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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aenghus" data-source="post: 6541084" data-attributes="member: 2656">A quick internet search found <a href="http://deltasdnd.blogspot.ie/2012/12/spells-through-ages-charm-person.html" target="_blank">this</a> article (no connection with myself) discussing the Charm Person spell's evolution.Charm Person the spell has been weakening in effect  through the editions, being most powerful in OD&D.A first level permanent enslavement spell - my MUs would have cast it if it worked that way in later editions. As the linked article discusses, Charm Person has consistently decayed in power since then through the editions. Subsequent saving throws were added in the Greyhawk supplement. The spell in Basic D&D and AD&D was considerably less powerful and it's results more ambiguous and so less reliable. No DM I knew would let Charm Person function as anything close to enslavement. IMO Sleep was a better bet in those editions as your single spell while dungeoneering.As for relevance to the OP - PC roles are suggested, in part, but the most powerful options available to those PCs in practice. As these are the options most likely to be banned or houseruled, system-emergent roles can vary from group to group. For a player who cares about in-game success in a game where system adjudicates success and failure, that system matters. PCs who are conceived independent of the system and implemented on a character sheet without system mastery are likely to be mechanically inefficient and may end up not being a good representation of the character concept, being highly ineffective in play or both. Roles are an attempt to give further advice on character creation to help avoid useless character syndrome.As editions change, the strengths and weaknesses of each class have changed, and so the system-emergent roles of the classes have changed. Charm Person was a dominant(heh) choice until it was nerfed as overpowered. Sometimes changes in mechanics mean that the role of a class drifts or changes, which may not be welcome news to those emotionally invested in either or both of that class and that role.e.g. high level fighters in 2e- had excellent saving throws making them tough, high level 3e fighters had some poor defences and trouble with full attacks making them potentially weak in high level play.</blockquote>

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