D&D 5E Magic in the world at large

[Reynard]

I wrote a piece on "Everyday Magic" (see my sig) which covers some very specific kinds of magic in a D&D world, but I was wondering what folks were doing in regards to embedding magic in their game settings in general. In Eberron, for example, magic was essentially industrialized, a part of everyday life in an almost technological sense. By contrast, in the Realms, magic is ever present yet remains mysterious to at least the common people.

The PHB tends to be filled with magic spells and abilities useful for adventuring, but there's nothing saying that those are the only magic in the world. What sort of magic would non-adventuring wizard and cleric types develop? What about those classes with inherent magic: do non adventuring sorcerers, warlocks and bards have very different abilities at their fingertips?

By contrast, what about worlds where PC type magic is all there is? What does it look like when the only wizards out there are the ones that can fireball your house, but can't make a good harvest or turn lead into gold? And if PC magic is the only magic, what happens in the fantasy world when normal people -- including nobility and other power brokers -- don't have access to it. Do the PCs inhabit a different world than the regular people?

 

[Paraxis]

All of those things are going to vary based the the DM and that campaign world he is running. I don't build npc's with player character classes for example, the only Fighter as presented in the PHB is the one sitting at the table. When I make an npc that would be fighterish like a town guard I might use the class for inspiration but not hard and fast rules. My order of npc wizards will mostly follow the rules for PC wizards, but will probably be more simple but at the same time have access to magic PC's don't.

As far as magic goes, npc's can do wondrous things that PC could never do as long as it is important to the story. I don't need rules for becoming a Lich, no PC would ever be allowed to do so and I would want the ritual to fit the story.

If I want a circle of paladins to perform a ritualized version of protection from evil that spreads across an entire city, then it happens.

As far as everyday magic, I imagine things like guidance being used to make better quality items. The dwarf drummer ritualist performs and inspires/guides the smiths nearby at the forge, with the hammer blows joining in on the beat. The druids use magic to make crops grow faster and bigger to feed larger than real world versions of fantasy cities. Gypsy bards will come to town and offer to raise dead loved ones for the right price.

One of my favorite things in an Eberron novel was a magic stone in an inn that all you did was touch it and it cleaned you and all your clothes/gear. Basicly just prestidigitation cast at will to clean.

 

[Joe Liker]

There are plenty of PC spells that would be useful to a non-adventurer. For example, a wizard might not be able to ensure a bountiful harvest (why would he?), but a druid certainly can (plant growth).

Most of the good everyday spells are either cantrips or 1st level. Some higher-level stuff is good for commerce and such (teleportation circles, various abjurations, etc.)

Basically, this is the classic question of high-magic versus low-magic campaigns, and it dates all the way back to 1st edition. It's one of the first questions you need to answer when you are building your campaign world.

As you point out, is absolutely important to think about an NPC spellcaster's values, goals and position in society when creating his/her spell list. You don't usually need more spells than can be found in the PH, but if you have the time and energy, it's not a terrible idea to do so.

I can easily imagine a very powerful spellcaster who knows no offensive spells at all. Such a person could either choose from the more benign spells in the book or maybe just use ad hoc effects that never deal damage -- sort of an uber-cantrip. I don't think I'd actually go to the trouble of statting out extra spells, though, mainly because I'm lazy, but also because it's probably not really necessary.

 

[aramis erak]

I've noticed several spells that I used in prior underdark worldbuilding that are missing or modified.

The ones most used by me in world building thought exercises:

• Continual Light, which under AD&D1e was described as "... its brightness is very great, being nearly as illuminating as full daylight." This made for an ideal "grow the crops" spell for the underdark. 60' radius underground gives 9 of them per acre. Which made for a nifty "underground garden" effect, too.
• Transmute Rock to Mud - the fastest way to dig a dungeon. level 5 spell, 9th level caster, 2x10'cube per level... in cave, you use it to create mud, which you then have minions muck out, if you didn't plan ahead; if you did, you dig from the bottom up, and let it flow out.... Sometimes...
• Create Water - flush that mud out
• Dig - almost as good, but not as useful, as TRtM. 125 cu ft.. And it leaves dry material, so it doesn't flow.
• Daylight with Permanency - this serves best in central areas of deep dwellings of surface races. Provided the needed daylight for health, and the needed disincentive for Svirfneblin and Drow...

Of these, Continual light was replaced with the much less impressive continual flame.
TRtM is missing.
Create Water is still there.
Dig is missing
Daylight is present, but there's no permanency, so until the DMG, I can't figure out how common it is for underdark fortresses of the surface folk.

I am big on "reasonable extrapolations from the existing rules" for figuring out how my underdark makes any sense. Unfortunately, this lead, on one homebrew game world, to the "howling doors of the dwarves"... howling because they had air intakes to feed the central furnace of the community, which burned all their wastes and drove their circulation, and had the "gale-force halls"...

 

[pming]

Hiya.

I generally run either my own homebrew world (very low-magic and low-level) called Eisla, or I run in Greyhawk. My new campaign (starting this Sunday) is set in Greyhawk. Since I started this whole RPG thing back in 1979/80, I've pretty much always assumed that PC's were "unique in potential".

Basically, PC's have a full-on Class. NPC's don't have classes, generally speaking, and are all 0-level. They are incapable of gaining XP for the purposes of "gaining levels"; they simply don't have levels. Old Farmer Johan is 56 years old, has 6hp and is very experienced at farming and all things related to farming his farm. He still has +0 to hit and crappy saves. So, with that in mind, equating it to magical stuff...I ended up with very limited magical capabilities of "the normal folk" (roughly 99.9% of the population).

With 5e, and how it handles Rituals, I think I'll probably have certain people able to learn/know some Rituals. The vast majority of these rituals will be non-adventurer oriented. In other words, Old Farmer Johan may have learned a ritual to enable a smooth birthing for his livestock; when the cow/pig/horse/etc goes into labor, Johan takes an hour and does the ritual, leading the animal into the area where it gives birth with no difficulty.

Of course, in my campaigns (5e included), I place a heavy onus on Material Components; you can use the 5e "Component Pouch / Focus" cop-out (yes, I said cop-out), but if you actually have the material component, your spell is better (automatically counts as +1 level higher, or has x2 duration/range/effect/something, as determined on a case by case bases). So, Old Farmer Johan would definitely need some specific items for his "Blessed Birthing" Ritual. Of course, this extra bonus doesn't count for spells that have an actual GP value material component associated with it.

As far as how common this all is? It depends on campaign location, social structure, religious beliefs, etc. In Greyhawk, for example, the Blessed Birthing Ritual may be fairly common in the Yeomanry where there are a lot of farms, but it may be virtually non-existent over in Irongate (which focuses on gems and minerals). In big cities, there are probably a handful of people who know certain Rituals that help keep the city running (some kind of 'continual flame' ritual, for example). There are likely "mundane magic-items" (like a large milk container that keeps milk fresh and cool, or a stew-pot that removes disease/poison from foods cooked in it, etc.). Those wouldn't be very common, but they would be things that people would encounter from time to time. Those would also be things that are creatable only by high-level clerics and wizards.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Teflon Billy]

...Of course, in my campaigns (5e included), I place a heavy onus on Material Components; you can use the 5e "Component Pouch / Focus" cop-out (yes, I said cop-out), but if you actually have the material component, your spell is better (automatically counts as +1 level higher, or has x2 duration/range/effect/something, as determined on a case by case bases). So, Old Farmer Johan would definitely need some specific items for his "Blessed Birthing" Ritual. Of course, this extra bonus doesn't count for spells that have an actual GP value material component associated with it....

Nice

 

[Teflon Billy]

I try to keep away from "everyday magic" in my setting as it tends to just fill in the void that technology would otherwise, and I like to run a "Dark Ages/Medieval/Renaiisaance faire" setting.

Like all that stuff described above about digging a dungeon/mining using stone to mud and create water and what have you...that kind of thing gets the kibosh in my games. Who cities lit by continual light lampposts? Not my thing at all.

I prefer my settings kind of low-tech, grubby and grim.

Magic is the purview of Warlocks making deals with Demons; and comes complete with both unpredictability and consequences for failure.

It is not the purview of friendly old wizards casting spider climb on fruit pickers so they don't have to use ladders.

Your mileage may, of course, vary.

 

[was]

I've played in campaigns where magical power came from either the elements or nature itself. In campaigns where deities are not omnipresent, nature offers an interesting option as a source of divine magic.

 

[LostSoul]

By contrast, what about worlds where PC type magic is all there is? What does it look like when the only wizards out there are the ones that can fireball your house, but can't make a good harvest or turn lead into gold? And if PC magic is the only magic, what happens in the fantasy world when normal people -- including nobility and other power brokers -- don't have access to it. Do the PCs inhabit a different world than the regular people?

Sounds like The Dying Earth.

 

[transtemporal]

What sort of magic would non-adventuring wizard and cleric types develop? What about those classes with inherent magic: do non adventuring sorcerers, warlocks and bards have very different abilities at their fingertips?

I think they would develop the most practical magic first. Better food production, better security, better health, better tools (think of what magic could do for metallurgy alone - potentially skipping bronze and iron is HUGE deal). After that you've got cultural advancements - art, music, performance. To say nothing of scientific and academic applications.

By contrast, what about worlds where PC type magic is all there is? What does it look like when the only wizards out there are the ones that can fireball your house, but can't make a good harvest or turn lead into gold? And if PC magic is the only magic, what happens in the fantasy world when normal people -- including nobility and other power brokers -- don't have access to it. Do the PCs inhabit a different world than the regular people?

Its essentially the superhero scenario. You have individuals from all races and walks of life with amazing powers who are basically gods who fight with other gods. Everyone else is little people.