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<blockquote data-quote="CapnZapp" data-source="post: 8211090" data-attributes="member: 12731">The only real way to support powerful, mysterious and dangerous sorcery is to provide no alternative.That is, the core aspect of S&amp;S sorcery that the standard D&amp;D framework is preventing you from achieving is this:Sorcery is what's left for you when you're desperate enough. The superiority of physical might is a cornerstone of the genre. So, if you weren't were born physically strong and powerful in a S&amp;S setting, at least if you're male, you face a stark choice: limit your ambitions or turn to sorcery. (Obviously I'm simplifying for the sake of argument here)If you could learn traditional D&amp;D spells you would obviously do that.So it is important that you can't, both to explain sorcery, and to let it meaningfully exist within the setting.There's a reason people avoid spells with random effects. Even if the average result is stronger than a completely predictable spell, it is still no good for a party looking for the best tools to kill their enemies and complete adventures without dying. Getting a better effect 60% or even 90% of the time is no good, not when you can choose alternatives that work (nearly) as well.If I were given the choice of a WWII backpack-style flamethrower that is awesome in power but will eventually get you killed, or a set of regular hand grenades with clearly less impact but still enough to get most jobs done with a considerably lessened risk to yourself, I know what I would choose.It is when you get to choose between a sword and a flamethrower only that things get interesting.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="CapnZapp, post: 8211090, member: 12731"] The only real way to support powerful, mysterious and dangerous sorcery is to provide [B]no alternative[/B]. That is, the core aspect of S&S sorcery that the standard D&D framework is preventing you from achieving is this: Sorcery is what's left for you when you're desperate enough. The superiority of physical might is a cornerstone of the genre. So, if you weren't were born physically strong and powerful in a S&S setting, at least if you're male, you face a stark choice: limit your ambitions or turn to sorcery. [SIZE=3](Obviously I'm simplifying for the sake of argument here)[/SIZE] [I]If you could learn traditional D&D spells you would obviously do that.[/I] So it is important that you can't, both to explain sorcery, and to let it meaningfully exist within the setting. There's a reason people avoid spells with random effects. Even if the average result is stronger than a completely predictable spell, it is still no good for a party looking for the best tools to kill their enemies and complete adventures without dying. Getting a better effect 60% or even 90% of the time is no good, not when you can choose alternatives that work (nearly) as well. If I were given the choice of a WWII backpack-style flamethrower that is awesome in power but will eventually get you killed, or a set of regular hand grenades with clearly less impact but still enough to get most jobs done with a considerably lessened risk to yourself, I know what I would choose. It is when you get to choose between a sword and a flamethrower [B]only[/B] that things get interesting. [/QUOTE]

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