Magic can work in many different ways depending on the world. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dungeons & Dragons is, by default, a scenario of high magic, where magic is a common aspect of the world and its cultures. Many people have access to it, magical creaturesꩲ roam freely, and individuals can solve numerous problems through magic.

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However, some fantasy worlds are known for being a low magic setting, where magic is highly uncommon, and💮 it does very little, with the sole exception of maybe one or two people who can use magic to its fullest potential - which may still be inferior to the average wizard in a high magic setting. Which one is better for you🍌r games, though?

Practicality

High Magic

An ancient gold dragon in Dungeons & Dragons.
Ancient Gold Dragon by Alexander Ostrowski

As stated, D&ജD is a h🦂igh magic system by default. Because of that, running the game as it is, with all the classes, spells, and magical creatures, is a lot easier than doing all the homebrewing required to turn the system into a low-magic one.

There's also the fact that, if you really want to go with 🐻low magic, you might have to ban wizards, sorcerers, warlocks, druids, or clerics altogether, and even paladins, rangers, bards, and some subclassesꦓ from martials could be potentially banned.

You might be bett🍰er off searching for a TTRPG system that uses low magic instead of homebrewing so much out of D&D, in fact.

Uniqueness

Low Magic

The streets of Waterdeep in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist in Dungeons & Dragons.
Streets of Waterdeep via Wizards of the Coast

On the other hand, if you want to invest in homebrewing the game to fit a low magic scenario (or research ideas from others online), you might end🦩 up with a homebrewed world that is unlike what most D&D players have experienced.

This is particularly interesting if you have a group of veteran players and have run multiple games with them over the years, and n𓄧ow you all need something a bit different to spice th🦹ings up at the table.

Difficulty Balancing

Low Magic

An assassin about to attack their target, from DND.
Art by Viko Menezes

If magic is rarer and harder to use, you, as the DM, have a lot more control over the situation and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:balance your encounter. It'll be harder for pl𓂃ayers to do something completely out of youܫr expectations, such as trivializing a fight with Feeblemind or casting Meteor Swarm to destroy a whole location.

And, if your BBEG is someone who has more access to magic, they'♛ll be a powerhouse that few can stand against, giving you free rein to cast your magic without theౠ fear of being countered or similar. Spellcasting will be yours to do as you wish.

Problem-Solving

High Magic

Three archmages from the Greyhawk setting in Dungeons & Dragons.
Archmages of Greyhawk by Kai Carpenter

As a counterpoint, the biggest problem with low magic settings is the limitations. They offer interesting challenges, as we mentioned above, and the environment is a lot easier to control for you, but some players have a powerful and creative mind, and having access to magic allows for unique solutions♛.

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Things as simple as dispelling magic that is an obstaᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚcle in their way or risking jumping from high places thanks to Feather Fall are already fun ways to bypass certain scenarios, and there are just too many things they could do with variables that we can't even predict to write as examples here.

Spectacle

High Magic

Dungeons & Dragons image showing a tarrasque.
Art by Chris Rahn

If the average person is capable of doing magic, that means villains need to hit extremely hard just to offer a decent level of threat, especially if you intend your game to reach 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the high levels of D&D, where magic becomes absurd.

That's the main reason that many high-level adventures have wars, fights against demon lords or archdevils, or the world, universe, or even multiverse is at risk of being destroyed. Magic allows for a level of spectacle that is unachievable by low magic settings, whereꦦ a high-magic fight can potentially destroy a whole city with some ease.

Grittiness

Low Magic

The jungles of Chult in the Tomb of Annihilation module in DND.
Jungles of Chult via Wizards of the Coast

Low magic won't just make your players struggle in combat, but in everything - and if that's what you and your table want, then this is a great thing. Low magic allows for more grounded stories, where the party will fa꧅ce problems that are ordinary but just as challenging.

For instance, how are they going to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:travel in a harsh environment, such as an extremely cold 𒉰place? Fire magic can solve many issues there, but the simple removal of Produce Flame (a cantrip, mind you) already makes things harder. Not to mention the lack ofಌ magic to create food or water during such travel.

Consequences

Low Magic

The Tomb of Horrors in Dungeons & Dragons, featuring a decaying skeleton.
Tomb of Horrors by Mark Behm

This type of setting also allows for consequences to hit harder. The easiest example here is that if someone dies, it's over. In high-magic scenarios, it's not uncommon to die in a fight and walk out of it alive because of resurrection spel♚ls, which wouldn't be an option (or not an easy option, at least) in a low-magic world.

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Many actions can be reversed through magic, ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤🌠ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚor their consequences can be diminished to some extent. Thus, if magic is rarer, players will have to do the best they can to avoid terrible outcomes or deal with the consequences of their failures and bad decisions.

Monsters

High Magic

An undead beholder, known as a Death Tyrant in Dungeons & Dragons.
Death Tyrant by Simon Dominic

Magical creatures will also take a big hit in low-magic settings. They can ಞstill exist, sure, but to make the scenario proper, weak monsters still have to be uncommon, and powerful monsters have to be rare altogether. You can't simply have a horde of demons roaming around here.

Because of that, if you intend to use pre-made cꦇreatures from the Monster Manual, your options will be severely limited, and most of the enemies the party faces will be people - which is not a bad thing, but you'll have to make sure these enemies work differently enough while also being ♍a humanoid.

Winner

High Magic

The Wizards Three cast a wish spell while Mordenkainen looks suspiciously off to the side.
The Wizards Three by Evlyn Fong

If you're keeping count, this fight has been pretty balanced for both sides. Still, some things matter more than others, and the fact that D&D 🃏is naturally built for high magic makes the whole system bett🌜er for this type of adventure compared to low magic.

We briefly mentioned at the beginning, but it's worth reiterating that other TTRPG systems are better options for a low magic game, as D&D focuses on high magic or, at the very least, a middle grou♏nd between both, with scenarios such as Dark Sun.

With all that said, it is doable to do low magic games here, with some class bans and preferably without get🍨ting to high levels (levels one to five at best, or even as high as eight or nine can work here). In the end, both ideas work, but you'll have more homework to do if you want to DM a low-magic system with a game that wasn't built for it.

dungeons-and-dragons-series-game-tabletop-franchise

Your Rating

Original Release Date
1974
Player Count
2+
Age Recommendation
12+ (though🙈 yo꧃unger can play and enjoy)
Length per Game
🐎 From 60 minutes🔯 to hours on end.
Franchise Name
🅰 Dungeons 🍎& Dragons
Publishing Co
Wizards of the Coast 🍰