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<blockquote data-quote="Bluenose" data-source="post: 5482613" data-attributes="member: 49017">Swap the words magic and mundane around in that sentence. Does your argument lose it's force? If not, then you're got a perfectly reasonable argument for making magic users and 'mundane' characters balanced in terms of power.&nbsp;&nbsp;Fictional magic users rarely have the versatility of D&amp;D wizards, either. There are a few who can polymorph (Aneirin, arguably a bard, is one), there are others with unusual powers. Generally though these are their personal special magics, and they use those regularly, and they don't have a huge range of other abilities. Specialist Wizards, basically, with a bit of divination and abjuration, plus whatever their particular shtick is. &nbsp;One of the common balancing factors in fiction is that often magic users have to be born with the power, and that's rare. Not as common as having a wild psionic talent in AD&amp;D. If it's that rare and unusual, any sort of magic is going to seem powerful, even if it doesn't do much more than a crossbow. Spiderman has some nifty abilities, which make him a superhero, but they're fixed and not really enormously more powerful than things a normal person could do with appropriate equipment.&nbsp;Another one is cost. If casting powerful magic wrecks your health, then people can't cast it regularly and will be cautious about doing so. Perhaps there are exceptionally expensive components involved or you need a virgin sacrifice, for the most powerful spells. Or a pact involving the sacrifice of your soul. Pay the price, get the powerful magic. You just can't do it too often.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Bluenose, post: 5482613, member: 49017"] Swap the words magic and mundane around in that sentence. Does your argument lose it's force? If not, then you're got a perfectly reasonable argument for making magic users and 'mundane' characters balanced in terms of power. Fictional magic users rarely have the versatility of D&D wizards, either. There are a few who can polymorph (Aneirin, arguably a bard, is one), there are others with unusual powers. Generally though these are their personal special magics, and they use those regularly, and they don't have a huge range of other abilities. Specialist Wizards, basically, with a bit of divination and abjuration, plus whatever their particular shtick is. One of the common balancing factors in fiction is that often magic users have to be born with the power, and that's rare. Not as common as having a wild psionic talent in AD&D. If it's that rare and unusual, any sort of magic is going to seem powerful, even if it doesn't do much more than a crossbow. Spiderman has some nifty abilities, which make him a superhero, but they're fixed and not really enormously more powerful than things a normal person could do with appropriate equipment. Another one is cost. If casting powerful magic wrecks your health, then people can't cast it regularly and will be cautious about doing so. Perhaps there are exceptionally expensive components involved or you need a virgin sacrifice, for the most powerful spells. Or a pact involving the sacrifice of your soul. Pay the price, get the powerful magic. You just can't do it too often. [/QUOTE]

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