No PC magic campaign

[Aerous]

Hello all I'm going to be running a campaign where the PCs can't use magic items or classes. Races with built in magic will have it replaced. I'm just looking for 3rd party classes that fit this criteria and are fairly balanced, any help is appreciated.

[nickl_2000]

There is the spell-less Ranger Variant from UA-08 that you can look at. It only goes to level 5, but it would be a decent start.
Otherwise, I would look at dropping the racial abilities and replacing it with something non-magical. That shouldn't be to hard.


Healing is going to be rough for you since no one knowing healing word or cure wounds. So, give them something that will work for them instead or frequent short rest opportunities.


The biggest problem here is that you are limiting all your PCs to Fighter (not allowing EK and AA), Rogue (not allowing AT), Monk (not shadow or 4 elements), and Barbarian. That is pretty rough without extra class choices to supplement in.

[Man_Over_Game]

When looking for 3rd party content, you have to be careful, because that stuff is often not reviewed all too well, and they sometimes just throw together a bunch of mechanics that happen to sound fun, as opposed to being balanced.

I'd recommend you start here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23926312&postcount=5

It contains links to all of the 5e Subclass Homebrew Contests we've had and the winners. Since each winner is voted for, things like balance or fun are naturally accounted for.

You will want to implement it cautiously, though. No magic games can be a bit dull and lacking in the tactics department. You don't want your combats to be a string of "I attack. You attack. I attack...."

[nickl_2000]

When looking for 3rd party content, you have to be careful, because that stuff is often not reviewed all too well, and they sometimes just throw together a bunch of mechanics that happen to sound fun, as opposed to balanced.

I'd recommend you start here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23926312&postcount=5

It contains links to all of the 5e Subclass Homebrew Contests we've had and the winners. Since each winner is voted for, things like balance or fun are naturally accounted for.

Good call MoG, although you will also want this link http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=23926305&postcount=4 to full classes put out into contests. That may give more options for the players.

[GlenSmash!]

Adventures in Middle-Earth has 6 spell-less classes that work for 5e.

Also it's a pretty good game.

[AerousThrune]

When looking for 3rd party content, you have to be careful, because that stuff is often not reviewed all too well, and they sometimes just throw together a bunch of mechanics that happen to sound fun, as opposed

It contains links to all of the 5e Subclass Homebrew Contests we've had and the winners. Since each winner is voted for, things like balance or fun are naturally accounted for.

You will want to implement it cautiously, though. No magic games can be a bit dull and lacking in the tactics department. You don't want your combats to be a string of "I attack. You attack. I attack...."

Thank you the link will be very helpful.

[JackPhoenix]

Pick a different game. Really.

There are things 5e doesn't do very well, and no magic game is one of those things.

[MoiMagnus]

Hello all I'm going to be running a campaign where the PCs can't use magic items or classes. Races with built in magic will have it replaced. I'm just looking for 3rd party classes that fit this criteria and are fairly balanced, any help is appreciated.

What do you expect as a campaign style?

I mean, there are some peoples making Fighter-only campaign and are happy with it, so it can works. But you basically have to "not play D&D", as combat are reasonably boring without magic. (You basically have to play without rules for most of the sessions, putting the focus on narration, exploration and role-play)

D&D is not (in my opinion) a "good" choice for this, but it does not mean you can't have a lot of fun with it. It is just that the rules will not especially help you to have fun and that you will have to do the work by yourself.

I definitely encourage you to look at the Middle Earth setting book, as I've heard it gives a lot of good tools to deal with almost-no-magic, and works pretty well from what I've heard.

[noob]

First step: everyone is a switch hitter.
Step 2: adventurers recruits and army
Step 3: They proceed to start ruining everything with burning oil and loads of siege weaponry
Step 4: They claim a sea of blood and fire.
That or the worse alternative:
Diplomacy bluff more diplomacy and insight too and more bluff and so on until nobody have a clue what is going on and everybody goes back home while the adventurers goes in the night and stab all the bad guys who have enough with life and all that drama.

[AerousThrune]

Guys I know how to run a no magic campaign. I'm just looking for 3rd party classes that don't use magic. I'm curious I'd you have ever used one, or saw one that made you go hmm, that's cool. I'm perfectly capable of balancing, and creating my own classes, but I'm looking to give myself just a little bit of an easier time. I'm only looking for classes outside WOTC officially published books that don't use magic.

[AerousThrune]

First step: everyone is a switch hitter.
Step 2: adventurers recruits and army
Step 3: They proceed to start ruining everything with burning oil and loads of siege weaponry
Step 4: They claim a sea of blood and fire.
That or the worse alternative:
Diplomacy bluff more diplomacy and insight too and more bluff and so on until nobody have a clue what is going on and everybody goes back home while the adventurers goes in the night and stab all the bad guys who have enough with life and all that drama.

I'm not sure what you're saying.

[noob]

I'm not sure what you're saying.

that without magic players are forced to improvise and that an improvising player cause a lot of fictional mayhem.

[Keravath]

I'm kind of curious how you make this work.

Even the classes without "magic" have magic like effects. Battlemaster maneuvers, monk uses of ki, rogue evasion, barbarian damage resistance due to rage, even rage itself, are all effectively "magic". They are just described as something else.

I've played in an extreme low magic campaign. All the PCs where guards in the local castle (it was better than being the blacksmith, butcher, farmer) since no one else really had weapons. We patrolled, guarded, drank beer, ate, slept, hunted poachers. This was 1e but we were essentially all champion fighters. It was incredibly boring. This probably had more to do with the story line or lack of it provided by the DM (we played 4 sessions and things did get a little more exciting but the characters had such limited options to deal with the situations that developed that it really wasn't that much fun).

Anyway, I'm just curious how you make a no-magic campaign fun for the players?

[AerousThrune]

I'm kind of curious how you make this work.

Even the classes without "magic" have magic like effects. Battlemaster maneuvers, monk uses of ki, rogue evasion, barbarian damage resistance due to rage, even rage itself, are all effectively "magic". They are just described as something else.

I've played in an extreme low magic campaign. All the PCs where guards in the local castle (it was better than being the blacksmith, butcher, farmer) since no one else really had weapons. We patrolled, guarded, drank beer, ate, slept, hunted poachers. This was 1e but we were essentially all champion fighters. It was incredibly boring. This probably had more to do with the story line or lack of it provided by the DM (we played 4 sessions and things did get a little more exciting but the characters had such limited options to deal with the situations that developed that it really wasn't that much fun).

Anyway, I'm just curious how you make a no-magic campaign fun for the players?

No magic. Not no ki, not no rage, not no maneuvers. No magic. Ki, rage and other abilities are not magic. I plan on having a plot. One of my players is playing an open hand monk with the blind from birth background. This gives him blindsense and other ways of seeing. It's not magic though he's just trained his senses to be able to see without seeing. Not being able to cast magic missile isn't going to make the game boring. And as I'll be using the milestone system, they'll have no reason to go murder hobo. You had a ****ty DM, but no magic games can be a lot of fun when done right. As the DM if my PCs say they aren't having fun, I'll simply change to something everyone will enjoy.

[GlenSmash!]

Guys I know how to run a no magic campaign. I'm just looking for 3rd party classes that don't use magic. I'm curious I'd you have ever used one, or saw one that made you go hmm, that's cool. I'm perfectly capable of balancing, and creating my own classes, but I'm looking to give myself just a little bit of an easier time. I'm only looking for classes outside WOTC officially published books that don't use magic.

Wait, are you the OP?

How many accounts do you have?

Anyway, Adventures in Middle-Earth has spell-less versions of the Bard (called warden) and the Ranger (called Wanderer) and a spell-less Wizard/Cleric hybrid called the Scholar. Also new sublcasses for the Barbarian, Rogue, and fighter.

[KyleG]

I want to create a squib like character. Can't do magic, or be affected by it directly.

[Jamesps]

I ran a low magic campaign and made alterations to the paladin class to make it no magic that were fairly simple.

Paladins don't get spells. They do get inspiration which works exactly as the base-class bard ability. They may spend inspiration dice to smite, and the smites do 3 dice of damage equal to the size of the inspiration dice.

I also used the dark sun variant of the bard, though that's a little harder to fit into a premade campaign world.

[Kane0]

MFoV craftsman?

[dragoeniex]

The Pugilist is one to consider. Our team tank has half his levels in it, and it would work pretty solidly single-classed as well. https://www.dmsguild.com/product/184921/the-Pugilist-Class

[Sariel Vailo]

Use the middle finger of vecna it has decent classes including their newly rebalance Craftsman or super smith fo the non initiated of vecna. https://mfov.magehandpress.com/p/homebrew.html?m=1

[Aerous]

Wait, are you the OP?

How many accounts do you have?

Anyway, Adventures in Middle-Earth has spell-less versions of the Bard (called warden) and the Ranger (called Wanderer) and a spell-less Wizard/Cleric hybrid called the Scholar. Also new sublcasses for the Barbarian, Rogue, and fighter.

Two one on my phone and one on computer. Was done on accident but this is my life now.

[Aerous]

[QUOTE=Sariel Vailo;23972321]Use the middle finger of vecna it has decent classes including their newly rebalance Craftsman or super smith fo the non initiated of vecna.

Dope this will be a nice option.

[Aerous]

I ran a low magic campaign and made alterations to the paladin class to make it no magic that were fairly simple.

Paladins don't get spells. They do get inspiration which works exactly as the base-class bard ability. They may spend inspiration dice to smite, and the smites do 3 dice of damage equal to the size of the inspiration dice.

I also used the dark sun variant of the bard, though that's a little harder to fit into a premade campaign world.


That's a decent idea and keeping in with theme, I'll have to look into reworking the paladin.

[Roland St. Jude]

Two one on my phone and one on computer. Was done on accident but this is my life now.Sheriff: No. Posters are permitted only one account per person. Send me a Private Message with all three account names and which one you want to keep. We'll let you keep that one and we're going to close the other. PM me your choice in the next 24 hours. Alternatively, we're going to ban them all and any future accounts you might make.