Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM
Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0003-0763-7525
Country
Czechia
Abstract
This article analyzes the magical system of Dungeons and Dragons 5 edition in the context of an idea of the enchanted world, highlighting controversial relationships between this concept and the rules of the game. On the one hand, D&D’s magic constantly borrows the imagery and ideas from different texts that follow the logic of enchanted world, starting with the idea of magic itself and ending with particular spells being grounded in the fundamental traits of enchanted world like ubiquitous of liminality and the anxiety about agency. On the other hand, broader logic of D&D’s rules inadvertently influences the way those spells function accordingly, making them more aligned with disenchanted logic of modernity. This combination of superficial fidelity and procedural reimagining make the magic system of D&D a perfect example of naturalization of modernity as the only possible worldview.
Recommended Citation
Moyzhes, Leonid
(2025)
"Of modern monsters and scientific magic: the design challenges of simulating an enchanted world in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition,"
Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM: Vol. 4:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/jrpssteam/vol4/iss1/3
