Quote:
Originally Posted by Kromm
You know, it doesn't actually matter what spells or even what magic systems exist in the setting. What matters is what the GM permits PCs to learn, which is a personal decision at each gaming table. The mere existence of weird-and-wonderful magic needn't affect the setting at all if it isn't widely taught and used. Doubtless there are guild secrets, stuff researched by loner wizards in towers, stuff guarded by the dark elves, etc., but those amount to plot devices.
I've never understood the logic, "Well, if it exists then the genie is out of the bottle and everybody will do it." It's completely possible for hundreds of potent spells to be the one-off tricks of selfish people, and die with their discoverers. The basic magic system doesn't even require written grimoires . . . some weird theory in the mind of one person might never be reproduced.
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I have to agree with Kromm here on this in that "what the GM allows" is the route many GM's did end up going. A fair number of the "healing spells" from GRIMOIRE made it into my games, but not Earth to Metal. In my current 4e games, the Essential Wood spell never made it into the campaigns. As for the "Rain of" spells - those were kept out as well.
I did experiment with the Terrain spells in an "Atlantean" campaign, but found the ability to transport entire regions of physical space for the energy costs (again, going by recollection here) made the full use of that particular spell forbidden in subsequent campaigns.
On a seeming seque...
GCA creator Armin deserves a LOT of Kudos for the work he had done with GURPS MAGIC and GCA. I remember thinking how neat it would be to re-arrange all of the prerequisites for spells by use of GCA such that, for example - Suspend Mana was a prerequisite for Drain Mana.
Ultimately? With over 800+ spells versus 400+ and prior to that less than 200 spells - things can get a wee bit different with each iteration of spell knowledge increase.