why the attraction to "low magic"?

[Drifter Bob]

How does my Common Commoner thread look, man?

94% of the people in a D&D world have never seen a magic sword or a second level spell in their lives (ish).

Crap. Even buying your demographics, your whole premise is built around the idea that each village or "thorp" (love that word) is completely isolated. Like they wouldn't have county fairs? Religious Festivals? Like they never go to town? How do you think the economics of real medieval villages functioned?

As for your idea that monsters attacked twice a day, thats pretty Hanna Barbarian...

DB

 

[Mystery Man]

The only problem with it is that it's only one interpretation. That list of "magical" gear posessed by Pippin (which is actually an amalgam of stuff Pippin and Merry had, for that matter) is very arguably magical rather than obviously so, for instance. Most of the rest of his points are similarly arguable. Obviously the folks who claim low magic doesn't resemble the fiction they read, who are a largeish subset of folks, would interpret the textual evidence differently.

To the argument that Middle Earth was "low magic". My interperetation, it is magic. It's a magic sponge. It's RSE's make FR RSE's look like resort outing volley ball tournament. As for Conan, I'd have to take both sides of the debate's word for it since I've only read one conan book in my entire book reading career.

Tarzan might make for a good low magic type feel. Only read one of those too.

 

[Desdichado]

As for your idea that monsters attacked twice a day, thats pretty Hanna Barbarian...

Hanna Barbarian... that sounds like a good username. Or custom title.

 

[Desdichado]

To the argument that Middle Earth was "low magic". My interperetation, it is magic. It's a magic sponge. It's RSE's make FR RSE's look like resort outing volley ball tournament.

I'm sorry, but I didn't understand what that was supposed to mean. Mainly because I don't know what you mean by RSE...

As for Conan, I'd have to take both sides of the debate's word for it since I've only read one conan book in my entire book reading career.

Tarzan might make for a good low magic type feel. Only read one of those too.

Oddly enough, I've always thought Tarzan and Conan were pretty directly compatible. It seems odd to suggest that Tarzan be low magic and Conan high when the similarities between the two are so striking.

 

[Sir Elton]

To the argument that Middle Earth was "low magic". My interperetation, it is magic. It's a magic sponge. It's RSE's make FR RSE's look like resort outing volley ball tournament. As for Conan, I'd have to take both sides of the debate's word for it since I've only read one conan book in my entire book reading career.

Tarzan might make for a good low magic type feel. Only read one of those too.

Yes. Please explain what RSE is? I'd like to know myself. Although I'd probably go "duh" after reading your explanation.

 

[Mystery Man]

Yes. Please explain what RSE is? I'd like to know myself. Although I'd probably go "duh" after reading your explanation.

Sorry. Forgotten Realms lingo. It means Realms Shaking Event, ie "The Time of Troubles".

 

[Desdichado]

But that doesn't really address the level of magic, IMO. Just because it has a history of big "RSE"'s doesn't automatically make it high magic.

Hyboria posits a series of "RSE"'s that turn the setting of Kull into the setting of Conan and then into the historical world. That doesn't make it high magic either.

Paleontology also posits a set of "RSE"'s that changed the course of life on earth, including the suppression of the mammalian line of evolution by the reptilian/avian dinosaur heritage, and then the sudden snuffing out of that reptilian/avian dinosaur heritage in a sudden global catastrophe and the return to power of the formerly "exiled" mammals. That doesn't mean it's high magic either.

 

[Mystery Man]

But that doesn't really address the level of magic, IMO. Just because it has a history of big "RSE"'s doesn't automatically make it high magic.

Hyboria posits a series of "RSE"'s that turn the setting of Kull into the setting of Conan and then into the historical world. That doesn't make it high magic either.

Paleontology also posits a set of "RSE"'s that changed the course of life on earth, including the suppression of the mammalian line of evolution by the reptilian/avian dinosaur heritage, and then the sudden snuffing out of that reptilian/avian dinosaur heritage in a sudden global catastrophe and the return to power of the formerly "exiled" mammals. That doesn't mean it's high magic either.

Well sure thats a good point, but paleontology is rooted in the real world and is explained. In Middle Earth all the RSE's happened from magic.

The two trees. The Silmarillion. The war with Melkor you had Balor(s) running around like mini Saurons and couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a dragon. There's more too.

 

[mmadsen]

4. No, Conan did not merely beat mundane foes, and if you think that, I suggest you reread the series.

5. No, he did not merely beat appropriate challenges for a single PC, and if you think that, you DEFINITELY need to reread the series.

I never claimed that Conan only fought mundane foes. My point was that many of the fearsome foes he did defeat were appropriate (or even weak) challenges for a single high-level character.

Even a 6th-level Barbarian with no magic should expect to beat an ape, a lion, or a giant snake.

King Conan's arguably a 20th-level Barbarian/Rogue/Fighter; it's perfectly understandable that he'd take out a half-dozen soldiers sent to kill him. Even if he's "just" 10th-level, it's perfectly reasonable.

Is Conan bad-ass? Certainly. Is Conan more bad-ass than anyone else he encounters? More or less. Does he have a laundry list of magic items? No. Does he live in a world where magic items are for sale at a typical bazaar? No. Does he live in a world where sorcerers cast dozens of spells per day, every day? Not as far as I can tell.

 

[Desdichado]

The two trees. The Silmarillion. The war with Melkor you had Balor(s) running around like mini Saurons and couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a dragon. There's more too.

Which Silmarillion did you read? There only seem to have been a handful of balrogs running around, and they didn't actually do much outside of overt military action. As for the commonality of dragons, there's really only Glaurung until the very end. Yeah, one dragon in the whole Silmarillion, until at the very end suddenly Morgoth releases Ancalagon and a flight of winged dragons. Which are subsequently killed by Earandil in short order. Hardly so's you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one.