Why is charisma associated with spellcasting?

[Klaus]

Great Minds, Klaus, great minds....

(great minds who don't always read the whole thread before posting...heheh)

Let me guess: you played a Mage in astral form in Shadowrun, too?

 

[fusangite]

Great Minds, Klaus, great minds....

(great minds who don't always read the whole thread before posting...heheh)

What about me making the identical post between your two!? Where's my credit?

 

[Shining Dragon]

Why should there be any justification other than "its a game, not reality"? Why get worried about something that has no real impact on play other than giving a reason for CHA to exist. AD&D and Basic D&D should have dumped Charisma altogether since it was, as other have pointed out, a dump stat.

 

[Klaus]

What about me making the identical post between your two!? Where's my credit?

You were close enough!

Welcome to the Triad!

 

[Ashardalon]

Eh, you three are just copycats of the *real* Triad.

You could look on Charisma as a mental analogue of Strength (where Int correlates to Dexterity, and Wisdom to Constitution). Then, where Strength allows you to directly and obviously influence the material world, so too does Charisma allow you to influence the magical and the mystical.

Intelligence determines your ability to navigate the world and your mind. (Mental Dexterity)
Wisdom determines the impact the world has on your mind. (Mental Constitution)
Charisma determines the impact your mind has on the world. (Mental Strength)

If 'force of personality' and 'willpower' are too closely related, you can look at them as active and passive sides of the same coin, respectively; Charisma dictates how you impose your will upon others, while Wisdom governs how your will resists being influenced by others.

*edit* Knight Otu beat me to it.