D&D 5E How much magic do you have in your game?

[DND_Reborn]

Wow, thanks to all (and many "likes") for the responses everyone!

I figured 3rd-5th would be the most common responses given the nature of the game, but reading people's responses and reasoning is cool, so thanks again.

I'll be interested to see if the current distribution remains roughly the same at higher vote counts.

I picked 7th level thinking the poll was to the PCs not to the common man. 7th level spellcasting is about the highest the PCs get before retiring, so that still leaves some room for another party to put them in their place is needed.

You can always change your vote LOL.

 

[Charlaquin]

Other.

The answer is entirely context-dependent and thus changes from situation to situation.

In some situations even a 1st-level spell might be seen as powerful. Put half a village of Kobolds to sleep with one spell? Now that's power!

In others, a 7th-level spell might be seen as so-what. "Huh - is that the best you got? That's not a spell - this is a spell!" (unleashes a Wish or three...)

Wish is powerful. After that, there's no clear answer.

This!!

 

[dave2008]

Other.

The answer is entirely context-dependent and thus changes from situation to situation.

In some situations even a 1st-level spell might be seen as powerful. Put half a village of Kobolds to sleep with one spell? Now that's power!

In others, a 7th-level spell might be seen as so-what. "Huh - is that the best you got? That's not a spell - this is a spell!" (unleashes a Wish or three...)

Wish is powerful. After that, there's no clear answer.

I get what your saying.

However, if the context doesn't change, then the answer can be clear. My group doesn't jump around to different settings every few months or years. We campaign in the setting 6-10 yrs. So in the context, for my group / setting, there is a clear answer.

 

[Lanefan]

Low level magic is not terribly uncommon, but 3rd level and above magic is special.

In my homebrew, I have a concept called 'God-touched'. They're the being that get to roll death saves and learn class levels at the rate of a PC. A human that was not God-touched might spend their entire life studying magic to become a 5th level wizard. An elf that spent 1000 years might reach 9th level. It often takes a decade or more to earn your first class level if you're not God touched, and each subsequent level is increasingly more difficult.

As such, high level magic is rare, as are magic items of rare, very rare or legendary rarity. However, common and uncommon magical items are not all that uncommon.

I have hundreds of non-combat common magic items that the wealthy would want to acquire, from Earrings of Message (yes, inspired by Critical Role) to Vibrating Wands, to Rings of Unseen Servant.

Errr...if someone has to spend a lifetime just getting to 5th level mage, what level of magic is going into making these things? (and if it's that low, can PCs do it also and make some coin on the side?)

Or does God-touched extend to NPCs?

 

[Lanefan]

I get what your saying.

However, if the context doesn't change, then the answer can be clear. My group doesn't jump around to different settings every few months or years. We campaign in the setting 6-10 yrs. So in the context, for my group / setting, there is a clear answer.

I was thinking of even within the same setting.

I've just jumped from running an 8th-9th level group to running a raw 1st-level group, in the same setting that I've been using for coming on 13 years now. Huge shift in the definition of "powerful"!

 

[Flamestrike]

The game makes a distinction between spell levels of 1-5 and 6+ (see Pact Magic/ Arcanum split for Warlock and the Sorcerer and Wizard ability to recover or create slots of no more than 5th level, and half casters having that 5th level limit).

IMG's any reasonable sized town and you can track down spells of levels 1-5 (Raise dead etc). Higher level magic of T3+ is much rarer.

 

[dave2008]

I was thinking of even within the same setting.

I've just jumped from running an 8th-9th level group to running a raw 1st-level group, in the same setting that I've been using for coming on 13 years now. Huge shift in the definition of "powerful"!

Sure, that is definitely possible. I was answering with regard to our setting as a whole. It doesn't matter where or what level you start at, 3rd level magic is spectacular. Now, it may seem less so to the PCs, but at no time does anyone else in the setting thing so.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I actually just decided the other day to start explicitly dividing magic between the "higher magic" of levels 6 and up, and "lower magic" of levels 1-5, given that that is where the game designers seem to draw the line. Half casters get up to level 5, Warlocks get up to level 5 as short rest slots, and Wizards and Sorcerers can create a few extra slots of levels 1-5. Meanwhile 6 and up is considered so powerful that only dedicated casters ever have access to it, and then only one or two slots per level, with no flexibility.

I will note that, in a system agnostic context my setting tastes would run lower magic than that. But 5e D&D is clearly designed around lots o' magic.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I've just jumped from running an 8th-9th level group to running a raw 1st-level group, in the same setting that I've been using for coming on 13 years now. Huge shift in the definition of "powerful"!

Even someone who is strong can recognize the point where others are considered "strong", etc.

For 8th-9th level group, do PCs toss spells around without worrying about it? Or do they treat those 3-5th level spells a bit more gingerly? They might not be as "impressed" when a 5th level wizard throws out their first fireball, but I think they could still understand its "power".

And this thread (or my intent anyway) was about the power comparative to a particular group, but to the world as a whole.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

I voted "2nd". The reason is simple; you have to be level 3 to cast them. That means you have done more than "just study and be a natural", no matter how you slice it. In my campaigns NPC's with actual "Classes" are not common...NPC's that are level 3 or higher in a Class are quite rare (and exponentially more rare the higher the level).

Someone that can break the laws of 'physics' is doing something SUPER powerful by that very nature...even if it's a Cantrip/Orison. When a single person can decide the outcome of some situation with just a few words, some ingredients, and some wiggling of fingers and a hand gesture... c'mon! THAT is POWER! And to be able to kill someone with just a few words? At any time? And leaving no 'evidence' it was you if nobody was there to witness? ... ... on the flip side... To then have someone come in and talk to the Gods, Spirits, Animals, Plants or even the dead guy him/her self? Fugeddaboudit!

"I didn't do it! I'm innocent"
[investigator casts spell on the corpse] "Hey, who killed you?"
[corpse points finger at Bob and says, "Bob killed me"]
"YOU SONNUVA...! Bob! You never could keep your mouth shut!"


So, yeah, I go with 2nd for "real power" because it takes effort to get to be able to cast them, and they are above what someone could learn "just by practice and study" (re: 1st level spells you get when you are level 1).

^_^

Paul L. Ming