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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MThibault" data-source="post: 464971" data-attributes="member: 7971">I think that the CRs would be an issue in a low magic *fantasy* setting.  If you have low-magic accross the board, and monsters have little or no spell-like or supernatural powers, then your lack of magic to counter won't be much of a hinderance.  If the monsters have magic and the PCs don't, that's a different story.I think that Damage Resistance would become incrementally more powerful in a campaign were fighters don't have magic weapons (or magic to boost attacks/damage) and the spellcasters don't have boom spells.  A DR 10/+1 would be very powerful.  Not only is there a serious possibility that no one will have a +1 weapon, but the availability of Bull's Strength, or Prayer or whatever will be drastically reduced, so it is also more difficult to just overcome the 10HP threshold.  After about 4th level, most monsters aren't designed to lose when they take 4-5HP of damage each round.But also the reduced versatility of the PCs would have a broader effect -- and this effect is difficult to quantify.  Flying opponents, for example,  become harder to fight (you can't fly, or jump great heights without magic) and again the ranged damage dealing spells would be difficult to come by.  At low-mid levels flying could add +1 or +2 to the CR of a creature.  Although if the magic level is such that flying becomes common around level 15, then it ceases to have an effect on the CR.It is difficult to discuss the specifics because it really depends on how you are conceptualizing and implementing "low magic".  If that just means "few magic items" the CRs will be affected differently than if it means "few spells", or "weaker magic items".  I'm sure many people read my examples above and thought, "Well, Magic Weapon just becomes a more useful spell",  or "That isn't a problem if potions are the only magic available."   And that is true, but it assumes that the DM wants spells and potions in her low-magic campaign.A toolbox would be cool, but it would have to account for all of the different types and combinations of low magic, and be very rules-oriented, to be of general use.  For a truly generic low-magic tool box to be successful, the designer will not have the luxury of dictating the definition of low-magic to the reader.  It will provide rules and advice to cover the situations that the DM devises.  A specific setting has the advantages of working with a single conception of low magic and integrating all of the necessary changes to Monsters, Classes, Races, etc. that will be needed to maintain a balanced campaign.  And it wouldn't be as dry to read because the flavor text would be as much the raison d'etre of the publication as the rules.I think that a series of articles might be more useful.  Pick a different low-magic concept each month and detail the changes needed (or at least the kinds of changes needed, if not the actual rules) to integrate it with the rules as presented in the core books.  The problem with this approach is that only really hard-core gamers will find the articles interesting in the abstract if they have no intention of ever implementing them in a game -- so even those DMs who want to go low magic will probably only be interested in the one article in the series that addresses their specific needs.Sorry to ramble, hope there's something constructive in there.  I would love to write this sort of thing, but it just seems like a huge undertaking for something that would get little use even in low-magic settings.Cheers.</blockquote>

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