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<blockquote data-quote="mafisto" data-source="post: 1538398" data-attributes="member: 15183">Low magicFun how low magic conversation invariably devolve into a conversation about high vs. low magic.&nbsp; I really don't see the point - different campaigns support different systems.&nbsp;My campaign is extremely low magic, and currently uses a handicapped version of Arcana Unearthed's magic.&nbsp; PCs currently can become 'awakened', which has profound and sometimes devastating effects on the character.&nbsp; The awakening is analogous to a lifelong acid trip, which allows the character to see the ethereal aspects of life (e.g. auras) and influence this second world in minor ways.&nbsp; It operates as if the user has the Psion feat.&nbsp; The price?&nbsp; All 'spells' being used apply a point of subdual damage per level of the spell.&nbsp; And this is in a system using the Grim-n-Gritty hit point rules (average players will have 10 HPs), so this is a severe limitation.&nbsp;So, why do this?&nbsp; I don't hate magic.&nbsp; I play in a high magic campaign, replete with meteor swarms and magic missiles and summonings.&nbsp; I like it.&nbsp; But my campaign is a world where the supernatural exists to the far extreme of society's peripheral vision; it's there, but most people believe in it as a superstition.&nbsp; In much of the world, access to magic is simply dead and the vast majority of people will go their whole lives without (knowingly) seeing a supernatural act.&nbsp;Now, all of my players have been in out-of-the-box D&amp;D games.&nbsp; They know how to count magic missiles and figure out an enemy's level.&nbsp; They know how spell effects map to spell casting levels.&nbsp; And knowing this, magic automatically becomes another mechanical abstraction.&nbsp; They may roleplay it out (&quot;Aw, gollee, look 'et them purty colors!&quot;), but the player is doing the math once the damage dice hit the table.&nbsp; This is precisely what I don't want.&nbsp; I want them to fear and respect magic because they don't understand it, not because they've figured out their opponent's CR.&nbsp;I run a low magic campaign not because I dislike magic or magic effects in my campaign - I run it because I love magic.&nbsp; I want that sense of awe in my campaign.&nbsp; I want my players (and their PCs) to tread lightly when they think someone can use the mojo, and I want the PCs that are willing to sacrifice their own health to become awakened to have a real sense of pride in their abilities.&nbsp; &nbsp;In short, it's not about bias against magic, it's about my irrational bias for magic that has me running an ultra-low magic campaign.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="mafisto, post: 1538398, member: 15183"] [b]Low magic[/b] Fun how low magic conversation invariably devolve into a conversation about high vs. low magic. I really don't see the point - different campaigns support different systems. My campaign is extremely low magic, and currently uses a handicapped version of Arcana Unearthed's magic. PCs currently can become 'awakened', which has profound and sometimes devastating effects on the character. The awakening is analogous to a lifelong acid trip, which allows the character to see the ethereal aspects of life (e.g. auras) and influence this second world in minor ways. It operates as if the user has the Psion feat. The price? All 'spells' being used apply a point of subdual damage per level of the spell. And this is in a system using the Grim-n-Gritty hit point rules (average players will have 10 HPs), so this is a severe limitation. So, why do this? I don't hate magic. I play in a high magic campaign, replete with meteor swarms and magic missiles and summonings. I like it. But my campaign is a world where the supernatural exists to the far extreme of society's peripheral vision; it's there, but most people believe in it as a superstition. In much of the world, access to magic is simply dead and the vast majority of people will go their whole lives without (knowingly) seeing a supernatural act. Now, all of my players have been in out-of-the-box D&D games. They know how to count magic missiles and figure out an enemy's level. They know how spell effects map to spell casting levels. And knowing this, magic automatically becomes another mechanical abstraction. They may roleplay it out ("Aw, gollee, look 'et them purty colors!"), but the player is doing the math once the damage dice hit the table. This is precisely what I don't want. I want them to fear and respect magic because they [i]don't [/i]understand it, not because they've figured out their opponent's CR. I run a low magic campaign not because I dislike magic or magic effects in my campaign - I run it because I [b]love[/b] magic. I want that sense of awe in my campaign. I want my players (and their PCs) to tread lightly when they think someone can use the mojo, and I want the PCs that are willing to sacrifice their own health to become awakened to have a real sense of pride in their abilities. In short, it's not about bias against magic, it's about my irrational bias [i]for[/i] magic that has me running an ultra-low magic campaign. [/QUOTE]

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