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"Any technology, sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke

Mr. Clarke's statement cuts the other way, as well. Any magic, sufficiently reliable, is indistinguishable from technology.

In the history of the real world, advances in technology caused changes in society. Better farming methods led to more efficient food production. More efficient food production led to greater free time. More free time led to more time for learning. More time for learning led to improvements in farming methods. And the cycle repeated, again and again.

If the ability to wield magic in the game world is simply a matter of sufficient training, and that magic behaves predictably, then it is functionally identical to technology and will likely have the same effect.

As a result, the level of magic available in the game will affect the society in many ways. The society of the historical middle ages was ruled by ignorance and superstition, with few able to receive an education. In a society where crops can be increased 50% on a dozen farms by 1 hour's labor of one person (a Druid casting plant growth), the increased free time would accelerate the learning curve.

Such a society would have the benefits of advanced technology without having to work through the early stages. While it is difficult to say how such a society would change, one of the things that can be said is that it would not look much like the medieval society that D&D is based on. The prevalent use of magic could leap-frog over the development of strong monarchies and feudal societies, for example, instead enabling more sophisticated forms of government (nation-states) to appear earlier.

Since Urath uses many real-world cultures and nations as inspiration, the philosophy regarding magic is to limit its use and influence. By keeping the magic level "low to middle", the world of Urath can maintain a medieval/feudal society without too many incongruities.

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