D&D (2024) why are spell schools and what should they be?

[The Shadow]

As far as I'm concerned, the spell schools can die in a fire. They're either too narrow (Abjuration) or too broad (Transmutation), and almost completely flavorless.

Wizard specialties should have more pop to them than that. Some possibilities:

Beguiler: Illusions, mind-affecting magics, shadow magics, and so on. (The 1e Illusionist did so much more than illusions!)

Elementalist: Elemental damage, sure, but also summons, defenses, and so on. Even sensory powers - a fire mage could do Darkvision, an earth mage tremorsense, and so on.

Necromancer: Undead, yes, but also curses, diseases, draining, and so on. Perhaps just a bit of healing.

Diabolist: Summons, more curses, hellfire, and so forth. (This one might be stepping on the Warlock a bit, but the scholarly diabolist is definitely a Thing, legendarily-speaking.)

Thaumaturge: Flashy whiz-bang magic: Force spells, polymorphs, other kinds of transmutations. Not a lot in terms of direct damage.

The trouble is that to really make these work, they'd need restricted spell lists, which is not something One seems to be going in for. Or else we'd need to create new "schools" from scratch.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I'd have said spell schools were vestigial. In "classic" D&D they were there to enable certain spellcaster archetypes, such as illusionists and necromancers.

In 5e we aren't using spell schools properly; a sorcerer (or even warlock base) with access to all necromancy spells and a strong subclass would work well. But just having the school while only the specialist wizards (who can cast every spell anyway) take it into account is almost redundant. Personally I'd make the full generalist wizard a subclass.

 

[The Shadow]

Personally I'd make the full generalist wizard a subclass.

I think we could do without a generalist, actually - or if it is indeed a jack of all trades, it should also be master of none. I'm tired of generic wizards getting all the cool toys - it means there's hardly any point in being a specialist.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I think we could do without a generalist, actually - or if it is indeed a jack of all trades, it should also be master of none. I'm tired of generic wizards getting all the cool toys - it means there's hardly any point in being a specialist.

That's what I was intending to suggest - to be the jack of all trades you have to be master of none and it takes up your subclass. Otherwise you get a more late-sorcerer sized spell list. (I.e. aberrant mind or clockwork soul).

 

[Gubber Bittencourt]

The question is... does that make sense?

Take Shield, for exemple. it's considered an Abjuration spell, right? But... why? What it physically does is create a shield of energy, so why isn't it an evocation spell, or even a conjuration? It's only an Abjuration spell because, in game terms, it protects you. But why would a person in universe consider Shield and Protection from Good and Evil or Sanctuary to be the same type of magic?

So, I think it's important to ask why we want schools of magic and what exactly do they mean. Do they have a meaning in universe? And is that meaning based on an inherent quality of the spell? If so, then they should be created with an eye for in-universe logic. Are they just keywords for the game? Then why isn't there more?

It depends on how you see schools. If let's say that the spells are composed by runes and that the union of the runes make up the spell.

shield runes could be:
defense + sphere + force element

magic missile runes:
attack + arrow + force element

fireball runes:
attack + sphere + fire element

that way even the shield and the missile having the same element they would be in two different schools.

 

[mellored]

I would rather have narrow and individual spell lists. No more than 4 per level. Each spell being on multiple lists.

For instance, a divine sorcerer and life cleric would different lists, with no more than 3-4 choices per level. A lot of overlap, but each would have it's own distinct flavor.

And the fighter wouldn't have wait for the cleric to read all of their 113 spell descriptions. As fitting as it would be for a wizard to spend 30 minutes each morning looking though his lists, that's not fun for the players.

And sure, scribe wizards or some feat could get access to a particular spell if you really want it. But reducing the choice overload would be great.

 

[Vaalingrade]

no more than 3-4 choices per level.

No one should suffer having only 3-4 choices per level.

 

[mellored]

No one should suffer having only 3-4 choices per level.

It's not per level.

It's 3-4 per long rest * level. You get to change out spells everyday.

If you only selected spells at level up, that would not be as bad. Since you could do that away from the table and not keep everyone else waiting.

 

[Vaalingrade]

It's not per level.

It's 3-4 per long rest * level. You get to change out spells everyday.

If you only selected spells at level up, that would not be as bad. Since you could do that away from the table and not keep everyone else waiting.

Also, no one should have to change spells out each day. I absolutely HATE that mechanic more than anything in the game aside from alignment. Sure, you don't 'have' to, if you want to leave the most powerful ability of the class on the floor, but it shouldn't be a thing everyone just has stapled to their character.

 

[Umbran]

why do we have the schools of magic?

The answer to this is simple: Tradition. It was a categorization Gygax, et al. created, and continues to tis day.

I think most of the terms come out of the Western Mystery and Hermetic traditions of magic, though those traditions do not adhere to such strict categorizations.