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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WizarDru" data-source="post: 1984489" data-attributes="member: 151">Low-magic, as stated, means different things to different people.  Some people consider LotR to be low-magic, for example, even though magic is virtually omnipresent in Middle Earth.  A common thread in LotR is that the Elves don't view anything as 'magical', but the things they make are so well-crafted (and sometimes imbued with the divine) that to non-elves, that's exactly what they are (witness: lembas bread, elf-cloaks, the phial of galadriel, elven rope, elven healing techniques, elven weapons, moon-doors and so on and so forth).  Middle-Earth has magical beings at every turn and powerful divinities whose power has reshaped the world several times...but on a practical, day-to-day level, magic is rarely seen and it's effects rarely felt.  Magic that finds it's hands even to adventurers (non-elves, in particular) is rare.  Most of Middle-Earth's magic falls into item creation or divine powers.  Other folks look at something like Conan as 'low-magic'.  Here, sorcerors, wizards, witches, demons, devis and magic items abound...but their relative power is weak, comparatively speaking.  Of course, their invulnerability depends on the plot...wizard X returns from the dead, and can only be slain if Conan retrieves an ancient gem and reclaims his throne, for example.  There are few massive displays of power, making the few there are more effective and powerful by contrast.  If there are dozens of wizards, but only two of them know burning hands, and no one has access to appropriate magical defenses, then it becomes a more powerful spell by default.I've heard Midnight referred to as low-magic, which also is up to interpetation.  In a world where only the bad guys have clerics, magic hunting awakened animals roam the streets of cities ruled by epic-level PCs turned to evil and an ancient elven kingdom full of powerful elven magic-users is the only thing left standing...well, magic is hardly low in quantity.  It is, however, rare for the PCs to get it and be able to make effective use of it.Generally, what most folks mean by low-magic in a game falls into two broad categories:  <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There is little magic, period:  Obviously, this style can penalize PCs a great deal in the D&D system.  Some creatures became far, far more dangerous without the appropriate magical defenses: a Bodak, for example, becomes a terrifying thing, and some creatures, such as evil outsiders, become far tougher opponents.  Care needs to be taken to address such issues, or pick challenges appropriately.  The CR system assumes that PCs have access to standard magic and an equivalent GPs worth of magic items as given in the equipment chart in the DMG.  If the PCs are woefully under-equipped on that scale, then their ability to handle CRs varies dramatically.  If done wrong, this style can severely penalize spellcasters as a PC choice unfairly.   </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There is little magic in the PCs hands:  In this style, PCs see plenty of magic flying about, but are severely limited in their access to it.  Depending on how this is handled, it can be very frustrating or merely flavor.  Care needs to be taken to recognized that either the PCs need to find a way to get the necessary equipment for higher-levels. </li> </ul>The trickiest part of running a low-magic game is making sure that your players share your view of how things will work.  What may sound like it would make magic more 'special' can have a negative effect on a game, by making magic not worth anyone's time, or by removing magic's appeal and thereby making the game seem drab to people who weren't expecting it, or who think the DM may be stacking the odds against the players.  If done poorly, it can make the players think that the DM is using a crutch or artificially making the game more difficult and less fun for no good reason.  Tastes vary and implementation is important.</blockquote>

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