Why does magic work the way it works?

[JamesDJarvis]

In the D&D game world...

Is creating a new spell an act as simple as just "researching" it? If so, why aren't there spells for every little imaginable situation? If not, what does it take to create a new spell?

Who says there isn't? There could be hundreds of variations of spelsl such as Blaines Floating Disk and Igbys Room Sweeping. But they are not widely distributed and of limited utility. Of course cost does limit this to a degree as it can cost a hefty penny to come up with a new spell compared to the cost of gettign one that aready exsists and is commonly known.

Why is there no iceball, lightningball, sonicball, or acidball spell? (Like fireball.)

There are if one has the right feats and sometimes there are similar spells that pretty much do those things as well.

Why isn't there a 1st-level "no-save, just die" spell?

if you have 4 or less hp the "no-save, just die" 1st level spell is called magic missle.

 

[Zappo]

Usually, I've found that PCs don't research much if at all. Existing spells can cover virtually any situation anyway. It's generally faster and cheaper to purchase an existing spell, rather than researching one. For example, noone cares about a coldball because a fireball is just as good against most creatures and if you know you're going against fire resistants then you either don't have three weeks to research a coldball, or you figure that lightning bolt is good enough.

To be fair, you could argue that it is a nice representation of a system of magic in which various wizards and clerics, working independently, came up with the various spells.

Agree. D&D magic is a bunch of unrelated spells, with a rather arbitrary classification. This is pretty much what you'd get when lots of people make up spells without talking to each other.

 

[Jupp]

Agree. D&D magic is a bunch of unrelated spells, with a rather arbitrary classification. This is pretty much what you'd get when lots of people make up spells without talking to each other.

Thats very realistic IMO. I dont think the wizards in a fantasy world would sit together in a plenum and discuss about what spell should be researched next to keep everything orderly and consistent

I imagine a wizard sitting in his tower thinking about a solution to a problem he had and the result would be a new spell. Years later a powerfull wizard named Gagyx comes to the world through a portal and starts writing a massive tome about the spells he has found in that world. After he's finished he returns to his own world to distribute the book to bring magic into his world. Unfortunately the spells do not work in Gagyx' world so the book becomes useless. Some time later Gagyx has a brilliant idea. He creates a game that covers the world he had the spells from and incorporates those spells into the ruleset. The book he releases some months later will become an massive success and everybody is happy.

So, magic exists. It's just the problem that we cannot use the spells here

 

[Nyeshet]

Is creating a new spell an act as simple as just "researching" it? If so, why aren't there spells for every little imaginable situation? If not, what does it take to create a new spell?

When the PC chooses two new spells upon gaining a second level, I allow the player to create new spells for free if they wish instead of taking some from the PBH/etc. So I've seen things like Cone of Fire (cone of cold), Ball Lightning (fireball), Wall of Crystal (wall of iron), etc. I've also seen spells not really comparable to anything on the PHB list. Of course, to learn new spells later - even ones from the offical list(s) - they have to research or find them. And in the latter case, assuming wizards, they have to make checks to understand them.

Why is there no iceball, lightningball, sonicball, or acidball spell? (Like fireball.)

There are. They just didn't make the final printing Anyway, they can be if you want them to be. Its up to the players to ask for it when choosing their new spells (or researching them), and it is up to the DM to allow or disallow it (based on what the DM thinks is fair). For instance, sonic is a rare immunity, and it affects objects more readily than other energies, so I would only allow a sonic ball if the damage were lowered - either to 1d4 per level or perhaps even 1d6 per two levls. I would need some playtesting to decide which.

Why isn't there a 1st-level "no-save, just die" spell?

Save or die spells are often more trouble than they are worth, particularly if the PC has no better than half a chance of success. In games where raise dead and resurrections are rare, they often are not worth the trouble. I pushed many of them up a level (unless they had and inherent limit - such as an hp limit, etc) and require researching for all such spells.

As for level one: it would be too powerful. Magic missile is the only 'save or die' equivalent first level spell (as has already been pointed out). In fact, if you limit all of its damage to one target and rename it 'Evil Eye' or something similar it would work just as well as a save or die spell (rather like a super weak version of Power Word, Kill: if you have less hp than dmg rolled, you die).

Why are some spells only divine, or only arcane, while some are both?

This is an entirely arbitrary decision on the part of the game designers. If you look at non-domain cleric spells, they are composed mostly of healing, buffs, protections, and classic miracles (walk on water, etc). For all other needs, a cleric uses domains, the 3.x version of spheres - albeit with far less spells and an additional 'domain ability'.

If a player decided - upon character creation - that their sorcerer had his power due to celestial blood, I would likely allow that player to choose healing spells along with the traditional sor/wiz list. But then, the sorcerer should have different lists for different backgrounds. Wizards I would likely allow to research healing (esp as buffs, etc are already a part of there lists). After all, spells affecting negative and positive energies - often in ways far more complex than mere healing - are already part of their lists. At present, however, no sorcerer PC has thought to ask for a healing spell, and no wizard PC has thought to ask about researching a healing (or inflicting) spell. Of course, I think the only reason Inflicting spells were not given to Sor/Wiz was the game designers were worried about losing their rationel for not allowing arcane healing.

Why are some spells different levels depending on being divine or arcane?

Entirely arbitrary. Perhaps also to allow a spell at a lower level than normal for a particular class by pointing out it is higher on another class. Also, I think - as some others have stated - that they wanted to emphasize certain spells for certain classes.

Why is the list of summonable monsters not mirror images (celestial X and fiendish X)?

This again is entirely arbitrary. Also, they likely looked to some animals as inherently more 'fiendish' (in appearance or nature) than certain other animals. For instance, if celestial unicorn were on the summon monster list, would you want fiendish unicorn beside it? Or would you prefer fiendish nightmare? Its still arbitrary, but it makes a little sense. However, as I do not have my books in front of me at this instant I cannot say whether their lists similarly made sense or not.

A fiendish wolf, for instance, would be playing directly to fairy tales (in fact, nearly all pre-modern european stories had a decidely negative slant towards wolves), while a celestial lion would also be playing towards popular conceptions (lion-hearted, etc; sorry, but personally I view most male lions as far less than noble in any respect; the mane, however, convinced most of europe, it seems, that they were 'crowned' amongst the feline kingdom).

Why does magic in your D&D game world work the way it is described in the rule books?

Personally, I am using the vancian magic system less and less often, and the Elements of Magic, Revised system more and more often. I haven't fully transferred over. I still sometimes use the vancian system (as it is still more familiar, at present, for myself and my players), but the system you seem to want is the EoMR system. It has internal consistancy and is very balanced, as best as I can tell.

The main issue is that many classes and monsters need a little conversion - especially anything that uses casting (such as a bard). It is easier to use the (primary) casting classes the system provides than to convert the sor, wiz, clr, etc. If you don't mind recreating the druid, the cleric, and the bard, and also using another few classes instead of the sor or the wiz, then the EoMR system is your best bet for a consistant and balanced system. Note that initially it is more difficult to use, as the DM and players both have to work a bit more to make use of it. But once you are used to it you would be hard pressed to find a better system. And perhaps best yet, it is very easy to apply minor alterations to the system.

 

[francisca]

(and if there were, there would be lawyers with spell-copyright laws working to break down the spell-distribution networks. )

And we certainly don't want to interject that kind of reality into the game. (Well, I don't anyway.)

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

And we certainly don't want to interject that kind of reality into the game. (Well, I don't anyway.)

I don't know. In the game I could hunt them down and kill them.

 

[DM-Rocco]

Magic is a tricky subject and sometimes games are better off or more rich if you play without it. Of course, that is neither here nor there.


There are rules for creating your own spells and things like instant death effect have minimium level requirments, like the 4th level Phantasmal Force, it can kill you out right, but you have to fail two saving throws. It isn't until later levels that you see spells that can just kill with only one saving throw and usually only 9th level spells that are no save, just die. Also, first level spells are generally 1d4 damage and have a max level where damage caps, usually 5 hit dice and mostly only increases every other level. So there are rules for what a first level spell can do. If you wanted a no save/just die first level spell, it would only kill creatures of 1 hit point and only of size fine or smaller, of course, then you could just buy a fly swater.

I have made up my own magic system twice, well, once, I am still fleshing out the second one. Back in AD&D it was a bit easier because you didn't have feats to worry about, in 3.0/3.5 you have to take a lot more stuff into consideration. It really is a lot more work than one might think, so people generally just play the basic magic system because it is easier.

I have had players come to me in the past and say they wanted to make a spell or two, but that was more back in AD&D than in 3.0/3.5. I think that with feats that give you most of what you would change anyway, people just take feats rather than waste money and time trying get the same or simular effect. It really comes down tot he DM. If my wizard came to me and said he wanted to go to the wizard's guild to get a Ice ball spell instead of a fireball spell, I would not have a problem with that, but I think that 3.0/3.5 is a double edge sword in that regaurd in that people would rather wait until they get an Arch Mage level to change the energy type than just ask the DM if something is possible.

 

[Ace]

In the D&D game world...

Is creating a new spell an act as simple as just "researching" it? If so, why aren't there spells for every little imaginable situation? If not, what does it take to create a new spell?

Spells are created by research. IMC magic is better than destruction than creation so it is difficult to create utility magic. There are a wide range of cantrips (using Presitdigitation or anything OGL I can find ) for small stuff as well as more powerfull spell like Mords Magnificent Mansion, Unseen Serveant, Alarm and the like. This is enough for most folks so there is little research into new effects

Spontaneous casters and Psions have a mixed bag of inate abilities and no way to research

Divine Spells are granted by forces, you have what you have.

Why is there no iceball, lightningball, sonicball, or acidball spell? (Like fireball.)

There are IMC and they are pretty common too

Why isn't there a 1st-level "no-save, just die" spell?

Spell level is magnitude IMC and no 1st magnitude spell is stromg enough to insta kill a human, no save. There are a few that work on fine vermin and the like though. The best and most common l1 blast spell is magic missile

Why are some spells only divine, or only arcane, while some are both?

It is the nature of magic. Arcane power is poor at healing and creation, Divine Power is good at it

Why are some spells different levels depending on being divine or arcane?

Simulation complexity issues.

Why is the list of summonable monsters not mirror images (celestial X and fiendish X)?

They are IMC

Why does magic in your D&D game world work the way it is described in the rule books?

In one game it has to do with "power imbedding" issues in another -- no one knows

 

[Zappo]

And we certainly don't want to interject that kind of reality into the game. (Well, I don't anyway.)

Hm. I certainly don't want it in D&D, but a game where you have a 21st century society in all respects, save for magic replaces technology, could be cool to play. People complaining about the environmental effects of magic, media companies trying to get Copy spells outlawed, wars for mana, big debates over the ethics of summoning, cloning and reanimating, golem-staffed factories for mass production of magical items. I'd go further and make it cyberpunk style (implants => permanent enchantments and transmutations, the net => the astral plane). Megacorporations where wizards research new and more powerful spells, sometimes with unforeseen results. Ooh, I wish I had time for one more campaign.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

You might as well ask why's the sky blue.

But in all seriousness in my game I do allow elemental variants of the standard spells (so there can be cold balls and acid bolts).
For alot of your questions the answer is balance and sacred cows. Some spells have been only divine for decades and vice versa.

As for your summon monsters question the answer is look at the monster manual. Rarely do idealologies mythologically, historically and in fiction have exact opposite counter parts (actually it wouldn't be too hard to do to some extent in D&D, celestial dire badger vs fiendish dire badger etc).