Spotlight On: Magic

Magic is a very rare thing on Urth in this age.  The abrupt disappearance of the Gods had many effects on the world, and one of the biggest was the change in magic.

Mortal beings, such as Humans, Orcs, and so on, can no longer directly interface with magic itself.  Instead they must rely on proxies, such as possessing spirits, magical rituals or magical items.

Many primitive tribes follow a shamanistic tradition, worshiping the spirits of nature.  Some of them can bond with a spirit, letting it inhabit them. A bargain is struck, and the mortal gets access to the spirit’s powers, in return for whatever payment the spirit asks.  In civilised lands those who study the occult can sometimes also contact these spirits, and achieve the same effect.

Magical rituals are very complicated affairs, bringing together several elements in a certain order to cause a certain effect.  These rituals are guarded jealously by those who know them, and are employed rarely less they draw attention to themselves.

Magical items are possibly the most common type of magic about this age.  The are highly sought after and often seen as a mark of prestige.  Because if someone is known to have an item of magic, many will covet it, and some will resort to any means to obtain it.

Those who have access to magic of any kind will find fear and suspicion from many quarters.  From the most superstitious of peasants to the most educated of kings, there are those who consider magic to be inherently evil, or at least innately dangerous and destructive.  Many wielders of magic are reviled and feared, even attacked on sight or murdered in their beds.

The lack of magical aid will have a great impact on this campaign compared to other Dungeons and Dragons games.  With no magical healing, no large area effect spells, battles will play out very differently.  With no charm or disguising spells, social situations will be more difficult.

The lack of magical healing will probably be the biggest issue.  Suddenly a minor encounter with bandits will be more than an inconvenience, as any injuries sustained will take time to heal, possibly delaying whatever mission the characters are on.  Tactics will become very important, as any advantage you can gain could save you days of convalescence.

Without large scale spells that group of thirty goblins is suddenly a threat, as you don’t have a couple of fireballs to dispatch them with.

This will bring a bigger focus on skills, as every skill the group has makes them more effective, and every one they don’t will limit them.  They cannot just buy a scroll to get around an obstacle.

Whilst magic will not be held out of the group’s hands, they will certainly not start with any, and it may be some time before they come across even the most basic form that they can use.  This means that other equipment and services will come to the fore, especially alchemy, which I plan to expand upon.  I’m also doing some fun things with feats that I will go into detail on next post.

This also means that they may be able to do more fun a interesting things with their money, rather than just upgrading that +2 sword to a +3.  This will hopefully encourage the sandbox feel of the game, enticing players to form large long lasting goals or plans they can work towards.