Original-ish Setting: Needs Name

[R.Shackleford]

I'm putting together a setting, possibly might need to make an entire world but I don't want to do that, that is 5e D&D without vancian casting but still gives magic in the form of Spell Scrolls and magic items.

Basic Information


Classes Allowed

PHB

• Barbarian (Battlerager, Berserker w/o exhaustion, Totem)
• Fighter (Champion, Monster Hunter, Purple Dragon Knight)
• Monk (4 Elements, Long Death, Open Fist, Radiant Soul, Shadow)
• Rogue (Assassin, Inquisitve, Mastermind, Swashbuckler, Thief)

Other Subclasses Allowed
Most SCAG and UA stuff that doesn't allow for vancian casting and is based off one of the above classes.

Spoiler: Class Notes

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The battle master like fighter subclasses will definitely be taking over for the BM. Most classes and subclasses will be more specific than general with champion being an exception.

Elemental monk is banned for being bad, personally I would welcome a homebrew fix into my campaigns. Left in the list for that reason... Purple Dragon Knight is the same way, what a bad subclass.

The most magic you get from a base class is the monk. Feats that give spells such as Magic Initiate and Ritual Caster don't exist.

****

Spell Gems

In the recent past spell gems were found. These gems hold magical power but require powerful wielders to attune to them.

You can buy spell gem in most major towns and some from a wondering salespersons here and there. You may use spell gems if you have a high enough mental stat.

Intelligence: Wizard Spells.

Wisdom: Cleric, Druid, Ranger, and Paladin spells.

Charisma: Bard, Sorcerer, and Warlock spells.

Ability Score: Level Able to Cast
11: Cantrips
12: 1st
13: 2nd
14: 3rd
15: 4th
16: 5th Level Rituals
17: 6th Level Rituals
18: 7th Level Rituals
19: 8th Level Rituals
20: 9th Level Rituals

To cast rituals of 5th Level and higher, you will need to meet more prerequisites than just ability score. Typical requirements are pricey material components, skill trainings, and even minimum skill bonuses.

The DC for your spells is 8 + Prof + Casting Ability Score Modifier

The Attack Roll for your spells is 1d20 + Prof + Casting Ability Score Modifier

The rules specifically for each spell, including all things related to concentration, works as normal.

Cantrips (250 or 350 gp): These spells can be used at-will and can be placed in a item, weapon, piece of armor, or even clothing. Higher cost due to being able to be used at will.

Spell Level / Cost
1st: 75 gp
2nd: 150 gp
3rd: 350 gp
4th: 500 gp
5th - 9th: Quest

Spell Level/Min Character Level to use
1st: 1st
2nd: 3rd
3rd: 5th
4th: 6th
5th - 9th: DM dependant

When you use a spell gem of 1st Level or higher the gem becomes unusable.

You may only attune to a specific number of spell gems (this takes your normal attunement slots but you may gain more for spell gems specifically). Shops buy back spell gems at 1/4 to 1/2 the original price.

You may attune to 2 spell gems at levels 1 - 5, 3 from levels 6 - 13, and 4 from levels 14 - 20. You do not need to attune to cantrip spell gems.

To cast a spell from a spell gem you must be attuned to it and you may only attune to a spell gem during a long rest. You must be holding the spell gem in order to cast from it if the spell has S components. The spell gem counts the material component for the spell.

Hoarding spell gems can be dangerous as the magical energies may cause them to becom inert, change effects, or go off randomly.

Edit Note: Making them one use items again... Don't like the "wand" style

[R.Shackleford]

Spell Gem Shops

Basic Shops Will Sell cantrips and 1st Level gems. Depending on the location they will have 1d4 - 1 (minimum 1) spells from each list and whatever cantrips the DM thinks they should have.

General magic shops will have 1st to 3rd level gems.

Black Market shops will deal with shadier spell gems (necro-minions...), level 3, and level 4 spells. These shops are typically hard to find unless you have the right background, contacts, or subclass (coughguildmemebercough coughthiefcough)

Casting harmful or antagonistic spells in city limits is usually against the law. Casting shadier spells anywhere is usually against the law. Exceptions can be made.

Note: Some spells may not exist in your game if you think they pose a problem. Feel absolutely free to make off any spell you don't want to be in the list, though make sure the players know this.

[R.Shackleford]

Cantrip Prices

Tier 1: 250 GP
Blade Ward
Dancing Lights
Druidcraft
Guidance
Light
Mage Hand
Mending
Message
Prestidigitation
Resistance
Thaumatagory

Tier 2: 350 GP
Acid Splash
Chill Touch (Black Market)
Eldrich Blast (Black Market)
Minor Illusion
Produce Flame
Ray of Frost
Sacred Flame
Shocking Grasp
Shillelagh
True Strike (target self or ally within 30')

You may have two cantrips on your person at one time, if you attempt to use a third cantrip spell gem then all on your person become inert for 24 hours.

You do not need to attune to cantrip spell gems.

[Final Hyena]

To help come up with a name could you tell us more about the setting, so far all I can tell is that innate magic is (mostly) gone and found within items instead, but is there anything else that is unique to your world? Are there lots of different creatures and races or are there only dwarves? Are the dwarves a lower caste race living under giants rule? Is it an ancient and tribal world or an almost modern in its massive brimming cities? Do corporations have sway over the land or is it all in the hands of nobility?

Paint us a picture of the world (or at least where the campaign will take place).

[R.Shackleford]

To help come up with a name could you tell us more about the setting, so far all I can tell is that innate magic is (mostly) gone and found within items instead, but is there anything else that is unique to your world? Are there lots of different creatures and races or are there only dwarves? Are the dwarves a lower caste race living under giants rule? Is it an ancient and tribal world or an almost modern in its massive brimming cities? Do corporations have sway over the land or is it all in the hands of nobility?

Paint us a picture of the world (or at least where the campaign will take place).

I all honesty, fluff hasn't been something I was worried about. Fluff can be changed quite easily to work around the mechanics of a game.

So I haven't really thought of much about that part really. Space opera, classical renaissance, or post apocalyptic world... Hell, even *no magic* could fit into this if you refluff everything as tech and stuff. The mechanics could fit into any of those.

There are a few ways I was thinking of going with this type of setting.

1: Magic Users never existed in this setting. The closest thing to magic users is racial abilities and the monk.

2: Magic Users existed at some point but no longer exist. This would make Clerics, Wizards, and other vancian casters the stuff of legends.

3: Goddess of magic has permanently cut off magic from the material plane. Only magic items made in the plane or on another plane work. The merchants are getting their magic items (scrolls) from other plans through portals that were already opened up before the magic cutoff. Merchants do not share this info.

Number 3 connects with number 1 or 2.

Racial magic can still exist (thus monsters can still have magic properties) but some would need to be changed up a bit. I would like to keep the game working under the impression of no magic items being needed, including scrolls, unless the GM/Group wants there to be.

So if there is a Lich in a GM's campaign then there need to be a reason why that Lich is there when there is no wizards. Was it because the Lich came from another reality? Did the Lich become a Lich before magic was taken away? Perhaps people believe if you use too much magic you automatically become a Lich upon death? Hell, perhaps if you use too much magic and you are evil you really do become a Lich upon death?


Or a Mummy?

So many ways to go with this.

I was thinking that perhaps the material plane doesn't have too many creatures of magical origin. However there are cracks to other planes of existence and those cracks can cause... Issues.

So the material plane could be home to all kinds of monsters and raxes, basically any that doesn't have Innate Spellcasting feature or specifically from another plane and can't be reasoned being from the material plane (like one of my favorite fiends, the Giristro).

Some examples...

From Material Plane
Beasts, Carrion Crawlers, Dragons, Duergar, Elementals, Ghosts, Kuo-Toa, Mummy, Oozes, Purple Worms, Shambling Mound, basic Slaads,

Not From Material Plane
Devil/Demons, Djinn (though magic lamps/objects can exist as a gateway), Mummy Lord (Mummy needs to have interaction with another plane of existence), Rakshasa, and innate Spellcasting Slaads.

Might make the base races different.

Not sure how I want the merchants to interact with the governments. Might push a strong Chaos versus Law vibe with this instead of Good versus Evil.

[Joxeta]

As previously stated, there isn't much to go on in terms of "setting" here. That would definitely make it easier to name the world (forex, I wouldn't use a sci-fi sounding name here if the world/setting you are designing is intended to be stone-age).

Are there a lot of jungles or is there barren wastes stretching indefinitely in each direction?
What sorts of technologies are available?
When was the last major catastrophe/apocalypse?

However, with low-magic and high-adventure, in general I would suggest something harder sounding. T, G, or K for the first letter. Those are the sounds that fit in my mind. Gives it a harder, less-refined edge.

/2cp

Edit: Actually, this world sounds an awful lot like Luxendarc, the setting for "Bravely Default/Second."

[Final Hyena]

In a world without magic where a small group of people having access to other planes magic items an elite few emerge. They are essentially the nobility, but are while they are very powerful the nature of it encourages a lot of aggressive competition. Thus the key thing are those portals which is why I suggest the names;

Mana Gate
or
Sky Grave
or
Ground Shift
or
Portal Baron

It puts the focus on the most important thing in the world those portals and the individuals/groups that control them.

Alternatively if you wanted to focus the campaign away from the importance of the gates and more onto the harsher and more barren world with it's limited magic then you could go with;

Arcane Void
or
Mana Wastes
or
Abandoned plains

[R.Shackleford]

Edit: Actually, this world sounds an awful lot like Luxendarc, the setting for "Bravely Default/Second."

Never heard of that game, but you lead to a change in my approach to the spells.

Magicite from FF XII, spells for this will be mined much like magicite. Though the process hasn't been perfected and has just "recently" been implemented.

I don't like the idea of the gates or whoever may be on the other side becoming a plot point.

In a world without magic where a small group of people having access to other planes magic items an elite few emerge. They are essentially the nobility, but are while they are very powerful the nature of it encourages a lot of aggressive competition. Thus the key thing are those portals which is why I suggest the names;

Mana Gate
or
Sky Grave
or
Ground Shift
or
Portal Baron

It puts the focus on the most important thing in the world those portals and the individuals/groups that control them.

Alternatively if you wanted to focus the campaign away from the importance of the gates and more onto the harsher and more barren world with it's limited magic then you could go with;

Arcane Void
or
Mana Wastes
or
Abandoned plains

I've been thinking of what type of setting I want while I've been busy...

One huge plane(t) of existence that is set in space that has multiple "stars" (maybe really really big fire elementals that is mindless). Heaven, hell, and different planes are all physically located but can't easily be accessed.

The world is flat but has two sides, the elemental planes are on the "bottom side".

There is no gods or elder demons and things that powerful. Adult dragons are probabaly the highest "tier" of dragon.

If someone dies... That's it. There is no after life though societies may think there is or that you go to heaven/hell. Angels, demons, elementals, feys, and others all get reincarnated when they die.


****Edit****

The plane(t) will be a cylinder and have a huge radius. It may or not be infinitely long.

There is a finite number of planes within the planet. I'll figure them out eventually.

Fire elementals, big mofo fire Elementals will work as "suns" and will revolve around the planet.

I drew a picture but it is slow uploading, I'll edit this again with something that makes more sense haha.

Edit 2

Please excuse the sloppiness, I'm in a moving vehicle.

Spoiler

Show

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3w...w?usp=drivesdk

Edit 3

The mechanics of the setting can go along with most basic settings and most basic D&D campaigns, I just want to set something up specifically for it. The setting can really be ignored if someone wants to use the mechanics.


EDIT 4

I'm thinking of getting rid of the idea of spell lists and have ability scores relate to spell schools...

Something like...

Intelligence: Abjuration, Illusion, and Transmutation

Wisdom: Conjuration, Divination, and Evocation

Charisma: Enchantment and Necromancy