Alternate (low) magic systems

[Desdichado]

Decipher's Lord of the Rings game uses it's own house system, otherwise known as the CODA system. Although a lot of folks complain about it, I think it looks elegant enough. I've been particularly impressed with the magic system in that game, actually. Adapting it to D&D isn't something I've really give much thought to, though.

 

[Nightfall]

Midnight seems to me your best choice, especially since you have a SINGLE source for magic period.

 

[Saeviomagy]

You could always do the exact opposite with classes to what has been suggested:

Remove the primary spellcasters and leave the secondary casters intact.

So the bard, ranger, hexblade and paladin are now your only spellcasters.

If I were you, I'd probably take something away from bards to make up for this - they've suddenly become the most powerful magicians around, AND they have skills AND they have music. Personally I'd consider removing music.

The next level of low magic would be to remove ALL spellcasting. Don't remove the spellcasting classes, or their ability to learn spells and don't remove spellcasting feats.

Give every spellcasting class UMD as a class skill.

Require UMD for activation of ANY magic item.

Remove UMD from non-spellcasting classes.

Make UMD dependant upon a spellcaster's prime stat.

Allow crafting of magical items as normal (ie - spellcasting classes still know spells, so they can still craft items. They just can't cast spells without an item to cast them from).

Now - every spellcaster needs items to cast spells from. Wizard's walk around with magic staves full of spells. Noone else uses magical items (because they won't work properly). etc.

 

[DMScott]

I'd be tempted to:

- switch to non-casting Bards, Paladins and Rangers
- dump the Sorcerer, Wizard, Cleric, Druid
- use the Acolyte and Mage (or Arcanist) advanced classes from d20 Modern

If the setting demands it, create a Druidic class based on the Acolyte, fiddle with the arcane class(es) if you want some difference between Sorcerers and Wizards. That way all casters are at least fourth level or so, making them considerably rarer, and with a max of 5th level spells and 10th level casters you cut out a lot of magic items.

 

[Tonguez]

Love the Spell-chains idea - am going to yoink that

Me I use Talent trees to replace spells/magic items and use spells as abilities (like Pass without Trace for Rangers)

A couple more ideas for you

1. Allow Heal magics to turn real damage into subdual damage - subdual damage is then healed normally (per hour) - thus healing still takes time but a good nights rest should do it

2. Spell recovery is 1 day per spell level -ie lv 1 spells can be used every day, but Fly (level 3) can only be used every 3 days and a lv 9 spell takes 9 days before it can be cast again (so only 3 times per month).

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

If you're not averse to spending money, I suggest buying D20 Modern (or looking at it's SRD).

The Soldier advanced class can get tweaked to someone who doesn't use firearms, the martial artist is a non-magical monk... the acolyte and mage advanced classes are a lot weaker (and not in the SRD, sorry) but work quite well.

(Brief hint: the spellcasting classes are only 10 levels long and require you to take 3 base class levels first.)

Another hint, requiring you to spend money again, is to look at Midnight.

 

[mmadsen]

Next semester, I'm going to be running a new campaign with a completely new group of players.

I recommend keeping it simple and using as few home-brewed rules as possible then. Stick to variants that shouldn't upset balance too terribly; e.g., don't rewrite the spellcasting rules from scratch.

My problem is that the setting has a significantly lower magic level than that assumed by 3E and 3.5. Magic is rare and mysterious, casters are rare and held in awe by the common folk. Magic items would almost never be bought and sold.

That might be all you have to say. If they don't come across spellcasters and magical monsters every adventure, and they can't find spellbooks, scrolls, and +1 swords at the town market, you've achieved most of your goal.

So then I started thinking about just re-making the spellcasting core classes as prestige classes... but that too presents certain difficulties.

Such as?

I want a magic system that will give me roughly the same feel and power level as Lord of the Rings.

Make all spellcasters, mechanically, as sorcerers (or psionicists) -- but allow casters to choose their spells from any one class's list, and treat all spells as divine. Restrict which spells are available (e.g., no teleport). (See the Middle Earth d20 list of restricted spells.)

I'm considering using VP/WP, a hit location/realistic crit system, and rules for piecemeal armor.

I recommend against such added complexity. Rely on narration for such details.

 

[Nightfall]

Somehow I don't see the reason to go so drastic as to cut out EVERY spellcasting and just stick with a core spellcasting ability similar to Midnight or even Wheel of Time Channeling. This way you can just alter the spell tables and spell abilties of the core classes and STILL be able to get some D&D type deals.

 

[mmadsen]

Let's list a few ways to restrict magic by changing as few rules as possible (so we can maintain game balance):

• Make all spellcasting classes prestige classes (with knowledge-skill prereqs). Instead of a 10th-level Wizard, you might have Exp4/Wiz6. This tends to make wizards and priests scholars first.
• Eliminate spellcasting per se, but still allow Experts with Spellcraft skill to craft (and use) potions, scrolls, wands, etc.
• Restrict spellcasting classes to the secondary classes: Bard, Paladin, Ranger, etc.

 

[Altalazar]

Yet another call for an entirely new D&D campaign setting, one with low magic built right in. Any takers? Anyone out there working on such a project for publication?