Mundane Magic

[Maelynn]

As I'm working on fleshing out my selfmade setting, I've come up with the idea of incorporating magic into everyday life. First and foremost to make my setting a bit original and more interesting, but also to make up for the magic scarcity that seems to have become common in 5e (and, as such, make it more plausible for PC's to have magic items). I don't mean to make it accessible to every commoner on the streets, so as not to give way to possible mayhem and misuse. However, I would like it to be a natural and logic part of daily life that benefits the common people, as long as it's regulated*. So, a shopkeeper/proprietor would have access to magic for use in the services/goods they offer, so that their customers can benefit from it.

So far I've come up with the following examples:

- a theatre that shows 'films' by combining Silent Image and Minor Illusion
- a shop that cleans/repairs clothing with the help of Mending and Prestidigitation
- a tavern where you can order a drop of potion in your meal. The smith could get a wee bit of Bull's Strength to help him do his work, the insecure guy could get that dash of Calm Emotions to give him the confidence he needs to woo his crush, the farmer could get some Animal Friendship to help them tame the new horse he just got
- the town guard uses Barkskin during their watch
- the hospital has a vast array of Cure Wounds, Lesser Restoration, Revivify and the likes to their disposal
- judges use a Zone of Truth in court
- a lost and found agency uses Locate Object to help people find their missing possessions
- messengers within the city could use Haste depending on the urgency of the message

So, what do you think? Any examples you could think of that would work in this setting? Do you have any suggestions on how to improve this setting, to make it work?




* still working out the kinks. Should adventurers be registered, officially allowing them the use of magic? Are unregistered magic users hunted down like apostates in Dragon Age? That's not what I want, but I need to come up with some decent legislation... work in progress

[Maelynn]

So, what do you think? Any examples you could think of that would work in this setting? Do you have any suggestions on how to improve this setting, to make it work?

Blimey guys, not even an opinion? I'd really like some input, see if I'm on the right track - or maybe even that my idea is too absurd to be viable.

[KarlMarx]

It makes more sense than a lot of other settings, where everyone who knows magic exists still just scratches around at a medieval tech level.

My concern would be that published rules make it hard to work magic without being a full-on adventurer; I'd get around this by giving some mundane commoner statblock the benefit of Magic Initiate and/or Ritual Caster, but no other magic.

[nickl_2000]

So, what do you think? Any examples you could think of that would work in this setting? Do you have any suggestions on how to improve this setting, to make it work?


-Everyone has unseen servants working in their houses doing all the cooking, cleaning, etc
-No one actual carries anything anymore, they use Tensor's Floating Disk
-Farmers and gardeners use Speak with Plants and plant growth to encourage certain plants to grow in the right way
-Farmers and ranchers use speak with animals to get them to obey better
-Guards use Speak with animals to train their dogs faster and easier
-No one actually uses soap anymore, they just use prestidigitation on everything
-Needle and thread are no longer a thing due to the mending spell
-Messengers are no longer really in existence due to the message, animal messenger, and sending spells
-Travel is easy due to teleportation circles
-Doctors have cured insomnia with the sleep spell
-Blacksmith's don't bother with fires anymore, they just cast heat metal and shape it after that
-Torches aren't really a thing any more now that everyone knows the light cantrip and the darkvision spell
-Control weather is used to make the weather sunny and beautiful during festivals and events
-Starvation and farming in general is no longer a thing due to major use of the goodberry spell


I think it would be interesting to create a society that is dependent on magic to thrive. They feed people with Goodberry, grow trade crops with Plant Growth, use magic to train guard animals, they drink with create water, etc. They are so dependent on magic that they have forgotten how to do mundane things. Then you quest hook is that the BBEG has found an artifact that creates an anti-magic field in the city, making the entire city helpless and living off the little bit of stored food they have and the little bit of water left in the wells.

[JackPhoenix]

Check Eberron. While it's 3.5e setting not ported into 5e, all your points (except the 3rd one, potions are still expensive... but food and drink magically purified to be guaranteed safe from diseases and poisons is a thing) are present there.

If you aren't familiar with it, one of the original premises was "what if we applied low-level D&D magic to everyday life?". Powerful (level 5+) spellcasters are still rare, perhaps even rarer than in other settings, but cantrip and 1st level- stuff is almost everywhere. There are twelve merchant houses with special magic powers related to certain sphere... including Healing, Scribing (includes long-distance communication), Warding (security spells), Handling (communication and controlling animals), Making (repair and creating of stuff both mundane and magical) and others, that established economy and magic-based industry that resembles industrial revolution or early 20th century more than typical medieval stasis setting. Magic powered trains, airships, and playable sapient robots constructs included. Originally also presented Artificer, PC class based about making and using magic items instead of working magic directly like wizards, and Magewrights, which is the NPC version of the same... offers some utility cantrips and ability to craft and use simple magic items, but much weaker than the class intended for PCs.

[Unoriginal]

Blimey guys, not even an opinion? I'd really like some input, see if I'm on the right track - or maybe even that my idea is too absurd to be viable.

I don't think that having a lot of magic makes a setting more interesting, that the magic scarcity needs to be made up for, that the PCs need more magic items, or that 5e is a good system if you want mundane magic.

That is my opinion.

That being said, if you want, you could simply say that there is a lot of magic items in your world, each doing the various things you want, and make the formulas for such magic items easy to find and to do.

You don't need to be a spellcaster to craft magic items. Having, I don't know, a small shrine to the Lares and Penates in most home that allows an Unseen Servant or Prestidigitation effect when activated is much more elegant than having a lot of casters.

[Cespenar]

I definitely think regulation should be important. Something like:

Without registration: Cantrips on yourself, and any cantrips within the limits of your home are allowed.

Registration (with an accompanying fee or tax): Level 1-3 spells on yourself, or level 1-3 spells within the limits of your home are allowed.

Business registration (with a nice fee): Allows specific spells/potions/items to be used within your establishment. Case by case basis.

Premium (with a pretty hefty fee + personal interview): Like normal registration, but with spell levels 4-6.

Officer level: Allows specific spells to be used on civilians, depending on the job.

Black level: Allows the use of all magic and magical items for the duration of the "mission". Obviously unknown by most of the public.

[Maelynn]

I think it would be interesting to create a society that is dependent on magic to thrive. [...] Then you quest hook is that the BBEG has found an artifact that creates an anti-magic field in the city

Oh. Damn. That's a nice one. It won't have the same level of impact as mass starvation, because of my own veto 'no commoners doing magic', but it will greatly disrupt the economy and the governing. I will have to make sure the party isn't too magic-heavy, or they'll be seriously gimped while searching for the artifact. Maybe if I place the BBEG outside of the city, and they need to find them and figure out the exact location...


Having, I don't know, a small shrine to the Lares and Penates in most home that allows an Unseen Servant or Prestidigitation effect when activated is much more elegant than having a lot of casters.

This is a very nice way to let commoners have some magic, without them being able to cast it themselves. And I agree about letting too many people cast spells. I want the magic to benefit the people, not let them have control over it.

And thanks for your opinion. At this point I'll have to admit that I didn't come up with this just to fit my needs or because 5e is lacking, but merely because I was trying to justify the idea I got from this post (http://musiic-is-lifee.tumblr.com/post/101390944590). I liked this so much I wanted to see if I can make this work in my setting. :3

@Cespenar, I like the idea of different clearance levels. This fits well with magic only being available to certain groups of people, and allows for good regulation. And because I'm going to go with an institute that serves like a quest hub, adventurers who are sent out on missions will be registered there - with the appropriate magic clearance.

[SirGraystone]

Portal to travel from city to city.
Wards to protect your home or business from teleportation or dimension door.
Non-detection amulet for most of the criminals

[Unoriginal]

And thanks for your opinion. At this point I'll have to admit that I didn't come up with this just to fit my needs or because 5e is lacking, but merely because I was trying to justify the idea I got from this post (http://musiic-is-lifee.tumblr.com/post/101390944590). I liked this so much I wanted to see if I can make this work in my setting. :3

I can understand the desire, but the post is about a modern/high-tech world with lots of magic, though, not using a lot of magic to make a pseudo-medieval world more comfy.

You could have the setting be modern, then add the magic needed to give it the extra "ooomph". Or you could significantly modify how magic work to make this more work. But it's kinda hard to keep both the idea and the standard D&D expectations.

What's described in this post would work incredibly well for GURPS, though, I have the feeling.

Maybe it's too generic an advice, but something that saves an author a lot of frustrations and troubles is accepting that it's not because something is awesome and you love it that it always fits the setting or the medium you're using.

[Vogie]

I mean, magic in large amounts pushes a society forward in the same way that technology does. William Gibson's quote about technology - "The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed" is essentially the issue in most D&D campaigns. If you more-evenly distribute magic, it rises all boats in the culture. What you're describing is basically a pre-Tippyverse setting, but with magic rather than magic items.

If you do want regulation, I think the easiest way to delineate the world would be the source of the magic.

For example, Warlocks, Clerics, Bards, Paladins, Wizards, Rangers, & Druids all gain their ability to access magic from outside sources - colleges, circles, patrons, orders, training, et cetera. Those are all natural "choke points" for access to magic. However, Sorcerers have magic innately in their person... and that could be a problem with the establishment.

The same with schools of magic - access to spells from the Necromancy, Evocation, and Divination schools may have various levels of registration and restrictive gating, while schools like Abjuration, conjuration, illusion & transmutation would be freely available.

[strangebloke]

Points of Light, Points of Light!

Transportation and efficient food production led to the rise of cities in the world. With magic being common, teleportation circles between major hubs within a kingdom are going to start popping up. Common magic means that Plant Growth and Goodberry and Decanters of Endless Water and Mold Earth and fricking Control Weather are in play. You can store meats and other perishables in iceboxes fueled by the Control Water cantirp. Combined, this means that your farm yields are way high, that you can transport food very easily, and that people are are going to be available for other forms of work. This means industrialization. Which means they move to the cities.

People ship their food to the local city center 2-3 days away, it gets teleported to the capital, and suddenly 90% of your people are living in cities, with many more amenities than they once had.

Good way to make an urban setting, IMO.

[Garfunion]

Here is a link to a magic the gathering planeshift pdf that may help you.

https://media.wizards.com/2017/downloads/magic/Plane-Shift_Kaladesh.pdf

In this world magic is very wide but, has a resource cost.

Here is an article from a creator of Eberron that may help too.
http://keith-baker.com/common-magic/

[TG Cid]

As someone who entered the D&D scene with 5e, i have looked at the Eberron setting but never have had the ability to explore it first hand.

The things i have been looking into for a setting to explain this was that materials binding magic to a permanent object were not there. (eg. if soul gems in the elder scrolls were rare and diminishing.) From this point, what are the consequences? Do they use diamond dust rituals like Bruenor Battlehammer used to make Wulfgar's weapon of choice Aegis-fang. I personally like the idea of resources have run out and now factions with power have created doors to other places to essentially steal materials and essence of stuff. that way there are explained monopolies.

I had constantly heard references to Thay in canon adventures and looked into it. Thay is massive, run by wizards, lead by a Lich, and society is dependent on magic just to keep the people fed. Slaves are like a suuuper tiny part of it, just a cornerstone of the economy iirc. if you have 30 minutes, AJ pickett's channel on youtube does an expose on Thay that you could look at.
I hope this helps

[Maelynn]

Okay, I've been working this concept out a bit more and I think I may have it nailed.

I copied my findings into a Google Docs document for you people to read. Please let me know what you think of it, so I can see if it's done or that there's a few things that could use some polishing. :3

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1poPSzN6Dob-X87KT-coPzQjtuAUXn4Pb10IvJq6aEWQ/edit?usp=sharing

Edit: I forgot I need to clarify D.E.U.S - it's an institute that serves as some sort of quest hub. I'll spare you the full description, but suffice it to say that the party is under employ and is sent out on quests through this institute. At level 4, they'll have rank 4. By the time they reach level 7, they'll be promoted to rank 5.