigromancer, evidently meaning someone who uses black magic.

* The ''[[Mistborn]]'' trilogy features metal-fueled magic called allomancy, in which only four out of sixteen metals involves divination (the mythic atium that gives you a few seconds' sight into the future, its pair malatium that allows you to see glimpses of a person in their own past, gold which allows you to see a glimpse into your own past, and gold's alloy electrum which lets you see a few seconds into your own future and is largely useless except as a counter to atium). The similar magical system is called feruchemy, which is poorly named for the opposite reason - it is indeed a chemical magic, but only two of the sixteen metals contain iron. The blood-based magic, hemalurgy, is the only one with a truly appropriate name.

* In the "Divination" episode of ''[[QI]]'', the four contestants were invited to predict their scores by various methods of divination. [[Butt Monkey|Alan Davies]] was invited to use [[wikipedia:Rumpology|Pygomancy]]. Alan got the last laugh, however, by 'vanishing' from the set (he wanted to watch his football team, Arsenal, play in the finals). It was the only episode of ''QI'' in which he was not a panelist.

{{quote|'''Alan''': Well, you did say, "Divination, my [[Incredibly Lame Pun|arse]]," and all.}}

 

=== Tabletop Games ===

* ''[[Exalted]]'' has Necromancy (the dark magic of the Underworld, power of and over the dead), and Oneiromancy (power of dreams and over Wyld), although the latter is almost exclusively practiced by the [[Fair Folk]].

** One exception is the NPC class Oracle, introduced in one issue of [[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]] magazine. The class is a diviner with 26 different divining abilities, all pertaining to a different thing, and each ending with -mancy. However, this one is actually an appropriate use of the term -mancy, as these are divinations.

** Some of the subclasses (Kits in 2nd edition, Prestige Classes in 3rd) used class names ending in -mancer.

** The ''Technomancer'' setting, obviously, has Technomancy, which is the local name for [[Magitek]].

* In ''[[EverQuest]]'' wizards get 3 Alternate advancement abilities called Pyromancy, Cyromancy, and Acromancy that cause additional damage and resist debuff to Fire, Cold, and Magic respectively.

** Harry in the sidenotes jokes about Geekomancy. Examples have Chronomancers and such... and in the sample setting we got a honest-to-goodness Caffeinomancer (coffee themed potion specialist)!

* ''[[Legend of the Five Rings]]'' doesn't specifically use the -mancy/-mancer suffixes for its magic-users, but could justifiably do so: rather than directly creating the effects, the Shugenja talks to the relevant spirits (fire/water/earth/whatever) and asks them to (cause a fireball/heal someone/strengthen a weapon/summon [[Captain Planet]]).

 

=== Western Animation ===

 

* Some ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' games have [[Class and Level System|character classes]] that use this. Most spellcasters are referred to as Mages ([[White Mage|White]], [[Black Mage|Black]], or otherwise,) but the Geomancer is a recurring character class whose powers are drawn from the terrain type the party is fighting on. (likely a direct result of Feng Shui User [[Cultural Translation|just not sounding cool in English]])

** The Necromancer class was added to the Game Boy Advance remake of ''[[Final Fantasy V]]''.

** The Game Boy Advance remake of ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' names Relm's class as "Pictomancer", because her magic comes from painting pictures.

** Averted in ''[[Final Fantasy XIV]]'', where one of the two mage classes is called "Thaumaturge".

* Played with by - what else? - ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'', with the Pastamancer, who controls noodles, and can also summon the undead... through summoning noodly bodies.

* Actually used properly in ''[[Silent Hill]]'' when Dahlia mentions an event being "foretold by gyromancy". However, it leads to some heavy [[Narm]] when you learn what gyromancy ''is''... According to [[The Other Wiki]], gyromancy entails either spinning inside, or walking the circumference of, a circle drawn on the ground, with letters marking the rim, and the divination comes from when the spinner/walker stumbles over a letter. Repeat ad nauseum until a coherent sentence is formed.

* The Necromancer, Serpent Clan's most powerful unit, from ''[[Battle Realms]]''.

* Combined with [[Fire, Ice, Lightning]] in ''[[Devil May Cry]] 2'', resulting in Pyromancers, Auromancers, and Brontomancers.

* The Flash RPG ''[[MARDEK]]'' has necromancy, pyromancy, aeromancy, elemancy (which uses all four natural elements), and one character even claims to be an ''equillibriumancer''.

** In said game's universe (a rather extensive one, with multiple inhabited planets of various levels of technological development), an equilibriumancer is one who uses the two moral elements, or Light and Dark. Sounds fitting with the balance, doesn't it?

* [[Magitek|Technomancy]] in [[Harkovast]].

* ''[[Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal]]'' shows us that it at least [http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1593 knows something about this trope.]

* Rubbermancy in the S&M themed [[Collar 6]]

 

== Whateverkinesis ==

 

** This is the stated powerset of Iron Butterfly of [[Shadow Cabinet]].

* Superboy has "tactile telekinesis" which therefore really isn't ''tele''kinesis at all.

** Justified in that it's only early on that it's purely touch-based. He simply left Cadmus before they could teach him how to use his powers, and so it took a lot longer to gain any kind of ranged ability. It never manages to extend far outside his body, though.

 

=== Film ===

 

 

 

=== Anime and Manga ===

* ''[[Naruto]]'' has three main schools of ninja techniques. Ninjutsu (which is basically magic that has some form of substance, like spitting fireballs or manipulating water), Genjutsu (Illusion-casting) and Taijutsu (Martial arts). Many individual ninja moves carry the name [X] no Jutsu, which roughly translates into "Art of the [X]" or "[X] Technique".

 

 

* Ninjas in ''[[Empowered]]'' world can learn all kinds of cool magic, like kyonyujutsu (fake boobery magic), sosuijutsu (fast/quick/early to be drunk magic), sekushi nyanko "Monroe walk" jutsu (sexy cat "Monroe walk" magic), and more.

 

 

* If Hawk trains as a Ninja in [[Seiken Densetsu 3]], he learns 4 Jutsu attacks corresponding to the elements: Water Jutsu, Earth Jutsu, Thunder Jutsu, and Fire Jutsu.

* ''[[Wizardry]]'' "Oriental" character classes have skill "Kirijutsu" which gives a chance of [[One-Hit Kill]]. "The art of cutting" sort of fits the idea, though it applies to blunt and unarmed attacks as well.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Speculative Fiction Tropes]]

[[Category:Tabletop Game Tropes]]

[[Category:Magic and Powers]]