Low Magic

[cfalcon]

A friend of mine's next campaign will be "low magic". Meaning, the world he is drawing up has magic in it, but not a great deal. Normally, we run 3.5 (mostly core plus completes, with some of the most powerful stuff tweaked), but making that "low magic" is a lot of work.

I was wondering if 4ed has an option for this, or is easier to switch into this mode. If not, that's no problem, just looking for opinions.

[NecroRebel]

The balance of 4E kind of assumes magic items are readily available, but you can compensate by giving the bonuses the magic items would give (+1 to attacks, damages, and all defenses at level ~3 and every 5 levels after).

Then you could simply refluff magic-based powers as non-magical through whatever means (maybe that "fireball" is a grenade?) and be more-or-less done.

There's no explicitly written-up low-magic variant, but it is reasonably easy to do; the power structure was built with the intent that there'd often be extensive refluffing done, so it's fairly open to that.

[Haberdashery]

The way 4th is set up, you can easily get by with an entire party of adventurers that doesn't have a single spell to share between them. Unlike previous editions, there are non-magic ways to heal people in 4th (namely the Warlord). Granted, the martial controller is a bit lame.

[Yourshallowpal]

Low Magic is easy, depending on your definition of "Magic."

Class Selection-
- "Hard on magic-" basically, you only allow characters with the "Martial" power source. All powers are physical, although they're hurting for a good healer.

- "Selective magic" Classes with the "Arcane," power source are out. Classes with "Matrial" are in. Classes with "Psionic," "Shadow," "Primal," or "Divine" are allowed at the DM's discretion. Ex: Barbarians (Primal) are in for their melee-orientation. Druids, (Also primal) are too "magicky." (NOTE: They may still want for a good healer.)

- "Magic by a different name." Arcane classes are allowed, but they players are required to explain the "material reality" of their power. (Fireballs, magic missiles, and spells all have mechanical/chemical explanations.)

Items-
- Weapons/armor. All weapons with an enhancement are magic. However, if you want re-name them something else, drop the effect but keep the enhancement, it'll still work.
- Potions. Also inherently magic, but you could explain them as just drugs or herbal remedies. "magic by a different name again."

[Lord Raziere]

there are rules for having Boons instead of items in the Dungeon Masters guide 2, and a table in the Dark Sun book that deals with bonuses and such without magic items. You can play a low magic game, you just need to say "ok, instead of getting the bonuses through an item, you just plain get it, fluff it as growing slightly stronger." or passing it off as training where you train in a certain kind of technique that gives you the bonus- like knowing a certain way to wield a sword gives you a +1 bonus to attack as if you were wielding a magic sword.

or in other words:

step one: go to "+1 Magic Weapon"

Step Two: cross out "+1 Magic Weapon."

Step three: write in "+1 Weapon Training."

Step four: Your done.

easy.

[Treblain]

You could ban certain classes that are explicitly magical, but still allow multiclasses and hybrids of those classes for characters that have some magical talent. There are classes outside the Martial power source that aren't too magical (like barbarians and monks). If you feel lacking in diversity, you can refluff other power sources fairly easily.

In 4e, defense and attack bonuses scale by level with magic items worked in, so you would have to provide pluses at the appropriate levels to compensate. Alternately, you could refluff a +1 weapon or armor as iron, +2 as steel, +3 as mithril etc... Giving out items with abilities would happen only rarely. Overuse of items is easily limited.

Another thing is rituals. Rituals replace a lot of the 3.5 utility spells, and are available to any class if you put the effort in. You could just ban or restrict ritual casting with no real impact on the game. The lack of them would be felt more in the fluff of the campaign than the gameplay. Because of this divide between in-combat magic and the magic of the world, it can be left to the DM to make the presence or absence of magic felt.

It's very doable as long as the players and DM commit to it and get into the feel of low-magic.

[WitchSlayer]

There's Inherent Bonuses in the PHB2 I believe, which replaces the +s you gain from weapons, armor, and the like, and for the abilities there's things like boons, scars, training and the like.

[M.c.P]

Look up Inherent Bonuses, Martial Practices, and Boons. These replace the magic item bonuses, Rituals, and Item powers respectively. Consider handing out the Martial practice feat for free.

Also, warlords are excellent leaders that can build pretty well for straight healing, don't know what y'all are talking about. A valorous or BowBard can be pretty easily refluffed into inspiring/yelling at dudes.

Martial controllers (hunter, Seeker?) are lackluster, but serviceable.

[Mando Knight]

although they're hurting for a good healer.

Warlord might not be the #1 healer, but they're overall one of the best Leaders. Especially in a more martially-focused party.

[Tengu_temp]

I DM a game with my homebrew inherent bonuses-like thing that I created before inherent bonuses became an official thing, and with only non-magical classes available. It works well.

On the other hand, if the DM is just going to be stingy on treasure and magic items and won't give you anything to compensate for that, you're humped. The game assumes you will have items with bonuses appropriate for your level, and from levels 6 and up this is going to bite you in the ass hard.