D&D General A campaign without classes that use magic?

I would go for something like 4e casting with a limited class list. If casting PCs are too cumbersome, change it. I would limit it for feel and make casters rare, but even Conan had his caster.

Also, thing about making certain spells a class ability. Invisibility can be a rogue power at level 4. You could call it something else like smokebomb, but I may just keep it for simplicity.

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WHY does everyone on this board hate magic so much?! I swear there are threads about how to diminish or remove magic from the game at least twice a month...

However, if you're determined to do it, are you open to third-party classes and subclasses? Maybe we could recommend some that will help give your players more than the limited no-magic options in the PHB.

I think it's a reaction to 1) GoT's popularity, 2) the baseline jack up magic to cosmic proportions, even at low levels.
 

D&D can do low magic just fine. Social interaction, on the other hand, is a weak part of the rules no matter how much magic you're using, at least not without some fine grade hacking first (IMO anyway).

D&D does social interaction wonderfully. There are some skills when the DM needs them, but mostly the gets out of the way to allow for some real RP.
 

I think there are plenty of valid reasons to want no-magic or low(er)-magic D&D. D&D is incredibly high magic compared to most settings in popular culture, cinema, and literature. Magic does become an arm race at one point where villain need magic to overcome that of the players. Many spells in D&D create shortcuts, making a task go from very difficult to trivial at the turn of one spell. There is such a thing as magic-spell fatigue.

There are other systems offering different rules and enabling different playstyles (most of them are really good nowadays) but "give it up and play something else" comments are both annoying and unhelpful. Suggestions of specific games fitting the genre, however, is usually productive and welcome, especially when explained how that game enhances the play of this of that genre/playstyle. But modifying D&D to fit a different genre or playstyle is not laziness or a futile exercise. It allows players to explore new settings without experimenting with entirely new rules and gameplay. Customization and malleability is one of 5e's best and strongest attribute.

Sometimes I want to try different mechanics, sometimes I want to try a different genre of fantasy/sci-fi. One can come with the other, but it doesn't have to. 5e D&D is a powerful engine. You can remove huge chunks of it and reduce the whole PHB to a 25-page document, and still be left with a perfectly playable game. Oftentimes, the best way to modify D&D is not by adding stuff, but by removing parts of it.
 



Because it already does what you want
I can’t speak for OP, but for me, no. It definitely doesn’t.

edit: also, again, even if it did, so what?

I can just do it with D&D , excluding some options. That...literally isn’t any more work than running any other campaign.
 


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