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General Tabletop Discussion
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why are spell schools and what should they be?
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<blockquote data-quote="Voadam" data-source="post: 8866472" data-attributes="member: 2209"><p>OD&D did not have the schools. Spells were just spells. Same in the B/X line of games that followed.</p><p></p><p>In 1e Gygax assigned each spell their types along the now classic eight schools, but this only seemed to come up for thematics of the spells and detecting spell types. Even 1e illusionist spells could be non-illusions depending on their effects. This was carried out through later editions. There was no real description of the different spell types.</p><p></p><p>In 2e specialist wizard subclasses were a revision and expansion of the 1e illusionist class to work more with the base wizard class structure and tie it into the illusion school of spells more directly and to expand with classes for the other spell schools as well. Now there were possible non detection mechanical aspects of a spell's school. So spell school could affect saving throw modifiers, ability to learn spells, caster level modifier, and so on. This continued on in different ways through different following editions.</p><p></p><p>The categories could be overlapping and things could be classified different ways. Curing started off necromantic in 1e as affecting life force, in 3e it was conjuration my guess would be to avoid having good clerics using necromancy.</p><p></p><p>I got really into the thematics of the spell schools for a while in the 2e and 3e era and so I would have thoughts on potential new spells like a 3e conjure flame that conjured actual non-magical flames that were not subject to spell resistance, and things of that sort.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Voadam, post: 8866472, member: 2209"] OD&D did not have the schools. Spells were just spells. Same in the B/X line of games that followed. In 1e Gygax assigned each spell their types along the now classic eight schools, but this only seemed to come up for thematics of the spells and detecting spell types. Even 1e illusionist spells could be non-illusions depending on their effects. This was carried out through later editions. There was no real description of the different spell types. In 2e specialist wizard subclasses were a revision and expansion of the 1e illusionist class to work more with the base wizard class structure and tie it into the illusion school of spells more directly and to expand with classes for the other spell schools as well. Now there were possible non detection mechanical aspects of a spell's school. So spell school could affect saving throw modifiers, ability to learn spells, caster level modifier, and so on. This continued on in different ways through different following editions. The categories could be overlapping and things could be classified different ways. Curing started off necromantic in 1e as affecting life force, in 3e it was conjuration my guess would be to avoid having good clerics using necromancy. I got really into the thematics of the spell schools for a while in the 2e and 3e era and so I would have thoughts on potential new spells like a 3e conjure flame that conjured actual non-magical flames that were not subject to spell resistance, and things of that sort. [/QUOTE]
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Community
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*Dungeons & Dragons
why are spell schools and what should they be?
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