kieza
2007-10-19, 01:20 AM
I'm currently working on a campaign setting for my 3.5 group, and I'm trying to make it somewhat low-magic; magic is present, but rare and somewhat distrusted; powerful magicians are similarly rare. I'm also sort of going for a dark-age feel, with civilization limited and large tracts of wild, savage territory.
Here's what I've got so far. Comments are welcome.
History
Fifteen hundred years ago, a great civilization spanned the continent of Vaeror. Its mighty wizards wrought spells that changed the course of history, and its citizens were prosperous. Over time, magic became commonplace; far too commonplace, according to a wizard now known only as the Grey Wanderer. Rejected for his insistence that magic was meant to be used only by those worthy of it, he wrought a spell that, when cast, reverberated through every spell, every scrap of mortal magic wrought in the world. The first sign Vaeror saw of his deed was the death of almost every spellcaster in the world as their magic flared up around them, leaving only dust. This was followed by the effects on magical items; some merely flickered out, others exploded spectacularly or turned on their users. Many died. The Grey Wanderer too died in the aftermath of his spell, but he did so having destroyed all the uncontrolled magic that he had fought against.
With magic gone, the powers of the world fell overnight. Cities starved, countries dissolved into anarchy, the whole world lay in darkness. Without the magic that had kept eldritch forces at bay, the races of the world withdrew into city-states for protection. Over time, magic was rediscovered by the survivors of the Spellwarp, as it came to be known. Tales of the disaster that had been passed down for generations remained, however. As the people of the shattered land rebuilt their homes, magic played a part, but was feared and distrusted, an attitude that still lingers today.
Mechanical Effects of the Setting, Etc.
Items: The people of Vaeror have regained much knowledge that was lost in the disaster. Metalworking and craftsmanship are equivalent to that of the Dark Ages to mid-Middle Ages. Magic, however, is rare, making this a low-magic setting. All items in the PHB and DMG are present in this world, but low-demand items may be hard to locate. Also, treat settlements as one size-category smaller on Table 5-2 of the DMG for purposes of GP limit. See Power Level for more.
Civilization: Large towns are present, but far between; on a continent more than 4000 miles long there are only 17 worth noting. The only roads are between these towns. Most of the world’s inhabitants will never travel far from home. The gaps between major cities are filled with darkness and monsters; traveling off the roads is best undertaken in a large group. Undiscovered scraps of pre-Spellwarp arcana are not exactly abundant, but are present.
Magic: Most magical details are covered under Magic, lower down, but one quirk bears noting. The Spellwarp had only one lasting effect, but it is fairly major. The energies unleashed had the effect of altering the fabric of space, to the point where most areas cannot be teleported to or from easily. The spots where teleportation is possible, known to wizards as Clearpoints, are very easy to teleport from, however. They are common enough that travel by teleport is not still possible, but there is rarely a Clearpoint at the exact location of your destination. Wizards powerful enough to cast Teleport often establish workshops near Clearpoints.
Changes to Teleport Mechanics: (This is my attempt to make Teleport availble at lower levels without it becoming broken)
Teleport becomes a 3rd level spell. If cast outside a Clearpoint, the spell fails. If the spell succeeds, creatures subject to the spell appear at the Clearpoint nearest the desired destination with no untoward effects.
Teleport Circle becomes a 5th level spell, and works as normal, except with the restrictions above.
Block Teleportation, a new 5th level spell, prevents teleportation to and from a particular Clearpoint, or within 10 feet per caster level, for 1 day per 2 caster levels.
Greater Teleport remains a 7th level spell, but also can be cast outside Clearpoints.
Greater Teleport Circle, a new 9th level spell, functions as Teleport Circle, without the restriction on location. Other, shorter-ranged forms of relocation, like Dimension Door, are not affected.
Classes: Casters of any sort are rare. It takes a special kind of mind to learn magic in spite of the lingering mistrust. Except to PCs, they are unusual enough to be feared if not well-known.
Here's what I've got so far. Comments are welcome.
History
Fifteen hundred years ago, a great civilization spanned the continent of Vaeror. Its mighty wizards wrought spells that changed the course of history, and its citizens were prosperous. Over time, magic became commonplace; far too commonplace, according to a wizard now known only as the Grey Wanderer. Rejected for his insistence that magic was meant to be used only by those worthy of it, he wrought a spell that, when cast, reverberated through every spell, every scrap of mortal magic wrought in the world. The first sign Vaeror saw of his deed was the death of almost every spellcaster in the world as their magic flared up around them, leaving only dust. This was followed by the effects on magical items; some merely flickered out, others exploded spectacularly or turned on their users. Many died. The Grey Wanderer too died in the aftermath of his spell, but he did so having destroyed all the uncontrolled magic that he had fought against.
With magic gone, the powers of the world fell overnight. Cities starved, countries dissolved into anarchy, the whole world lay in darkness. Without the magic that had kept eldritch forces at bay, the races of the world withdrew into city-states for protection. Over time, magic was rediscovered by the survivors of the Spellwarp, as it came to be known. Tales of the disaster that had been passed down for generations remained, however. As the people of the shattered land rebuilt their homes, magic played a part, but was feared and distrusted, an attitude that still lingers today.
Mechanical Effects of the Setting, Etc.
Items: The people of Vaeror have regained much knowledge that was lost in the disaster. Metalworking and craftsmanship are equivalent to that of the Dark Ages to mid-Middle Ages. Magic, however, is rare, making this a low-magic setting. All items in the PHB and DMG are present in this world, but low-demand items may be hard to locate. Also, treat settlements as one size-category smaller on Table 5-2 of the DMG for purposes of GP limit. See Power Level for more.
Civilization: Large towns are present, but far between; on a continent more than 4000 miles long there are only 17 worth noting. The only roads are between these towns. Most of the world’s inhabitants will never travel far from home. The gaps between major cities are filled with darkness and monsters; traveling off the roads is best undertaken in a large group. Undiscovered scraps of pre-Spellwarp arcana are not exactly abundant, but are present.
Magic: Most magical details are covered under Magic, lower down, but one quirk bears noting. The Spellwarp had only one lasting effect, but it is fairly major. The energies unleashed had the effect of altering the fabric of space, to the point where most areas cannot be teleported to or from easily. The spots where teleportation is possible, known to wizards as Clearpoints, are very easy to teleport from, however. They are common enough that travel by teleport is not still possible, but there is rarely a Clearpoint at the exact location of your destination. Wizards powerful enough to cast Teleport often establish workshops near Clearpoints.
Changes to Teleport Mechanics: (This is my attempt to make Teleport availble at lower levels without it becoming broken)
Teleport becomes a 3rd level spell. If cast outside a Clearpoint, the spell fails. If the spell succeeds, creatures subject to the spell appear at the Clearpoint nearest the desired destination with no untoward effects.
Teleport Circle becomes a 5th level spell, and works as normal, except with the restrictions above.
Block Teleportation, a new 5th level spell, prevents teleportation to and from a particular Clearpoint, or within 10 feet per caster level, for 1 day per 2 caster levels.
Greater Teleport remains a 7th level spell, but also can be cast outside Clearpoints.
Greater Teleport Circle, a new 9th level spell, functions as Teleport Circle, without the restriction on location. Other, shorter-ranged forms of relocation, like Dimension Door, are not affected.
Classes: Casters of any sort are rare. It takes a special kind of mind to learn magic in spite of the lingering mistrust. Except to PCs, they are unusual enough to be feared if not well-known.