The official D&D YouTube channel released over 45 minutes of an interview with Larian Studios' CEO Swen Vincke. The main focus was on Baldur's Gate 3, which recently came out on PS5.

Swen Vincke talked about a D&D spell that they really wanted to include in the game but couldn't because it would "double the game's size".

In the interview, when asked what he would like to add to the game and the challenges faced, he quickly said, 

We wanted to add Dispel Magic. We planned on it for a while, but it got too complex due to the game's extensive magic. We kept wondering, 'What if I use Dispel Magic?'. It became overwhelming, and that's why it's not in the game. There are traces in the game that show we anticipated and wanted to do it, but it was too much. Literally, to properly support this one spell, we'd have to double the game's size.

For those unfamiliar with the magic of Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, Dispel Magic is like Counterspell, but it's used after the fact. Meaning, while Counterspell is immediate, Dispel can be used on a magic effect that's been on a target for some time.

BG3Image credit: YouTube

The term "magic effect" in D&D 5e spells is significant. The definition of a "spell" includes any spell. Any spell affecting a creature, object, or magic effect ends. But many Dungeon Masters tend to give some flexibility on this. They don't always want to invent a new spell every time there's a magic barrier.

With that in mind, while Counterspell works only on spells, Dispel Magic can, for example, extinguish a magic light. Its use cases go beyond its "faster cousin," making its addition to the game a major technical and narrative challenge.

In the game, you can still find traces of our attempts to implement it. We truly anticipated 'Dispel Magic' and wanted to add it. But it was too much for us. It would have literally doubled the game's size just to support this one spell properly.

Main image: YouTube

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