What if everyone was a sorcerer (gestalt concept)?

[Mort]

For my next campaign (which will be quite some time as my current one is far from over) I was thinking of doing something a bit different.

One thought, what if all the people in the world were sorcerers? As in anyone with the inerrant willpower (charisma) could do magic?

The mechanical implementation would be fairly simple. Everyone would be a gestalt x/sorcerer (likely with eschew materials thrown in to avoid inexpensive materials).

The implications on the world would be really interesting and quite far ranging though. For example, great leaders (those with high Charisma) would also be better sorcerers so leaders of communities, towns, cities could wield some serious power in their own right (also a high level NPC class would have some serious meaning as they would also be the equivalent level in sorcerer). Also guilds would develop based on sorcerer ability (as spell selection is quite limited specialties would be cropping up left and right).

There would also be many societal developments as low level magic is quite common (almost anyone can pull off a cantrip or 1st level spell) but high level magic is still extremely rare (most people don't have the charisma or the level required to pull of the big time spells).

Some classes would have to be restricted (Bard could pull off some serious abuse here) and others might just be shunned - wizards might be extremely shunned for their "unnatural" approach to magic for example.

Anyway just started thinking about this concept (have given it about 5 minutes so far), thought it was interesting and looking for other thoughts, ideas etc. As this is currently just general world building I figured this was the most appropriate forum.

 

[the Jester]

How about making some metamagic feats that let a low-charisma character get some low-level spells and use them very poorly?

Something like:

WEAK EVOCATION (Metamagic)
Benefit: When you take this feat, you treat your charisma bonus as if it were two higher when determining what evocation spells you can learn. Whenever you cast an evocation spell, it does half damage.

 

[Mort]

How about making some metamagic feats that let a low-charisma character get some low-level spells and use them very poorly?

Something like:

WEAK EVOCATION (Metamagic)
Benefit: When you take this feat, you treat your charisma bonus as if it were two higher when determining what evocation spells you can learn. Whenever you cast an evocation spell, it does half damage.

That could work. Essentially would mean even 0 level militias, for example, might have burning hands or magic missle casters. Interesting without being subject to abuse. Feats for the other schools (Weak transmutation, weak conjuration etc.) would also follow and have some truly interesting implications for the world (as even those with a 9-10 charisma could bring at least a little magic to bear).

 

[Zeverian]

If you haven't done so you should check out Darksword Adventures by Weis and Hickman (of course). In the series everyone has magical ability and the culture is based around developing and exploiting this. W&H put some thought into the effects this would have: such as society developing little technology (a sword [i.e. a sharpened lever] was incomprehensible to most of the populace and a magic eating sword was pretty much an A-Bomb) Darksword Adventures was a follow on book to the trilogy and has a broader veiw of the setting; as it is not from the perspective of the only person who can't do magic. Also the second half of the book is avery short RPG. Its no great peice of literature but it is much shorter than the rest of the series' which is a blessing.

Revolution Action

Zev

 

[Mort]

If you haven't done so you should check out Darksword Adventures by Weis and Hickman (of course). In the series everyone has magical ability and the culture is based around developing and exploiting this. W&H put some thought into the effects this would have: such as society developing little technology (a sword [i.e. a sharpened lever] was incomprehensible to most of the populace and a magic eating sword was pretty much an A-Bomb) Darksword Adventures was a follow on book to the trilogy and has a broader veiw of the setting; as it is not from the perspective of the only person who can't do magic. Also the second half of the book is avery short RPG. Its no great peice of literature but it is much shorter than the rest of the series' which is a blessing.

Revolution Action

Zev

Read them many years ago. As I recall they started quite good but got very odd by the end (alien invasion and many other concepts that intruded on the central theme etc.). But yes, I may dig them up as this is certainly similar to that concept.

 

[Stormonu]

I don't know if you realized it, but in a manner of speaking, you're making a Harry Potter-esque world.

 

[Mort]

I don't know if you realized it, but in a manner of speaking, you're making a Harry Potter-esque world.

I'm not going for witches and wizards in a modern world though.

Further, Harry Potter is simply one story set in a world in which magic exists. Because we are seeing it from the point of view of a wizard school, we see a higher concentration of people who happen to be good at it.

Because Harry Potter has become so popular and near ubiquitis it's tempting to describe everything remotely magical or fantastical as "Harry Poteresque" (I keep hearing Harry Dresden is Harry Potter for Adults (it's not really), and all the previews for 17th precinct keep saying "Grown Up Harry Potter!"). In reality though, it's because Harry Potter draws on many popular themes - so can be compared to many of them (to its credit it does it well, I'm not nocking the series).

But as stated I'm not looking for magic in a modern world, I'm looking for D&D with a twist.

All that said, there are worse things to compare a campaign too.

 

[doctorhook]

I'm not going for witches and wizards in a modern world though.

Further, Harry Potter is simply one story set in a world in which magic exists. Because we are seeing it from the point of view of a wizard school, we see a higher concentration of people who happen to be good at it.

Because Harry Potter has become so popular and near ubiquitis it's tempting to describe everything remotely magical or fantastical as "Harry Poteresque" (I keep hearing Harry Dresden is Harry Potter for Adults (it's not really), and all the previews for 17th precinct keep saying "Grown Up Harry Potter!"). In reality though, it's because Harry Potter draws on many popular themes - so can be compared to many of them (to its credit it does it well, I'm not nocking the series).

But as stated I'm not looking for magic in a modern world, I'm looking for D&D with a twist.

All that said, there are worse things to compare a campaign too.

To be fair, I started with Harry Potter during the same summer I religiously followed Dragon Magazine's "Countdown to 3rd Edition": 2000. At the time, this new invention called "the sorcerer" sounded precisely like Harry Potter--and I never thought that was necessarily a bad thing.

My point is that, at least for myself, the similarity between the Sorcerer class and Harry Potter-style wizardry is nigh 11 years old. YMMV.

 

[Whisper72]

Well... the impact on the development of technology and on the economic system would be huge...

Many technological items would never be developed, as no one would see the need for them. This goes for weapons and armore, but also for mundane technological items.

When everyone can perform cantrips and minor magics, enhancing their skills etc., the efficiency of production could skyrocket.

Crop yields could be enhanced, the time it take to build stuff would be greatly reduced, the quality of items would be much greater etc. etc.

The world would be filled with fantastical buildings and there would be no need for massive arable lands around towns and cities.

On the other hand, if you want to draw on some real world theme's, maybe the overuse of magic depletes the world. Resources / minerals / vitamins etc. are extracted at rates the world cannot keep up with, slowly turning the world into an 'Athas' or Dune like world...

 

[NoWayJose]

I would use that premise to justify fluff-wise some of the martial arts powers that seem more far-fetched. Some sorcerers manifest magic externally, whereas others internalize the magic to become better fighters, monks, etc.

Well... the impact on the development of technology and on the economic system would be huge...

I agree, and some books/movies/games consider these implications more than others.

As a possible "excuse" for not fully implementing those kinds of world-altering considerations, maybe set up the premise that most people manifest sorcery in a way that, for whatever reason, is very limited in scope beyond basic utility and combat. Only a small minority of people exhibit higher powers. Maybe those that would manifest more versatile magic tend to die in the womb or those genes were mostly exterminated in ancient history. Maybe, in some lands, they are feared and persecuted, in other lands, they are an elite upper class (nobles, leaders, savants, etc). Some become heroic adventurers (PCs and NPCs).

D&D vaguely explains why some people are destined to become heroes and not others. If everyone had magic, I would use that premise to justify every mechanic that otherwise lacks verisimilitude.

P.S. I never understood why sorcery required a minimum charisma, fluff-wise, and I think that's especially true in a world where everyone has sorcery. If you have a personality, you can use magic? If you're particularily unfriendly or introverted, why should that make you sorcery-challenged?