It seems to me that defining what "low magic" means is more difficult than tweaking the system to suit a particular gaming style. I consider our gaming style to be low-fantasy/high-magic. In our system, magic is just as powerful as core, just much more rare. In order to give the game the right feel for our group, we made adjustments that put the emphasis on the characters, and lessened the impact of their gear in the game (Hmmm...isn't that what 4th Ed. is claiming to do now?). It looks to me like the 4th Edition people paid a LOT of attention to the houserules sections on WotC and here and implemented a lot of those kind of ideas into their new system.
Here's what we've been using for the last 4 years or so:
* Armor as DR (straight AC-DR conversion)
* Class Defense Bonus (straight BAB=CBD)
* Feats every other level (instead of every 3 levels)
* Ability points every 3 levels (instead of every 4 levels)
* EXP chart is 2X core (keeps us in the sweet spot a bit longer)
* Epic after 12th level (hasn't happened yet in our last 2 campaigns)
* I created a Masterwork weapon system that goes to +3 to make + weapons more accessible
* All casters (including divine casters) have a base 5% failure to make casting a bit less stable
* I created a Magic Item Reaction table, whereby every magical item has a signature of sorts which means that some items may react with others.
* Magical items cost 2x core.
We have a host of other additions to make combat much more strategic yet very fast. One of the biggest additions to running this type of game smoothly has been using DM Genie. This program is invaluable for managing a modified game and cuts our combat down to about 1/4 of the time it used to take us playing conventionally.
I love the idea of magic in a fantasy RPG. What I don't love is when magic becomes mundane and ordinary. I prefer magic to be rare, powerful, unpredictable and special.
I've recently fallen in love with the ConanD20 RPG. But we are about halfway through our current campaign, and it's going to take me a LONG time to convert the Conan game into DM Genie. But it has exactly the flavor I've been looking for in a fantasy RPG. My goal is to create a conversion for DM Genie for our next campaign while implementing some of our houserules that we've gotten very attached to over the last few years; namely our Battle Fatigue System and Modified Healing System.
I love the D20 system for its flexibility that allows it to become whatever you want it to be. I talk to a lot of DM's who nearly faint when they see our houserules, and say that they could never stray that far from Core. I always ask, why not? Making changes to Core isn't a big deal, and it's just as easy to change something back as it is to change it in the first place. Roleplaying is way to simulate a fantastic reality, and a good game system allows gaming groups to realize their own vision of how the game should feel. I really think the D20 system does a good job of this. Of course, I'm biased towards D&D since I've been playing it since 1981.
