D&D General Lowest level of magic that still "feels like D&D"

[GMMichael]

Honestly? 1st level.

Agreed, but for a slightly different reason: unlimited cantrips means that the spells can go a flyin' as soon as the new PCs hit the Tavern. Nothing says D&D to me like out-of-control fantasy.

 

[overgeeked]

Depends on the edition. TSR-era D&D, no limit. WotC-era D&D, 3rd or 4th level tops. But infinite cantrips already spoil things.

 

[Blue Orange]

I think you have to be able to cast Fireball, so 3rd level spells, as Krachek, mamba, and overgeeked said. Wonder if this was the idea behind Epic Six.

You could make an 'old-school' argument for 6th level wizard/5th level cleric, though I think that is too high for the original question.

 

[Reynard]

Depends on the edition. TSR-era D&D, no limit. WotC-era D&D, 3rd or 4th level tops. But infinite cantrips already spoil things.

This is interesting. Generally speaking, spells in TSR era D&D are much more powerful and setting impactful.

 

[overgeeked]

This is interesting. Generally speaking, spells in TSR era D&D are much more powerful and setting impactful.

Yes. But they are also much more limited in a lot of ways. Fewer slots, fire and forget, memorize specific spells, material components generally enforced, spell selection by referee fiat, memorization times, chance to learn spells, magic-users with fewer hit points, longer leveling times / slower progression, higher lethality so fewer chances to even see higher-level magic, etc.

So higher-level magic is fine in TSR-era D&D because there’s effectively zero chance of ever seeing it in play. But in WotC-era D&D you just have to keep a campaign going long enough and it becomes inevitable. Not a guarantee, obviously. But much, much easier to accomplish than in TSR-era D&D.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Up to 3rd level for spells, up to 7 for rituals (some spells can be changed to rituals).

 

[Argyle King]

Rather than cap level, I would be inclined to curate the spell list for casters both NPC and PC, and move most spells to longer casting times. the world can still be magical, but gameplay would feel more low magic.

A while back, I considered a similar idea for a campaign: more powerful spells would have increased casting time.

However, I was also going to have ways that casting time could be decreased. The very rough draft I had/have includes things such as the following:
▪︎Multiple Casters working together - if multiple people know the same spell, they can work together to cast a spell more quickly. (I also considered the idea that a large group might be able to cast a spell at a higher level).
▪︎Special Focus or Spell Component - makes casting easier (faster)
▪︎Casting while in a place with high mana or some other special magical property - casting is faster/easier
▪︎Imbue/Sacrifice Life Force* - easier/faster casting

*I'm not exactly sure what this involves yet. I had considered that you could voluntarily take on a level of fatigue to speed up casting. I had also considered having the caster spend a HD. I also considered that sacrificing someone else could take the place of your own HD. Maybe a life would be equal to a spell level up to the amount of HD sacrificed, so you could either make one high-HD sacrifice or sacrifice many low-HD npcs.

I never got around to running that campaign, but those were ideas that I had for making magic function differently.

 

[MGibster]

I may be the odd man out here, but I think 1st level is the lowest level of magic that still feels like D&D.

 

[Reynard]

Yes. But they are also much more limited in a lot of ways. Fewer slots, fire and forget, memorize specific spells, material components generally enforced, spell selection by referee fiat, memorization times, chance to learn spells, magic-users with fewer hit points, longer leveling times / slower progression, higher lethality so fewer chances to even see higher-level magic, etc.

So higher-level magic is fine in TSR-era D&D because there’s effectively zero chance of ever seeing it in play. But in WotC-era D&D you just have to keep a campaign going long enough and it becomes inevitable. Not a guarantee, obviously. But much, much easier to accomplish than in TSR-era D&D.

I read "low magic" as rare, difficult and subtle, like LotR, not necessarily simply largely unavailable.

 

[overgeeked]

I read "low magic" as rare, difficult and subtle, like LotR, not necessarily simply largely unavailable.

Six of one, half-a-dozen of the other. Only real difference is subtle. D&D magic ain’t that.