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What is the right level of magic in your campaign setting?
- Thread starter Najo
- Start date
Ahnehnois
First Post
I'm a fan of fairly high magic/magic as technology. Magical classes as fairly conventional professional options for talented people. Characters have triple the book wealth as a baseline and work their way up from there. Extraplanar creatures are regularities. Magic is widely understood and used for practical purposes and regulated and monitored.
To me, that's the most natural conclusion from the rules themselves.
To me, that's the most natural conclusion from the rules themselves.
shadow
First Post
I prefer a lower level of magic in my settings. When magic gets too common it tends to lose its mystery and comes to be seen as another form of technology. However, I know that some people tend to run settings with more magic, so overall I would prefer D&D rulebooks and adventures to not assume a default level of magic and be open to different play styles.
TarionzCousin
Second Most Angelic Devil Ever
Some. 
Stormonu
NeoGrognard
Low. Very Low. And yet high. PC's and a handful of named NPC's seem to be the only ones that encounter it. I like to keep it rare so that when it's found, it seems very magical, not "Oh look, another +1 sword to put in my backpack full of other +1 swords."
High in that magic items to be unique. They have quirks, powers that sometimes level with the characters. It's not just a +1 sword the character finds; the thing drips blood in the presence of enemies and the blood catches fire and burns opponents on a critical hit. The wizard's wand of magic missiles doesn't just shoot a green arrow of magic at opponents, it causes all the lights in the area to dim to nothingness before a bright green arrow explodes out the tip and knocks the target flying on a hit. It's impressive - and it's a bit scary. And sometimes, you don't want to pull it out and use it unless you it's a fairly desperate situation.
High in that magic items to be unique. They have quirks, powers that sometimes level with the characters. It's not just a +1 sword the character finds; the thing drips blood in the presence of enemies and the blood catches fire and burns opponents on a critical hit. The wizard's wand of magic missiles doesn't just shoot a green arrow of magic at opponents, it causes all the lights in the area to dim to nothingness before a bright green arrow explodes out the tip and knocks the target flying on a hit. It's impressive - and it's a bit scary. And sometimes, you don't want to pull it out and use it unless you it's a fairly desperate situation.
Yora
Legend
Warrior characters get +1 weapons around 5th level, +2 around 10th. Some classes might never get any at all.
As another guideline, I think characters should have about one pernanent items like cloaks, rings, or bracers for every two levels. Most items are single use, like potions and scrolls.
As another guideline, I think characters should have about one pernanent items like cloaks, rings, or bracers for every two levels. Most items are single use, like potions and scrolls.
Li Shenron
Legend
It depends on what kind of fantasy setting I'm in the mood for, since I'm more or less fine with everything between grim'n'gritty and Forgotten Realms.
If I had to pick a favourite, it would have less than 1% population capable of magic, a distribution like 1/x^2 of spellcasters by level x, and magic items being rare but powerful (typically with multiple powers that will be discovered gradually, some sort of attunement mechanics, a relationship with the story, and many of them intelligent) excluding potions.
If I had to pick a favourite, it would have less than 1% population capable of magic, a distribution like 1/x^2 of spellcasters by level x, and magic items being rare but powerful (typically with multiple powers that will be discovered gradually, some sort of attunement mechanics, a relationship with the story, and many of them intelligent) excluding potions.
Celebrim
Legend
There is not really one answer to that.
Technologically, the campaign world could be considered to be roughly the equivalent of Earth in the early 17th century. So there are still regions of the world that are deeply in the stone age. In others, they are in what we would now call the early modern period. In the most technically advanced regions, they are on the cusp of magic as technology. For example, wizard is a fairly ordinary profession in many parts of eastern Sartha and magical materials - notably fire resistant wood, cloth, and paper - are significant parts of the general economy. Various minor magical baubles and toys are available as luxury items. Magic is studied and advanced in centers of learning, and spells are readily shared between wizards of different traditions. Powerful wizards are respected and honored - though 'powerful' in my game world is like 9th or 10th level.
In the more technically primitive parts of the world, wizards are treated as criminals and must hide their profession - generally pretending to be entertainers, tinkers, and travelling craftsmen. Wizards closely gaurd their secrets, imparting only those spells taught to them to their apprentices and generally treating other wizards - if they even know any - as lethal rivals. Arcane magic is extremely limited, rare, and treated with suspicion.
To complicate matters further, the world has in three previous epochs been at higher technology levels than it is presently. The most advanced of these, the age of the Art Mages, featured magic at a level of sophistication approaching science fiction technology. So the world is littered with the relics of past ages of much greater magical attainment, the workings of which are generally unknown to present age arcanists. The reason that magic throughout most of the world is viewed with such suspicion is to a large extent the result of the excesses of these past ages. Wizardry, or 'spell casting', is in fact just one surviving branch of what at one time was dozens of fields of magical arts now lost to mortal understanding.
And to complicate matters further, it's believed by the learned that the world is on the cusp of moving into another 'golden age' or 'imperial age' where magical attaining will again soar to new heights for a millenium of currently unimaginable wonders. So while the current level of magic might be fairly low, it's not inconceivable that I'd allow a group in a long campaign to effectively advance the level of magic to some degree.
So what level of magic exists in the campaign world would depend on the location and era that I choose to set it in.
In the default eastern Sartha setting in the interum between the collapse of the fouth empire and the beginning of the fifth, the default magic level is fairly high - low magic as technology with the world generally resembling the early modern in most technical capabilities. However, because character level is assumed to be quite low, the pervasiveness and breadth of magic is generally higher than the depth of capability of magic. Magic items other than potions and scrolls are not readily available for purchase. Most non-consumable items are caster level 1 items based on 0th level spells. Items above about caster level 5 could not be made even on commission, and even those are generally available only in larger cities. Anything really potent is probably more than 900 years old, and as you reach back 2000 years or so you start encountering stuff noone knows how to make any more - like intelligent swords, elevators, batteries for storing magical energy, etc. Go back more than 3000 years and you start encounter stuff that no one alive even understands - mass drivers, dark fire, lightning throwers, sentient constructs, etc.
In terms of gear, I'd say that the level of gear I expect PC's to have is slightly less than that 3e in most respects. My characters are about 7th level and many still do not have magic armor or weapons. And there are very few 'always on' items in the game other than armor and weapons. Gear is less 'uncommon' than it is rather more random, situational and esoteric compared to 3e default. You wouldn't typically find a 'ring of invisiblity', rather you'd find a ring that let you cast invisibility 1 time per day. Most of the items that the characters have right now are on the level of 'cast a cantrip 3 times/day', '+2 enchancement bonus to a skill', 'wand with a 0th level spell', and a few magical weapons. More potent items than that often have a quirk or drawback, and really potent items always have a quirk or drawback - for example one character has the equivalent of a 'pearl of power' that drinks your blood to power itself. I consider Call of Cthulhu one of my major influences, so really potent items tend to be on the Necronomicon style face melting level.
The most powerful item in the party, and likely to remain that way for a long time, is a 'cursed' intelligent +2 keen eager rapier of swiftness that is close to being more trouble that it is worth because the character that it owns doesn't have enough will to actually control it and the sword is a little too 'eager' to kill things. At some point, it's probably going to cause the death of 1 or more PCs if they don't start treating the thing a little more seriously. The second most powerful is a silver +1 undead bane morning star. The third most powerful is probably a +1 staff of spell storing (1 1st, 1 2nd, and 1 3rd level spell).
Technologically, the campaign world could be considered to be roughly the equivalent of Earth in the early 17th century. So there are still regions of the world that are deeply in the stone age. In others, they are in what we would now call the early modern period. In the most technically advanced regions, they are on the cusp of magic as technology. For example, wizard is a fairly ordinary profession in many parts of eastern Sartha and magical materials - notably fire resistant wood, cloth, and paper - are significant parts of the general economy. Various minor magical baubles and toys are available as luxury items. Magic is studied and advanced in centers of learning, and spells are readily shared between wizards of different traditions. Powerful wizards are respected and honored - though 'powerful' in my game world is like 9th or 10th level.
In the more technically primitive parts of the world, wizards are treated as criminals and must hide their profession - generally pretending to be entertainers, tinkers, and travelling craftsmen. Wizards closely gaurd their secrets, imparting only those spells taught to them to their apprentices and generally treating other wizards - if they even know any - as lethal rivals. Arcane magic is extremely limited, rare, and treated with suspicion.
To complicate matters further, the world has in three previous epochs been at higher technology levels than it is presently. The most advanced of these, the age of the Art Mages, featured magic at a level of sophistication approaching science fiction technology. So the world is littered with the relics of past ages of much greater magical attainment, the workings of which are generally unknown to present age arcanists. The reason that magic throughout most of the world is viewed with such suspicion is to a large extent the result of the excesses of these past ages. Wizardry, or 'spell casting', is in fact just one surviving branch of what at one time was dozens of fields of magical arts now lost to mortal understanding.
And to complicate matters further, it's believed by the learned that the world is on the cusp of moving into another 'golden age' or 'imperial age' where magical attaining will again soar to new heights for a millenium of currently unimaginable wonders. So while the current level of magic might be fairly low, it's not inconceivable that I'd allow a group in a long campaign to effectively advance the level of magic to some degree.
So what level of magic exists in the campaign world would depend on the location and era that I choose to set it in.
In the default eastern Sartha setting in the interum between the collapse of the fouth empire and the beginning of the fifth, the default magic level is fairly high - low magic as technology with the world generally resembling the early modern in most technical capabilities. However, because character level is assumed to be quite low, the pervasiveness and breadth of magic is generally higher than the depth of capability of magic. Magic items other than potions and scrolls are not readily available for purchase. Most non-consumable items are caster level 1 items based on 0th level spells. Items above about caster level 5 could not be made even on commission, and even those are generally available only in larger cities. Anything really potent is probably more than 900 years old, and as you reach back 2000 years or so you start encountering stuff noone knows how to make any more - like intelligent swords, elevators, batteries for storing magical energy, etc. Go back more than 3000 years and you start encounter stuff that no one alive even understands - mass drivers, dark fire, lightning throwers, sentient constructs, etc.
In terms of gear, I'd say that the level of gear I expect PC's to have is slightly less than that 3e in most respects. My characters are about 7th level and many still do not have magic armor or weapons. And there are very few 'always on' items in the game other than armor and weapons. Gear is less 'uncommon' than it is rather more random, situational and esoteric compared to 3e default. You wouldn't typically find a 'ring of invisiblity', rather you'd find a ring that let you cast invisibility 1 time per day. Most of the items that the characters have right now are on the level of 'cast a cantrip 3 times/day', '+2 enchancement bonus to a skill', 'wand with a 0th level spell', and a few magical weapons. More potent items than that often have a quirk or drawback, and really potent items always have a quirk or drawback - for example one character has the equivalent of a 'pearl of power' that drinks your blood to power itself. I consider Call of Cthulhu one of my major influences, so really potent items tend to be on the Necronomicon style face melting level.
The most powerful item in the party, and likely to remain that way for a long time, is a 'cursed' intelligent +2 keen eager rapier of swiftness that is close to being more trouble that it is worth because the character that it owns doesn't have enough will to actually control it and the sword is a little too 'eager' to kill things. At some point, it's probably going to cause the death of 1 or more PCs if they don't start treating the thing a little more seriously. The second most powerful is a silver +1 undead bane morning star. The third most powerful is probably a +1 staff of spell storing (1 1st, 1 2nd, and 1 3rd level spell).
Ryujin
Legend
I'm very much along these lines. I want magic to be rare enough that when an item is found it's special, but not so rare as to make villagers run in fear should they merely encounter it. Back in the old days (1e) I came up with two ways to do this.
The first was what could be called "legacy items." A character is given something like the sword of his father, which has been passed down from generation to generation. As the character levels the weapon improves and takes on characteristics that are favourable to his chosen class. This helps to make the weapon not only something special to the campaign, but something special to the player.
The second was that I would combine the qualities of two or more items. One of the most powerful items I ever gave out, back then, was a +3 Dwarven battleaxe that also acted as a Ring of Spell Turning. I was rather surprised when the party's NPC Dwarf, who I was playing much like Gimli from the "Lord of the Rings" movies (memorable quote, "Wait for me, you cowards!"), was given the axe and immediately became the most powerful character in the party. Imagine; the comedy relief became the Lord of the Land.
Actually there was a third type; the silly item. On one occasion I put a +3 Tutu of Protection into an adventure. None of the (male) players were secure enough to use it, despite it being the most powerful item they had encountered up until then. I was hoping that one of them would use it and end up looking like Ballerinaman from "Mystery Men" (long before that movie ever came out).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3Y2v0QZbjI
the Jester
Legend
Depends on the era. I like a world with successive waves of high magic followed by tremendous social collapse, leading to eras of low magic until those ancient forbidden secrets are rediscovered.
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