Abracadabra

Roleplaying games have ruined magic users.

When you look at sorcerers in the past, you see wizened old men, advisors to the king, or plotting their plots. Their spells were perhaps a change self, or charm person. They could predict the future or curse someone in the present, but the hallmark of spells was the subtlety.

And then D&D came around. Suddenly magic users were wizened old men who could wave their hand and blow up an army. Magic users became buff.

Fireballs are probably the least magical part of magic, the least exciting. They lack tradition. However, I wanted to start out with destructive spells because a) that's the image a lot of people have when they think magic-user, and b) a lot of these ideas are probably relevant to not just fireball and lightning bolt, but also invisibility and Leomund's tiny hut. I mean, some spells are written to cause extra havoc, but there's going to be some overhead to any spell.

"You stand there with these powers that can hurt us and twist us, and you wonder why we're afraid.... We're supposed to obey the laws, and treat you nicely. But those same laws don't apply to you. You don't have to be nice to gnats. Not with all your power."

This quote from Ace in the Hole was about superpowers, but it could equally apply to magic. Magicians, especially high-level ones, have the ability to kill with a wave of their hand. In a world where magic can backfire with a critical failure, people may not want to live next to the kindly old man.

And there's no "I'm a magician" T-shirt. There are enough conmen in today's world that prey on the stupidity of their fellow man (Jon Edward, anyone)? Imagine the fertile field that lies ahead if magic actually exists? The aforementioned DMG says that people know about magic, but not enough to actually cast a detect magic or know the difference between real magic and slight of hand.

And another segueway (not segway, although those things look magical in themselves, assuming there's a Dork college school), I want to talk about Magic Missiles. Fighters start out with 10 HP, assuming that their constitution is average. Thieves have boat load of skill points. Magic users are fairly wimpy, not that skilled. But they have a spell. I can imagine the fledgling mage leafing through spells. "Identify is cool. Charm person and hypnotism would be fun at parties. But what happens if I get in a fight? Ah, Magic Missile. 1d4+1 points of damage, automatic hit." No longer does the magician need to think his/her way out of a situation, to come up with creative uses of the spells. Magic Missile is the hammer to the nails of the world (need I mention "I Magic Missile the darkness"). And worse, Magic Missile is the gateway spell to this type of gaming, a world of fireballs and cone of colds (and don't forget those cause serious wounds and flame strike for the clerics in the group).

So anyway, you have these first level adventurers, who probably are equivalent to college students, armed with Magic Missiles. Commoners have 1d4 hit points at first level. Magic Missile does 1d4+1 hit points of damage. You can do the math. That is a killing-level spell, right at first level. It's the equivalent of walking around with a loaded 32mm pistol, except there will be no innocent bystanders because these pistols never miss. Brushing aside any politics on gun control or 4th amendment rights, we're talking about a nightmare for police. And anyone who's lived in a college town knows the conflict between townies and the college.

The comparison to gun control is apt in another way - concealment. Imagine the typical mid-sized airport, with guards pulling one out of ten people for close inspection, everyone queued through huge metal detectors, item after item of carry-on luggage going to X-ray machines. And ten add magic. List of suspect material multiplies to ridiculous lengths. "Guard, he's got a tiny ball of bat guano! Take him down!" And it's not just the airports, either. Weapon checks, used by modules across the world to disarm fighters, seem out of place in a world where a well-placed spell can clear the room.

And this is where we run into a great equalizer. Magic defeats magic. One fireball can be neutralized by a dispel magic field, one necklace of stars can be identified by a detect magic, one magician's motives can be discovered by a charm person spell. Everything is good, assuming that a nation's magical resources can outstrip an individual's ingenuity. A few facts to consider:

1. Do all nations have access to magic? In AD&D they do, because nations without magic won't last long. Ten sorcerers, casting 3 fireballs each, can cover a battlefield of 400 square feet, times 30 = 12000 square feet, or a quarter of an acre. That alone could take out a small army. But, this means that all nations will do research. They'll know what spells can do what. To use the above example, troops will travel in loose formation, so if a Fireball comes, it won't destroy the whole formation. And, firepower isn't the only way to influence nations. A cone of cold can wipe out a swatch of crops. A lightening bolt can be cheap power or a signaling device.

2. Does magic spread evenly? Again, in AD&D, they do. Anyone with a higher than average intelligence and a yen for dusty books can become an apprentice.

3. Does the "nation" exist? Is the population such that big cities are a possibility? Yes. Sort of. You have the big bustling cities, although they are unusual. For each Greyhawk you have several dozen hamlets. The DMG says that everyone has had some exposure to magic, but will magicians want to be hired by the local garrison? In a more advanced world, you could have magicians hired by the federal government.

Postscript: since this is about spells, how about a new spell.

Spell Name: Lightening, Greased.
Components: V, S, M
Casting time: 1 standard action
Duration: Instantaneous
Range: 100 feet
Description: You release a powerful stroke of electrical energy that does 1d6 points of damage per caster level to every creature within its area. It also acts as a haste spell to all inanimate objects within its area for 1 round/level, or when the object passes a finish line, whichever comes first.
Material component: a bit of fur, a glass rod, and four backup singers.