Pathfinder 1E low magic in pathfinder?

[Ezequielramone]

I want to reduce the amount of magic items in my campaigns.
Will this make weaker characters? how much can I restric them? do you have any recommendation?
thanks for your time.

 

[gamerprinter]

Yes, it will make your characters weaker. Unless you adjust the power level of your NPCs and monsters as well, the default power levels of PCs and their magic items are part of what defines their CR. If you change the value of that, then the CR value of monsters and NPCs are unduly more powerful than your PCs and it becomes very difficult to match up what encounters are balanced to fight the adventuring party. Your going to not only require you adjust the magic items of the monsters and NPCs your PCs encounter, but those monsters that don't have magic items to define their CR is too powerful for your adventurers. You'd have to drop the CR value of those encounters by a point or 2 to make challenges balanced for a magic-item weak party.

 

[delericho]

It's worse even than that, because some classes are much less affected by a reduction in magic items than others. The spellcasters will probably barely feel it (especially if you still allow item crafting), while the non-spellcasters will suffer significantly, and drop even further behind.

Unfortunately, it's not even just a case of giving "inherent bonuses" to make up the difference (as could be done in 4e), because the problem isn't really one of numbers - there are entire categories of things spellcasters can do even at fairly low level that non-spellcasters can only do via magic items - flight being the first example that leaps to mind.

 

[Ezequielramone]

I'm thinking in ban spellcasters and keep the game in low level and slow progression. I want players to resolve problems without magic for once.
what do you think.

 

[Ramaster]

If even +1 weapons are extremely rare, then keep in mind that monsters with DR/magic (usually not that big a problem in PF since by 2nd or 3rd you get at least a +1 weapon) are pretty buffed up.

Other than that, you won't find a big power difference until the mid levels (6-8 or so), where you'll have to adjust the CR of encounters.

 

[gamerprinter]

Heck, I've run low magic games a number of ways.

1. Limit the magic items (and no magic shops)
2. Limit to all martial classes only - rogue, monk, fighter, cavalier, samurai, barbarian.
3. Limit to half casters and martials only - rogue, monk, fighter, paladin, bard, ranger, paladin, cavalier, samurai, ninja, barbarian.
4. Allow alchemist, magus, witch, oracle - no clerics, nor sorcerers and wizards.
5. E6/E8 - class levels only go to 6th or 8th, with skill points and feats increases only after that.
6. Run a game where use of magic is possible, but causes corruption, eventually forcing PC spellcasters to become NPCs. - such as xoth.net setting

With each of these options, managing the CR of your opponents is still necessary, though amount varies with each limitation. You have to play it by ear.