Low Magic in D&D - How'd it work out for you?

[Dan Bell]

I once ran a low magic game using D&D 3.0 in HarnWorld (see www.lythia.com for details on Harn). I worked okay, the trick was to slash the amounts of xp given for everything (I halved everything then further reduced xp awards for using magic in the open). Harn's magic is played so that magic is not used in the open. The PCs played well and the two mages did not 'earn' a witch hunt.

 

[S'mon]

I ran "Lost City of Barakus", which uses 1/2 XP and NPCs of 1/2 typical 3e levels in a campaign that runs from level 1 to 6 or so. This gives a low-magic flavour with very little adaptatioin required.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Most low magic games seem to cut down on magic items but still allow a wizard and cleric in the party. Unfortunately this is the worst possible way to do it.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

So, to move an argument from one thread into its own thread...

I've seen people complain for several years about how much a headache it is to try and turn D&D as written into a Low Magic world. However, others here are saying it's easy to do and shouldn't cause any problems.

So, to see who's right, I want to ask those who have done it. What'd you do?

Have you tried to do a low-magic setting in 3e, and how did it work for you?

How much work did you have to do, as a DM, to make sure the system worked (Meaning retooling monsters, fidgeting with wealth by level rules, adjusting magical items, etc)?

Difficulty: No talking about Iron Heroes, C&C or any other system that's built with d20. For the purpose of this discussion, it's simply "How did you as the DM Houserule it with the current D&D rules?"

I think only asking DMs for feedback is a bit unfair. Sometimes players don't have fun, and then the DM just thinks they're whiners.

 

[Griffith Dragonlake]

* 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.

• Armour as DR ( DR = AC)? Check.

• Class Defence Bonus (CDB = BAB) Check.

• Feats every other level and Ability points ever 3 levels? I use the ability bonus from CONAN and grant a feat for every level that doesn't give an ability score boost.

• EXP chart is 2× core? Check.

• Masterwork weapons up to +3? Check. Plus I've added heavier armours that boost AC but also weight (based on historical plate armour from the 16th and 17th C.).

• All casters 5% spell failure? Something to consider.

• Magic Item Reaction table? Interesting idea. I've love to see the details.

• Magic items cost 2× core? I used to use 10× but it seemed excessive. Maybe 2× would work better.

• I also require the spellcasting ability score requirement to be 11 + (2 × spell level). This explains venerable spellcasters and why becoming a lich or vampire is so attractive.

• Spellcasting is likened to loading and firing a heavy crossbow. Binding/weaving/crafting a spell is a full round action that provokes an attack of opportunity.

• All damage is non-lethal. That way a party can rest and recover hit points quickly (1 hit point/level/hour) [c.f. TSR's Conan rules c.1984]

• Luck Points (Action Points). [c.f. TSR's Conan rules c.1984]

• Increased # of Bless Weapon spells, e.g. Lesser Bless Weapon (+1), Bless Weapon (+2), Greater Bless Weapon (+3), Mass Lesser Bless Weapon, Mass Bless Weapon, and Mass Greater Bless Weapon — each of which grant a sacred (or profane) bonus rather than enhancement bonus and thus stacks with magical weapons' enhancement bonus. This allows me to hand out weapons with a lower + enhancement without changing a monster's DR. These bless weapons spells are available to all divine spellcasters, not just Paladins.

• Item creation feats require skill ranks in the appropriate crafting skills plus skill focus.

• And finally, I've been beta testing rules on insanity, taint, honour, and reputation.

 

[Arkhandus]

I think a really simple way to do it, if one were so inclined, would be like so:

1) Remove all spellcasters except Adepts (the npc class), Bards, Paladins, and Rangers. If using non-core sourcebooks, you could also retain Hexblades and Sohei, who only have spellcasting on-par with one of the three core classes mentioned.

2) Remove all other magic-heavy non-core classes, like Dragon Shamans and Binders and Incarnum-users and such. Also remove psionics, or limit psionics to just Soulknives and Psychic Warriors. Remove martial adepts if they're in use, since they are likely to make the game feel more high-fantasy-ish.

3) Remove all magic items (and psionic items) that could not be crafted by the few spellcasters (or manifesters) you've retained. Remove all constructs and undead that could not be created by the remaining classes (except, probably, for a few varieties that can be explained as creations of evil gods or craftsman gods; otherwise you wouldn't have any undead or constructs at all, I think).

4) Remove most monsters that have spell-like abilities duplicating spells that your remaining classes cannot cast. Excepting only dragons and outsiders, maybe.

5) Multiply the market price (and associated creation costs) of magic items and psionic items by whatever value seems most fitting; probably x2 or x4.

 

[Rechan]

I think only asking DMs for feedback is a bit unfair. Sometimes players don't have fun, and then the DM just thinks they're whiners.

I was asking what sorts of heavy lifting DMs had to do to make the system do Low Magic to prove a point.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

The game can hold up very well as a low magic game in terms of loot. I would not reccomend trying to run D&D as low magic by nerfing wizards and clerics and the like, however. I tend to be fairly stingy with loot in most cases, and my game is holding up pretty decently, though it is definitely not classic 'low magic'.

Obviously, you have to take a closer look at some of the monsters you throw around though. Damage Reduction 5/magic is a big deal when no one has any magic weapons.

The only caveat is that your ability to use published adventures is essentially nil. Red Hand of Doom tends to be pretty generous with the equipment it hands out to most 3 and 4 HD Hobgoblins. Your characters can build quite a collection of +1 shortswords from defeating Hobgoblin Bladebearers.

For reference, my players have access to +1 versions of most of their gear, a Wand of Magic Missile (1 missile), a Staff with some solid healing magic (adventure loot), a pair of boots of Striding and Springing, a Ring of Feather Falling, a Legacy Weapon (significant to the campaign), and a large selection of cure light and moderate wounds potions, and a few scrolls. They are presently 7th level, and entering the 2nd part of RHoD. The majority of the magical weapons and armour have been obtained only recently. And even if I were to manage to steal or destroy every item the players currently have, it would hardly affect their in game power level.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Griffith Dragonlake]

Most low magic games seem to cut down on magic items, have few caster NPCs and rare monsters but still allow a wizard and cleric in the party. Unfortunately this is the worst possible way to do it.

And why in your opinion, is this the worst possible way to do it? Please explain and offer your opinion of the ideal way to do it.

 

[an_idol_mind]

I've run a low-magic D&D game since 3rd edition was released (and really since I stopped running the Forgotten Realms in the 90s). I've added in a class defense bonus equal to 1/2 BAB, which offsets some of the need for rings of protection and the like. Other than that, 99% of running a low magic game for me is tone. I don't have any special rules restricting magic, but I have relatively few magic-using NPCs. The players, for their part, go along with the world as it is presented to them.

When it comes to dealing with monsters, I do pretty much what I did when determining whether monsters in older editions were challenges: I eyeballed it. I pay a bit of attention to challenge rating, but keep in mind that some monster will wreck some parties. A monster whose schtick is high DR, for example, can probably walk through a low-magic party, but a monster that is essentially an anti-spellcaster will have a harder time.

All in all, I've had no real troubles in putting together a low-magic D&D game that my friends have enjoyed for a while now.

EDIT: I guess I should mention that I play core 3rd edition. I haven't wanted the strain of extra splat books since they burned me out on 2nd edition.