In previous editions you had 2-8 paragraphs for spells (some being less others more)
Looking through the AD&D PHB, most spells are one paragraph in explanation/description, generally of 10 or so lines.
The longest descriptions that I noticed are for Find Familiar, Identify, Spiritwrack, Cacodemon and Antipathy/Sympathy. And that long description is not a sign of great flavour or fiction, it's a sign primarily of mechanical complexity (unnecessary in the case of Identify, in my view) - Cacodemon being an exception here, as one of the more flavourful f the AD&D MU spells, although I would guess one of the least frequently used.
a spell like wish almost demands a lengthy entry
AD&D PHB, p 94:
Wish
Level:9
Range: Unlimited
Duration: Special
Area of Effect: Special
Components: V
Casting Time: Special
Saving Throw: Special
Explanation/Description: The wish spell is a more potent version of limited wish (q.v.). If it is used to alter reality with respect to hit points sustained by a party, to bring a dead character back to life, or to escape from a difficult situation by lifiting the spell caster (and his or her party) from one place to another, it will not cause the magic-user any disability. Other forms of wishes, however, will cause the caster to be weak (-3 on strength) and require 2 to 8 days of bed rest due to the stresses the wish places on his or her body. Regardless of what is wished for, the exact terminology of he wish spell is likely to be carried through. (This discretionary power of the referee is necessary to maintain game balance. As wishing another dead would be grossly unfair, for example, your DM might well advance the spell caster to a future period where the object is no longer alive, i.e. putting the wishing character out of the campaign.)
Limited Wish adds the following relevant information (the bits I've cut out all pertain to the
limited nature of a limited wish (PHB p 88:
A limited wish is a very potent but difficult spell. It will fulfill literally . . . the utterance of the spell caster. Thus, the actuality of the past, present or future might be altered. . . Greedy desires will usually end in disaster for the wisher. Casting time is the actual number of seconds - at six per segment - to phrase the limited wish.
These could be combined together to create a fairly succinct spell description:
Wish
Level:9
Range: Unlimited
Duration: Special
Area of Effect: Special
Components: V
Casting Time: Special
Saving Throw: Special
Explanation/Description: Wish is a very potent but difficult spells. It will fulfill literally the utterance of the spell caster. Thus, the actuality of the past, present or future might be altered.
Casting wish will cause the caster to be weak (-3 on strength) and require 2 to 8 days of bed rest due to the stresses the wish places on his or her body, unless the wish is used to alter reality with respect to hit points sustained by a party, to bring a dead character back to life, or to escape from a difficult situation by lifiting the spell caster (and his or her party) from one place to another.
Regardless of what is wished for, the exact terminology of he wish spell is likely to be carried through. Greedy desires will usually end in disaster for the wisher. (This discretionary power of the referee is necessary to maintain game balance. As wishing another dead would be grossly unfair, for example, your DM might well advance the spell caster to a future period where the object is no longer alive, i.e. putting the wishing character out of the campaign.)
Casting time is the actual number of seconds - at six per segment - to phrase the wish.
Looking at this, we could then:
*delete the first line, which is somewhat redundant (in particular, the claim that the spell is difficult is not borne out by the actual mechanics, which make it easier to cast than many spells because it has only a verbal compoenent);
*clarify the disability clause - is the weakness permament and in addition to the bed rest, or is it cured by the bed rest? Most players eeem to assume the latter.
So here is a revised spell description:
Wish
Level:9
Range: Unlimited
Duration: Special
Area of Effect: Special
Components: V
Casting Time: Special
Saving Throw: Special
Explanation/Description: Speaking a wish will fulfill literally the utterance of the spell caster, altering the past, present or future.
Casting wish will cause the caster to be weak (-3 on strength) due to the stresses the wish places on his or her body, unless the wish is used to alter reality with respect to hit points sustained by a party, to bring a dead character back to life, or to escape from a difficult situation by lifiting the spell caster (and his or her party) from one place to another. Recovering from such weakness will require 2 to 8 days of bed rest.
Regardless of what is wished for, the exact terminology of he wish spell is likely to be carried through. Greedy desires will usually end in disaster for the wisher. (This discretionary power of the referee is necessary to maintain game balance. As wishing another dead would be grossly unfair, for example, your DM might well advance the spell caster to a future period where the object is no longer alive, i.e. putting the wishing character out of the campaign.)
Casting time is the actual number of seconds - at six per segment - to phrase the wish.
Suppose we had a general mechanic for being weakened by casting a spell, and for spoken word casting times, we could abbreviate the stat block like so:
Wish
Level:9
Range: Unlimited
Duration: Special
Area of Effect: Special
Components: V, weakening (but see below)
Casting Time: Special
Saving Throw: Spoken word
Explanation/Description: Speaking a wish will fulfill literally the utterance of the spell caster, altering the past, present or future.
Casting wish will weaken the caster unless the wish is used to directly aid the caster and/or one or more members of his or her party against harm (without thereby directly harming or hindering any other person).
Regardless of what is wished for, the exact terminology of he wish spell is likely to be carried through. Greedy desires will usually end in disaster for the wisher. (This discretionary power of the referee is necessary to maintain game balance. As wishing another dead would be grossly unfair, for example, your DM might well advance the spell caster to a future period where the object is no longer alive, i.e. putting the wishing character out of the campaign.)
That seems a respectable sort of spell description, comparable to some of the more complex of the 4e spells. The idea that Wish needs a long description seems to be a later thing. I don't have a 2nd ed AD&D PHB, but in the Rules Cyclopedia the description of the spell is about 2 columns on a 3-column page.