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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Grue" data-source="post: 3972611" data-attributes="member: 11989">Well, I'd say as a general rule science in most gm's campaigns gets hand waved.  Unless the players enjoy the minutiae of the details it really doesn't add to the fun of the game for an evenings play.  Frankly, if it's considered at all, I think a number of gm's are a bit leery of thinking up the consequences for the 'realistic' impact of magic on science\technology coming into their pseudo-medieval campaign worlds... especially when the occasional smart alecky player may get the bright idea of trying to jumpstart the industrial revolution (and inevitably shifts the game from the usual fantasy focus).That being said, I do like thinking about it, even if I just end up hand waving it myself and sticking with the typical fantasy pseudo-medieval schlock.  For one, just sticking with core d&d magic and adding it to a medieval world, unless you're running a very low magic setting... or at least a world where spellcasters are rare... the realistic consequences are pretty substantial.For one I think scientific progress gets pushed along faster as the result of magic.  Even if the spellcaster population is relatively low to have a direct economic\lifestyle impact, their discoveries using magic would almost certainly spur on mundane advances.  A basic Fly spell would greatly aid mapmaking... it would also probably lead to the discovery if the world was flat or round (or a big disk on an elephant's back riding a turtle) pretty early (celestial mechanics and mathematics).  Opening up perfectly normal trade routes and the economic benefits of discovering new lands.  Longer trade routes, spurring both advances in finance and the development of sailing ships.Using Fabricate, Stone Shape, Move Earth, Transmute Rock to Mud\Mud to Rock or any of the construction useful spells would still lead to if not encourage advances in architecture to keep the final structures from collapsing from their own weight (also probably ensuring the progress of geometry and more mathematics as well).  Square set timbering for deep mines could get developed earlier with the assistance of continual flame, and undead or constructs to man the pumps (or mills or anything else you would use a steam engine for).  More productive mines would push metallurgy (to process the ore) and transport (to move the increased production).I think magic would push the science if only for the simple reason that it would trail blaze discoveries by showing what is possible or discovering\experimenting new techniques a lot cheaper and faster than what could be accomplished the old fashioned way.Tech that takes a hit.... castles certainly.  Even adding magical defenses, unless doing so is relatively cheap (like a common metal that interferes with magic) it would probably be too expensive to fulfil their primary purpose of denying territory to an invader (and projecting power on the locals).  Medicine may also take a hit, but without digging into the history I don't think it was really too advanced pre-Renaissance anyway, but I doubt it would stunt the growth of medicine.  The existence of magic would probably create 'natural-philosophers' ... or at least wizards who think about the how and why things work so they can mess around more precisely with the processes of the physical world.</blockquote>

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