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Low-Magic Campaign Experiment

the Jester

Legend
yennico said:
hmm no raise dead spell for clerics? Only resurrection.

My thinking on this is basically that I don't want raising the dead to be easy, but I don't want it to be virtually impossible either. Coupled with the limited spell selection, it seemed natural to drop TR and RD and keep resurrection only.
 

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Lobo Lurker

First Post
Well if you don't want to get rid of the spells entirely, why not double the cost of the material componants for both Raise Dead & Ressurection. But if you do that, then expect the pcs to seek out Druids for the Reincarnation spell. :confused:
 


Brain

First Post
I noticed something about the priest healing spells:

None of the mass versions of cures (only mass heal), and also no cure moderate at 2nd level.

Also, what is your vision of metamagic in this setting?
 

the Jester

Legend
Brain said:
I noticed something about the priest healing spells:

None of the mass versions of cures (only mass heal), and also no cure moderate at 2nd level.

Very 1e, eh? ;)

Also, what is your vision of metamagic in this setting?

You'll notice there are a lot of metamagic feats available, both in the standard list and in the class bonus lists (often the bonus lists have feats not available any other way). Also, metamagic doesn't slow down spontaneous casters here. Thus the spells that remain 'known' are easily tweaked- that stuff's fairly commonplace.

I basically want to increase the customization of each spell, and by (for instance) increasing the number of feats pcs get I'm hoping to see more metamagic. Also, item creation isn't as attractive of an option in this setting- it's an invitation to new adventures before you can make anything anyhow- so I expect to see more of a tendency towards metamagic and metacasting spells (eg. Mastery of Dispelling).
 

the Jester

Legend
The next bit:

Wilder Powers
1st level----2nd level----3rd level

Attraction----------Biofeedback-------------Body Adjustment
Detect Psionics-----Body Equilibrium---------Mental Barrier
Empty Mind---------Ego Whip---------------Mind Trap
Matter Agitation----Mass Missive-------------Psionic Blast
Mind Thrust---------Psionic Levitate---------Telekinetic Force
Sense Link----------Psionic Tongues---------Telekinetic Thrust

4th level----5th level----6th level
Correspond-------------------Adapt Body---------Co-opt Concentration
Intellect Fortress-------------Catapsi-------------Fuse Flesh
Mindwipe---------------------Leech Field---------Mass Cloud Mind
Personality Parasite-----------Power Resistance---Psionic Contingency
Psionic Freedom of Movement--Psychic Crush------Psionic Disintegrate
Telekinetic Maneuver----------Tower of Iron Will---Suspend Life

7th level----8th level----9th level
Decerebrate------------------Matter Manipulation-------Affinity Field
Insanity----------------------Psionic Mind Blank---------Apopsi
Personal Mind Blank-----------Recall Death--------------Microcosm
Psionic Moment of Prescience--True Metabolism----------Timeless Body
Psionic Phase Door
Ultrablast



Item Creation: Item creation is more difficult in the Year 271 Campaign. Many secrets of magic lore have been lost over the ages, and several item creation feats (Craft Rod, Craft Wand, Forge Ring and all psionic item creation feats) are not available at the start of the campaign. This makes magic wands, rings and rods, as well as all psionic items, especially precious, for they are not something that can be replaced. Furthermore, in order to use an item creation feat that she has to create a magic item, the character needs the formula and the ingredients for that item. Finally, the time required to craft a given magic item is doubled. However, the monetary cost is halved.

To create a magic item requires a specific process. The formula details this process of creating that item, including describing what ingredients are necessary. A character with the formula for a magic item knows how to create that item. However, before doing so she must first obtain the necessary ingredients.

Whenever a character takes an item creation feat, she learns the formulae for a number of magic items whose prerequisites she meets equal to her spellcasting attribute bonus. For example, if a 5th level wizard with an intelligence score of 18 takes the Brew Potion feat, she could choose how to brew four different types of potion, for example oil of mage armor and potions of comprehend languages, fox’s cunning and haste. She could not learn to brew a potion of cure moderate wounds, because she cannot cast that spell. (However, later on, through game play, characters can learn the formulae for items whose prerequisites they do not meet.)

The ingredients for various magic items will be set by the dm. In most cases they will be somewhat difficult to obtain, often requiring an adventure to acquire them. There will generally be one specific ‘difficult’ ingredient for an item for every 25,000 gp (or fraction thereof) of its market price. Sometimes the ingredient will be metaphysical, such as the blessings of a triton, and sometimes it will be physical, such as the hide of a displacer beast.

Character Wealth will not run along the same levels as assumed in the core rules. To begin with, in the Year 217 Campaign in the Barony of Kamenda, the value of a gold piece is sufficient to feed a peasant for a year. Likewise, characters start off with half the normal starting gold. Most people are very poor, and prices on most items are half the ‘standard’ book price. However, rare and unusual items, weapons, armor or anything unlikely to be in the hands of a peasant are all full price. Magic items will virtually never be found for sale, due to the difficulties involved in crafting them. Character wealth is therefore unlikely to follow the same standards as in a baseline 3.5 game.

Replacement Characters begin play one level lower than the dead character. If the dead character was within his level x 25 xp of going up a level, the new character starts off with enough xp to be at the halfway mark of the level; otherwise she begins at the bottom. Replacement characters roll half their starting gold as normal, then multiply by their starting level. In general, starting money cannot be spent on magic items.
 

monboesen

Explorer
When you restrict magic items/wealth you need to take a lot of care to keep non-casters viable as anything else than meatshields. That will be a problem even with the reduced spell lists.

The more "magic" enemies the players face the greater this problem gets.

IMO scarse/low magic works best if spells are either inherently dangerous (taint, backlash etc.) or if casters are required to take non-caster levels in some proportion.

For instance Wizard could be a prestige class that requires 6 ranks of Knowledge (arcane) and Spellcraft. Or you can flat out rule that only half your levels can be in the same caster class.

These at least are issues that have cropped up in my scarce/low magic game.
 


Brain

First Post
Brain said:
Yeah. Not in a good way though :\ Clerics were a pain in the ass to play in 1e. I like the way its done in 3e, personally.
That came off a bit harsh, sorry about that.

The gap between Cure Light and Cure Serious is a rough time though. In 1e, Cure Moderate didn't exist, while in this one, it exists but just isn't on the list. I think it should be there at 2nd level.

As far as the mass ones, those are less important. Perhaps the Mass spell metamagic feat that you've got could be available?
 

RandomPrecision

First Post
Seems well-thought-out. I've considered low-magic worlds before, but I was merely going to reduce numerical effects of spells - a die less here, a penalty to save DC here, maybe shave off some spells per day.

And while I like you method quite a bit more, since it gives flavor instead of my few negative numbers, I suppose my system is more adaptable - I was going to have a dynamic magic system, where magic essentially dies. I could just stack more penalties to gradually weaken magic.

I never did end up using this system though, largely because the adventure probably would have severely irked the magic users in the party, even though the objective of the adventure would have eventually been to restore magic.
 

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