D&D 5E How 'magical" in your game/setting?

[DND_Reborn]

I prefer "low magic" games and settings, but what exactly does that mean?

It is low in the sense that magic is rare, or is it that magic is not as powerful, or both, or something else?

I think full casters in 5E are too powerful, especially in tiers 3 and 4, because their spells overshadow what other classes can do. Even in the lower levels it can be an issue IME. I've toyed with moving access to spell levels to later levels in the spell progression, with decreasing spell slots, and so forth.

But where do casters fall in your game? Do you see them running the show because their spells have too much impact? Do they take the challenge out of the challenges? Or do you think they aren't powerful enough?

On a related note, there is also the setting. Magical items, locations, and creatures have a huge impact on the feel of your game or setting. In the sense of the encounter, do characters deal with those things rarely, often, or somewhere in between?

I've separated the poll into two sections: #1 is dealing with casters. The options deal with power (spell level) and frequency (spell slots).

Section #2 is more general, about magic in the setting such as creatures, items, and locations you (or your PCs) encounter.

You have two votes, please use one vote for each section. Thanks!

 

[Vaalingrade]

I am all about highly fantastic.

Anyone can learn some magic, but it takes work or a lot of natural talent to got the distance. Magic is everywhere and awesome in its function instead of 'special'. Casters working together can do great things, raising walls from the earth in seamless sheets, and creating fantastic witch engines.

But the the same token, everything else is fantastic too. Warriors aren't the casters' chumps; they can blow through walls, leap chasms and perform mighty feats. Intellectual built weird devices that can fly and brachiate through forests and inject powerful serums.

The world is like Earth only in the sense that that the buff dude at the end of the milk commercial is the kid from the start harassing that unaging lady.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

For caster power I went with RAW, because I think it works well. I've gotten up to 17th and don't feel like there's an issue with caster vs. non.

For setting I voted other, because of this:

In the sense of the encounter, do characters deal with those things rarely, often, or somewhere in between?

The characters encounter that stuff all the time, because that's there job. They're the heroes of the story so when that magical stuff comes up, they're the ones who need to deal with it.

However, the vast majority if people in the world don't interact with those things. There's only a handful of spell casting NPCs in a major city, and even the best of the them can't cast beyond a 3rd-level spell. If commoners are luck, they might attend a church service illuminated by a daylight spell, but that's the most common people see.

So magic isn't common in the world as a whole, just the PCs little slice of it.

 

[overgeeked]

I don't think your medium-medium picks for both categories accurately reflects 5E very well. Default 5E is way closer to high-high on both counts. NPC casters are everywhere, running the full range of levels. The existence of half of the monsters in the monster books and the piles of magic items pushes things well into the high power and at least common frequency.

 

[aco175]

I went with RAW for the casters mostly since my group does not play in higher levels and NPCs are not even that high.

I like my world a bit more than RAW since I tend to give out more magic items and more rare items at lower levels. I like the feeling like in older editions of getting a cool item. Some goes back to the first part in that we do not play 17th level so items of that power may be given to 10th level PCs.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I don't think your medium-medium picks for both categories accurately reflects 5E very well. Default 5E is way closer to high-high on both counts. NPC casters are everywhere, running the full range of levels. The existence of half of the monsters in the monster books and the piles of magic items pushes things well into the high power and at least common frequency.

The main reason I picked the medium-medium is because it is highly subjective and the DMG has low, standard, and high magic options in some places IIRC. So, I believe WotC recognizes that its base design is standard or "medium" in this regard.

As for the setting, that is why I put "typical" 5E??? with question marks. It is highly subjective and people just have to judge as best they can.

How many of those monsters and magical items, etc. you use depends greatly on your preference.

So, what you believe is high-high, someone else might see as medium-medium.

 

[jmartkdr2]

I voted medium-medium, because that's the averages, but it's not really telling the whole story.

Weak magic is common. Powerful magic is rare and special and noteworthy.

1st level casters are found in most villages. 11th level casters are kingdom-level important (ie the king can call on a couple such casters, including themselves if they are casters.) Higher than that are continent-level, and epic casters are less common than once-in-a-generation.

 

[Yora]

What does strength mean?

 

[DND_Reborn]

1st level casters are found in most villages. 11th level casters are kingdom-level important (ie the king can call on a couple such casters, including themselves if they are casters.) Higher than that are continent-level, and epic casters are less common than once-in-a-generation.

See, this is why I enjoy asking these questions.

In my games, most villages don't have a 1st level caster even. Most small towns will, maybe, but not villages. And for 11th level and higher, you might run into one in a village (I have one adventure where you run into two of them, who are feuding with each other LOL!), who might be important to the community or might be a recluse in hiding.

 

[DND_Reborn]

What does strength mean?

For magic items, common, uncommon, rare, etc.

For locations, the amount of magic imbued into it, surrounding it, etc.

For creatures, how magical they are compared to mundane creatures.

Otherwise, whatever you judge it to be.