illegal magic

[messy]

as homebrewing novice i need help from all the veterans:

if a fantasy world's only civilized city had declared the use of magic illegal, what effects would this have on such a society?

 

[darjr]

Take a look at Darksun for some examples. The dragon Kings have magic, everyone else must use psionics.

 

[Quickleaf]

as homebrewing novice i need help from all the veterans:

if a fantasy world's only civilized city had declared the use of magic illegal, what effects would this have on such a society?

Well in a world where dragons and elves are real, you've got a real dilemma of defining just what constitutes magic in a legal sense. For example, if a gnome using an innate spell-like ability like ghost sound, could it feasibly end up in court?

Then there's the question of enforcement. The regular city guard probably aren't going to cut it if a powerful Mage needs to be arrested. Who then does the city turn to to bring in magic-users? Of course sometimes it might take magic to catch a Mage, so when is that justifiable under the law?

Finally there's the burden of proof in a court of law (assuming your city isn't governed by an absolute monarch who can just say "off with their heads" without evidence). How do you prove that magic was used? Witnesses of good moral standing who clearly would never use magic? Is divine magic allowed such as detect lie?

Is intent factored into a court's ruling or is all magic viewed as equally punishable by death or whatever?

As a special case, How are enchantments ruled under law? Is the person who was compelled to commit a crime via charm person considered an innocent victim or are they considered tainted by magic?

 

[el_stiko]

I would refer you to Dragon Age, and also BBC's Merlin!

 

[Dethklok]

You have some pretty good advice already, but I'll point out the economic side: If magic really does work well, then a thriving black magic market would arise, and costs would be exorbitant. Every so often there would be scandals regarding the high-ranking citizens, and politicians or rival guildmasters would be constantly accusing one another of collusion with the sorcerers.

Out of curiosity, why is magic illegal? Because this could also give rise to a situation much more like Medieval Europe, where magic's illegality was secondary to its powerful social stigma - sorcerers were viewed as pagans and diabolists. There was no real black market for magic (that I'm aware of!) in medieval Europe, but there was a sort of monopoly on the practice, controlled by the Church. And there were also certain grey areas, such as astrology and alchemy. The main theme there is that the more pagan or satanic a form of magic appeared, the less it was accepted anywhere near the mainstream. It was only wisewomen and hedge wizards at the fringes of society who got away with blatantly unChristian practices, and the nobles who were powerful enough not to fear Church edicts and collected magical books and talismans anyway.

 

[GMMichael]

as homebrewing novice i need help from all the veterans:

if a fantasy world's only civilized city had declared the use of magic illegal, what effects would this have on such a society?

This depends heavily on how magic works in the world, what it can accomplish, and who chooses to use magic, regardless of the proclamation.

How it works: if magic is like programming Windows, then you need years of training and specialized instructors (and institutions?) to be able to learn it. This kind of magic would be fairly easy to outlaw/eliminate, because it doesn't spread too easily.
Now, if all you need is a fairy tale and bad intentions, it would be pretty hard to eliminate magic, and there would be lots of illegal practice.

What it can accomplish: does the magic available to the public (legally or otherwise) have the same spectrum as what's in your rulebook? Or is that mostly available to PCs only? Citizens won't seek to perform illegal magic if it's just conjuring doves and detecting coins under shells.

Who's using it: magic is illegal in my gameworld (most societies). Well, "black magic" is. The royalty can have personal wizards (and wizards get their own staff) (oops), and the church self-allows magic, but commoners? No-frickin'-way. The last thing the king needs is a magic missile in his face.

 

[Morrus]

War of the Burning Sky's magic-sniffing Inquisitors!

 

[messy]

great advice, everybody. thank you.

Out of curiosity, why is magic illegal?

i'm looking for an in-game justification for the setting to be low-magic. there might be a few spellcasters in the world, but they are feared and misunderstood.

 

[PBEM66]

Check out the "Wheel of Time" series as well. Male magic-users eventually go insane... Also, great read for the first four books (Jordan loses a little focus after a while), but a great in-depth world...

 

[Dethklok]

i'm looking for an in-game justification for the setting to be low-magic. there might be a few spellcasters in the world, but they are feared and misunderstood.

Then definitely consider a theme of religious intolerance to magic, especially as seen in Middle Ages Europe.