Iron Lore: Malhavoc's Surprise?

[TerraDave]

I recently made an order through the WW website (for Fiery Dragon's Creature Collection Digital-woo-hoo!) and got a copy of their "Insider" catalog

It contains an interview with Mike Mearls about an upcoming product called Iron Lore. At first I thought this was the Book of Iron Might, but it is not.

While they don't say "low magic"--Edit: and Mearls reaffirms below it is not, it seems to be a book for campaigns where magic is less important, and players can do more with skills, feats and stunts instead. Magic itself is unpredictable and "tremendously difficult to control".

This product will deput at GenCon, and in the recent EnWorld chat with Monte Cook, he mentions this big surprise for GenCon, is this it?. I also know that a while back he had a poll on his site about a "lower magic" product. But Iron Lore is not mentioned on the Malhavoc website.

Some quotes:

Imagine a world where a warrior's skill and training, rather then the potency of an enchanted blade, determines his fortune. A world where magic is a force too powerful for a mere mortal to control with any confidence. A world at the dawn of a new era, where human built cities are scarcely more then a century old. Welcome to Iron Lore

In Iron Lore, magic is still common in terms of weird monsters, enchanged locations...creatures other then humans can do magic...humans must create new talents to battle them

There are three key changes from the core rules. First, the book radically expands and alters feats...second your charecters traits (which replace race) have mechanic effects similar to a bonus for a race...Finally...the skill system is more flexible then ever, allowing you to try a whole range of new stunts

There are no spells such as fireball or cure light wounds. Instead a caster tries to create a general effect such as filling an area with searing flame...most of the time the Arcanist creates a surge of fire but it doesn't have exactly the effect she hope for.

 

[DaveMage]

I'm not a fan of low-magic fantasy settings, so this is not something I would enjoy, but I'd guess there are many who like this sort of thing.

I just don't get the appeal.

Edit - Although it looks like the "low magic" applies to humans only. Hmmm...

 

[TerraDave]

I should note, they don't say "low magic". The emphasis is very much on the other stuff humans (the only player race) do get. But spell casting and magic items clearly play a smaller role

 

[Jaws]

But Iron Lore is not mentioned on the Malhavoc website.

Expect to see it Thursday or Friday.


Peace and smiles

j.

 

[francisca]

I came up with the term "scarce magic" the other day to describe settings like that, and my own homebrew. I think it's a more apt fit that then "low magic" catch-all.

Iron Lore sounds kinda like Hyboria or Nehwon.

 

[TerraDave]

I came up with the term "scarce magic" the other day to describe settings like that, and my own homebrew. I think it's a more apt fit that then "low magic" catch-all.

Iron Lore sounds kinda like Hyboria or Nehwon.

Scarce magic is probably a better descriptor

And yes, when I read it I thought: this is Malhovoc's take on Conan

 

[Krieg]

As much as this product appeals to me philosophically, I am afraid that we are possibly close to the saturation point for this category.

I just don't get the appeal.

You don't get the appeal of Conan, Fafhrd & The Grey Mouser? Heck an argument can be made that LoTR would fall into this category.

 

[thol]

You don't get the appeal of Conan, Fafhrd & The Grey Mouser? Heck an argument can be made that LoTR would fall into this category.

I don't think you could argue that it doesn't. Throw George R.R. Martin in there (and Jordan too, even though I think that series is a waste of trees).

Scarce magic makes the best fantasy.

 

[TerraDave]

As much as this product appeals to me philosophically, I am afraid that we are possibly close to the saturation point for this category.

Hmm, Grim Tales, Conan...what else?

Though again, in the Iron Lore interview, the emphasis is on what players get, not what they loose.

more quotes:

FEATS:

for instance, you want to focus on fighting with the warhammer, a variety of feats makes you different from a warrior who specializes in the great sword...plenty of feats are desinged for mighty charecters

TRAITS:

rather than play a dwarf, littorian...you can create a tall rangy wanderer from the frozen north. Your...traits--cultural background and great height--have mechanical effects similar to the bonuses for a race

SKILLS AND STUNTS:

Combat, built with an emphasis on action, draws on the skill rules to form the basis of a stunt system. Rather then maintain a static position and trade blows with an oponent, a charecter...might dive between an Ogre's feet then leap onto the brute's shoulders to drive his dagger into his neck

 

[francisca]

Well, this is certainly shaping up to be something I would be more interested in than Malhvoc's other setting, though having already invested in Conan d20, it will be a while before I give it a look.