D&D General What do do when a setting doesn't have magic?

[nomotog]

Lets say you find a setting you want to set your next DnD campaign in, but it's a setting with no magic. A good half the classes use magic, so so how do your address this? Do you just add magic, just not include wizards? Don't worry too much about the answer. It's a discussion not a actual problem to solve.

 

[Morrus]

I'd play a game more suited to the setting than D&D!

Adventures in Middle Earth for 5E does low magic quite well, but it's not completely no magic,

 

[aco175]

I would likely put in some kind of magic. It could be technology or something over D&D magic. May not be as much and widespread, but something.

 

[jsaving]

Depends on what you mean when you say the setting doesn't have magic. Do you mean magic works fine but your characters happen to be the first ones in history with the desire/ability/knowledge to use it? Do you mean magic is blocked in your world but all other sources of "unrealistic" abilities function normally? Or do you mean you are running a "realistic" setting where nothing works except abilities you as the DM decide are plausible?

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

5e is probably the worst edition of D&D when it comes to low-magic campaigns. I think you'd better pick a different system.

 

[dave2008]

Lets say you find a setting you want to set your next DnD campaign in, but it's a setting with no magic. A good half the classes use magic, so so how do your address this? Do you just add magic, just not include wizards? Don't worry too much about the answer. It's a discussion not a actual problem to solve.

There are enough no magic options to make a full party, so I don't see the issue. We have 6 people in our group and only one uses magic (a Wizard). If we didn't have the wizard we would be fine.

 

[dave2008]

5e is probably the worst edition of D&D when it comes to low-magic campaigns. I think you'd better pick a different system.

Na, it works just fine with low or no magic.

EDIT: Actually it works better than most editions of D&D as it was designed without the requirement for magic items or magic healing. It is really easy to play without magic. The only downside is that you don't have magic classes, but that should be expected in a setting with no magic.

 

[Cadence]

I'd play a game more suited to the setting than D&D!

Adventures in Middle Earth for 5E does low magic quite well, but it's not completely no magic,

Does Masterclass Codex have some more non-magic ones (or not too blatantly magic anyway)?

 

[Morrus]

Does Masterclass Codex have some more non-magic ones (or not too blatantly magic anyway)?

Hmm. The noble, gunfighter, savant, and tinkerer spring to mind. Maybe the monster tamer? Depends on if non-magic includes non-fantastical creatures (in which case we're ruling out the Monster Manual anyway).

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

It depends on what you classify as "magic". There is a lot of magic-like or supernatural abilities that would, or should, not be counted as magic. Remove all actual spells and magic items and there is still a lot of fantastical things that characters and monsters can do.