D&D (2024) why are spell schools and what should they be?

[Mind of tempest]

in my other thread, I wondered why subclasses the wizard should have and one thing kept coming up the school specialist and it occurred to me that I do not get why we have the schools of magic, like what are they?

why do we have the schools of magic?

and what ones should we have as they feel kind of all over the place and have no clear set of rules?

and what ideas are not being represented?

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

My ideal spell schools would be:
White vs Dark
Elemental vs Entropy (fire/cold/etc vs acid/necro/poison)
Mesmer vs Dominion (enchantment and illusion vs Dominate/geas/psychic damage)
Creation vs Destruction (healing and augments vs raw damage/dispel magic)
Nomad vs Exile (mobility, speak with vs restraining/banishment)

Or, I always thought that the college from Elder Scrolls were pretty neat:
Destruction (damage magic)
Illusion (charm and stealth)
Mysticism (detect stuff, transport, dispel, raw magic stuff)
Restoration (healing, stat buff)
Alteration (shielding, transmutation, affect matter)
Conjuration (summon stuff and protection from planar stuff)

 

[DEFCON 1]

School are just categories of the types of spells. No different than the categories of the types of monsters. They exist because people like categories and categorizing things, so that we can more quickly guesstimate what things will do or how they will behave, and how we can react to them.

The decisions of how to categorize a group of things is really about usefulness and understanding... and the same holds true for spells. We have these 8 schools because a few types of spells have very specific methods and identities that can be lumped together so we can all learn quickly "these spells do THIS kind of thing"... and then the others ones can be put together into other somewhat arbitrary piles just to give them a place as well. And by doing so... we can see what spells fall into what schools and thus tell at a glance what the spell most likely can do.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I'm a fan of keywording abilities into groups so other abilities can work with or on them, but the D&D spell schools don't do a lot for me, especially identical twins, Evocation and Conjuration, and lazy catch-all Abjuration.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I'm a fan of keywording abilities into groups so other abilities can work with or on them, but the D&D spell schools don't do a lot for me, especially identical twins, Evocation and Conjuration, and lazy catch-all Abjuration.

how is the damage school and the summon a monster school similar?

abjuration does feel ad hock, blocking abilities are needed but need something to make them feel logical.

School are just categories of the types of spells. No different than the categories of the types of monsters. They exist because people like categories and categorizing things, so that we can more quickly guesstimate what things will do or how they will behave, and how we can react to them.

The decisions of how to categorize a group of things is really about usefulness and understanding... and the same holds true for spells. We have these 8 schools because a few types of spells have very specific methods and identities that can be lumped together so we can all learn quickly "these spells do THIS kind of thing"... and then the others ones can be put together into other somewhat arbitrary piles just to give them a place as well. And by doing so... we can see what spells fall into what schools and thus tell at a glance what the spell most likely can do.

that explains why we have them but they feel a bit poorly built.

My ideal spell schools would be:
White vs Dark
Elemental vs Entropy (fire/cold/etc vs acid/necro/poison)
Mesmer vs Dominion (enchantment and illusion vs Dominate/geas/psychic damage)
Creation vs Destruction (healing and augments vs raw damage/dispel magic)
Nomad vs Exile (mobility, speak with vs restraining/banishment)

Or, I always thought that the college from Elder Scrolls were pretty neat:
Destruction (damage magic)
Illusion (charm and stealth)
Mysticism (detect stuff, transport, dispel, raw magic stuff)
Restoration (healing, stat buff)
Alteration (shielding, transmutation, affect matter)
Conjuration (summon stuff and protection from planar stuff)

some of those feel like false dichotomies and the elder scrolls one is not an option but is a bit better than what we have now.

 

[Horwath]

Primal: force damage, raw magic, dispelling, enchanting with +X or force, telekinesis, flight, detecting, time control(slow, haste)
Elemental: control over elements and nature, acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder, poison damage, weather control,
Life: control over life and death, healing, resurrection, energy drain, radiant damage, necrotic damage
mind: enchantment, illusions
summoning: teleports, summons,
matter/creation: manipulation of matter, shapeshifting, creating real objects,

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

some of those feel like false dichotomies

One is not necessarily the opposite of the other. Its more ''the same type, but pushed to its darker edge''.

 

[Lojaan]

It would be cool if different schools had different VSM components or something. Like there was a clear system indicator when you cast a spell what school it belonged to. Like they felt different.

 

[Horwath]

It would be cool if different schools had different VSM components or something. Like there was a clear system indicator when you cast a spell what school it belonged to. Like they felt different.

I would rather see V/S/M and sensual effects described on each spell description.

I.E:
Fireball;
A moment after a mage forcefully chants few mystical words everyone around the mage for an instant feels a freezing sensation as a small glowing bead is formed in mages hand gathering energy from around itself. Mage launches the bead towards a target where it violently explodes with a bright flash and sizzling sound, burning everything and everyone in the blast radius.

 

[aco175]

I would rather see V/S/M and sensual effects described on each spell description.

I.E:
Fireball;
A moment after a mage forcefully chants few mystical words everyone around the mage for an instant feels a freezing sensation as a small glowing bead is formed in mages hand gathering energy from around itself. Mage launches the bead towards a target where it violently explodes with a bright flash and sizzling sound, burning everything and everyone in the blast radius.

A lot of people like to flavor descriptors themselves but I can see where a standard one helps new players. An evil mage may shoot a flaming skull that explodes or a good mage a charging unicorn. Mechanically they are the same though.