What is the best low-magic fantasy system?

[Jd Smith1]

My group is ready for a low-magic setting, and 5e won't handle that. What's the best low-magic fantasy system?

I don't need a setting, just a system.

 

[BrokenTwin]

That's gonna vary DRASTICALLY depending on what your players want out of the system. Have you looked at generic toolkit systems (Fate, Savage Worlds, GURPS, Genesys), or do you want a system focused on providing a low-magic fantasy feel? Does it need to be a d20 system, or is your group open to exploring other dice systems?

If they just want a low magic game on the D&D 5E chassis, look at Adventures in Middle Earth. Obviously, it's themed for a specific setting, but the fluff is easy enough to shift to your tastes, and the mechanics are good. Ironsworn is a good (and free!) game with strong PbtA (powered by the apocalypse) influences, but is strongly themed towards being adventurers who take on quests, which might not be what you're looking for.

Those are just the ones I have personal experience with. I know there's at least one Conan RPG, and probably dozens of other RPGs aimed at low-magic gaming that I haven't played or heard of.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Basically we're looking for less magic, as opposed to 5e where many classes have spells, and spellcasting dominates the game. 5e (and earlier variants) are out because of the prevalence of spellcasters.

 

[chaochou]

Burning Wheel has a lot less overt spell-type magic, and a lot more that’s inherent - Elven song, for example, or Dwarven smithing.

Runequest always used to be playable with very little magic (1st-3rd editions), and common magic was mostly supplemental anyway.

The Riddle of Steel is hard to find, patchy and limited in scope, and concerned mainly with swordplay and the need to believe in a cause. Interesting, but niche.

Blades in the Dark again isn’t low magic, more low-visibility magic.

 

[TwoSix]

Are you looking for something fundamentally D&D-like, in the vein of a low-magic OSR heartbreaker?

Or do you want to go further afield into more narrative style games, a la Fate and BitD? They're very different types of games which don't always appeal to those with deep D&D backgrounds.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Are you looking for something fundamentally D&D-like, in the vein of a low-magic OSR heartbreaker?

Or do you want to go further afield into more narrative style games, a la Fate and BitD? They're very different types of games which don't always appeal to those with deep D&D backgrounds.

Definitely not FATE.

Conventional fantasy with a much smaller emphasis on spellcasting and magic in general.

 

[TwoSix]

Definitely not FATE.

Conventional fantasy with a much smaller emphasis on spellcasting and magic in general.

Despite the ubiquity with which people ask, finding a D&D style game with low magic is surprisingly difficult. I think the simplest reason is that D&D is fundamentally a game about advancement; without magic to explain how the characters progress, there's a pretty big hole for the system to fill and imperfect rationales as to how to do it.

 

[Reynard]

Definitely not FATE.

Conventional fantasy with a much smaller emphasis on spellcasting and magic in general.

Adventures in Middle Earth does rare magic high fantasy really well (unsurprising since it is built to emulate Tolkien) on a 5e chassis so it is a relatively easy transition for D&D players. You'll have to do a little work to separate the Tolkien parts but that can be accomplished mostly by reskinning things and adding what you want rather than tearing out whole pieces.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Adventures in Middle Earth does rare magic high fantasy really well (unsurprising since it is built to emulate Tolkien) on a 5e chassis so it is a relatively easy transition for D&D players. You'll have to do a little work to separate the Tolkien parts but that can be accomplished mostly by reskinning things and adding what you want rather than tearing out whole pieces.

I'll check that out. If that doesn't work, I'm going with Dragon Warriors, whose magic system is much more subdued featuring fewer spells and greater restrictions on spellcasters.

 

[atanakar]

Forbidden Lands:
«This may not be such a huge problem, however, as forcing your character to the limit of their abilities is the only way to gain ‘willpower’ – the resource used to perform special abilities and cast spells. The most practical way to generate willpower is to re-roll a failed check, which comes at the risk of taking damage while boosting reserves of inner strength.»