Why Not Magic?

[Maxperson]

I don’t really understand a thing, and I’d like to.

In every game that isn’t specifically about doing magic, folks expect to be able to play a wholly non-magical character. I’m building a game of my own, and I am having trouble seeing reasons that anyone who has magic as an option would choose not to use it?

This relates to the non-magical Ranger thread, but it’s more about the thematic notion of fully mundane heroes in a world with fairly common magic.

In my game’s setting, anyone who is exposed to magic and chooses to practice and study it can learn magic. This means all PCs have magic skills available to them, and all archetypes have magic skills on their skill list, though some only have 1 or 2.

I guess the question is; why would someone choose to be a hero/adventurer/etc and not want to learn any magic?

In your setting they probably would all(or nearly all) learn magic. The 5e default, though, is that spellcasters are relatively few in number, so non-magical classes make much more sense.

As for why someone would choose to be completely mundane in your world, perhaps as a child he saw his family burned to death by a wizard and views magic as an evil obscenity. My father was an abusive alcoholic and I refuse to touch alcohol. I don't want there to be any chance that I don't have full control over myself. I've had DMs offer me multiple levels and/or magic items if I would just take one shot with the guys during a celebration. I never wavered. The one time I drank a single shot was at my fathers funeral. It seemed somehow appropriate. Such convictions and reasonings can apply in your world and result in a completely mundane PC adventurer. Another reason could be the challenge of success against all odds. A thrill seeker might go the mundane route.

 

[J.Quondam]

Well one reason is: Batman.

Imagine how badass you are if you can keep up with, or indeed beat, someone with magic/superpowers when you don't have any?

(Yes, Bruce Wayne has a superpower of "more money than god to pay for all this stuff" - but people ignore that, because it is off screen).

"I see your disintegrate, Wizard, and raise you this caviar fork in your throat!"

 

[Professor Murder]

Many players just don't enjoy the added complexity of being a spell caster. It's another set of rules to be responsible for. In many systems, playing a Fighter or Rogue sort can really call to players who want more stripped down characters in terms of rules complexity, so they can better focus on other aspects of play which they enjoy more.

 

[TerraDave]

I don't know about "every game", but D&D is the big tent one. If there is a very familiar character type out there--the hero in a magical world that is not a wizard--then it would make sense to cater to that. And D&D always has.

Its interesting to note that, at least by class, D&D has always been mostly magical. First five classes: Magic-user, cleric, thief, paladin. 3/5 magical. But non-magical options are there. Of course the fighter or thief would hope to find magic items. That also always been there, and also consistent with the wider lore.

 

[Blue Orange]

As people here have said, it's more of a player thing. I think there are quite a few nonmagical heroes in the classic fantasy stories that spawned the game (the hobbits just have a magic ring, Conan occasionally uses magic but he distrusts it, Fafhrd never casts spells, Lovecraft protagonists usually don't), so lots of people want to play characters like them. Magical protagonists are a problem for a writer because unless you make it really clear what they can and can't do they can theoretically solve any problem with magic. So nonmagical protagonists in fantasy fiction are common.

 

[Willie the Duck]

As others have said, there are a lot of knights in shining armor, plucky thieves, knowledgeable woodsmen, and other such characters in fiction who take on the hero role, but few and far between are the spellcasters main protagonists (usually relegated to supporting characters or villains).

I don't know about "every game", but D&D is the big tent one. If there is a very familiar character type out there--the hero in a magical world that is not a wizard--then it would make sense to cater to that. And D&D always has.

Let's pick another one as a point of comparison: GURPS. GURPS has a relatively solid magic system and playing a wizard is fun. However, being a wizard costs character points. For the point cost of being a decent wizard, you can be a pretty powerful knight in shining armor as well. The knight has some key advantages, notably being able to swing their sword relatively indefinitely, as well as being able to upgrade their abilities through found items (actual treasure or weapons/armor taken from defeated foes) much more easily than the wizard (who can turn treasure into magic-boosting items, but not nearly as readily).

 

[Tonguez]

Because if everything is magic then nothing is

moreover there is no purpose to doing anything else - if everyone can use a magic missile that never misses then why bother with archery, or even inventing the bow? Why bother with rope if I can spiderclimb or fly? Why bother to be a blacksmith instead or fabricate? why bother to go out and work when I can just cast goodberry or heroes feast?

a character wants to achieve things by their own ability, superior strength or agility or endurance, not have the convinience of a spell doing it for them

thats why I hate spells that replace skills - instead they should gove a skill bonus but still require the character to use their natural ability…

 

[Garthanos]

I guess the question is; why would someone choose to be a hero/adventurer/etc and not want to learn any magic?

If you mean the character themselves choosing? Have you read the chronicles of Thomas Covenant? there are well let's call them monks who swear off just about every kind of tool you would imagine out of a desire to perfect their autonomous potence, this is pretty much akin to The Riddle of Steel. By not becoming dependent on tool x you can better perfect all others. Perfection of self means forgoing all things originating outside of that.

As far as players? Nonmagical may be the easiest to identify with.

 

[Garthanos]

The prevalence of magical talent may in story preclude a character from being able to do magic whether they want it or not. Then overcoming that may be quite a story. Your story is now about how you are awesome the hard way.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Because Han Solo is cooler than Luke Skywalker.