What aspects of D&D magic do you like?

[Michael Tree]

There has been a lot of discussion lately about D&D's magic system. I thought it might be interesting to find out which specific aspects of the system people like and which they don't.

Which of the above aspects of the D&D magic system should be kept, changed, or removed entirely in the next edition of D&D?

Edit: Is there some way to add numbers to the poll, to make it easier to discuss? (Numbering them 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, and so on)

 

[diaglo]

is this a poll?

i don't see any choices.

i like D&D magic the way it is in the OD&D (1974) boxed set.

 

[Turjan]

That's quite a good selection now .

I like the concept of spells readied, as a sorcerer. Clerics and Druids have already spontaneous parts of spellcasting.

I like to keep the "spellslots per level" concept, because this prevents characters who cast a single spell during all their life. A bit more flexibility, as in AU with it spell slot exchange mechanism, is good, though.

As far as specific effects go, I'd like to keep them, though I - again - like the idea of heightened and lessened effects by choosing a higher or lower spellslot for the same spell (hmm, sounds like AU again ).

I really don't care about spell components, unless the components are expensive. Therefore, I don't have a real opinion here.

The distinction of arcane and divine magic should go. Maybe, the ability to cast spells should depend on a mix of ability scores. The momentary system is a bit inconsistent.

Well, if the distinction between arcane and divine magic goes, arcane spell failure has to go, too. The "somatic component" approach sounds reasonable.

Finally, I think every class should have its unique spell list, otherwise there's no need for classes. Btw, even in AU this is the case. The spells are sorted into types, and not every class can cast every type (be it the simple/complex/exotic distinction or the different "domains").

 

[Michael Tree]

Patience guys, it took a while to write out the options.

 

[Melan]

I like my magic formulaic and memorized. I have never had any trouble with the Vancian systems - and in the last few years, I have fallen deeply in love with it, especially after experiencing the alternatives as seen in Warhammer and Palladium Fantasy. Spontaneous casting was a welcome addition to the cleric, though.
Sorcerers? Banned at my table.

[Diaglo: do you mean the really original 1974 rules where there are only 5 levels of spells and no Magic Missile... And no spells for 1st level clerics? Or the much watered down "Greyhawk" cop-out? ]

 

[Olive]

I basically said keep it, but I don't mind options. I'd just hate to not be able to keep playign the good old DnD wizard.

 

[s/LaSH]

Fire and forget: Change.
Spell slots: Keep.
Specific effects: Keep.
Spell components: Change.
Arcane/divine distinction: Change.
Spell failure: Change.
Unique spell lists: Change.

The coolest things about 3e in this context are multiclassing, feats, and the new casting options it introduced. There's a place for fire-and-forget, but alternatives should be plentiful. Spell slots make it all easy, however - and you can do all sorts of weird stuff with them, stuff that I don't think has even been touched except by metamagic, which only grazes the surface.

Specific effects are also good. Any freeform system is going to have tiny, tiny holes in it. That hasn't stopped me from making one of my own, but it's not D&D-integrated. Yet. Point is, D&D spells are specific; if you want a spell that immobilises a target, you've got choices - web, hold, hideous laughter - which all work in slightly different ways; it'd take a lot of freeforming to duplicate that flexibility, or a lot of waffle boiling down to 'just wing it', thus making magic far less precise than the rest of the system.

Everything else can change. It's niche protection of a ludicrous extent. One big universal spell pool, each spell having some unique descriptors that the caster has to meet (with feats or class options) before gaining access. This would go a long way towards making D&D just as flexible as it should be. There's no class yet that can do Beorn... but that's getting into territory that I reckon should be done with feat chains.

 

[diaglo]

[Diaglo: do you mean the really original 1974 rules where there are only 5 levels of spells and no Magic Missile... And no spells for 1st level clerics? Or the much watered down "Greyhawk" cop-out? ]

almost correct. magic-users went to spell level 6 (pg21 Vol I). clerics went to spell level 5.(pg22 Vol I)

but we also used and was in the rules the ability of both classes to research new spells.(pg34 Vol I)

i made all of my spellcasters research all of their spells. b/c most in Vol I lacked durations, ranges, spell components, etc...

you are right about not the watered down Greyhawk cop-out stuff.

 

[Nifelhein]

Hey!

You almost got me into thinking it would generate the system for me!

As for comments, I am not gonna make much, as I never have been very much of a fan of this system, but think making confusion, confusion lesser, heal, mass heal is kind of a bad idea, make it somewhat modular, in my opinion.

While I like Mage's spellcasting system, I think it is too much free, I like some options, like spell in level A has this effect more, thus all spells would hae the levels they have more effects.

Metamagic suck as they are, don't like them, better have a chain lightining memorized than a Xed, Bed, Ded, Lighning Bolt. Metamagic should be Wizard class abilities and not feat chains, as I hate the pay twice thing too, feat + higher slots.

Anyway, i love Midnight's Channeler and I do believe that making something like it might be the way to go for my desires, if I ever go for homebrew again I am surely start out from it and write a damn list for it, them make metamagic a different thing and have a new wizard class, as it should be for my desires.

Anyway, diaglo, I love original D&D, have played it only twice, but I must say that every new edition is like a whole new game, the ideas may be quite the same, but even them change...

That is why I believe D&D generations stack, no matter the names of the bonuses!

Chaaaaaaaaange! And keep the Class list of spells, not exactly, but I like things that are not for one but only for another.

 

[Jolly Giant]

The really interesting thing about this poll is how evenly the votes are distributed among the alternatives! Guess that just means that no matter what WotC does or dosn't do with the magic system, there'll still be a lot of complaining about it...