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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Keldryn" data-source="post: 3514115" data-attributes="member: 11999">It's only derailed if it turns into a flame war.   <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> ehren37 does make a very valid point that should be considered when designing and running a low-magic game.  If NPCs are utterly unequipped to handle magic, it does make the PC spellcasters even more powerful.  With NPCs who are completely baffled by and afraid of magic, PC spellcasters will have no trouble ripping off every shopkeeper and noble with the use of low-level spells such as invisibility, charm person, and even basic illusions, never mind the possibilities of higher-level spells.  Do you want the PCs to be able to cast minor illusion spells on bags of rocks to make them look like gems and then make thousands of gold by selling them to different jewelers in every town?  City guards will get utterly trounced even by lower level PCs.  PC Wizards could quite easily abuse their 1st and 2nd level spells to pretty much guarantee that the party never really has to pay for anything.Imagine the effect that a single 1st-level Cleric or Druid (or even an Adept) can have on the village or town that he or she lives in with the three 0-level castings of purify food and drink that he or she can provide (so at least 24 gallons of water per day).  It's not a powerful combat spell, but we're talking zero-level magic here that would have profound effects on the development of a community.  If there are good-aligned NPCs of any of these classes -- even if they are extremely rare -- it's hard to imagine why they would not perform such services for their community.  Some players don't notice or care, but others will have a hard time sustaining the suspension of disbelief when everyone in the world is completely ignorant of even the most insignificant magic that they've been able to use in abundance since 1st level.It certainly isn't impossible to run a low-magic game with D&D rules, even 3.5 -- but a DM needs to be aware of and be prepared for the effects it will have on the game.  And making PC spellcasters more powerful while making PC warrior-types less effective is one of those effects.  The magic-ignorant populace also becomes even easier pickings for the very rare but still very powerful foes that the DM still needs to create in order to keep the PCs challenged as they accumulate experience.It's a fairly radical departure from the D&D rules, but the d20 Game of Thrones book presents a pretty good approach to a low-magic game.  But in doing so it virtually eliminates PC casters as well.  Another thing that it does is keep hit point totals from inflating wildly.  A Man-At-Arms, for example, starts with 10 HP at first level, and then gains +3 HP/level after that.  I might be off on those figures, but it's fairly close.  Alternatives to magical healing go a long way towards making low-magic games work.  Conversion to nonlethal damage, faster healing, variations on wound/vitality points, and other such variants help reduce the reliance on healing spells that never goes away in standard D&D rules.I've been using magic weapons that can be improved as a PC gains levels as a substitute for the revolving door of +1, +2, +x cycle of magic weapons for a long time.  Even in a non low-magic game, it helps the flavour a lot.  And the often-mentioned approach of having +1 to +2 or +3 bonuses being non-magical in nature is good as well.It's another rules change, but you could try making spellcasting classes into prestige classes that have certain prerequisites that cannot be met until 4th or 5th level (or whenever you decide).  Spells like cure light wounds, purify food and drink, mending, charm person, command, cause fear, endure elements, remove fear, detect poison, silent image, mage hand, sleep, comprehend languages or disguise self all become rather insignificant for most PCs very quickly.  But even the most inexperienced spellcasters can cast these spells every day, and even spellcasters are exceedingly rare, these minor magics would have such a dramatic effect in a community that it is kind of hard to believe that the average townsfolk has never seen or heard of them.  But if you suddenly make it so that only characters who have already advanced to mid-levels in another class can cast spells, then all of these minor magics suddenly become truly rare and difficult to obtain and it makes a lot more sense that the vast majority of people would never have seen them.</blockquote>

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