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<blockquote data-quote="Desdichado" data-source="post: 1536303" data-attributes="member: 2205">A lot of folks (myself included) often complain that magic in D&amp;D doesn't feel anything like magic in the fantasy novels we know and love, and which are our inspiration for the game.However, it may not really be very possible to have magic that works like it does in novels, because magic is often merely a plot device that is either inconsistent, or too poorly detailed to tell if it's consistent or not.&nbsp; How do you replicate that in a game, and even if you could, would you want to?&nbsp; I don't think so, although maybe some disagree.So, for those who like lower magic games, for whatever reason (and in my experience, that's usually flavor) how do you see magic?&nbsp; Is it a plot device?&nbsp; Is it a PC tool, as in D&amp;D, but a different kind?Personally I see it as something in between in my games.&nbsp; My current game uses a kind of hybrid of Call of Cthulhu magic and Incantations, which are already really similar anyway in terms of how they work.&nbsp; Because of that, magic isn't common, there's not tons of spells available out there, and the cost of using them ensure that they do become a plot device of sorts.&nbsp; However, I don't use them to drive the plot, because I don't believe in determining &quot;the plot&quot; as a GM, and prefer PC driven &quot;plots.&quot;&nbsp; But they certainly make for turning points in the plot, and the cost makes sure that they are character driving moments as well.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Desdichado, post: 1536303, member: 2205"] A lot of folks (myself included) often complain that magic in D&D doesn't feel anything like magic in the fantasy novels we know and love, and which are our inspiration for the game. However, it may not really be very possible to have magic that works like it does in novels, because magic is often merely a plot device that is either inconsistent, or too poorly detailed to tell if it's consistent or not. How do you replicate that in a game, and even if you could, would you want to? I don't think so, although maybe some disagree. So, for those who like lower magic games, for whatever reason (and in my experience, that's usually flavor) how do you see magic? Is it a plot device? Is it a PC tool, as in D&D, but a different kind? Personally I see it as something in between in my games. My current game uses a kind of hybrid of [i]Call of Cthulhu[/i] magic and Incantations, which are already really similar anyway in terms of how they work. Because of that, magic isn't common, there's not tons of spells available out there, and the cost of using them ensure that they do become a plot device of sorts. However, I don't use them to drive the plot, because I don't believe in determining "the plot" as a GM, and prefer PC driven "plots." But they certainly make for turning points in the plot, and the cost makes sure that they are character driving moments as well. [/QUOTE]

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