Why D&D Modernized Its Magic For A New Generation Of Fantasy

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is the oldest tabletop roleplaying game of sword and sorcery—emphasis on the sorcery. Because without magic, D&D wouldn’t be very exciting, unless you like wargaming the Battle of Agincourt while rolling constitution checks to not contract the plague.

- William Herkewitz

Magic, and its evolving rules, gives D&D its storytelling power, letting players’ minds wander beyond the real world. It makes sense that, in the game’s first edition, D&D creator Gary Gygax borrowed mythical races and monsters like Ents, Orcs, and the Balrog from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Gygax also modeled certain game mechanics after Jack Vance’s Dying Earth stories. Like Vance’s tales, Gygax’s magic was inherent, like gravity, but could only be summoned by text-bound formulas. It was also kind of clunky.

In Tolkien’s world, Gandalf’s magic might only need a whisper. But in D&D, before a “magic-user” could cast spells, players had to spend in-game hours committing them to memory from spellbooks.

In 1974, the first edition featured over 100 distinct and largely inflexible spells. Wielding them was like having an enchanted utility belt: Your arcane abilities were finite, preselected, and each good for one job. Once you spent your last spell, your character was defenseless fodder for orcs, goblins, and trolls.