Heal vs. Raise Dead - Wrong levels?

[Halaster Blackcloak]

I found something the other day that I'd forgotten. My games have been a hybrid of 1E and 2E for so long that sometimes I lose track of the differences.

In 1E, both raise dead and heal are 6th level spells. In 2E, raise dead became a 5th level spell while heal remained 6th level.

I'm thinking that's a bit backwards. I can see the need to allow access to a spell that can bring back the dead a little earlier on. At those mid levels, things can get pretty dangerous. However, it seems to me that a spell that can literally raise the dead should be higher level than one that simply wipes out physical injury. I've been considering changing that around.

Not sure it makes sense in 1E to have them both the same level either.

How does everyone else see this?

[Mira]

Are you sure Raise Dead isn't 5th in 1E? (I can't locate my 1E PHB or DMG, it's ticking me off)

In the OSRIC rules (based on 1E) it's 5th. I always thought it was that way in all editions.

And yes, I'm fine with it being 5th and Heal being 6th. Raise Dead does have that -1 Con each time. (I think that's in 1E, OSRIC isn't showing it, but I remember having to deal with it) I know that eventually, (for some characters) we would have to resort to Reincarnate and Limited Wish (so they would return as the proper race) to raise people, after they failed a system shock roll. We had ruled that once you failed one roll, you could never be raised by that spell or Resurection again, so Wish or the Reincarnate/Limited Wish was the only other option.

Mira (Stalin's grave was a communist plot.)

[Halaster Blackcloak]

Ooops! You're right, it is 5th in 1E. I hate how they barely differentiate the levels in 1E. The print is so small.

Well that makes more sense that it would be the same in both editions.

However, I'm still sorta mixed in feeling over the levels. Seems to me that it would take more potent magic to raise the dead than to heal injuries.

[Mira]

Keep in mind that Heal does FAR more than just heal injuries. It cures a LOT of conditions, including insanity. It's much more than just an improved Cure Wounds spell

Mira (Too busy to laugh? Then you are too busy.)

[Halaster Blackcloak]

True, it's pretty much a cure all that goes far beyond the usual cure spells. Still, it just seems to me that raising the dead would be the highest level of magic, or at least higher than powerful healing.

Speaking of which, am I hallucinating, or was there a spell called miracle somewhere in either 1E or OD&D? It was basically a clerical wish.

[slade88green]

I don't see it in 1st ed, not sure about OD&D, but there is a miracle spell in 3rd ed and up. It is the cleric version of wish and in those editions is a 9th level cleric spell.

[Mira]

No, there never was such a thing in 1E. Mages were the only ones to have 8th or 9th level spells, all others stopped at 7th.

Mira (Never count your chickens before they rip your lips off.)