D&D 5E (2024) Building A Contemporary Fantasy Setting For 5.5E

[Corinnguard]

I think it’s pretty pointless going any further if you can’t solve the core issue of rules for non-magical technology - which goes a lot further than just firearms.

Magic is the ultimate Handwavium. You can use it to explain anything without worrying about details or realism. It’s D&Ds secret sauce that makes everything work.

Which is why you assumptions describe Eberron.

Why is it so important for there to be rules on non-magical technology in a fantasy setting?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Why is it so important for there to be rules on non-magical technology in a fantasy setting?

To make it not the same as Eberron and Ravnica.

 

[Zardnaar]

To make it not the same as Eberron and Ravnica.

Its mostly art. Adding guns is easy. Then its how DM "sells" the setting.

 

[Corinnguard]

To make it not the same as Eberron and Ravnica.

Then that might be a problem. People like playing 5.5e because of its' simplicity. If these rules are needed, they'll add complexity to the game again.

 

[CreamCloud0]

I liked the notion in Tim Powers On Stranger Tides that Magic was always real on Earth but had faded due to human use of Iron Tools. It thus meant that real scorcerers had to avoid contact with iron tools.
So in setting terms
1. Magic has always existed
2. Magic doesnt like metal (no armor)
3. With modern use of Plastics/Ceramics Magic is back again

this is one of the places i think not having variable materials for weapons and armour is a loss, in a contemporary setting you could really go into having things like plastic and ceramic weapons and armours exist with different properties to their metal counterparts, kevlar, tempered glass, they'd probably be able to 'invent' some new materials using magical creation methods too, ironwood is a thing isn't it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Its mostly art. Adding guns is easy.

Really, no, it isn’t. Not if they are familiar guns.

The reason Eberron doesn’t have guns is simple. You can do all the cool gun stuff with wands, without having to worry about them behaving in the familiar way.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Then that might be a problem. People like playing 5.5e because of its' simplicity. If these rules are needed, they'll add complexity to the game again.

Sure, there is good reason why technology works by magic in those settings.

 

[Corinnguard]

Sure, there is good reason why technology works by magic in those settings.

Most likely by arcane magic, which is a studied 'science' in a fantasy setting.

 

[Reynard]

I think we should probably get off the gun debate and get on to the Setting debate - so for that purpose I present some core setting assumptions

• Heroic Fantasy Genre: The setting is designed for "heroic fantasy." Player characters are exceptional, and the world is populated by various threats that the characters need to deal with.
• Magic is Common and Integrated: Magic is a fundamental, functional part of the world. The number of magic users may be limited, but magic is integrated into society and minor magics are relatively common.
• Much of the World is Untamed: ("Points of Light,") civilization is surrounded by a vast and dangerous wilderness. That wilderness also happens to be littered with ancient ruins, dungeons, and legendary treasures. In fact some wilderness can be considered urban
• Monsters All kinds of creatures from mundane to incomprehnsible exist and might appear at any location as a threat or challenge.
• Cosmopolitan: All kinds of species exist and are integrated across various locations and cultures.
• Mobility: Individual travel over long distances is common. There is also a history of societal mobility through migration, conquest and exploration not only across the world but across planes of existence
• Technology is anachronistic, and magic allows advanced concepts to be realised

SO are these assumptions fair? What do they imply? Do they work for a contemporary setting? Is anything else needed? Should some assumptions be broken?

The only one of those I would question is the "points of light" element. That seems counter to a contemporary setting where we tend to think of the world as connected and explored -- not to mention modern travel not really supporting the kind of exploration in play that PoL is meant to.support.

As to the rest, it is a matter of preference. The more integrated the magical elements are and the longer they have been so, the harder it strains the suspension of disbelief to accept a world similar to ours.

 

[Corinnguard]

The more integrated the magical elements are and the longer they have been so, the harder it strains the suspension of disbelief to accept a world similar to ours.

It would depend on how obvious those magical elements were to the average person. You could have a retail store, for instance, that looks ordinary to a non-spellcaster. But to a spellcaster using Sight, they could see the security glyphs and runes that cover the outside and inside of the building that deter shoplifters. They could also use Feel to sense spells such as Linger, that put customers into a state of ease and make them stay a little longer at the store just so they might buy something.

Subliminal Magic.