Spell Compendium Questions

[Archade]

So,

I picked up the Spell Compendium this weekend -- very nice! But I have some questions/observations having gone once through the book ...

1) All the 'named' spells have had their creators names removed. Mordenkainen, Elminster, Ghorus Toth, Bigby, etc are no longer named in some pretty traditional spells. Is this an attempt to make this specific book more 'global', or is it a new trend of WOTC to get away from Vancian namings of spells?

2) Harmony (now Inspirational Boost) received a big change (for the better). Any other spells that got a big change, that people have noticed?

Thanks!

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Losing the names loses a lot of the traditional flavor of the game. I can see that for an OGL product, but this one isn't.

Won't prevent me from buying the book eventually, though.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I'm guessing that they filed the proper names off of the spells to try and make it easier to find the spells in the book. You don't have to remember that it's Agannazzar who created teh scorcher spell - you just have to remember the scorcher part.

 

[Dragonhelm]

Losing the names loses a lot of the traditional flavor of the game.

While I agree with this, I think it was done to make the spells more "global", as Archade puts it. After all, Elminster and Mordenkainen don't exist in every setting.

 

[Blaque]

I'm guessing that they filed the proper names off of the spells to try and make it easier to find the spells in the book. You don't have to remember that it's Agannazzar who created teh scorcher spell - you just have to remember the scorcher part.

I think this is exactly why they did it myself. Makes things easier to find when you odn't have to remember the name. Someone like me, who isn't too much of a D&D veteran at all, this saves a lot of time not having to remember a name and all.

It also I think was an attempt ot "generalize" the spells some. Seeing as this resource is just as useful for htose of us Eberron and homebrew folks who probably won't ever deal wiht Bigby

And as far as spells getting major changes, I will admit I don't know everythin too well, but I've ehard quills got a tone-down, and a lot of spells in previous material that had issues like spikes were toned down too. Not sure what has really had a big change.

Something I do find funny i sthat in this book, ti ntoes that things that had the Legions modifier were just changed to Mass. But in a book a month before, Magic of Eberron, they have Legions Magic Weapon. Woops.

Stuff.

 

[Laman Stahros]

Filing the "Vancian" names off would have been okay (I guess), but they also changed names in some strange ways.

One of the bumps that I hit in going thru the book was that the 8th level Simbul's Skeletal Deliquescence (how do you say that?) was replaced with the 4th level Corporeal Instability spell (what book was that from?). Another was the Curse of Petty Failing being "renamed" to Curse of Ill Fortune. Since Curse of Ill Fortune existed in the Complete Divine, how can you call that a "renaming"?

 

[Glyfair]

I'm guessing that they filed the proper names off of the spells to try and make it easier to find the spells in the book. You don't have to remember that it's Agannazzar who created teh scorcher spell - you just have to remember the scorcher part.

That might make sense, since "Clutch of Orcus" didn't have it's name removed. Unfortunately, I think it's created the opposite effect. People are used to looking for the names. After all, if you are looking for the higher level "Tenser's Floating Disk" spell, aren't you going to look under "T"?

While I agree with this, I think it was done to make the spells more "global", as Archade puts it. After all, Elminster and Mordenkainen don't exist in every setting.

Apparently Mordenkainen, Tenser and the rest exist in most, since they are listed in the assumed resource, the PHB. The serial numbers weren't filed off in the most important book.