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Message: <blockquote data-quote="James Gasik" data-source="post: 8935030" data-attributes="member: 6877472">Ideally every spellcaster should have (at least) one unique spell that they don't particularly feel like sharing, save among their close associates and allies.  The knowledge of this spell will get out of course, like any new tech, either due to reverse-engineering or outright theft, the same way innovations spread in our own world (since magic users have access to near-instant methods of communication).The fact that not all spells are created equally could indicate that spellcraft is a continuous process, as magical researchers are constantly refining and improving spells to be better.  You can take it as historical fact that fireball used to do 5d6, until someone figured out how to boost the influx of elemental energies without blowing themselves to kingdom come (which is also, incidentally, why fireballs no longer insist on filling 33,000 cubic feet of space).Divine spells are easy; their power level is decreed by the Gods, and no doubt every so often there's a big Godsmoot where they all hammer out how much power to grant their worshipers (in 2e, the Tome of Magic discusses this with regards to the new Spheres and Quest spells); they are granted as needed, and taken away when not.How old spells are depends on how static they are, but since there are canonically very old spellcasters running around in most D&D settings (Mordenkainen, Acererak, Keraptis, Vecna, Elminster, Fistandantilus), we can assume that either A) most spells are the product of a golden age of sorcery in the distant past, or B) long-lived casters are constantly refining their own spells to keep them "up to date".Player characters are too active and busy to engage in magical research, as it takes time and money, which is why they just use the best spells available to them, but if you gave them a few years off of downtime, they'd be throwing around spells with their names plastered on them, because Wizards have infinite capacity for pretense.</blockquote>

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