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Overuse of monsters and magic.
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<blockquote data-quote="WayneLigon" data-source="post: 3778727" data-attributes="member: 3649"><p>There's simply no way to make magic as novel as some seem to want it, in D&D. Magic is usually like that in many early stories and novels, but that doesn't work well in a game. Most novel mages spend time standing around dispensing advice and being mysterious, saying that oh they <em>could </em> wipe out the Dark Army <em>but </em> they cannot use magic like water because The Enemy will notice them, or that The Balance will be disturbed. That works wonderfully well as a plot device, and I've seldom if ever seen a person want to <em>play </em> that sort of character. Unless the setting itself specifically makes people play like that, it just doesn't wash.</p><p></p><p>D&D magic, by it's very nature, makes the idea of a 'mysterious magic' campaign into a joke about the time people hit 5th level. I can make water any time I want. I can make fire any time I want. Hey, i can make fire <em>that lasts forever</em>. The <em>first thing </em> someone does when they get that spell is put it on a stick and make a light source that never goes out. The first thing a city mayor is going to do when someone like that comes into town is pay him a crapload of gold to make lanterns. Midieval cities are dark, and no-one wants them to be that way. Torches are too dangerous. You come into town with a cold light that never runs out and you have a job for life.</p><p></p><p>Similar to this are the spells that let you mend and fix things, or create certain goods out of thin air. </p><p></p><p>Once spells like that exist, the cat is out of the bag and there's no way to get it back in unless you simply start monkeying with the spell lists.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="WayneLigon, post: 3778727, member: 3649"] There's simply no way to make magic as novel as some seem to want it, in D&D. Magic is usually like that in many early stories and novels, but that doesn't work well in a game. Most novel mages spend time standing around dispensing advice and being mysterious, saying that oh they [I]could [/I] wipe out the Dark Army [I]but [/I] they cannot use magic like water because The Enemy will notice them, or that The Balance will be disturbed. That works wonderfully well as a plot device, and I've seldom if ever seen a person want to [I]play [/I] that sort of character. Unless the setting itself specifically makes people play like that, it just doesn't wash. D&D magic, by it's very nature, makes the idea of a 'mysterious magic' campaign into a joke about the time people hit 5th level. I can make water any time I want. I can make fire any time I want. Hey, i can make fire [I]that lasts forever[/I]. The [I]first thing [/I] someone does when they get that spell is put it on a stick and make a light source that never goes out. The first thing a city mayor is going to do when someone like that comes into town is pay him a crapload of gold to make lanterns. Midieval cities are dark, and no-one wants them to be that way. Torches are too dangerous. You come into town with a cold light that never runs out and you have a job for life. Similar to this are the spells that let you mend and fix things, or create certain goods out of thin air. Once spells like that exist, the cat is out of the bag and there's no way to get it back in unless you simply start monkeying with the spell lists. [/QUOTE]
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