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<blockquote data-quote="Crazy Jerome" data-source="post: 5967939" data-attributes="member: 54877">Yes. And that's also the problem with the pilot analogy. If we want to equate &quot;pilot&quot; with &quot;spellcaster,&quot; then why is it this deal where once the spellcaster crosses some particular threshold (Nth level wizard) that suddenly he can do so much so easily? Pilots don't blink their eyes and transport the whole plane from London to New York. &nbsp;It's fine to have a system (or campaign within a system) where fighters stick to the mundane and spell casters twist reality, but only if the spell casters twisting reality is hard. It takes times, it takes risks, it cost money, they must mediate constantly to stay in the right frame of mind, interrupting is dangerous, etc. Something. &nbsp;I've been rereading some of the Lord Darcy series recently. It's a good example of the split. Darcy is physically capable (though also clever in a D&amp;D roguish way, thus the &quot;Batman&quot; issue), while his sidekick Sean is a master magician with a specialty in forensic wizardy. Sean can twist reality all over the place, often on demand (no spells per day for him), and Darcy can't at all. Yet, off the top of my head, here are some of the limits:<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">The really powerful magic takes time, sometimes hours or even all night long.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Some spells interfere with other spells operating, and thus require an assistant.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">The laws of magic require specific props and practices--you need a sharp knife as a symbol when you want the magic to symbolically sever something, for example.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Certain kinds of spells don't work well together because of concentration. A master magican can be &quot;invisible&quot; and &quot;levitate,&quot; but is taking his life in his hands to levitate very high while invisible.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Whole swaths of magic are off-limits to other specialists, either due to the necessary &quot;talent&quot; being parsed out thinly or other reasons. Notably, certain kinds of &quot;black magic&quot; destroy other spells.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">A master magician must take a sabbatical for a week or two every year, or his &quot;power will desert him.&quot;</li>
</ul>Ideally, the power of the spells in D&amp;D would scale with the limits the group was willing to accept, and only with those limits.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Crazy Jerome, post: 5967939, member: 54877"] Yes. And that's also the problem with the pilot analogy. If we want to equate "pilot" with "spellcaster," then why is it this deal where once the spellcaster crosses some particular threshold (Nth level wizard) that suddenly he can do so much so easily? Pilots don't blink their eyes and transport the whole plane from London to New York. It's fine to have a system (or campaign within a system) where fighters stick to the mundane and spell casters twist reality, but only if the spell casters twisting reality is hard. It takes times, it takes risks, it cost money, they must mediate constantly to stay in the right frame of mind, interrupting is dangerous, etc. Something. I've been rereading some of the Lord Darcy series recently. It's a good example of the split. Darcy is physically capable (though also clever in a D&D roguish way, thus the "Batman" issue), while his sidekick Sean is a master magician with a specialty in forensic wizardy. Sean can twist reality all over the place, often on demand (no spells per day for him), and Darcy can't at all. Yet, off the top of my head, here are some of the limits: [LIST] [*]The really powerful magic takes time, sometimes hours or even all night long. [*]Some spells interfere with other spells operating, and thus require an assistant. [*]The laws of magic require specific props and practices--you need a sharp knife as a symbol when you want the magic to symbolically sever something, for example. [*]Certain kinds of spells don't work well together because of concentration. A master magican can be "invisible" and "levitate," but is taking his life in his hands to levitate very high while invisible. [*]Whole swaths of magic are off-limits to other specialists, either due to the necessary "talent" being parsed out thinly or other reasons. Notably, certain kinds of "black magic" destroy other spells. [*]A master magician must take a sabbatical for a week or two every year, or his "power will desert him." [/LIST]Ideally, the power of the spells in D&D would scale with the limits the group was willing to accept, and only with those limits. [/QUOTE]

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