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<blockquote data-quote="Jhaelen" data-source="post: 7674007" data-attributes="member: 46713">The problem with D&amp;D schools is that they're used in two different ways that don't always align:- it started out and is still used as a grouping based on 'fluff'- starting with 2e it was also used to mechanically define a list of spells that is easier to learn/cast/etc. by a specialist caster.And because of the latter, they started moving spells around to achieve a modicum of 'balance'. New spells were invented just to make sure that each school could do some of the 'basic stuff', e.g. 3e with it's plethora of 'orb' spells to bolster the conjuration school. Too many spells ended up in certain schools, so sub-groups were moved to smaller schools without much regard to the original 'fluff' reason for assigning them to a certain school.TL;DR: D&amp;D's spell school system is a mess.The designers should really have a close look at how Ars Magica organizes spells. That's a system that works _and_ makes sense. And the way the different magical traditions are implemented is way ahead of any 'school' system I've ever seen in D&amp;D because they're firmly rooted in the roleplaying aspect of the game and the setting, and _not_ the rules. Specializing in a certain type of spells is an ortogonal concept, so there's no direct correlation between the way spells are organized and the kinds of spells that members of a certain magical tradition are most likely to know and cast.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Jhaelen, post: 7674007, member: 46713"] The problem with D&D schools is that they're used in two different ways that don't always align: - it started out and is still used as a grouping based on 'fluff' - starting with 2e it was also used to mechanically define a list of spells that is easier to learn/cast/etc. by a specialist caster. And because of the latter, they started moving spells around to achieve a modicum of 'balance'. New spells were invented just to make sure that each school could do some of the 'basic stuff', e.g. 3e with it's plethora of 'orb' spells to bolster the conjuration school. Too many spells ended up in certain schools, so sub-groups were moved to smaller schools without much regard to the original 'fluff' reason for assigning them to a certain school. TL;DR: D&D's spell school system is a mess. The designers should really have a close look at how Ars Magica organizes spells. That's a system that works _and_ makes sense. And the way the different magical traditions are implemented is way ahead of any 'school' system I've ever seen in D&D because they're firmly rooted in the roleplaying aspect of the game and the setting, and _not_ the rules. Specializing in a certain type of spells is an ortogonal concept, so there's no direct correlation between the way spells are organized and the kinds of spells that members of a certain magical tradition are most likely to know and cast. [/QUOTE]

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