These days, more and more, it seems like magic in dungeons and dragons has become far too commonplace. How often have you heard someone say, in response to one of their teammates having fallen dead, “Well, we’ll just raise him in the next city.” True, technically you can do that, and it is only natural for players to eventually see the process as being routine, but let’s not forget exactly what you are doing here. You are bringing back the dead, tearing their souls from eternal rest and restoring it to its slain body. Somehow, I think the effect should be a little more than being put out five thousand gold pieces.

A very good dungeon master that I once played with had a way of making magic more impressive, by showing it as being a ceremonial art. Sure, the magic system was no different, but the effect was so much more impressive. He managed this mostly by changing how off-screen magic was displayed to us. For example, in one case we had to rescue a war hero, who had been taken captive by a wizard. When we found him, he was chained, and we needed to find a way to free him. But instead of looking for a key to unlock the shackles, or something with a similar effect, this particular wizard used corresponding magic, and bound the shackles together with a clay seal that we needed to shatter. This had the same effect as using a magic lock, but it gave the world we were in a much more unique feel to it. Anyone can use this same style, look into legends of fairies and try to find a way to add that sense of mystery and horror to your game. Trust me, your players will love it.

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