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Greyhawk and "Low Magic" : Why Low Magic is in the Eyes of Beholder
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<blockquote data-quote="ninjayeti" data-source="post: 8079189" data-attributes="member: 6789120"><p>Personally I would describe it as:</p><p></p><p>Greyhawk (Low magic): Powerful spellcasters exist, but are rare and isolated; common people have little exposure to more than basic cantrips or cure wounds spells. In many places high level magic or unusual races may cause people to react in irrational ways. Seeing even mid-level magic is something most people will tell their grandkids about. Adventurers commonly use and encounter magic, but they are the rare exceptions. </p><p></p><p>FR (High magic): Powerful spellcasters exist and magic is fairly widespread; common people have a fair bit of exposure to it (the gods walked the earth during the time of troubles, people mutated during the spellplague, the magic garden Goldenfields supplies food to the cities of the Sword Coast). Magic won't freak anyone out, but savvy people will also take countermeasures against it. (e.g. the casino in SKT having a mage to cast detect thoughts on anyone doing suspiciously well.) Seeing magic is like a person IRL seeing a Ferrari or a C-list celebrity - kinda cool, but not that big of a deal. </p><p></p><p>Eberron (Industrial magic): Few high level spellcasters exist but magic is widespread and seen as a normal (though likely unaffordable) part of life. </p><p></p><p>I would point to Robert Howard's Conan stories as an example of Greyhawk-style low magic. Conan encounters the supernatural in almost every story, but these supernatural elements are always depicted as extraordinary and unbelievable. When Conan tells people they think he was hallucinating or concussed (see, e.g. The Phonex and the Sword; The Frost Giant's Daughter). Whereas if Conan told someone from FR a dead sage had visited him and cast a spell on his sword so he could defeat a daemon the response would likely be: "Oh cool, the same thing happened to my cousin a few years back."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ninjayeti, post: 8079189, member: 6789120"] Personally I would describe it as: Greyhawk (Low magic): Powerful spellcasters exist, but are rare and isolated; common people have little exposure to more than basic cantrips or cure wounds spells. In many places high level magic or unusual races may cause people to react in irrational ways. Seeing even mid-level magic is something most people will tell their grandkids about. Adventurers commonly use and encounter magic, but they are the rare exceptions. FR (High magic): Powerful spellcasters exist and magic is fairly widespread; common people have a fair bit of exposure to it (the gods walked the earth during the time of troubles, people mutated during the spellplague, the magic garden Goldenfields supplies food to the cities of the Sword Coast). Magic won't freak anyone out, but savvy people will also take countermeasures against it. (e.g. the casino in SKT having a mage to cast detect thoughts on anyone doing suspiciously well.) Seeing magic is like a person IRL seeing a Ferrari or a C-list celebrity - kinda cool, but not that big of a deal. Eberron (Industrial magic): Few high level spellcasters exist but magic is widespread and seen as a normal (though likely unaffordable) part of life. I would point to Robert Howard's Conan stories as an example of Greyhawk-style low magic. Conan encounters the supernatural in almost every story, but these supernatural elements are always depicted as extraordinary and unbelievable. When Conan tells people they think he was hallucinating or concussed (see, e.g. The Phonex and the Sword; The Frost Giant's Daughter). Whereas if Conan told someone from FR a dead sage had visited him and cast a spell on his sword so he could defeat a daemon the response would likely be: "Oh cool, the same thing happened to my cousin a few years back." [/QUOTE]
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