Wulf Ratbane
Adventurer
Gothmog said:Very good points. Low magic games do tend to be much more character oriented, and IME the players have had to think much more and use sound tactics to overcome odds rather than blowing through it with obscene amounts of magic. Characters rely on their skills and knowledge, not on their nifty magical gizmos. And you are right in that without some sort of modification to the core system, low magic games with the normal D&D classes simply fall apart fairly quickly.
Excellent analysis.
By contrast, "high magic" means that players do not have to think. They will have a magic item or spell to solve every problem-- even death!-- and if they don't, they can just nip down to the corner and buy one. Skills are meaningless, as there is a spell that can do anything you can do better, easier, or quicker.
There is no fear of the unknown (divination).
There is no moral uncertainty (commune).
There are no arduous journeys (teleporation).
There is no heroic sacrifice (raise dead).
A high magic game removes obstacles from the players' path-- those very same obstacles that have traditionally defined a good story.
All that being said, not everyone plays D&D to create a good story. Sometimes it's about killing things and taking their loot, and I enjoy that, too.
Wulf