Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jraynack" data-source="post: 2523861" data-attributes="member: 13894">I have played since the first box sets way back when and I have to say that all campaign worlds used magic to make lives easier (I recall the book of gnomish inventions: the bard in the box - a boombox; even a soft drink vending machine for thirsty dungeon dwellers).  Anyway, the more recent campiagns have focused more on the use of magic.In our campaign world, there is several things that I do to keep the realistic medieval feel of the world without restricting players' options.1st - make it known that the medieval villager or peasant is tied to the land and can't travel much.  The most dangerous creature that they may witness in their lifetime is a CR 3.  The role of the adventurer is to seek out and adventure, thus sees many things a normal NPC would never see and only hears tales of such things.2nd - What noble lord would want a peasant under their control to learn arcane magic.  It would mean the upset of the balance of power in his region.  So the feudal lords keep an eye on anyone trying to obtain such power.3rd - The church sees arcane magic as a rival source of power to their divine masters.  Casting magic without paying tribute to a diety - that's heresy.  Most church members respect arcane magic in little doses but believe the more powerful arcane magics to be the work of devils and demons (which was true in the medieval train of thought).4th - Those that possess arcane powers are generally looked upon with suspicion and those that cast such magics in the vicinity of the commoners must make an immediate Diplomacy check -1 per spell level (this is equivalent to the caster explaining his actions to those witnessing great power and convincing them that it is safe) - a bad roll could result in lowering a NPC's attitude.5th - We made a rule featured in a Question of Honor: A Guidebook to Knights called the delay time.  Basically, it takes you one day per 1,000gp when selling or buying an item.  Since there is no "magic stores" it represents the character attempting to locate a seller or buyer with the object they have in mind, negotiating for a price, and so on.  This simple rule creates the atmosphere that a character can't just go into town and drop a few thousand gold and pick up magical full plate in an afternoon then head back to the dungeon.I agree - In my campaign world, also the one our company's product are built around, there are somewhat strict rules on resurrection.  First, those who are noble (i.e. own hereditary property or rule) cannot be resurrected.  Second, elves and other sylvan races do not use resurrection by reincarnate instead.This is true and quite funny, because in reality (during the medieval period), it didn't really matter who started the fight - both were at fault and were fined appropiately.  It was your duty to instead call the hue-and-cry if witnessing a crime or a victim of one and then flee.  If you didn't, you were fined as if you committed the crime.  The only real investigation to place was with murders - and then a coroner would come and investigate the crime. Anyway, there are many ways to tone down the presence of "magic gone overboard" and create a more realistic/tolkienisc feel for a campaign.</blockquote>

Verification