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<blockquote data-quote="James Gasik" data-source="post: 9216100" data-attributes="member: 6877472">I don't see why we have to justify D&amp;D magic with other fantasy sources- at this point, D&amp;D is it's own source.&nbsp; However, let's look at a few examples (not every example has all the same factors of D&amp;D magic- ie, ease of use, success rate, and availability):Harry Potter.&nbsp; While young Wizards can occasionally get a spell wrong (especially if using a busted wand), by the time they're in their last couple years of Wizard school, they can perform quite a few spells by rote, often in succession, and nobody seems to think &quot;hey, if I carried a stick or a sword I could stop them from casting!&quot;.Star Wars.&nbsp; Jedi are &quot;some kind of space wizards&quot;, after all.&nbsp; While their powers sometimes involve some strain, you see simple force pushes, mind control, and other feats regularly performed, often with accompanying hand gestures, and these are rarely interrupted, despite the fact that laser swords exist.Marvel Comics/MCU- Dr. Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Loki are &quot;magic users&quot;.&nbsp; Again, spells are quick, reliable, rarely interrupted, and don't often screw up once you become experienced.Constantine the tv series- more of the same.Tolkien- Gandalf doesn't cast a lot of spells, and usually prefers using a sword (and/or his staff in the movies), but there's no section where he goes &quot;oh man, I went to cast a spell and it flubbed&quot;.The House With a Clock in it's Walls (book)- John Bellairs is one of the cited examples of D&amp;D magic in the 1e DMG (for The Face in the Frost).&nbsp; Not only do the wizards in this book cast spells with gestures and mystic words (&quot;Aroint Ye!&quot;), but nobody thinks to carry a sword or a gun to interrupt them.&nbsp; Uncle Johnathan isn't great at &quot;on tap&quot; magic, preferring to use ritual magic, but even Lewis, a young boy, can manage to put together a magic ritual that works...somehow.&nbsp; Mrs. Zimmerman, a more experienced wizard (and the villain, Mrs. Izard), are not so limited.Video game spellcasters are noteworthy as well- even the early, ultra difficult games like Wizardry only have spells fizzle under specific circumstances, and anyone of any race can be a spellcaster.&nbsp; Death is a far more common occurrence.&nbsp; Final Fantasy I is heavily inspired by D&amp;D with it's magic system, Phantasy Star and Chrono Cross have cultures where magic use is common (and playable characters without magic are limited to full warriors or robots) to the point that it has an organized system of easily acquired spells called &quot;techniques&quot; or &quot;elements&quot;.Final Fantasy 7 lets you buy Materia in shops that can teach you magic that works as long as you can spam MP and doesn't risk being interrupted or failing.If anything, most of these examples show that experienced casters have less to fear from miscasting their magic or having it interrupted.&nbsp; So if applied to D&amp;D, you'd have low level Wizards (who aren't problematic at all) hindered, but higher level Wizards would be just fine, at a point where their spells are problematic (this is basically the approach of 3e, with it's Concentration skill).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="James Gasik, post: 9216100, member: 6877472"] I don't see why we have to justify D&D magic with other fantasy sources- at this point, D&D is it's own source. However, let's look at a few examples (not every example has all the same factors of D&D magic- ie, ease of use, success rate, and availability): Harry Potter. While young Wizards can occasionally get a spell wrong (especially if using a busted wand), by the time they're in their last couple years of Wizard school, they can perform quite a few spells by rote, often in succession, and nobody seems to think "hey, if I carried a stick or a sword I could stop them from casting!". Star Wars. Jedi are "some kind of space wizards", after all. While their powers sometimes involve some strain, you see simple force pushes, mind control, and other feats regularly performed, often with accompanying hand gestures, and these are rarely interrupted, despite the fact that laser swords exist. Marvel Comics/MCU- Dr. Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Loki are "magic users". Again, spells are quick, reliable, rarely interrupted, and don't often screw up once you become experienced. Constantine the tv series- more of the same. Tolkien- Gandalf doesn't cast a lot of spells, and usually prefers using a sword (and/or his staff in the movies), but there's no section where he goes "oh man, I went to cast a spell and it flubbed". The House With a Clock in it's Walls (book)- John Bellairs is one of the cited examples of D&D magic in the 1e DMG (for The Face in the Frost). Not only do the wizards in this book cast spells with gestures and mystic words ("Aroint Ye!"), but nobody thinks to carry a sword or a gun to interrupt them. Uncle Johnathan isn't great at "on tap" magic, preferring to use ritual magic, but even Lewis, a young boy, can manage to put together a magic ritual that works...somehow. Mrs. Zimmerman, a more experienced wizard (and the villain, Mrs. Izard), are not so limited. Video game spellcasters are noteworthy as well- even the early, ultra difficult games like Wizardry only have spells fizzle under specific circumstances, and anyone of any race can be a spellcaster. Death is a far more common occurrence. Final Fantasy I is heavily inspired by D&D with it's magic system, Phantasy Star and Chrono Cross have cultures where magic use is common (and playable characters without magic are limited to full warriors or robots) to the point that it has an organized system of easily acquired spells called "techniques" or "elements". Final Fantasy 7 lets you buy Materia in shops that can teach you magic that works as long as you can spam MP and doesn't risk being interrupted or failing. If anything, most of these examples show that experienced casters have less to fear from miscasting their magic or having it interrupted. So if applied to D&D, you'd have low level Wizards (who aren't problematic at all) hindered, but higher level Wizards would be just fine, at a point where their spells are problematic (this is basically the approach of 3e, with it's Concentration skill). [/QUOTE]

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