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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arkhandus" data-source="post: 1154537" data-attributes="member: 13966">Here are my suggestions for keeping things relatively simple but low-magic. 1. Move all spells up one spell level.  0-level spells become 1st-level, 1st-levels become 2nd, 3rd-levels become 4th, and so on, which eliminates 9th-level spells completely.  Ignore this adjustment for rangers and paladins, since their magic is already weak and low-level in general.  Casters that otherwise would have 0-level spell slots lose them, as all 0-level spells instead become 1st-level and use up 1st-level slots. 2. Cut effective caster level in half for all spellcasters, rounded down, to a minimum of caster level 1.  Bards don't gain a caster level until they gain 1st-level spells.  This diminishes the overall power of spells (i.e. magic missile, fireball, and so on grow in power more slowly, and the range/duration of spells also grows more slowly). 3. Eliminate Read Magic and handle spellbooks, wizard spell acquisition, and so on as you described already above.  Probably also eliminate Greater Dispelling, Antimagic Zone, Feeblemind, and Polymorph spells, as well as some of the magical transportation spells, and some of the life-restoring or death spells (leave in maybe Ressurection, Reincarnate, Circle Of Death, Circle Of Doom, and Finger Of Death perhaps, generally those that would be bumped up to 8th or 9th level from the suggestion above).  Also eliminate some of the particularly flashy or particularly mundane/routine spells (i.e. Mending, Make Whole, Create Water, Create Food And Drink, Unseen Servant, Prestidigitation, Arcane Mark, Delayed Blast Fireball, and so on).  But don't elminate them all; remember that the above spell level bump and caster level reduction will already weaken many of these spells (like Fireball, Magic Missile, etc.) to less than half their previous power, and the world should have at least a few flashy spells to frighten townsfolk with. ;D 4. Eliminate metamagic and item creation feats, as forgotten/undiscovered/secret knowledge, except possibly Scribe Scroll and Brew Potion.  For those two feats, make the Level prerequisites 5th and 8th, respectively, and make the experience cost 1/10th instead of 1/25th, and double the market price for mechanical purposes.  However, make all magic items almost impossible to sell (or find for sale).  Wizards may choose any feat they qualify for as their bonus feats, instead of their normal restrictions, and likewise gain a bonus feat of their choice (which they must qualify for) instead of Scribe Scroll at 1st-level. 5. Increase the skill points per level by 2 for rangers and paladins, and by 4 instead for bards, and by 6 instead for clerics and druids, and by 8 instead for sorcerers and wizards.  This compensates for their decreased caster level and the fact that their spells essentially take up higher level slots than normal. 6. Give all classes Craft and Profession as class skills.  Also give sorcerers all Charisma-based skills as class skills (except animal empathy in v3.0), as well as Decipher Script and all Knowledge skills.  Also give wizards Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Bluff, Intimidate, Sense Motive, and Heal as class skills.  Magic should be rare and frightening to common folk, so mages should be able to scare or manipulate folks more easily. 7. (Potential Restriction) Require characters to state, after gaining a level, whether or not they intend to gain/advance a level in a magical class next, and they must state the specific class.  They may not change that decision (unless they lose a level, then they can probably choose a different path).  Require 10% or 20% more experience points to gain a new level in any class that has spellcasting, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities, even if no such abilities or spells would be gained at that particular level.  These extra experience points are automatically lost upon gaining that level.  This makes it just a little slower to progress as a magical character, but doesn't really give more EXP to spend on scrolls and potions.  This does not count towards the normal amount of EXP required to gain levels. 8. (Potential Restriction) Classes with spellcasting, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities are NEVER considered a favored class for multiclassing purposes.  Members of a race that would have such a class as their favored class instead choose, individually, at 1st-level what their favored class will be, and it cannot be of the type mentioned above.  Humans and half-elves do not have to designate their favored class, as before, but are still restricted in that they cannot have a magical favored class. 9. (Potential Restriction) Characters may never advance in level greater than their Intelligence score as a Wizard.  They may never advance in level greater than their Wisdom score as a Cleric, Druid, Monk, Paladin, or Ranger (individually).  They may never advance in level greater than their Charisma score as a Bard or Sorcerer (individually). That's all I can think of right now....</blockquote>

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