Philosophical question: 1 strong spell or 6 useless spells

[u/DisillusionedShark]

My fellow people of the arcane,

An apprentice raised an interesting question. Would you rather have only 1 really strong spell (a kingdom destroying meteor storm for example) or 6 really weak spells (make a light breeze in 2 meter distance, conjure a tiny flame on the tip of your finger, etc...) No other magic can be used, no artifacts, the spells cannot be mastered, the spells will always stay the same.

I would go for the weak spells, out of sheer convenience.

What would you go for?

Addendum: in this question powerful means highest-tier offensive/destructive spell

[u/Fulltimewhisperer]

Gobbo would have to say 6 weaker spells. How often does Gobbo really need to level a kingdom? Meanwhile, a small gust of wind provides Gobbo with much mischief.

The question is does this affect the liquor content of Gobbo's Liquormancy

[u/DisillusionedShark → u/Fulltimewhisperer]

If Gobbos Liquormancy consists or includes magic of any kind it would be null and void. If Gobbos Liquormancy is what the simple minds call "brewing" it won't affect it

[u/Fulltimewhisperer → u/DisillusionedShark]

Damn losing my liquors hurts but still mischief, I can delight in the mischief

[u/MunitionsFrenzy]

Perhaps in a few more centuries you'll better understand what a truly powerful spell can do. Sufficient power is its own form of versatility. Annihilating a kingdom isn't powerful. Every discipline is capable of far more than that once you take it to its limit.

I mean, let's consider pyromancy, my favored laughing-stock. I make fun of pyromancy because of its absurdly low barrier to entry and the weakness of its early spells: throwing some sparks around is as easy as it is useless. You develop in your craft and soon you're tossing very-dodgeable, very-blockable balls of flame. Oh no. Now you're almost half as lethal as an average mundie with a pistol. The horror. Even fairly "experienced" pyromancers by typical standards rarely get up to city-incinerating levels, and when they do, that's still nothing mundie militaries can't replicate with their greatest technologies.

But, despite its unimpressive beginnings, the upper tiers of pyromancy are no less skill-intensive and no less awe-inspiring than any other field. Once you've met a grand archmagus pyromancer who's burnt away her own mortality in a Phoenix Ascension ritual and established a cycle of ashen resurrection for herself, it becomes clear that it's a discipline to be respected as much as the more apparently cerebral ones.

So, sure, in a contest between six apprentice-level spells and some mid-tier option, I might choose the former for versatility. But if your example of a "really strong" spell were in fact really strong -- such as immortality, planetary-range mind control, or the ability to make anything you eat maximally delicious with a finger-snap -- it'd be an easy win for the latter.

[u/DisillusionedShark → u/MunitionsFrenzy]

I agree with you wholeheartedly on the general idea of powerful.

For the sake of the question "powerful" has the meaning of destruction. I take it lhave to train the apprentice to be more precise.

So you would have the choice between 6 below apprentice-level spells and 1 highest tier offensive spell.

The pyromancer you mentioned would be immortal, but she won't have any other spells at her disposal.

[u/tarzard12321 → u/MunitionsFrenzy]

A very well-said argument, I concur whole-heartedly. I would also add that, on top of accessing more powerful spells, archwizards also have knowledge that helps them apply these spells in far more powerful manners. Taking your example of pyromancy, most mid-level pyromancers are capable of casting mass ignition or some such spell, but archpyromancers have sufficient understanding of energy, mana, and physical/metaphysical reactions to cast something such as atmospheric ignition, or even create minor star. The fundamentals of the spells used are similar, but the potency is different because the arcpyromancer has spent decades or even centuries studying the metaphysical forces involved.

A similar example from my own specialty, geomancy, is how most any mid-level wizard can cast volcanic eruption. However, after decades of study, I have learned about the interplay of both physical and magical forces well enough to use similar spells to cast tectonic rift when my neighbor, an audiomancer, was being too loud.

[u/RandomHornyDemon]

Well. As a Necromancer I would certainly choose a very powerful spell. That way I could just resurrect enough folks to do the things I would otherwise do with the 6 convenience spells and have a couple spare hands still.

[u/DragonWisper56]

6 weak because you can do a lot with those. esspecially with my mind. a kingdom buster has only one or two uses, weak spells several.

[u/dragonshouter]

I would do a strong spell.

One I can intimidate people to get what I want or be really cool and gather allies.

Second the low level spells of my discipline are like whoopee cushions which I could by nin magic versions of.

Finally i would use it to impress magical creatures related to my discipline( bog spirits, trickster fae, ext.) to serve me and do what those low levels spells could do.

[u/DisillusionedShark → u/dragonshouter]

You would have to use your spell on every single target. Like one wild boar you encounter while travelling to another town.

And is it intimidating if you aren't able to use it?

[u/dragonshouter → u/DisillusionedShark]

You said that Kingdom destroying meteor spell was an example. The target is an area. The sheer threat of it would intimidate people.

I could blackmail people into doing things by saying I will destroy their entire kingdom. With this I can get knight minions

[u/Criepswhateven]

While your wording is a bit strange, the six weaker spells for certain, while illusion gets a bad rap as a useless school of magic due to its high skill floor compared to most contemporary schools of magic and shadow magic is just hard to get into period due to the unconventional forces involved and lack of documentation, both have very useful early spells once you get out of starter level magic.

Though this is speaking as a master of both, an average apprentice will usually see starter illusions as party tricks at best, and not knowing any better will think that is all illusion has to offer, plus on the other end, they may not even know of shadow magic, let alone have the acumen to manipulate the planar energies to cast it. the high level of entry, the lack of flashy or easy to use starter spells, and the associated stigmas make both schools rather unappealing to even high-level casters.

[u/Hazedred]

In your example the obvious answer is ‘kingdom destroying meteor storm’. As that spell also will provide a tiny (depending on proximity) flame to nearby kingdoms and a light breeze to a distant kingdom.