D&D 5E (2024) Preferences in a New Official 5.5e Specific Setting

[Paul Farquhar]

I remember years ago in my 2e days running into this. I billed my campaign as low magic because I didn't use a lot of casters and magic items were pretty rare. My player pointed out that it really wasn't very low magic since there were all sorts of fantastic monsters running around, many of which had magic powers. It was a low spell magic campaign, but, not low magic in any real sense.

I was talking about the need for a low fantasy setting, not merely a low magic setting. I.e. all supernatural elements are rare, it's mostly humans fighting other humans. Some versions of Robin Hood have been this.

I don't really see the point in restricting spells when there are dragons and beholders around every corner.

 

[Hussar]

I was talking about the need for a low fantasy setting, not merely a low magic setting. I.e. all supernatural elements are rare, it's mostly humans fighting other humans. Some versions of Robin Hood have been this.

I don't really see the point in restricting spells when there are dragons and beholders around every corner.

Yes, that's the point isn't it? If low magic/low fantasy is your bag, I really, really couldn't imagine using D&D for it. There are so many other systems out there that are much better suited to that kind of campaign. While I get the idea of wanting to pound square pegs into round holes, there has to be some limit.

About as low magic as I would want to go with D&D is something like Witcher. I wouldn't even consider using D&D for something like Game of Thrones.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

There are so many other systems out there that are much better suited to that kind of campaign

They all seem to be either heavy simulationist or retro clones. I can’t think of anything that is light, fun and not-mired-in-the-1970s.

I guess Beowulf is the closest, but that is still a bit heavy.

 

[Maxperson]

In addition to every region of Golarion getting a supplement which contained the lore of that region, Paizo had its' Races of Golarion and Inner Sea Races books to do the very same thing for its' PC races. My favorite race books in Pathfinder 1st edition were the Blood of Angels and the Blood of Fiends, which covered the Aasimar and Tieflings that lived on Golarion.

I have something similar. Back during 3e I bought a 3rd party book called Aasimar and Tieflings - A Guide to the Planetouched.

 

[Maxperson]

Heh. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. I like the WotC 5e publishing schedule, so, obviously the flood of Golarian material wouldn't fit in that schedule. But a single AP with a setting supplement that covered a small area (for a given definition of small - like I said, I'm perfectly happy with a region that's only about 1000 miles in diameter, and honestly, half that size would be better AFAIC.

I mean, heck, the UK and Ireland are more than enough space for a lot of history. I don't want or need another continent.

I don't want to go back to the floods of yesteryear, either. However, there is a lot of space in-between the 3e/4e release rates and the glacial 5e release rate. They could put out another book of crunch a year without drowning is a torrential flood of books like the last few editions had. I wouldn't mind seeing a race book.

 

[Maxperson]

It would be amazing if D&D had one world where you walk to the giant magetek megalopolis, the haunted vampire grotto, the clashing dragon army fields and the apocalyptic desert, but D&D opted to make each unique and require either a planar Metropolis or space fairing galleons to get from one to another.

A destroyed planet with chunks large enough to hold those settings. It would have dangerous asteroid fields in-between with a few safe routes known to the Spelljammers. Other large chunks might be out there, but it would be a fools mission(PCs are good for this) to try and find them. Among the asteroids are dangers and if you're lucky, great treasures.

 

[Maxperson]

Low Magic Frequency
Only 1 power level of caster allowed 4 PCs.
AKA 1 Full caster, 2 half casters, or 3 third casters per 4 PCs.

If you can have 2 or 3 people in a group with access to magic, that's not low frequency. With low frequency, even 1 PC being a caster would be rare.

Low Magic Versatility
Cantrips count to spells prepared. Casters must ban a spell school. No multiclassing full casters.

Having only one(maybe two) school would be low versatility. Banning a single school is just a blip on the versatility loss index.

Low Magic Visibility
Full Casters must 50% multiclass. Magic items are only weapons and armors.

How is magic not visible if you multiclass? You can still toss around spells/cantrips.

 

[Maxperson]

I remember years ago in my 2e days running into this. I billed my campaign as low magic because I didn't use a lot of casters and magic items were pretty rare. My player pointed out that it really wasn't very low magic since there were all sorts of fantastic monsters running around, many of which had magic powers. It was a low spell magic campaign, but, not low magic in any real sense.

I would have countered that by pointing out that such monsters are very rare and that there aren't all sorts running around. As PCs you run into an extraordinarily high percentage of the few that are out there because of who they are and to make the game work. Basically, if there are 100 such monsters in the world, the PCs will run into something like half of them.

Yeah, I think it rather does. If you're ejecting 7/9ths of the spell system, any monsters over CR 10 and magic items would be limited to common, I'd have say that that counts as tossing out a huge amount of the game.

Monsters don't need the same limitations the PCs have, because their spells can easily be re-flavored to be powers and abilities.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Now, if we're talking about a wish list of what we personally would like to see?

Me, a 2024 setting would be small. I don't want a world. I want a continent, at most. From the central point, figure 3 weeks travel on horseback - so, a rough circle 500 miles in radius? Thereabouts. That's more than enough space to put everything you need. To put that in perspective, it's about 1000 miles (give or take) from Rome to Paris. So, that's the diameter of the circle. That's a circle that would cover a good chunk of France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia. Maybe a bit more bits and bobs.

That's 8 nations in the modern world. More than enough space for LOTS of history. Lots of geography too. That circle encompasses several mountain ranges, a desert or two, coastline, plains, and, in the more medieval time period, a HELL of a lot of trees.

I honestly don't really want any more than that. Think of how much history in the real world that circle has. Keep it small and then give me all sorts of detail so I don't have to make up a bunch of stuff. I don't want the high altitude, three paragraph synopsis of a kingdom. I want family trees. I want the names of several towns, cities, and a shopping list of NPC's that live there.

That's my wishlist anyway.

I like this, but it is hard to do in the current rules as a settimg that is defined by those rules.

Take Rome. If everyday Romans ar3 supposed to be playable, you cannot be restricted to that map. Many Romans come from further afield. If the people in the port should be understandable much less playable, the world needs more than southern Europe and SWANA region.

Truth is, unless ypu go way out of your way to close the known world in or go way back to the dawn of civilization, the known world has never been that small.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Yes, that's the point isn't it? If low magic/low fantasy is your bag, I really, really couldn't imagine using D&D for it. There are so many other systems out there that are much better suited to that kind of campaign. While I get the idea of wanting to pound square pegs into round holes, there has to be some limit.

About as low magic as I would want to go with D&D is something like Witcher. I wouldn't even consider using D&D for something like Game of Thrones.

Eh its just a matter of using different classes. The ones from Adventutes in Middle Earth work great, and you are still fully playing 5e dnd.