In D&D 3rd and 5th edition, many spells have variants that begin with the words "Lesser", "Greater", or "Improved" attached to the name of the basic variant of the spell. Some other less common words are "Minor", "Major", and in Pathfinder, "Communal".
I've always thought that was cool and interesting.
But I don't think I played any other roleplaying game that used these terms; nor any such video game that predates D&D 3.0. I also didn't see these words in fantasy books or in real life.
In fact, these spell names are probably where I see the word "lesser" the most in all English.
Did the template of names like "Lesser (something)" and "Greater (something)" originate with D&D 3, or is it older?
Best Answer
Lesser and Greater first appeared in the usage you describe in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition
While the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1st Edition) Players Handbook (1978) had spells such as Monster Summoning I to VII, the terms "Lesser" and "Greater" were not used. The Illusionist class had the spells Improved Invisibility and Improved Phantasmal Force which were, as it says, improved versions of the unimproved spells. Oriental Adventures (1985) had the spells Commune with Lesser Spirit and Commune with Greater Spirit but these were one-offs and not the systematic usage you describe.
The first usage of Lesser and Greater in a sort of systematic way is with 2nd edition supplemental material (not necessarily complete):
However, the full-blown systematic usage did not occur until Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook: Core Rulebook I in 2000. This is very much in keeping with the ethos of 3rd edition which tried to standardise and systematise many of the mechanics.