D&D General World Building and Magic

[Lakesidefantasy]

I once conducted an experiment during a Pathfinder Society game I was running in order to test Players' assumptions. The setting was a very large city called Absalom, and I shocked the Players and spurred them into action as I described a ferocious Tyrannosaurus rex lumbering through the streets. They were drawing their swords and powering up their spells as the beast casually walked by following behind its druidic master.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

Many years ago I played the online game Conan the Barbarian. It was my first MMO and I was very excited about it. I was having a lot of fun until one day I went to the blacksmith to buy some armor. When I walked into the shop there was a bloody, red demon with horns and bat wings menacing the shopkeep and his patrons. Quickly I drew my sword and slashed at the demon--but to no avail as my weapon refused to cut the beast! It was impervious to all attacks! I expected to be devoured or impaled but to my surprise, the demon simply left. Curious, I followed it outside and into the streets where I finally realized it was a summoned creature following its summoner.

 

[Tonguez]

In my world magic isnt trusted but it is legal (mostly). Most city folk will accept those wizards from the academy in the same way modern folk accept professional scientist or NASA engineers.
Country folk however will be a lot more distrustful and fearful. I've got a few areas we're arcane magic users are all classed as 'witches' and banned from sleeping in town. Anyone identifying as a fiendish or goo warlock or necromancer will get a pitchfork weilding mob.

Tieflings, Dragonfolk and pixies also face prejudice for being accursed.
*Bardic tricks, Primal powers and Divine miracles arent considered magic.

 

[Fifinjir]

One of my players’ character was a GOO warlock, but no body caught on. Even if they did, they situation was dire enough that the people he was interacting with would probably give him a pass as long as he was helping them.

That’s the state of my setting really. In more peaceful times people who prefer wizards, clerics, druids, or whatever (even if they aren’t one of them, two normal people could still get into a fight about arcane vs. primal, for instance) can form battle lines to their hearts’ content. Nowadays you can’t complain too much about who’s standing next to you on the barricades.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Back during the original D&DNext Playtest I ran my first 5E game. In it, something one of my players said stood out to me ever since. He said: it's odd that no one bats an eye when they find out I'm a warlock, a great old one warlock to boot. I recently started thinking about it again.

Has anyone thought about changing up how NPCs react to different characters based on the kinds of magic they know? Like the whole "White Magic/Black Magic" divide. Has anyone done such in their games? How do normal people in your games react to magic?

In my games the prevailing opinion is that magic is scary and folks tend to be wary of those who use it. There is a transcultural organization of magic-users in my setting (like the Brotherhood in The Witcher or the Wizards of High Sorcery in Dragonlance) that attempts to regulate its use and its users, but regular folks are usually scared of them too, sanctioned or not.

This can change individually of course, when people are helped by magic, but generally magic makes people jealous and/or afraid.

 

[Reynard]

But, I also did once run a red dragonborn LG Paladin of Tiamat just to gobsmack my DM.

How does that work, exactly?

 

[Oofta]

Personally I restrict warlock patrons because I would have people respond accordingly if someone's patron is an arch devil and I don't want to deal with it.

For that matter, it's one of the reasons I don't allow drow (and won't even with the 2024 edition) because in my world the only interaction with drow have been when they show up, kill everything in sight and then leave. A drow, as far as people are concerned, are an apex predator walking into town and would be killed ASAP. Sorry Drizzt.

Should people react this way? Probably not. People should be given a chance to prove themselves. On the other hand if a tiger wandered into my backyard I wouldn't go out and try to pet it because it might just be friendly. A warlock of the Great Old One would be treated with the same level of suspicion, fear, and in many cases violence.

 

[DragonLancer]

For that matter, it's one of the reasons I don't allow drow (and won't even with the 2024 edition) because in my world the only interaction with drow have been when they show up, kill everything in sight and then leave. A drow, as far as people are concerned, are an apex predator walking into town and would be killed ASAP. Sorry Drizzt.

I agree with this. I always shake my head when I read that some DM's allow their players to play monster races. Drow I can sort of accept as they are elves and not all are Lloth worshippers or slavers. But Orcs, Goblins (PF2 looking at you...), Bullywugs...etc, are going to get jumped the moment they try and enter town - in most settings.

 

[Voadam]

I try to let PCs be OK in the game and make it work and not let in things from the start that would be too problematic such as bugbears which are generally considered hostile dangerous monsters.

As a big setting issue though there have been things like the Holy Lothian Empire having historically gone through an inquisition to root out demonologists and ending up with persecuting any arcane caster as witches. Also at times persecuting non-Lothian religions.

Many in world range from knowing distinctions to just knowing “spellcaster” or Lothian cleric versus all others.

So mostly PCs can play lots of stuff and be ok but NPCs will react differently to different traditions and different traditions and reactions to them can come up in storylines.

 

[Tonguez]

As a big setting issue though there have been things like the Holy Lithuanian Empire having historically gone through an inquisition to root out demonologists and ending up with persecuting any arcane caster as witches. Also at times persecuting non-Lothian religions.

here I am getting excited that someone based a game on the Lithuanian crusade - but it looks like a typo

I agree with this. I always shake my head when I read that some DM's allow their players to play monster races. Drow I can sort of accept as they are elves and not all are Lloth worshippers or slavers. But Orcs, Goblins (PF2 looking at you...), Bullywugs...etc, are going to get jumped the moment they try and enter town - in most settings.

IMC I've given concessions to monster races that have individuals tolerated but still not accepted. Female orcs will sometimes trade outside the gates of human settlements, individual males might be allowed in but be treated like known violent gangsters. Goblins are considered rats and tolerated as scavengers hanging around the dumps and ghettoized in foulburgs