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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SKyOdin" data-source="post: 5789714" data-attributes="member: 57939">I don't think you will ever make magic feel magical just by taking on more effects that it can do. On the contrary, doing so will just further dilute the "magicalness" of magic. What is necessary to make magic feel more magical is constraint.The ultimate problem with why magic doesn't feel magical in D&D is because it is flavorless. There is no flavor in D&D Arcane magic. This is because there is no concept behind magic other than "wizards wiggle their fingers and say some funny words, then magic happens". To my knowledge, no edition of D&D has ever tried to create a cohesive system for Arcane magic that explains how it is that a wizard turns a prepared spell into a blast of fire. This is important, since it is reflected in the spell and class design, and can be a key element in introducing flavor into a game.Many magic systems do draw upon a lot more flavor. Take Magic: The Gathering for example, which uses the five colors of mana as the basis of its magic system. Different colors of mana come from different kinds of terrain, and each can be used to wield different kinds of magic. In other magic systems, magical power runs in leylines across the surface of the planet, and gathers in nodes. In various real world magical traditions, the act of casting magic is a complex ritual designed to safely summon demons and compel them to do the summoners biding.In many of these cases, the flavor of the magic doesn't come from what the magic can do, but rather from what the limits of magic are. In Magic: the Gathering, a mage can't set something on fire without using red mana. In systems with leylines and nodes, the most powerful spells can't be cast at all without access to a powerful leyline or node. In hermetic magic, any individual demon can only perform certain tasks.By having a firm idea for the mechanics that function behind magic, and thus creating logical limitations for magic, it is possible to make magic a lot more flavorful and evocative. As it is, D&D magic will never be particularly interesting without adding in more of this structure. Some D&D classes, such as the Warlock, already embrace this approach, and are the better for it.</blockquote>

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