Dark Fantasy/Gothic Fantasy

[Blackhawk748]

Ill be running a campaign set in a Ravenloft style lower magic setting. There wont be many casters in the general population and as such magic items will be a bit harder to buy. (gotta go antiquing, no magic mart) Compounding this, magic users dont broadcast what they are as people are very superstitious and believe that casters are devil worshipers/baby eaters/slaves of eldritch abominations etc instead of the quirky individuals that they actually are. (its actually not all that bad but people are freakin terrified of casters so broadcasting what you are makes it a bit hard to interact with the "normals")

So i was just wondering if anyone has had any success running a campaign in this style and any pitfalls to watch out for.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Two important things come to mind.

1) Don't make it unnecessarily difficult for the players to get the equipment they need. There's nothing wrong with limiting selection but availability is important; increasingly important as level rises.

2) Number one becomes -way- more important if you're allowing your players to run full casters. It sucks immensely to play a fighter with crap equipment next to a wizard who doesn't care about treasure because all his power comes from his spellbook.

[Blackhawk748]

Two important things come to mind.

1) Don't make it unnecessarily difficult for the players to get the equipment they need. There's nothing wrong with limiting selection but availability is important; increasingly important as level rises.

2) Number one becomes -way- more important if you're allowing your players to run full casters. It sucks immensely to play a fighter with crap equipment next to a wizard who doesn't care about treasure because all his power comes from his spellbook.

I was thinking of both of these, actually i was gonna randomly roll to see what magic items were available where. Was curious to see how well that worked.

[Kelb_Panthera]

"Random" gear can be workable as long as some of it isn't random. It's important to make sure that non-casters, particularly martial characters, get level appropriate arms, armor, and other defense items. You don't have to cherry pick every item just make sure they get what's needed in amongst the genuinely random stuff.

I presume you're going to either dispense with the buying and selling of magical gear or make it strictly black market?

[Blackhawk748]

"Random" gear can be workable as long as some of it isn't random. It's important to make sure that non-casters, particularly martial characters, get level appropriate arms, armor, and other defense items. You don't have to cherry pick every item just make sure they get what's needed in amongst the genuinely random stuff.

I presume you're going to either dispense with the buying and selling of magical gear or make it strictly black market?

Oh ya, id never go pure random, just mostly random.

As far as buying and selling of magical gear goes, its gonna be kinda like Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance. Random merchants will have various magical items but they probably wont know what they are. (thus why its called antiquing) Except potions, as Alchemists are a thing.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Then all that's left is dealing with casters that are willing to craft their own for themselves and the party. A wizard or cleric with craft arms and armor and/or wondrous item can really put a crimp in your low-magic style.

Declaring them forgotten technicques and banning the players from taking them is a bit heavy handed but it works.

[Blackhawk748]

Then all that's left is dealing with casters that are willing to craft their own for themselves and the party. A wizard or cleric with craft arms and armor and/or wondrous item can really put a crimp in your low-magic style.

Declaring them forgotten technicques and banning the players from taking them is a bit heavy handed but it works.

Thankfully im not worried about that as my players almost never take item crafting feats (honestly i think they forget they exist sometimes)

[Kelb_Panthera]

You're lucky then. Whenever a DM says "low magic" I reflexively think "Wizard into war weaver, wondrous item as soon as I hit CL 3, wand at 5."

Few DM's handle this well, excessive restriction of magic item availability being the most common trap they fall into.