Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Ocule Sep 17, 2014 20:06:02	So i was seeing some people asking about running low magic games or just having a different flavor to the level of magic or technology available in a campaign world. With the new mechanics i think this edition accomodates this extremely well with minimal system tinkering depending on the world you wanted to run. So some of the questions or demands ive seen are as follows:   How can I run a low magic game where magic is something rare to be covetted or is wondrous to behold? (Like in Lord of the Rings) Well the answer is simple really, this is mostly an issue of campaign flavor and how magic is represented throughout the world. You can do this simply by making arcane universities and the like disapear. Now magic is reserved only for those lucky enough to be part of esoteric groups, orders, cabals, etc. Big bad's or wise npcs your players visit are the only ones with any real magical ability, when they do encounter spellcasters they are usually very powerful. This lets you keep system tinkering down to a minimum when you are designing your world. For a grittier less heroic game increasing the amount of experience needed to level can also be away to keep magical effects lower and supernatural powers more in line. You could cap the game out at level 5 or 6 for a certain adventure keeping them at tier 1 play. Alternatively allowing only full casters saying it is a full time profession or only half casters can also achieve this effect like eldritch knights, arcane tricksters and paladins.       2. What about a setting like westeros where magic is extremely rare and more of a plot device? Here is where you start needing to tinker with the system a little bit only minor ones though. I think if i were to run a game in Westeros or a setting like it i would start be restricting all spellcasting classes. Allowing the Ritual Caster feat for characters trained in Arcana or Religion would let them have access to ritual magic would keep that occult feel to the magics available but i would probably add the ritual tag to more spells or homebrew ritual spells all together. Consider dropping the price of healing potions and encouraging specializing in medicine for mechanical purposes.     3. I want magic to be feared/dangerous/taboo! Again this is mostly a campaign flavor thing. If magic is rare then people will fear it or maybe there are taboos against it like in darksun or ravenloft campaign settings. Alternatively you can make it feared for a reason maybe it was abused by tyrants or criminals, maybe the local pantheon doesnt agree with it or maybe there is a legitimate reason for it. One idea ive toyed with is restricting the casting class to the Warlock for your arcane caster that in this world maybe your magic must come from a pact youve made of some kind. Of course this could also just be fluff. The warlock has 3 possible pact patrons they can choose being Fae, Infernal, or some unknowable entity from beyond as well as emphasizing ritual casting if they choose to engage in it. This is plenty reason to be considered taboo, divine casters could be in the same boat since they use a medium of divine beings. Maybe wild magic applies to everyone and the table isnt so... friendly so its just unpredictable. Finally if you want something like blood magic from dragon age introducing it as a feat would probably be best giving them access to special blood magic only spells.     4. What about allowing full spellcasting but only allowing spells up to 3rd level Ive seen this one once before, please for the love of the game do not do this. It seems like a good idea at first but the non spellcasters will leave your casters in the dust when they keep growing but your spellcasters stop growing. Magic defines their character if you are considering this route then using the idea from number 1 is probably your best bet and just restricting character levels to 6 and increasing the amount of exp it takes to level. Just multiply the experience chart by 2 or 3 or 4 even.     4. What if i dont want to run a medieval fantasy? This one is pretty easy, just make sure to restrict the type of items that were available to a certain civilization. Ie bronze age didnt have greatswords if everyone is on the same tech level there really is no need for mechanical changes. Im sure rules will be released later, it was easier to sunder items or the like but this is purely just setting doesnt require many houserules.     Anyway, comments, questions, ideas? These are just random musings of mine im no expert so
#2 LongTimeLurker Sep 18, 2014 18:13:54	An interesting flip side to this is the magic rich world, where low level spell casting is everywhere; though few achieve high levels of magic. ​ ​Imagine the ramifications of a society that has replaced it's agriculture via create food or goodberry, and the effects of targeting the enemy's alternate food delivery system. ​ ​What about a society that is able to rely upon divination spells to determine the "best" course of action? A ruling class that makes community decisions based on Augury, for example. ​ ​A police force that interrogates everybody under a zone of truth spell? A major crime has been committed? Mandatory interviews for the entire community. Particularly in a Lawful Evil society. They may also make use of charm person and suggestion to keep the populace in line. ​ ​Spells and cantrips like Unseen Servant, Mending, Light, Produce Flame, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, and Prestidigitation; if wide spread in use they could have significant impacts on the day to day activities of a group, even affecting job availability. Who needs chefs when Create Food followed by Prestidigitation can make your meal taste like anything you desire? ​ ​Some potentially interesting ways to establish the ramifications of a community having widespread access to a select and small group of spells.
#3 Ocule Sep 20, 2014 9:56:30	Yeah, i think eberron does have a pretty good depiction of how a  magic rich world would operate or at least has some good ideas. The lightning rail, airships, sky motes and such. Low level magic is extremely common and saturates the setting and enchanted items are the equivilent of our technology but high level magic is exceptionally rare. It also introduces problems all of its own for a world, like how does it effect armies and security personel. Since wizards can lay waste to armies at higher levels if its common, maybe all soldiers and police are required to have at least basic training in magical technology and its use. Warfare is probably done with magic in mind and not conventional ancient warfare (lining up in front of each other and charging) or maybe it is with defensive magic support. Most importantly is the role of high magic in society i would think that with D&D style magic those with the most powerful magic would probably rule as a form of Magocracy. Kind of like the Tevinter Imperium in dragon age. If magic is so common maybe there are also social taboos regarding its use or laws governing what types of magic are allowed to be practiced. Like you cant reach across to the world of the dead, you cant read anothers mind or enthrall another person. Such crimes might be dealt with harshly.
#4 Llenlleawg Sep 20, 2014 13:43:50	Ravenloft, by contrast, is a good example of a "low magic, high supernatural" world. That is, this is a world with a lot of supernatural elements (undead, lycanthropy, curses, etc.), but most of the populace has little to no experience with spellcasting. Indeed, many communities in Ravenloft are (rightly) fearful of arcane magic and those who practice it, and depending on the local attitude, even divine casters might need to be careful, either for being lumped in with practitioners of witchcraft, or for worshipping false or forbidden gods. Even apart from some of the alterations of magic in that setting (limits on divinaton and planar travel, increased power to necromancy, negative consequences for "dark" magic, etc.), the social dynamic makes public use of magic an uncommon, or even rare thing. It certainly means that academies of magic are mostly unknown except in a few domains, magic items are (or should be) relatively rare, finding an NPC to cast a useful/necessary spell cannot be relied upon, etc. In short, you don't really need to change the mechanics of 5e to get this kind of low magic world.   At the same time, at least some of the domains of dread have a higher technology than is standard (e.g. the presence of pistols and muskets, or very early kinds of science [think the novel Frankenstein, not steampunk]), but there's not much you need to do here rulewise.
#5 BuddhaKai Sep 20, 2014 23:43:40	Huh.  I was considering limiting spell levels to 3rd, but I think you swayed me otherwise.  My idea was to have arcane, or maybe even divine, casters stop receiving spells per level after 3rd, but still allow them to find higher level spells or scrolls in ruins or by visiting their mentor.   I was concidering the "mage guild/college" trope, but I also want that feel of not everyone is a caster.  Maybe there is no college or guild, and only nobles or like people can afford the prices for a dedicated arcane tutor.   I don't know how I feel about limiting levels to 6th though.  I wouldn't mind increasing the XP limits to next level, as 5e scales a bit too fast for me.   If I wanted to go with a Conan type setting, which "comandments" would you suggest?
#6 NoNeedForNames Sep 21, 2014 19:31:38	In Wartorn Lands, my homegrown world, magic exist, but...   There has been war raging for centuries, so most magic items are either lost, or controlled by the few, but very mighty, rulers.    Potions and scrolls are in very short supply, as nobody really makes flasks and parchment anymore. It is still possible to find them, but you'll have to consider the risks.    There are a lot of spellcasters on the other hand, but they struggle with learning high-level spells as it's hard to gain a master's trust unless you're willing to sign up for the army.    Player characters start as refugees, so they have old hand-me-downs, as weapons, and will not have access to most equipment listed in the PH until they've been around for a few levels. My players love this, as they are either bored with high-magic worlds, or lovers of Songs of Ice and Fire, and other low-magic worlds.    Of course, the monsters and NPC's are scaled a bit, so the lack of magic items isn't felt that hard, but it is felt.
#7 Ocule Sep 21, 2014 20:15:17	BuddhaKai wrote: