D&D 5E Wild & Dead magic zones

[Hoffmand]

I think we should expand the concept and have more non-martial zones. And non-sneak attack zones. How about non-smite zones too.

 

[R_J_K75]

The first place I'm aware of them being presented is in the Forgotten Realms Adventures sourcebook for 2e.

That's what I thought and then the Wild Mage was first in Tome of Magic. Pretty sure I played a Wild Mage for all of 2 hours before he blew himself up with a wild surge.

 

[atanakar]

How about extremely rare people who are magic null zones. It just doesn't work around them. I read that in a novel (not telling the title not to spoil the fun).

 

[Voadam]

I think we should expand the concept and have more non-martial zones. And non-sneak attack zones. How about non-smite zones too.

See 3e.

 

[the Jester]

They're out there in my campaign setting, though rare and usually pretty small. But nobody has encountered one since, I think, 2e.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

My first recollection of dead/wild magic zones (and yeah, there could've been some in an obscure Dungeon adventure), was in the Avatar Trilogy of adventures moving from 1e to 2e. Most memorably, one of the players was a fighter armored up like a tank. In the dead magic zone, without his Belt of Giant Strength functioning, he was actually so over-encumbered that he couldn't even move. The party had to flee whatever threat they were facing in it while struggling to drag the fighter with them.

They can be a novel challenge, but I agree, they should be used sparingly.

Im pretty sure wild and dead magic zones originated in the Forgotten Realms but I would not be surprised to learn they were in Dragon or Dungeon Magazine even before that.

 

[CubicsRube]

Thanks all.

What about the idea of a "Suppressed Magic" zone? To cast a spell the PC would beed to pass a DC check.

I'm not actively thinking about putting any of these in a campaign, but I was thinking about their inclusion and I'm having a hard time seeing the benefit beyond novelty.

 

[Flamestrike]

I use them very sparingly (as they deprive a lot of PCs the ability to use many of their class features).

The sites of great magical events (the hubris of Karsis, the destruction of a Mythal etc).

When used well, they're awesome. When used poorly they just reek of a DM who has no other method of dealing with casters other than 'nope'.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Thanks all.

What about the idea of a "Suppressed Magic" zone? To cast a spell the PC would beed to pass a DC check.

I'm not actively thinking about putting any of these in a campaign, but I was thinking about their inclusion and I'm having a hard time seeing the benefit beyond novelty.

Alternatively a suppressed magic zone might require the use of a slot one level higher than normal to cast a spell, including needing a 1st level slot to cast a cantrip.

 

[Voadam]

Thanks all.

What about the idea of a "Suppressed Magic" zone? To cast a spell the PC would beed to pass a DC check.

I'm not actively thinking about putting any of these in a campaign, but I was thinking about their inclusion and I'm having a hard time seeing the benefit beyond novelty.

Story/world reasons.

In Pathfinder's Golarion you have, I believe, the Mana Wastes a wild magic and dead magic region between two historically warring super high powered magocracies who hurled magical catastrophes at each other. This can be seen as having disrupted the stability of magic in the ground zero area and took out some enemy magic resources and leaves design space for a non magical culture to flourish there after the magocracies abandon that front (gunslinger land develops from magocracy war refugee community in magic dead zone).

Similarly in Kobold's Midgard Campaign Setting you have the Wasted West an area that had been devastated by an archmage war where Cthuloid entities were summoned as WMDs and the solution when you can't banish them was to partially time stop despite their reality radioactivity area of effect even when mostly frozen in time. So now the land there is filled with mutant goblins and wild and dead magic zones would not be out of place.

As a practical matter for adventuring, if they are part of the world it should be for a different novel adventuring experience. So the party can prepare before going in, or get thrown there unexpectedly and have to deal with it. Similar to plots of being captured, or going into a purely social setting without magic and armor and weapons, or going underwater where some standard things don't work , it can be a neat change of pace, a neat challenge, or frustrating and fun killing, depending on specifics.