GlassJaw
Hero
I've started to do some high-level brainstorming on a low-magic(-ish) campaign setting (more of a rare-magic setting technically). The bulk of the "changes" will be dealt with in the campaign background and fluff: casters will be rare, people are afraid of magic, knowledge to craft magic items has been lost, etc. The magic system and casting mechanic will largely be the same, although I am considering using spell points for the sorcerer, but that's primarily to differentiate from the wizard.
The gist of the setting is that a massive cataclysm hundreds of years ago (maybe a thousand) destroyed most of the population of the world. The continents fractured, weather patterns went out of control, and the sea level rose. Much of the world now is essentially a tropical world consisting of mostly islands.
I do want emphasize the rarity of magic by placing an emphasis on the difficulty of learning new spells. I've listed my thoughts for each spellcasting class below and I'm hoping the hivemind can give some feedback on potential pitfalls I haven't considered yet. Overall, I'm considering something to the effect that spells above level 2 or 3 can't be gained automatically.
Note: I'm not terribly concerned with balance since the world will be tailored to these changes. However, I am very concerned with anything that will be frustrating for a player.
Cleric - In this world, the gods receive power from the worship and deeds performed by their followers. Since most of the population was wiped out, the gods went dormant and were largely forgotten. Some have begun to gain enough power to send visions to mortals, usually in the form of dreams. Those that receive these visions can attempt to become clerics.
To gain new spells, a cleric must discover an ancient temple or relic to their god, perform a deed in their god's name, or convert followers. In other words, do something that gives their god the power to grant them new spells.
Druid - Druids will gain new spells similar to a cleric, except their deeds or discoveries will be related to nature and the elements.
Sorcerer - The cataclysm was caused by magic that tore rifts in the material plane to all of the elemental planes simultaneously. The rifts closed gradually over time but essence of the cataclysm fused with the bloodline of the survivors. After numerous generations, this elemental essence has begun to manifest itself. Essentially, sorcerer are the "mutants" of the world. Sorcerers will have the 4 elemental origins from UA to choose from.
To gain a level of spells, the sorcerer must interact with a source of their elemental power (such as an elemental rift) or perform a feat of magic in a time of duress. Basically, I'd like to emulate new abilities manifesting when the sorcerer is forced to push themselves.
Wizard - Since much of the written magic tradition was destroyed or lost, wizards must learn spells from a teacher or find ancient tomes that contain spells. However, since one of the big strengths of the wizard is being able to choose 2 new spells every level, I feel like this may restrict their versatility too much (and ultimately not fun).
I'm considering some kind of "research" mechanic that allows a wizard to learn a new spell on their own using rules similar to the magic item crafting rules in the DMG (pgs. 127-128) but even that feels restrictive.
However, I do WANT a wizard player to be motivated to seek out new spells. This will be a fairly sandboxy campaign so the quest for new spells should be a big lead for me to flesh out. I also plan to offer ample leads and opportunities for a wizard player to find new spells.
Bard - No idea yet! Maybe something similar to wizard, or they have to seek out a teacher or college? Or perhaps something simple as a natural magical talent that awakens when they learn the oral tradition of their people.
Thoughts? Does this sound interesting at all or am I doing a lot of unnecessary work? Has anyone run a setting with similar take on magic? How did you pull it off?
tl;rd - I'm looking for ways to emulate the difficulty of acquiring/learning new magic in a low/rare-magic setting without making the rules frustrating to players.
Thanks!
The gist of the setting is that a massive cataclysm hundreds of years ago (maybe a thousand) destroyed most of the population of the world. The continents fractured, weather patterns went out of control, and the sea level rose. Much of the world now is essentially a tropical world consisting of mostly islands.
I do want emphasize the rarity of magic by placing an emphasis on the difficulty of learning new spells. I've listed my thoughts for each spellcasting class below and I'm hoping the hivemind can give some feedback on potential pitfalls I haven't considered yet. Overall, I'm considering something to the effect that spells above level 2 or 3 can't be gained automatically.
Note: I'm not terribly concerned with balance since the world will be tailored to these changes. However, I am very concerned with anything that will be frustrating for a player.
Cleric - In this world, the gods receive power from the worship and deeds performed by their followers. Since most of the population was wiped out, the gods went dormant and were largely forgotten. Some have begun to gain enough power to send visions to mortals, usually in the form of dreams. Those that receive these visions can attempt to become clerics.
To gain new spells, a cleric must discover an ancient temple or relic to their god, perform a deed in their god's name, or convert followers. In other words, do something that gives their god the power to grant them new spells.
Druid - Druids will gain new spells similar to a cleric, except their deeds or discoveries will be related to nature and the elements.
Sorcerer - The cataclysm was caused by magic that tore rifts in the material plane to all of the elemental planes simultaneously. The rifts closed gradually over time but essence of the cataclysm fused with the bloodline of the survivors. After numerous generations, this elemental essence has begun to manifest itself. Essentially, sorcerer are the "mutants" of the world. Sorcerers will have the 4 elemental origins from UA to choose from.
To gain a level of spells, the sorcerer must interact with a source of their elemental power (such as an elemental rift) or perform a feat of magic in a time of duress. Basically, I'd like to emulate new abilities manifesting when the sorcerer is forced to push themselves.
Wizard - Since much of the written magic tradition was destroyed or lost, wizards must learn spells from a teacher or find ancient tomes that contain spells. However, since one of the big strengths of the wizard is being able to choose 2 new spells every level, I feel like this may restrict their versatility too much (and ultimately not fun).
I'm considering some kind of "research" mechanic that allows a wizard to learn a new spell on their own using rules similar to the magic item crafting rules in the DMG (pgs. 127-128) but even that feels restrictive.
However, I do WANT a wizard player to be motivated to seek out new spells. This will be a fairly sandboxy campaign so the quest for new spells should be a big lead for me to flesh out. I also plan to offer ample leads and opportunities for a wizard player to find new spells.
Bard - No idea yet! Maybe something similar to wizard, or they have to seek out a teacher or college? Or perhaps something simple as a natural magical talent that awakens when they learn the oral tradition of their people.
Thoughts? Does this sound interesting at all or am I doing a lot of unnecessary work? Has anyone run a setting with similar take on magic? How did you pull it off?
tl;rd - I'm looking for ways to emulate the difficulty of acquiring/learning new magic in a low/rare-magic setting without making the rules frustrating to players.
Thanks!
