D&D General World Building and Magic

[Tales and Chronicles]

Generally speaking, spellcasting on someone else is illegal in town. In some cities, spellcasting in public is illegal or at least a lack of etiquette, unless they pay for a permit. Spellcasters practicing outside of some official functions are pushed with the other unwanted-but-useful members of society: tanners, butchers, herbalist, rat catchers and gong farmers.

As for the common folk, most of them see magic users the same way they see the guys entering their hamlet in full war gear.

 

[cbwjm]

I'm gonna try to put into words magic in my campaign. It is high magic so magic is all over the place.

• Wizards are typically respected, as are clerics.
• Druids might be seen as a bit rustic, except in places where the Wyld Faith is the predominant faith in which case they are revered.
• In the dragonborn kingdoms, sorcery is a mark of tapping into your latent draconic bloodline, wizardry is respected for its power but there is a general "why study magic when you can use your inborn talent instead?"
• Warlocks would be viewed differently depending on the pact and the culture. I have one region ruled by fiend pact warlocks who head the state religion. Clerics are outlawed and any other spellcaster would do well to keep their ability hidden. Orcs typically have warlocks as their witchdoctors and normally they aren't fully trusted by the chieftains who see them as serving two masters.
• Witchcraft can be almost any spellcaster. If people are calling you a witch then they aren't keen on your presence, if they're calling you a wise woman/wise man then you're a trusted member of the community, even if you live on the fringes of it.
• In some regions, clerics and druids are rare, their place taken by elemental shamans who learn to channel the elements and placate elemental spirits. These casters are common where the giants and genasi hold sway.

 

[Stormonu]

How does that work, exactly?

His belief was Tiamat had been unjustly imprisoned in Avernus and that her works were being corrupted by the devils of that plane. Therefore, as her champion he was trying to set right the corruption of her works and illuminate chromatic dragonkind in her true desires and the actions her offspring should be performing to rebuild the First World for her children.

Tribute. Collect thy hoard to ransom your queen, not covet for thyself.
Enlightenment. Gather magic to better know thy queen, not to hold sway over others.
Justice. Save thy wrath for the enemies who entrap your queen and twist her works.
Harmony. The enemies of thy queen seek to divide us, we must work together to free her.

 

[Reynard]

His belief was Tiamat had been unjustly imprisoned in Avernus and that her works were being corrupted by the devils of that plane. Therefore, as her champion he was trying to set right the corruption of her works and illuminate chromatic dragonkind in her true desires and the actions her offspring should be performing to rebuild the First World for her children.

Tribute. Collect thy hoard to ransom your queen, not covet for thyself.
Enlightenment. Gather magic to better know thy queen, not to hold sway over others.
Justice. Save thy wrath for the enemies who entrap your queen and twist her works.
Harmony. The enemies of thy queen seek to divide us, we must work together to free her.

How does Tiamat feel about it?

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

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.

In most of my games, a drow would be mostly accepted simply because not many people know about them. Unless they're an elf or have had dealings with them before, the general populace would just assume that the drow is just an elf.

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.

A tiger looks like a dangerous predator*. How would people pick out a GOOlock as someone worthy of persecution?

*American National Parks service memes notwithstanding.

 

[Stormonu]

How does Tiamat feel about it?

As far as he knows, she told him directly to do this. He believes he got this edict directly from her in a vision.

 

[Oofta]

In most of my games, a drow would be mostly accepted simply because not many people know about them. Unless they're an elf or have had dealings with them before, the general populace would just assume that the drow is just an elf.

A tiger looks like a dangerous predator*. How would people pick out a GOOlock as someone worthy of persecution?

*American National Parks service memes notwithstanding.

Well, when that warlock does something and calls upon Chthulhu to grant them a boon it becomes pretty obvious. That may never happen, but I don't want to deal with it if it does.

Besides, ther should be a cost to being a warlock or at least the potential that there will be a cost. I don't want to have to ever take that into consideration.

 

[Tonguez]

A tiger looks like a dangerous predator*. How would people pick out a GOOlock as someone worthy of persecution?

the mad sibilant darkness clinging to them and the tentacles and eyeballs manifesting from impossible non-euclidian angles might be a clue. GOO in particular are suppose to be unnatural and maddening and the PC who embraces such a pact should start displaying signs, even if it is just a nervous tick and over diluted pupils.

 

[Micah Sweet]

the mad sibilant darkness clinging to them and the tentacles and eyeballs manifesting from impossible non-euclidian angles might be a clue. GOO in particular are suppose to be unnatural and maddening and the PC who embraces such a pact should start displaying signs, even if it is just a nervous tick and over diluted pupils.

I have to agree. Association with a GOO is intended to be fundamentally...wrong, pretty much by definition. Glossing over that is of no interest to me.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I have never had this problem. I tend to have NPCs react to magic and spellcasters in ways I think make sense for their culture/society/religion. It varies between setting, but I use the general rule that most magic is seen as a powerful weapon or tool, but there are taboo types (enchantment and necromancy typically). Paladins and Clerics generally think Divine magic is superior to the Arcane, and Wizards and Sorcerers think the opposite. If a shopkeeper were to discover that a mage scammed them with illusion or enchantment magic, they’d be as angry as if they were scammed any other way. People are generally suspicious/hostile towards those with dark power sources (Death Clerics, most Warlocks, some Sorcerers), and treat them how you might expect.

Now, if we’re playing in Eberron, Karnathis/the Blood of Vol won’t care about Necromancy, and Aereni like Deathless necromancy. And I have a setting where Goblinoids love the 3 main types of magic (Arcane, Divine, Primal), but demonize Psionics as being aberrant powers from the Far Realm. My main Psionic faction in the setting views Psionics as superior to the 3 main types of magic. It’s a big issue in the setting and the Yikkan Goblins and Sheiohn Foulen have violently clashed dozens of times over the dispute.

My current character, an Aasimar Divine Soul Sorcerer, is a member of a religion that believes all magic ultimately comes from their god, Ennoea. They think some types of magic are better/more pure than others (Arcane and Divine are better than Primal or fiendish magic). If he were to meet a Druid or Ranger he would look down on them as being worldly pagans that practice impure magic. He’s suspicious of Tieflings because of their fiendish heritage and if he met any Fiend Warlocks he would probably attack them.

So, yeah. I generally consider this stuff when DMing, world building, or playing. I never considered it particularly unique or special that I do this. I kind of thought most DMs consider this in some way.