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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Felix" data-source="post: 2912482" data-attributes="member: 3929">If the campaign were set up with these rules:1) 10th level PCs2) No magic itemsThen I would ask if the dearth of magic items was due to a lack of items in the world. If yes, I'd play an item-crafting Wizard. If it was because we were robbed, or something, I'd play a different caster, either Sorcerer or Druid probably.But I would not play a melee class.It's almost specifically at 10th level when full casters begin to pull ahead of melee PCs in terms of power (and by power, I mean survivability). Casters can do things at that point with their spells that meleers can't even begin to dream of doing without magical item support.It is very much integral to the system of balance that the rules support to have a given degree of magical support in terms of items at given levels. Those wealth guidelines, while guidelines, represent the cost of equipping characters so they can survive at that level of play given standard encounters. It's beautifully done; though you don't have to always provide EL-appropriate encounters, at very least you'll know what kind of damage you're going to inflict upon a party.And when you remove that peg upholding PC survivability, things can become unstable quickly. Certainly when you have PCs capable of crafting their own magic items to support themselves, as I would do in that game.---That being said, there are numerous games that support low-magic play; if a protracted low-magic campaign was your goal, I can recommend both Conan RPG and Iron Heroes as functionally better at low-magic.---If you did not intend to deny PCs magic items for a long time, then as a player I would like a good reason as to why I am 10th level and don't have any magical resources. Getting busted out of prison is a good reason: they still have all my stuff. Getting robbed by 15th level NPCs, also a good reason. Getting told, "no, you never did come upon magic items through your 10 level career; so you're all in a bar when the bartender comes up to your group..." would not satisfy me, or my desire to have good in-game reasoning.---Finally, as a player I would like to see parity between my PCs' loot and other PCs. If I'm poor because the DM decides it to be so, then I'd like that to be the case for everyone. Not because I'm whiny, but because I would feel like the DM was playing favorites, even if that weren't the case. This is especially true regarding character creation: if a PC claims the first magic item we find I'm not going to be upset about it, I'll just be quicker next time!</blockquote>

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