Help me establish a low magic setting

bloodymage · Oct 8, 2002

I could use some help on the online "The Ababis Liberation" campaign I'm running as an AGM. I'm playing a gnome thief/mage in the companion campaign "Fate is a Falcon Lamed" under modified Exalted rules. The world is a low magic world. My gnome, equivalent to 1st, maybe 2nd level, knows two spells! Spells in this system can be cast with emotional triggers or material components. My gnome doesn't know the material component needed to cast one of his spells so can only trigger it with the appropriate emotion. Divine casters are similarly limited.

OK. On my side of the world, we're running 3e. I've restricted the major arcane casting class to sorcerer to mimic the GM's "mage" on his side. Now I need to limit the level of magic for all classes on my side of the mountains. I can't have fireworks on my side with only fizzles from the GMs side!

I've indicated on the site that I'm not going to limit a caster's abilities or capacities, just his available resources. Is this enough? Should I do somthing different? And since I've decided to accept the feats mechanic (the game site hasn't been changed to reflect this yet, along with some other things), I think I need to address Item Creation and Metamagic feats. How should I work that?

The website for the campaign is in my sig.

bloodymage · Oct 9, 2002

How about this? Limit number of known spells as indicated on the website. Scribe Scroll at 1st level. Brew Potion at 6th level. One feat "Research Magic" available at 12th level. All metamagic and item creation would be subsumed under this feat. Metamagic would be virtually eliminated except as applies to individual spell research. Sorcerer gains the BAB and hp progression of the rogue.

maddman75 · Oct 9, 2002

One of the best houserules I've heard to create a low magic world is this - simply state that no character can have more than half of their levels in wizard, sorcerer, cleric, or druid. This keeps the magic in, but also keeps it low level. You might have a ftr5/clr5, or sor4/rog6, or even sorc5/wiz5. But at tenth level the best you can hope for is third level spells. It also means you'd need to be 18th level before bringing back the dead or teleporting is even a possibility. It also has the elegance that you don't have to rework the entire system. At the most, maybe ban a couple of the flashier spells.

Credit to ColonelHardisson for this one.

threefallentrees · Oct 9, 2002

Having looked at your webpage, I notice you have an experience cost for spellcasters to level.

While I don't like this mechanic, I have a suggestion to clean it up:

"To gain a level in a class that increases your caster level, you must pay 100xp per caster level gained. Half-caster levels, like those of the ranger and paladin classes, cost 50xp."

This replicates (almost) your system(I think; that thing about the costs increasing per level isn't clear; does the added cost ramp up, or only the total?), but without screwing up the level progression and making experience patterns look strange for multiclasses. It does have the effect that a 3rd level ranger pays 200xp at one shot to get that fourth level of ranger, with its two caster levels, though.

Help me establish a low magic setting

bloodymage

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bloodymage

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maddman75

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threefallentrees

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