OGL Low-Magic?

[Golem2176]

It seems to me that variant rules from mainstream DnD for low magic worlds and ideas are popping up left and right. It appears as though we gamers need an open content unified rule subset for such campaigns. I don't know anything about Midginght, so let me ask: what percentage of it is open game content and what rules are we free to republish? If there is enough community interest, we (all us ENWorlders) could work on our own low-magic rulebook. Another thought is this: should we have a new forum dedicated to such a project? What do you guys think? Yay or nay?

 

[malladin]

I don't know anything about Midginght, so let me ask: what percentage of it is open game content and what rules are we free to republish?

I don't know about Midnight, but all the rules from DarkLore are OGL, and all our takings from it go to support ENWorld. This uses fantasy equivalents of the D20 Modern base classes and a new career classes system, which is very like careers in Warhammer FRP, using 3 level small classes to build up your character's career. Magic is very low powered, similar to how it is in D20 Modern, but available to a limited degree from first level. Some of it sends you insane and magic items are special legendary items rather than something a wizard knocks off for cash. I've been using the system for a Middle Earth game myself. DarkLore is nominated for a Weirdie (GameWyrd award) and has three out of three five star reviews here at ENWorld and an A- at D20Zinerack.

If there is enough community interest, we (all us ENWorlders) could work on our own low-magic rulebook. Another thought is this: should we have a new forum dedicated to such a project? What do you guys think? Yay or nay?

I'd be happy to be pass on my thoughts on this. If you want, I'd be happy to publish stuff compatible with DarkLore. You could then either give it away for free, sell it and split the monet between contributors or I could add it to my donation to ENWorld (free sounds best to me).

Perhaps a Yahoo group might be better than getting Morrus to put together a new forum for us here.

Happy to help in anyway.

Ben, Malladin's Gate

 

[Golem2176]

I don't know about Midnight, but all the rules from DarkLore are OGL, and all our takings from it go to support ENWorld.

What is DarkLore, I've never heard of it.

Magic is very low powered, similar to how it is in D20 Modern, but available to a limited degree from first level. Some of it sends you insane and magic items are special legendary items rather than something a wizard knocks off for cash.

This sounds a lot like Cthulhu D20, how is it differrent?

If you want, I'd be happy to publish stuff compatible with DarkLore. You could then either give it away for free, sell it and split the monet between contributors or I could add it to my donation to ENWorld (free sounds best to me).

Every little bit helps. Free is probably the better way to go, as every gamer that has interest in it, can own a copy from day one.

Perhaps a Yahoo group might be better than getting Morrus to put together a new forum for us here.

You're right, a yahoo group does sound better.

Thanks for responding Malladin, look forward to seeing your stuff.

 

[HarryFlashman]

Keep us posted on the yahoo low magic/low fantasy groups.

Oh, and from what I have read of Darklore it has me turned on. Every Review here, at Enworld, lists it as a 4 and above. Midnight has turned me on as well and its reviews are very good as well. And Conan....ahh, Conan.... gotta buy all three.
LOW MAGIC LOVERS UNITE!

 

[malladin]

DarkLore is a Dark Fantasy setting available on PDF. As mentioned above, the overall approach is 'D20 modern for fantasy' but there's influences from Warhammer (another dark fantasy game) in the class system, too.

If I point you to the Enworld Reviews page for it you should find links to anything else you might want. There's a demo (which includes the basic classes) and a chaarcter sheet that can be downloaded from our website: www.malladinsgate.com

Cheerio,

Ben

PS - Flashman, glad you liked it. Cool avatar, btw.

 

[Iron_Chef]

CONAN THE ROLEPLAYING GAME is OGL:
"With the exception of the character creation rules detailing the mechanics of assigning dice roll results to abilities and the advancement of character levels, all game mechanics and statistics (including the game mechanics of all feats, skills, classes, creatures, spells and the combat chapter) are declared open content."

 

[Derulbaskul]

Midnight's magic rules are open content and you should be able to find them on circulating on the 'net (or just email me at derulbaskul[at]hotmail[dot]com and I'll send them to you).

Unearthed Arcana has a great rule for incantations which is what they term ritual magic which does not use slots. You could easily design a class around the Expert NPC class that could only cast incantations (similar to the Conan RPG's scholar class, I suppose).

 

[Desdichado]

It seems to me that variant rules from mainstream DnD for low magic worlds and ideas are popping up left and right. It appears as though we gamers need an open content unified rule subset for such campaigns.

Why? I think the reason we have so many is to match differing styles. True, at the end of the day, there's very little difference between some of them, except as a matter of degree, but there's still reasons to have different systems. Midnight while having a great magic system (IMO) doesn't have as near a match to the Hyborian magic feel as the Conan RPG for instance, and Call of Cthulhu clearly has it's own style that wouldn't necessarily work for other systems. Heck, I've even got my own homebrew magic system that allows me to use D&D spells, and which is kinda a combination of Cthulhu and Midnight.

The point, though, is why do we want a One [Low Magic System] to Rule Them All approach here? I think the variety of alternate magic systems, high and low, is a real strength of the d20 marketplace right now.

I don't know anything about Midginght, so let me ask: what percentage of it is open game content and what rules are we free to republish? If there is enough community interest, we (all us ENWorlders) could work on our own low-magic rulebook. Another thought is this: should we have a new forum dedicated to such a project? What do you guys think? Yay or nay?

Midnight is completely open, because the system is open and relatively short (less than 10 pages, anyway) and the spells are also all open D&D spells which fit well into the new system. There's no need to make a rulebook based on the Midnight system, though, and certainly no need for a forum about low magic. Although, hell, I'd love a forum for low magic d20 discussions, everything from house rules, to campaign journals, etc. all with lower than standard magic.