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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nagol" data-source="post: 7812534" data-attributes="member: 23935">This is a undead horse I constantly beat.The areas where magic generally has primacy in D&D are detecting things, surviving hostile environments, and transportation.  Many adventures simply can't be undertaken successfully if the group does not have access to enough power in these areas.Different editions have approached levelling this primacy different ways:1e the primary approach was the provision of magic accessible outside the class structure (skewed magic item tables, henchmen, expert hirelings) and prohibition on the most problematic caster type from learning everything (one chance to learn per spell and a cap on maximum learned per level).2e reduced the provision magic accessible outside the PC (reduced access to henchmen), gave a passing nod to factional support, and reduced the prohibitions on the magic-user (one chance per level to learn a spell, relaxed cap on maximum number).3e substantially reduced magic accessible outside the PC overtly (by seriously restricting henchmen), and indirectly (by making specialist magic items so valuable that secondary effects like divination, travel, and environmental survival were not kept) and eliminating all restrictions on how many effects a wizard can learn (all spells can be learned, no cap on number).4e attacked the primacy a different way: by removing many of the larger convenient effects (flight, operational teleportation) and introducing "page 42" stunts which, depending on the DM, could be generously interpreted extrapolations of the PC combat abilities.  It also provided a way for any class to gain access to non-combat specific magic by moving it to rituals and granting a way any interested PC could gain access  It further reduced magic accessible outside the PC by weakening magic items in general and weakening henchmen again. 5e reverts many of the changes seen in 4e reinserting more powerful effects, reducing stunting, leaving access to rituals but reducing the number and value of their effects, and increasing the power of magic items while simultaneously saying they aren't necessary.</blockquote>

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