catsclaw227
First Post
Red Spire Press said:And how handy that the Campaign Guide was just released!(see sig)
Really? Can I buy it now or do I have to wait until Sept 6th?
Catsclaw
Low Magic Settings?
- Thread starter c0mA
- Start date
Really? Can I buy it now or do I have to wait until Sept 6th?
Catsclaw
Red Spire Press
First Post
catsclaw227 said:
It is in stock but the official release date is Sept 6 (Tuesday). You can pre-order it through the S2P store however http://studio2publishing.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=38&products_id=220. Should be showing up at other online retailers and in your FLGS very soon.
Jürgen Hubert
First Post
I don't know if Midnight counts. High-powered magic is rare and difficult to cast, and magic use is suppressed by evil priests and artefacts in most regions. On the other hand, learning how to use magic is relatively easy (requiring two feats) and can be learned even by characters with only non-spellcasting classes. And magic is an important part of the background.
The world of Yrth, as detailed in GURPS Banestorm (which will be released next month) can also conceivably count as "low magic" - at least compared to standard D&D - and there are some regions where magic is really hard to cast. It would require a bit of tinkering to adjust the setting to d20, however, since there isn't really such a thing as "priestly magic" - the religions are for the most part real world religions, and the existence of a Divine Being remains unproven (though rarely questioned). On the other hand, "secular magic" even allows the user to cast healing spells...
The world of Yrth, as detailed in GURPS Banestorm (which will be released next month) can also conceivably count as "low magic" - at least compared to standard D&D - and there are some regions where magic is really hard to cast. It would require a bit of tinkering to adjust the setting to d20, however, since there isn't really such a thing as "priestly magic" - the religions are for the most part real world religions, and the existence of a Divine Being remains unproven (though rarely questioned). On the other hand, "secular magic" even allows the user to cast healing spells...
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
(envious)
Mark Plemmons
Explorer
Naturally, if you're looking for a lower magic setting, I'm going to mention the Kingdoms of Kalamar. Magic exists, but it's more subtle background magic (in legends, artifacts, and such - no magic shops in every town, no magical streetlights, etc).
Your best bet is to look at all the info at http://www.kenzerco.com/rpg/kalamar/index.php and ask on our discussion forums.
However, I do have four specific highlights to point out how lower magic is used...
1. A logical, realistic topography. Deserts, mountains, rivers, lakes and forest are all where they belong. No magically created areas (swamps next to icebergs, etc).
2. A setting driven by the actions of ordinary men. Thus even a low-level PC can have a profound effect on the world and shape the history with his actions. There are no massively superpowerful magic NPCs.
3. The setting is neither under-populated nor over-populated. Monsters and magical creatures exist, but they are not so numerous that they begin tripping over each other.
4. Nothing happens without a logical reason. The explanation is never "that’s just the way it is," or "it's magic – it doesn't have to make sense." Of course, it isn't just this, or just the detail, but the effort to have it all make sense, to take the disparate races of the D&D world and turn them into a coherent whole, with an ecosystem and a history, that makes it work.
=============
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What is the setting [Kalamar] like? What makes it unique?
A. Kingdoms of Kalamar is a medieval fantasy setting fundamentally based on realism. Its recent history encompasses the proliferation of six human races (subraces really, since they're all human) throughout the world of Tellene. It also includes all the standard fantasy races of D&D like elves and dwarves and a few new ones unique to Kalamar like half-hobgoblins. In fact, full-blooded hobgoblins are also a prevalent civilized race with their own independent kingdoms.
The most advanced societies use steel including plate armor, and can fashion complex siege weapons. Less advanced groups may still be using bronze or even stone tools. There is no gunpowder. Then again, who needs gun powder when you've got magic? Magic exists, and certainly influenced the history of the world but wizards and sorcerers are not overly common and the average person accepts most unusual or seemingly inexplicable events as the work of one of the gods, rather than arcane magic. In smaller communities, the townsfolk easily confuse wizards and especially sorcerers with clerics, and misconstrue arcane spells as miracles or portents of the gods.
In fact, the pantheon of deities is one of the aspects of the Kingdoms of Kalamar that makes it unique. Just reading the pantheon of Kalamaran deities gives inspiration for untold gaming sessions and adventures to both players and Dungeon Masters alike.
Q. What does ‘based on realism’ mean? How does that make the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting different from other settings, like the Forgotten Realms?
A. Based on realism means that the geography, climate and political interactions follow logical patterns based on previous events. Kalamar is not as dramatically low on magic as Harn, but most inhabitants of the world aren’t exposed to magic on a routine basis. This lets the DM tailor the world to his or her own magic taste. It’s easy to sprinkle in more magic if that’s the way you like to play, but it can be more difficult to take magic out if an entire society or town is based on some magical element. Realism also means that the world was built from the bottom up. We considered plate tectonics, placed mountains based on that, set weather patters and bodies of water, defined migration patterns of early inhabitants and eventually developed the modern societies all in a logical progression. We can contrast this with Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk. My understanding of these settings is that they were based on D&D campaigns of Gary Gygax and Ed Greenwood. The players probably started somewhere and the world grew out from there as the DMs needed to fill in the details. This type of top down world is fine if that’s the way you want to play but it can lead to some logical inconsistencies. For example, Kalamar has six human races, each with their own language. Thus, each place that race populates should be named in the language of the people who live there. An exception to this would be if the place was conquered. The place name is often renamed by the victors.
Q. What is the “feel” of Kalamar?
A. Good question. As you’ll see in the first answer above, the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting is medieval fantasy, with geography, politics and such based on realism. This lets the DM determine exactly what feel he or she desires. Tellene features elements common to many popular fantasy works, including J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle-Earth from “the Lord of the Rings,” Robert E. Howard’s Hyboria, from the Conan stories, and the land of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, among others.
The feel of the land depends mostly on what region the player characters are in. For example, the Reanaaria Bay region is standard fantasy common to most other settings, where the human and humanoid races trade among each other and the enemies are mostly bandits, pirates and monsters. Most other lands, however, do not share this view of life. In the Kingdom of Eldor far to the west of the Bay, humans are fiercely proud of their ancestry and strive to keep their bloodline pure, and visitors of other races are persecuted, while the military fights a skirmish war with the elves. In the Theocracy of Slen, to the north, the clerics of an evil god control all, and darkness lies across the land. The Isle of Svimohzia, too, is a study in contrasts. This ancient land of dark-skinned peoples holds cities of magnificent beauty, war-torn lands, and a great looming jungle that devours the foolhardy.
These are only a few examples of the lands of Tellene, of course. I suggest picking up a copy of the campaign setting sourcebook, flipping randomly to one section or another and following the threads that strike your interest. I’ve found that’s by far the best way to experience Tellene, rather than trying to read it straight through and learn about the histories, cities, peoples and politics of every land at once. Just choose a city and work your way out from there. And remember, have fun!
Your best bet is to look at all the info at http://www.kenzerco.com/rpg/kalamar/index.php and ask on our discussion forums.
However, I do have four specific highlights to point out how lower magic is used...
1. A logical, realistic topography. Deserts, mountains, rivers, lakes and forest are all where they belong. No magically created areas (swamps next to icebergs, etc).
2. A setting driven by the actions of ordinary men. Thus even a low-level PC can have a profound effect on the world and shape the history with his actions. There are no massively superpowerful magic NPCs.
3. The setting is neither under-populated nor over-populated. Monsters and magical creatures exist, but they are not so numerous that they begin tripping over each other.
4. Nothing happens without a logical reason. The explanation is never "that’s just the way it is," or "it's magic – it doesn't have to make sense." Of course, it isn't just this, or just the detail, but the effort to have it all make sense, to take the disparate races of the D&D world and turn them into a coherent whole, with an ecosystem and a history, that makes it work.
=============
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What is the setting [Kalamar] like? What makes it unique?
A. Kingdoms of Kalamar is a medieval fantasy setting fundamentally based on realism. Its recent history encompasses the proliferation of six human races (subraces really, since they're all human) throughout the world of Tellene. It also includes all the standard fantasy races of D&D like elves and dwarves and a few new ones unique to Kalamar like half-hobgoblins. In fact, full-blooded hobgoblins are also a prevalent civilized race with their own independent kingdoms.
The most advanced societies use steel including plate armor, and can fashion complex siege weapons. Less advanced groups may still be using bronze or even stone tools. There is no gunpowder. Then again, who needs gun powder when you've got magic? Magic exists, and certainly influenced the history of the world but wizards and sorcerers are not overly common and the average person accepts most unusual or seemingly inexplicable events as the work of one of the gods, rather than arcane magic. In smaller communities, the townsfolk easily confuse wizards and especially sorcerers with clerics, and misconstrue arcane spells as miracles or portents of the gods.
In fact, the pantheon of deities is one of the aspects of the Kingdoms of Kalamar that makes it unique. Just reading the pantheon of Kalamaran deities gives inspiration for untold gaming sessions and adventures to both players and Dungeon Masters alike.
Q. What does ‘based on realism’ mean? How does that make the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting different from other settings, like the Forgotten Realms?
A. Based on realism means that the geography, climate and political interactions follow logical patterns based on previous events. Kalamar is not as dramatically low on magic as Harn, but most inhabitants of the world aren’t exposed to magic on a routine basis. This lets the DM tailor the world to his or her own magic taste. It’s easy to sprinkle in more magic if that’s the way you like to play, but it can be more difficult to take magic out if an entire society or town is based on some magical element. Realism also means that the world was built from the bottom up. We considered plate tectonics, placed mountains based on that, set weather patters and bodies of water, defined migration patterns of early inhabitants and eventually developed the modern societies all in a logical progression. We can contrast this with Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk. My understanding of these settings is that they were based on D&D campaigns of Gary Gygax and Ed Greenwood. The players probably started somewhere and the world grew out from there as the DMs needed to fill in the details. This type of top down world is fine if that’s the way you want to play but it can lead to some logical inconsistencies. For example, Kalamar has six human races, each with their own language. Thus, each place that race populates should be named in the language of the people who live there. An exception to this would be if the place was conquered. The place name is often renamed by the victors.
Q. What is the “feel” of Kalamar?
A. Good question. As you’ll see in the first answer above, the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting is medieval fantasy, with geography, politics and such based on realism. This lets the DM determine exactly what feel he or she desires. Tellene features elements common to many popular fantasy works, including J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle-Earth from “the Lord of the Rings,” Robert E. Howard’s Hyboria, from the Conan stories, and the land of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, among others.
The feel of the land depends mostly on what region the player characters are in. For example, the Reanaaria Bay region is standard fantasy common to most other settings, where the human and humanoid races trade among each other and the enemies are mostly bandits, pirates and monsters. Most other lands, however, do not share this view of life. In the Kingdom of Eldor far to the west of the Bay, humans are fiercely proud of their ancestry and strive to keep their bloodline pure, and visitors of other races are persecuted, while the military fights a skirmish war with the elves. In the Theocracy of Slen, to the north, the clerics of an evil god control all, and darkness lies across the land. The Isle of Svimohzia, too, is a study in contrasts. This ancient land of dark-skinned peoples holds cities of magnificent beauty, war-torn lands, and a great looming jungle that devours the foolhardy.
These are only a few examples of the lands of Tellene, of course. I suggest picking up a copy of the campaign setting sourcebook, flipping randomly to one section or another and following the threads that strike your interest. I’ve found that’s by far the best way to experience Tellene, rather than trying to read it straight through and learn about the histories, cities, peoples and politics of every land at once. Just choose a city and work your way out from there. And remember, have fun!
catsclaw227
First Post
Crothian said:
I have some Kalamar stuff, I should mine it more often for ideas. Though maybe I'll keep it to GM in one of these days.
catsclaw227
First Post
Mark Plemmons said:
How would you say it's Low magic. One thing I was wondering as I was poking around in the setting is the what the ratio of arcanist levels compared to other classes, and what is the general level ratio to the rest of the world.
i.e.
Are there more 15th level fighters than 15th level wizards?
Are there fewer 15th level PCs/NPCs in the world than, say Greyhawk?
What level does the big drop-off occur?
I wonder about these things so that I can make some scale adjustments in my mind about the world so that it remains consistent. (I know, I know, all this is up to me as the GM, I just want to get some idea from the publishers as to their intent.)
Krypter
Explorer
The Black Company campaign setting, from Green Ronin. No magical healing, specific low-magic spellcasting rules, and grim combat including mass combat rules.
Iron Heroes for action-oriented low-magic rules. It doesn't really come with a setting though.
Both of those are very good.
Iron Heroes for action-oriented low-magic rules. It doesn't really come with a setting though.
Both of those are very good.
tetsujin28
First Post
Which would be why I didn't mention IHAkrasia said:
IH is almost anti-setting.Similar Threads
