Any advice on running a low-magic-item campaign?

[buzz]

I really appreciate all of the advice. I especially like the fact that for every person who tells me that such a campaign world in impossible in 3.5 someone follows up with the opinion that it will be no big deal.

It's not impossible; it's just a certain amount of work. Given that there are 873 systems that have done the work already, the easy path is to simply use one of them.

Otherwise... take a lot of cues from Iron Heroes. Heck, buy the book. In a nutshell:

• Reserve points
• Class-based AC bonuses (IMO, that stack with armor)
• Stunts and challenges
• Go easy on opponents with wacky types of DR
• Generous point-buy for stats
• d4+X hit points at each level, where X is the class's normal hit die size minus 4.

 

[Hussar]

#


# By about 6th level, your players AC is not going to be up to snuff for facing the kind of challenges you'd expect them to face.

See, this I don't get. In my WLD campaign, because the party has no access to any sort of magic manufacture whatsoever, they have made do with what they could scrounge. This means that the party, now 10th level, has AC's in the teens and low 20's. The highest is the fighter with 26 with a low for the barbarian at 14 when he rages.

Yup, they get slapped around a lot. But, I still run the 3-4 encounters/day (or rest period anyway) and have no problems. I'm not saying you guys are wrong, just that this does not resemble my experience. I've been running very combat heavy sessions for almost a year now, and, sure, PC's get whacked from time to time, but, no more than usual.

 

[buzz]

This means that the party, now 10th level, has AC's in the teens and low 20's. The highest is the fighter with 26 with a low for the barbarian at 14 when he rages.

Man, in our Monday game, we probaby had an average party AC of about 21 at 10th level, and we were getting hammered. How does your AC14 barb keep from dying every combat?

 

[Akrasia]

I ran two ‘low magic’ 3e campaigns, and both worked out quite well. However, both ended well before 10th level (I cut experience awards in half). Also, one had no ‘pure’ arcane spellcasters (only a bard and a cleric), while the other only had a sorcerer (and a multiclass rogue-cleric NPC for support).

Common sense and an ability to modify encounters on the fly should suffice.

However, on reflection, to keep ‘balance’ between spellcasters and nonspellcasters, I would suggest one of the following:

1. Require ‘pure’ spellcasters (wizards, sorcerers, clerics, druids) to multiclass every other level with a nonspellcasting class. Personally, I would require that other class to be the ‘expert’ generic class from Unearthed Arcana (that way the players could fine-tune the class through their choice of skills and feats).

2. Rule that all spells have, as a minimum casting time, a full round (spells that already have full round casting times or longer stay the same), eliminate all spells over level 6 (perhaps treat some of them as ‘incantations’ as per UA), and add 5 levels to the level requirements for all item creation feats (except scrolls and potions).

Those suggestions aside, running campaigns in the 1-10 level range is best (and indeed, may be sufficient).

There really is a simple answer to this.

As was mentioned, don't use fantastical creatures.
...
Figure the party is equal to about -2 for their level
…
Oh, and use a 45-50 point buy character. That right there is worth several levels worth of magic treasure.

And … give max hit points per level...

Those are all sound suggestions.

Here's what I do for a House Rule. Everyone is limited to 3 magic items. (Any more and they cease working or becoming cursed.) Total values and CRs otherwise stay the same.

This makes every magic item a special, signature item. Compare to fantasy literature or myth. PC's aren't draped in magic items, and they don't have a solution to every problem Inspector Gadget-style. All the players and DM can remember what those key signature items are.

That’s an interesting idea. How has it worked out in practice?

 

[Hussar]

Man, in our Monday game, we probaby had an average party AC of about 21 at 10th level, and we were getting hammered. How does your AC14 barb keep from dying every combat?

Two front line combatants. And a pile of hit points.

That's a point too. Just because your AC is low, doesn't necessarily mean you are getting his THAT much more often. Bear with me a second.

Assume an average fight lasts 5 rounds. Assume the bad guy is getting 3 attacks/round. This means he gets 15 attacks at the outside in the fight. Split that between 2 PC's and each is getting 7.5 attacks (round up to 8 just to be nice to the bad guy). Now, PC A has 7 more AC points than PC B. That means B is getting hit 35% more often. However, he still isn't being hit more than 8 times, no matter what. Assuming, of course, that you don't focus all attacks on one target.

My players tend to switch up a lot. Fall back and move up to keep the bad guy from focussing too much on one PC.

34 point buy makes a huge difference as well.

 

[el-remmen]

Some things I have done to make this work for my Aquerra setting:

* Instituted Base Defense Bonus that stacks with Armor (as long you are proficient in the armor)
* Created a range of masterwork items form +1 to +3 to either attack or damage or both and increased prices and multipliers for making them.
* Made masterwork armor grant bonuses to AC and some even grant limited DR
* Increased the price of creating most magical items
* Used Power Component variant rule for creating items
* Specific magical items require specific "recipes" to create. Having the Craft Wondrous Item feat does not mean you can make any wondrous item - it means you have the knowledge to decipher the instructions for making them if you can get your hands on those instructions AND/OR take the time to research how something might be made. When gaining the feat you only gain the instructions for making the item that was made as part of the training for making those types of items, and any other recipes you can purchase or negotiate with those who train you
* Most items prices or XP costs can be lowered by making them with some form for drawback - making most useful magical items in the setting have some kind of drawback.
* There are social taboos regarding the flagrant use of magic and the abuse of power that are reinforced by laws and organizations.
* Limited the number of new spells wizards and bards automatically get as they rise in level.
* Reinforce the expecations and responsibilities of clerics to their gods and churches regarding how they use their granted spells and the items they make with those spells.
* Mostly used human and humanoid opponents.

 

[buzz]

Assume an average fight lasts 5 rounds. Assume the bad guy is getting 3 attacks/round. This means he gets 15 attacks at the outside in the fight. Split that between 2 PC's and each is getting 7.5 attacks (round up to 8 just to be nice to the bad guy). Now, PC A has 7 more AC points than PC B. That means B is getting hit 35% more often. However, he still isn't being hit more than 8 times, no matter what. Assuming, of course, that you don't focus all attacks on one target.

My barb and the party paladin are the meat shields for our party. If the barb had a 14 AC back when we were 10th level, I'm pretty sure that those 8 attacks would have killed him. At least the way our DM runs things. At EL10, most attacks are going to hit AC14.

I also can't remember the last time we were facing off against only one bad guy.

Your players may very well be better tacticians than we are, though.

 

[Hussar]

Buzz, I'll certainly agree that against multiple opponents, a fight is tougher. That's true.

And yeah, the barbie get's whacked like a pinata. The favoured soul cajoled me into allowing an improved status spell from somewhere or other that lets her cast minor healing through it. Up to second, or third level spells, I can't remember.

She spends a LOT of time doing nothing but pumping hp's into the barbie.

OTOH, I agree with you on this. I foresee the demise of our favourite orc barbarian in very short order. Eventually, I'm going to get lucky and just obliterate him.

 

[Tsillanabor]

In my campaign we're running low magic items, regular casters. At level 5-6 each person in the group has ONE +1 magic item. Seems to be working just fine-I give one feat per level and apparently it evens out.

 

[Emirikol]

Low items really is the way to go. ITems are the number one game breaker. I've added the -2 spellcaster level (i.e. must be multiclassed) and that seems to have 'really' done the trick. You have to have players who are willing to do two things:
1. Think
2. Fight..a lot..

INITIAL CHARACTER CLASSES
All PC’s spend at least their first two character levels in non-spellcasting classes (indicated below.)

Players Handbook & DMG
Aristocrat +10% wealth/Ari level; Bonus feat each lvl
Barbarian
Commoner Hero Monk saves; Prof. +5; Bonus feat each lvl
Expert Skill pts as rogue; Bonus feat each lvl
Fighter
Monk No multi-classing restriction
Rogue

Complete D&D Classbooks, Psionic, PHB 2
Knight PHB2
Ninja CAdv
Ranger Variant CW
Samurai CW
Scout CAdv
Swashbuckler CW

Note:
Any Spell List (Ex): by definition, sorcerers and shugenja can create their known spell lists from any spell list (divine, bard, etc.)

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