torbenm
04-17-2008, 04:42 AM
I quite agree. One of the written works most influential to Fantasy RPGs has to be The Lord of the Rings, and in this we have Gandalf, possibly the most powerful magician in the world, and he uses magic so little that, most of the time, you wouldn't know he is a wizard.
Sure, he fights the Balrog using magic, but when he fights orcs or similar foes, he uses his sword.
Apart from excessive destructive power, another issue I have with magic in D&D and similar games is that what the magic does in most cases replaces some mundane non-magical activity, only better. So a wizard can do battle better than a fighter, detect traps and open locks better than a thief and so on. Not only does this make a wizard the most versatile and powerful character possible, but additionally I find that magic is only really cool if it can do something that cannot be duplicated by mundane means. The much over-looked Mend spell is a good example of this. You can put Humpty-Dumpty back together again, which is something all the King's men cannot do.
Enchanting a hammer so it will always return to its wielder is another great example, as is summoning spirits and talking to animals.
Sure, he fights the Balrog using magic, but when he fights orcs or similar foes, he uses his sword.
Apart from excessive destructive power, another issue I have with magic in D&D and similar games is that what the magic does in most cases replaces some mundane non-magical activity, only better. So a wizard can do battle better than a fighter, detect traps and open locks better than a thief and so on. Not only does this make a wizard the most versatile and powerful character possible, but additionally I find that magic is only really cool if it can do something that cannot be duplicated by mundane means. The much over-looked Mend spell is a good example of this. You can put Humpty-Dumpty back together again, which is something all the King's men cannot do.
Enchanting a hammer so it will always return to its wielder is another great example, as is summoning spirits and talking to animals.