Limited magic campaign......has never failed yet!

[Sir ThornCrest]

An alternative campaign setting. A step up from a “no magic” world is the following and it makes a GREAT scenario for any campaign. Gives the players excellent reason for adventure. Gives the dm excellent control over encounters, assuring great role playing and fighting.

The Gods have all but killed each other and with it magic, good vs. evil, lawful vs. chaos Orcs vs. dwarves, elves vs. drow all but a fraction of demi humans survived. And all the gods are so weak they can no longer grant spells to clerics, and have all but eradicated magic from the world. They used their worshippers as ponds to kill their enemies, the one and only known World war. .kingdoms fell, many died the world is in recovery and on uneasy truces at that.

The players will have access only to magical things swords, robes, wands anything that doesn’t require charges or a spellcaster to activate may still be active. These magic’s are all that is left to remind people of the once great power that existed. Any magical is heavily sought after and if you are one of the lucky few that have one then you will have to be skilled at either hiding your magical or great at defending yourself, probably both. Some kings, barons lords are in charge for the sole reason of having a powerful magical item....or is it just a +1 sword.....hell it glows he must be powerful!

Players must be human, and very rarely could a DM allow any demi human. And if so they will possess 0 magical casting ability. And will have to deal with a great deal of prejudice in certain kingdoms-demi humans are blamed for many of mans woes!

The only magic in world are mystical beasts, (and thats to some degree is tempered) no pc or human known has any spell casting ability. Only elves have a small degree of the power they once had.

GREAT ADVENTURING & GREAT ROLE PLAYING

Thorn Crest

 

[Crothian]

you explain why there is no divine magic, but what of arcane magic?

 

[Steel_Wind]

I would presume that Arcane Magic, like Divine Magic, flows from the gods.

The scenario above is very similar to the results of the Chaos War on Krynn, prior to the War of Souls.

Magic was not gone, but faded and a shadow of itself.

I did something similar to this in a campaign but explained it with a meteor striking the planet.

The resultant fallout-dust was highly anti-magical. It settled and was washed away and concentrated, eventually, into rivers and estuaries.

The upshot was that rivers, estuaries and irrigated land became highly toxic to magic. The few places it survived were in the wilds and at great sites built upon the conjunctions of lei lines. To move from one zone to another caused nausea in those who were sensitive to magic.

It also prevented teleport into or out of any civilized area. Originally, the anti-magic effect had outright slain most of the magical creatures of the world who did not withdraw into a few of the remaining magic zones. (An Underdark like seting is great for this purpose).

Over time, magic sensitive people who could resist the great sickness evolved and survived. But even still, they became violently ill when moving back and forth from between power, low power and no power zones.

Allowing power in some zones and forbidding it in others allows you to adjust the power level of your party without making anything permanent. This is also a nice adventure design gimmick.

Whatever the case or explantion, the reduction in magic makes for a more unique setting, different from previous high powered campaigns and is a nice "fresh start" for many gaming circles.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

It seems cyberpunk. I like it.

 

[Saeviomagy]

An alternative campaign setting. A step up from a “no magic” world is the following and it makes a GREAT scenario for any campaign. Gives the players excellent reason for adventure. Gives the dm excellent control over encounters, assuring great role playing and fighting.

Frankly, I fail to see how "less magic" = "more roleplaying". But there you go.

From what I understand, this campaign is a "no magic, except in the hands of NPCs and monsters".

That's pretty much a recipe for disaster, without the DM being very, very careful. 99% of magic requires magic to counter it, and the D&D system is heavily based on the PC's being able to fix the bad stuff that most monsters do.

Not to mention the fact that when everything else in the whole world seems to be magical, the PC's may decide that it's a function of the DM being out to get them rather than the campaign setting.

 

[FireLance]

I'd just like to express my view that low magic or limited magic campaigns do not necessarily result in great adventuring, role-playing or fighting. Depending on the tastes of your players, it might result in frustration, resentment and finding another DM.

Gives the dm excellent control over encounters

This is probably true, though.

 

[Crothian]

I've never found that high levels of magic took away my control over encounters....it does give the players more options so the players can't as easily be controled though.

 

[shilsen]

I've never found that high levels of magic took away my control over encounters....it does give the players more options so the players can't as easily be controled though.

Same here. And I actually prefer my players/PCs having lots of options since there are more chances that they will do something creative and interesting. Unfortunately, I think a fair number of DMs take the approach that curtailing PC options and having more DM control is preferable.

 

[rekres]

DnD is "high magic".... always has been, and IMO, it always should be.

I have grown tired of people wanting to 'tone down' the magic in DnD. Instead, try embracing it. Instead of trying to constantly nerf the magic in the world, why not use those oddball tricks to make the game more interesting. Did the players teleport past all your traps to the end of the dungeon? Great! Reward them... give them a lot of loot and let them cart it off. Where are they going to store the loot while trying to find a place to sell it? Have an enterprizing thief/wizard teleport into their storage spot and haul off the loot...

 

[Crothian]

DnD is "high magic".... always has been, and IMO, it always should be.

Then you should see Oathbound!!