We’re all familiar with the advance of technology and the shifting--sometimes radically--of scientific ideas. The ether theory gave way to special relativity; the crossbow gave way to the gun. So why is it we seldom see any advancements in the technology of magic, or magical paradigm shifts, in rpg settings?
Not that magic isn’t shown as changing over time, but it's almost always a fall from a more advanced state, even a Golden Age, to its current one. Mostly, though, this seems to just a change from more magic to less. Sure, this gives a convenient rationale for ancient magical ruins and magical items laying around, but there are other explanations for that stuff, surely.
Why can’t magic missiles be more powerful today than 100 years ago? Maybe old spells have completely fallen by the wayside due to improve defenses (maybe, though, those defenses have been lost too?). Or how about old magical theories giving way to the radical new theories of a Magus Einstein? Different magical schools/styles need not be equally valid views that just add “color”, one could be more true than the other. What would that even mean: more powerful spells? shorter casting times? higher levels attainable? bragging rights in the outer planes?
It turns out the manga (and anime) Frieren: Beyond Journey's End actually does some of this. A powerful demon early on is easily defeated because his formerly unbeatable attack has now become so well understood over the time he was sealed away that even relatively inexperienced mages know how to defend against it. It seems that in general, combat magic has gotten better over Frieren's (extended) lifetime, but a number of minor spells or things for noncombat applications have been forgotten.
Still though, that's the only example I think I've come across in the years since I wrote this post initially. I think there's a lot that could be done with the idea in gaming, particularly in a system like modern D&D with so many varieties of magic.
Take a look at Steven Brust’s _Khaavren Cycle_ starting with _The Phoenix Guard_. The books are prequels to his better known Vlad Taltos stories but the magic in the Cycle is very much less advanced. Then things happen that lead to a magical collapse and Renaissance where the new state (the Taltos books) is orders of magnitude more powerful than the old one.
ReplyDeleteIf the DM wanted this major advance in magic could be an excuse to add new spell-casting classes or new schools of magic. I certainly have no problem adding new spells to the spell lists of existing classes. However, one thing I would bear in mind is balance between classes. I know in Old School circles balance is a contentious issue but once a mage can cast fireball they have a good chance of ending a fight on the first round if other party members stay out of the area of effect. Making them even more powerful than that (by giving them an improved magic missile as your example) seems a bit gratuitous to me. But each DM to their own.
ReplyDeleteHey Trey, I love the idea of spell becoming irrelevant because of defenses and improved versions. That would make an intriguing twist in a game.
ReplyDeleteYeah! I thought so too.
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