In The Strategic Review, Vol.2, No. 2, Gary Gygax explains the Magic System and a little more regarding the design of the game in an article titled "The Dungeons & Dragons Magic System". In the opening paragraph he notes that the game was designed with the underworld adventure, the dungeon as the major factor in game play. He states wilderness adventure took a secondary role and tabletop battles, in which player characters took part, assumed a very minor role. This decision, to emphasize the dungeon experience, helped dictate how magic would work in the game.
Mr. Gygax describes the four basic types of magic as ritual, short spoken spells, ultra-powerful magic, and weak magic. He gives literary reference for each type of magic. The ritual type, involving lengthy conjuration and much paraphernalia, he ascribes to the works of R.E. Howard and Wm. Shakespear (Macbeth). The short spoken spell he credits to Finnish folklore tradition (Kalevala) and author Jack Vance (Vancian magic). The ultra-powerful magic he describes as typical of the Harold Shea stories of deCamp & Pratt. The weak and generally ineffective magic he associates with works by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Mr. Gygax indicates that his desire was for magic to be an integral part of the game and therefore the magic user should not be overshadowed by the fighting men. Magic could not be time consuming nor ineffective, so the ritual and weak and ineffective types were deemed unsuitable for the game. It was therefore decided to make magic effective and fairly powerful, when used effectively, and rather quick so that it was effective in combat. The so-called Vancian system seemed to balance potential power with a spoken spell that could be cast (thrown) quickly, yet remained scale-able.
Magic in the game is designed around four distinct components, the verbal or uttered, the somatic, or physical movement required, the mental aspect (mnemonics) and the material adjuncts. Much of this "theory" of magic can be related to the Harold Shea stories where the main characters discuss the nature of magic among themselves. Mr. Gygax expounds on this "theory" of magic as including the effects of altering substances, creating new material, changing certain aspects of mind or body, the addition of new functions to mind or body, the summoning and commanding of existing entities, and finally the creation of new entities. The "spells" were then created using this system of organization with both strong and weak examples of each so that spell levels might be used to balance the magic using classes with the non-magic users. Mr. Gygax notes that many spells were developed with dungeon delving and wilderness adventure in mind. A few, mostly those carried over from Chainmail, were included with tabletop battle in mind. According to Mr. Gygax all spells were designed so as to be spoken, most with a small somatic component, and many had a material component as well. These component descriptions would not appear until the Advanced game, but were assumed in White Box. All spells were mnemonic in that they had to be memorized and once cast were lost to memory requiring the consultation of spell books in order to be re-memorized.
The idea, according to Mr. Gygax, was for magic users to be balanced with all other character classes, but due to various factors including magic items usable by magic users only and various misunderstandings on the part of many players, perhaps due to the game itself not fully explaining the rules for magic, that often was not the case according to the author. He states the principle problem was one of not understanding the limits of single usage for memorized spells and scrolls. Once cast, those spells are unavailable until further preparation (consulting the spell books and re-memorizing the spell or inscribing a new scroll respectively) is undergone.
Mr. Gygax takes the opportunity afforded in the article to remind readers, especially referees, that magic should be balanced with regard to other character classes and the game should not be allowed to "degenerate' into a magic user show. He talks about progressing at a slow pace with regards to PC leveling and of limiting spells to 10th level. He mentions it was always the intent for players to take the game beyond the rules with regard to inventing new spells and magic, new character classes and new worlds, but cautions that at some point the game may cease to resemble to original intent of the author(s) - that being a game for relatively low-level dungeon and wilderness exploration and maybe some tabletop battle gaming.
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