Rule modifications for a lower-than-default magic world

[jasin]

These are the rule modifications I'm considering for a lower-than-default magic campaign. They are still in development, and I'm not necessarily using all of them; at this point, I'm still looking for suggestions, not presenting a complete system.

1) Make all full casters into 20-level PrC's of sorts by requiring the Magical Aptitude feat and ranks in various skills (spellcraft, knowledges, perform for bards...) that can be had by 3rd level. Paladins and rangers have to take Magical Aptitude by 6th level, otherwise they get the non-spellcasting alternate abilities from Complete Warrior.

2) Allow magic items to be created without material components, using only XP, at a price of 140 XP per 1000 gp of market price: 1/25 of market price in XP + 1 XP for each 5 gp you'd pay for components. Then, make components very rare, making the XP-only creation the default model. However, if components are available, the caster can still use them and reduce the XP cost.

3) Allow magic items other than scrolls and potions to be created without the required feat (other requirements must be satisfied), but require the caster to spend a feat for each magic item he creates. And/or have the caster lose an amount of XP if an item created by him is ever destroyed. And/or require that the item creator physically create the item himself (and re-create it when adding abilities). And/or require a flat addition to cost for each new magic item created, like the +2000 gp for cold iron weapons. But relax or ignore increases in price for wrong slot affinities and multiple abilies. The point is to encourage few powerful signature items in preference to a bunch of generic items, and to make casters unwilling to part with items they create without very good reasons.

4) Depending on the availability of magic items, give out a part of the benefits of the Vow of Poverty feat to everyone, as a part of level advancement. Not the supernatural ascetic stuff, but the bonuses to stats, AC, resistance... This should make it easier to balance encounters (the monster CRs expect the party to have a bunch of items) and make such items less important, encouraging the players to concentrate on the fun abilities (by which I mean those that are not just straight numeric bonuses) for the items they do have.

Are these feasible? Would you consider playing a spellcaster in this campaign? Would you consider playing a non-spellcaster? Do you notice any loopholes? All comments are welcome.

 

[alaric]

Some random thoughts. First off, IMO, if you decrease the quantity of magic items this hurts the fighter types more than the wizards. It's pretty much presumed that high level fighters have massively damaging weapons, if they don't then their damage potential goes way down, while the mage only loses two spell levels worth. So at 12th level the mage is dropping 10d6 fireballs and the fighter has his masterwork great sword that does 2d6+3 per hit. To combat this one of the things i've thought about is removing the current masterwork premise and instead allow some of the more mundane magical effects are now attributed to fine craftsman instead of magic item manufacture. So you could have a Damascus Steel Longsword that was +2/+2, or a Dwarven Battle Axe that leaves greavous wounds [Wounding], or a razor sharp Katana [Keen]. That evens things out a bit.

Secondly, what class do you expect would be wizards to take until they get to third level? You need a class that provides the prerequisites for each of the classes, or alternatively, you could leave the classes as they are and just make then not gain spell levels until 3rd level. You need to give something at those lower levels or would be mages become complete baggage until they reach 3rd level. You should probably give them some kind of abilities, at least 1 or 2 of which can be used in combat, just so they aren't bored stiff. You may want to take some spells, tune them down quite a bit, and give them as skills or spell-like abilities. For example, take something like scry, turn it into the scry skill. Instead of letting you see things and people clearly you just get slight glimpses of images, shadowy images, that gives you some idea of what's going on, but without knowing the specifics. For combat you may want to give them some kind of small elemental attack, give them some kind of ability to distract opponents, or minor illusions to confuse people.

Less items that are more powerful sounds fine with me, but if you atune them to the caster so that he doesn't want to give them up then you will likely see alot of caster-centric items, and very few weapons, shields, and armor. That may be what your going for though.

I don't know much about Vow of Poverty, so I won't comment on that.

 

[jasin]

Some random thoughts. First off, IMO, if you decrease the quantity of magic items this hurts the fighter types more than the wizards. It's pretty much presumed that high level fighters have massively damaging weapons, if they don't then their damage potential goes way down, while the mage only loses two spell levels worth. So at 12th level the mage is dropping 10d6 fireballs and the fighter has his masterwork great sword that does 2d6+3 per hit. To combat this one of the things i've thought about is removing the current masterwork premise and instead allow some of the more mundane magical effects are now attributed to fine craftsman instead of magic item manufacture. So you could have a Damascus Steel Longsword that was +2/+2, or a Dwarven Battle Axe that leaves greavous wounds [Wounding], or a razor sharp Katana [Keen]. That evens things out a bit.

I won't be allowing keen or wounding, but I was thinking of allowing weapon enhancements of, say, up to +2 to be created non-magically. So, masterwork, +1, +2.

As for losing items hurting non-casters more: that's what the VoP is for. Basically, the tweaked version I plan to use would give armour enhancement, weapon enhancement, deflection, natural armour, resistance and stat enhancement bonuses based on character level.

Secondly, what class do you expect would be wizards to take until they get to third level?

Well, they could always take 3 level in another PC class. It's not unheard of in fiction (or D&D: Elminster) for heroes to start out as "normal" adventurers, thieves or warriors, pick up some spellcasting, and then dedicate themselves to the study of magic, neglecting their previous skills (but being still able to fall back on them when needed). We're allowing Versatile in our games (from Rokugan, two skills become class skills) so even a fighter who cares to could get enough ranks the pertinent skills to qualify for a spellcaster by 3rd-level.

For those dedicated to the study of magic from the start (which I expect will be only NPCs, but PCs won't be forbidden from it), I plan to allow an upgraded expert: as expert, only 8 skill points, and bonus feats at 1st and every even-numbered level, from a list consisting of the +2/+2 skill feats, Skill Focus, the save feats, proficiencies and some miscellaneous stuff like Track, Run, Endurance, Versatile... They'd also be able to use craft (alchemy) as if they were a spellcaster, and I'm considering adding bardic knowledge: it fits with the scholarly dedicated caster type, and stacks nicely if they take bard levels, so an Exp3/Brd17 would have the same bardic knowledge modifier as a Brd20 under standard rules.

Less items that are more powerful sounds fine with me, but if you atune them to the caster so that he doesn't want to give them up then you will likely see alot of caster-centric items, and very few weapons, shields, and armor. That may be what your going for though.

Not really, no. But it's a good point, and something I wasn't thinking about.

I've gotten some other interesting suggestions: limiting the number of items created by caster level (say, one item per two or three levels), or investing ability points into items: while you hold the item, the abilities are restored, but if you lose it... naturally, one could create items for others, keyed to their ability scores.

Also, I'm wondering if perhaps I should take the simplest route and take item creation (other than potions and scrolls) entirely out of the PCs' (and most NPCs', actually) hands: make all items in effect minor artifacts from ages past, and have the PCs make do with what they find. Provide some opportunities to enhance items in ways they want, but only in special circumstances: for example, they might find a one-use magic tome that provides the benefits of the Craft Magic Arms and Armour for any item of up to 20000 gp.