Low-Magic Pathfinder Ruleset


Homebrew and House Rules


Long Post Alert!

Hey there. I'm new to posting and I don't know what I'm doing. But I worked with a friend to come up with this system and we though some of our fellow GMs might be interested.

Edit: R.I.P. my formatting. Hope it's still clear!

The Idea:

I wanted to create a variant rule system for Pathfinder suitable for use in a low-magic setting. A low-magic setting is one in which magic and spellcasters are very rare, and spells are less powerful. For reference, I usually thought of the Lord of the Rings setting as a baseline.

The contents:
1. Changes made to the nature of spellcasting
2. Alterations to each class specifically
3. My ideas about what a setting using this ruleset might look like

This ruleset assumes that we are using only the Core Rulebook.

Part 1: Changes to spellcasting:

All full spellcasters (wizards, clerics, druids, sorcerers) will have spell progression similar to what the paladin/ranger had previously, with a highest spell-level of 4. Cleric, druid, and wizard will use the following progression of spells-per-day, starting with cantrips:
Cantrip 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1st: 0
2nd: 1
3rd: 2
4th: 2 0
5th: 2 1
6th: 2 2
7th: 2 2 0
8th: 2 2 1
9th: 3 2 2
10th: 3 2 2 0
11th: 3 2 2 1
12th: 3 3 2 2
13th: 4 3 2 2 0
14th: 4 3 2 2 1
15th: 4 3 3 2 2
16th: 4 4 3 2 2
17th: 5 4 3 2 2
18th: 5 4 3 3 2
19th: 5 4 4 3 2
20th: 5 5 4 3 3

Note that this chart does not include bonus spells from a wizard's arcane school or a cleric/druid's domain. These, however, do not take effect until level 4, when 1st-level spells become available.

Sorcerers and bards have their own unique progressions, listed in their class descriptions. Paladins and rangers lose their spellcasting ability entirely.

Bonus spells-per-day are still granted for having a high ability modifier, as per the official chart. However, the chart now continues into the cantrip column, so that a score of 10-11 enables one additional cantrip per day, 18-19 enables a second additional cantrip, etc.

Cantrips are expended upon use.

Clerics and druids now have a more limited list of spells. Each will now begin with three cantrips (or orisons), and gain three new spells, of any level they can cast, per level. Cleric and druid spontaneous casting abilities remain in place.

For all spells, DC = 10 + ability score modifier + caster level. This is regardless of spell level. This reflects the fact that, in a low-magic world, spells are more difficult to deal with.

There are no limits on the number of damage dice rolled for spells that factor caster level. The first level spell shocking grasp, for instance, would deal 11d6 damage if the caster is at level 11.

All spell-level effects in the spell descriptor are caster-level instead.

Spells that grow in power by caster level, such as magic missile and scorching ray will increase in power at the same rate, but will start counting from the level at which they are acquired. Magic missile, for example, is gained at level 4, so it would begin with one missile and gain an additional missile for every two levels beyond 4 (6th, 8th, etc).

Certain spells above level 4 can be cast as rituals, at GM discretion. This is to enable such effects as plane shift, planar binding, and teleportation. Such spells might be necessary or important to the plot or setting. However, these rituals are extremely difficult to cast. They require extensive preparation and are not at all normative. Something like a planar binding spell is an event around which an entire campaign might be built. Again, this is all at GM discretion, but here is an idea for ritual requirements: a ritual takes a number of days equal to the spell level to complete, plus rare materials equal in value to spell level x 1,000. Materials may be difficult to acquire, requiring their own quests. Finally, only an appropriate caster whose caster level is double the spell level is able to perform the ritual. (Note: this means that a level 10 caster could potentially perform a level 5 spell such as plane shift as a ritual, even though they are unable to cast 4th-level spells yet!)

All spellcasters now have a hit die of d8, as well as proficiency with all simple weapons.

Some spells will require additional modifications. As always, this is up to the GM.

Changes by class:
Barbarian: no change.

Fighter: no change

Monk: no change. I'm leaving ki alone because it is not magic.

Paladin: no spells, no channeling positive energy, and lay on hands is usable once per day per two caster levels (no bonus uses for charisma modifier). This allows the paladin to still have magical healing, but only a very small amount. I believe that even with these nerfs the paladin is still quite strong, just less healing-focused. But to balance the loss, the size of a paladin's auras is doubled to twenty feet and they gain a bonus combat feat every four levels.

Ranger: no spells. Instead, a new favored terrain is gained every third level after 3rd rather than every fifth level. Additionally, combat style feats are gained every three levels after 2nd rather than every four levels. When a ranger reaches a +6 bonus in any favored terrain he may apply Terrain Mastery, as the class feature from the Horizon Walker prestige class.

Rogue: cannot take any rogue talents that allow spell-like abilities

Bard: a bard's spells are severely reduced, as follows:
Bard spells-per-day
Cantrip 1st 2nd 3rd
1st: 0
2nd: 1
3rd: 2
4th: 2
5th: 3
6th: 3 0
7th: 3 1
8th: 3 2
9th: 4 2
10th: 4 3
11th: 4 3 0
12th: 4 3 1
13th: 4 3 2
14th: 4 4 2
15th: 4 4 3
16th: 4 4 3 0
17th: 4 4 3 1
18th: 4 4 3 2
19th: 4 4 3 2
20th: 4 4 3 3

Bard Spells Known
Cantrip 1st 2nd 3rd
1st: 1
2nd: 2
3rd: 3
4th: 3
5th: 3
6th: 3 1
7th: 4 2
8th: 4 3
9th: 4 3
10th: 4 3
11th: 4 3 1
12th: 4 4 2
13th: 5 4 3
14th: 5 4 3
15th: 5 4 3
16th: 5 4 3 1
17th: 5 4 4 2
18th: 5 5 4 3
19th: 5 5 4 3
20th: 5 5 4 3

No counterbalancing buff to the bard is necessary, since bardic performances will be very strong in a low-magic setting. Bardic performace DCs are calculated with the bard's full level, not half.

Wizard: A wizard begins with knowledge of two cantrips in his spellbook. He gains knowledge of two spells every level through his own private research. He can also learn new spells from scrolls or the spellbooks of other wizards, but both of these are very rare.

A wizard can take an arcane school normally, except that the granted powers are gained at double the listed level. (This does not apply to powers gained at first level that 'upgrade' periodically, such as energy resistance in the Abjuration school.)

Cleric: A cleric chooses only one domain. They gain the powers of that domain normally.

A cleric can only channel energy a number of times per day equal to their charisma modifier (rather than 3+modifier).

Druid: A druid is limited to plant and animal forms for their wild shape. They cannot take elemental forms, nor any creature with magical abilities.

Sorcerer: A sorcerer can select a bloodline as usual and gain the powers as usual, except that each bloodline power is gained at double the listed level (except for the first-level powers). For example, a draconic-bloodline sorcerer would not gain the breath weapon power until level 18.

Sorcerer Spells Per Day
Cantrip 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1st: 1
2nd: 2
3rd: 3
4th: 3 1
5th: 3 2
6th: 3 3
7th: 3 3 1
8th: 3 3 2
9th: 4 3 3
10th: 4 3 3 1
11th: 4 3 3 2
12th: 4 4 3 3
13th: 5 4 3 3 1
14th: 5 4 3 3 2
15th: 5 4 4 3 3
16th: 5 5 4 3 3
17th: 6 5 4 3 3
18th: 6 5 4 4 3
19th: 6 5 5 4 3
20th: 6 6 5 4 4

Sorcerer Spells Known
Cantrip 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
1st: 2
2nd: 2
3rd: 3
4th: 3 1
5th: 3 1
6th: 4 2
7th: 4 2 1
8th: 4 2 1
9th: 4 3 2
10th: 4 3 2 1
11th: 4 3 2 1
12th: 4 3 3 2
13th: 5 3 3 2 1
14th: 5 3 3 2 1
15th: 5 3 3 3 2
16th: 5 4 3 3 2
17th: 5 4 3 3 3
18th: 5 4 3 3 3
19th: 5 4 4 3 3
20th: 5 4 4 3 3

The Setting:

A low-magic setting is harsh and unforgiving. Since magical healing will likely be limited or unavailable entirely, wounds and injuries take a long time to heal since they must heal naturally (as described in the rulebook). Crippling injuries may genuinely cripple a character. In addition, there is no resurrection. Expertise in nonmagical healing is therefore actually useful. Players should take a more cautious, thoughtful approach to problems in such a setting, as slip-ups can have potentially dire consequences.

GMs may be pleased to note that survival-based adventures, in which thirst/cold/etc are genuine threats, are viable in this rule system. Additionally, poisons, diseases, and curses are made truly dangerous. Even simple traps can be very threatening. Mounts will likely be a more prevalent aspect of the game. Finally, actual detective-style mysteries are back on the menu, since only high-level adventurers will have access to divination spells of any real power.

In this setting, spells and spellcasters are extremely rare. Most people live their entire lives without witnessing magic of any kind. Even minor spells and items are astonishing to the common populace. Even a very large city might not contain any spellcasters of note. This is partly because such spellcasters as do exist will often prefer privacy and secrecy. Wizards tend to seclude themelves with their research, sorcerers are often wanderers shunned by society, and of course druids prefer isolation in the wilderness. Only clerics are likely to be found in a very large city, as public figures. Yet even then there may be only a bare handful, and their level of power might be questionable. The gods in this setting are choosy, and select only the most dedicated and worthy on which to bestow the gifts of their divine powers.

Alchemy is somewhat more common, though still rare and expensive. Yet it is likely that a thriving metropolis will contain at least a few alchemy shops, of varying quality and repute, which sell a small selection of weak potions.

Magic items are extremely uncommon, and it is critical to the setting that, with the exception of expendables such as potions, every one is unique. Each magic weapon, piece of armor, or wondrous item has a story behind it, possibly a name, and is different from every other weapon/piece of armor/etc. Usually, only the most minor of magical items (around the 1-100 gold range) are available for sale. Anything more potent will typically require alternate means of acquisition. But remember, all magic items are exceedingly rare. Even a simple flaming sword should be portrayed as an astonishing and epic reward for a long and dangerous quest. Almost anything that Pathfinder categorizes as a 'medium' or 'major' magic item has no place in this setting, except perhaps as the focal point of an entire campaign.

As the magic items are vastly scaled down, so is the monetary system. A minor potion of healing will remain at 50 gold, but in this setting 50 gold is quite a lot of money. Players in this setting should be carefully parceling out their coppers and silvers, and saving up their golds in order to purchase something as useful as said potion of cure lesser wounds. Resource management is important in this setting. (Note: certain non-magical items are overpriced in the Pathfinder rules, such as a set of full plate costing 1,500 gold. This is done for balance reasons, but it is not necessary in this setting. At GM discretion, cheapen mundane items as necessary or provide alternate means of acquisition.)

Magical items, even relatively simple ones such as potions and scrolls, are difficult to create in this setting. The time for crafting any magic item is doubled. The cost remains the same, but as we have mentioned, this makes the creation of most items prohibitively expensive. All prerequisites must still be met, including the ability to cast certain spells or being able to cast spells of a certain level. This eliminates many options entirely, such as the creation of golems. Some high-level item creation, such as the construction of golems or certain magic weapons, could still be achieved through manipulation of rituals, at GM's discretion.

A note on scrolls: they are difficult to find mainly because those who create them (wizards) are so rare, and because a wizard would usually rather use or keep a scroll than sell it.

In this setting the overall level is low. Only a scattering of people on any continent should be level 10 or higher. Even a spellcaster reaches their highest spell level at 13. Meeting anyone at this level or higher should be a truly momentous event for the PCs. If and when the PCs reach this level, most NPCs will cease to be a significant threat – at least, on the battlefield.

The role of the gods. The gods are fairly inactive in this setting, working almost exclusively through their few chosen clerics. The same could be said of all interplanar travel and communication – it is very rare. Only very powerful spellcasters possess the ability to communicate with or travel between planes. Summoning spells do exist, but they are weak and transient.

Alignment functions normally, though it plays a lesser role in a low-magic setting. Some GMs may prefer to do away with the alignment system (along with all spells/items/etc that utilize alignment) entirely.

Races: No race has innate magical abilities or spells. Races that suffer a significant loss from this change, such as gnomes, may choose alternate racial traits, at GM discretion.

Monsters: Most monsters have no magical ability whatsoever. Magical beasts with spells or spell-like abilities are very rare, and are generally encountered at higher levels. Do not adjust DCs for spells or spell-like abilities of monsters.

Well that's all we came up with so far. I'm sure it still needs some work. Balancing the spellcasters was particularly tricky, of course. But I was more concerned with how such a setting might feel, and how it might be fun and unique for my players.

Anyway, let me know what you think!


I love where you are going with a lot of this. Feel free to take a look under my profile at the threads I generally post to or create and you'll see I've been working on some similar ideas for some time now, although have gone different directions with some of it. If you are interested we could certainly compare notes an co-lab on some of this.


Take a look at this, you may find some of it useful for what you are trying to create here.

https://lazlo-cos-pathfinder.obsidianportal.com/wikis/main-page


I'm working on a more indepth response to your post, speaking to many of this points you bring up individually. I'll try to get that posted up sometime today.


Lazlo.Arcadia wrote:
I'm working on a more indepth response to your post, speaking to many of this points you bring up individually. I'll try to get that posted up sometime today.

Cool. I'm checking out your stuff too. You went so in-depth! At first glance it looks like you took more creative liberties with the system, whereas I tried to deviate from the regular Pathfinder rules as little as possible for simplicity. But I like a lot of your ideas.


Yeah, i have an idea that when i get the bugs worked out I'd like to compare notes with someone on how to publish the material I've been working on. Maybe something simple such as a pdf on the rpgdrivethrough.com or the d20pfsrd site, etc.

I've definitely gone through the D20 PF system with a hammer in hand and said, "no, that rule i never liked and it is gone!" or whatever on more than a few occasions. Some of it will be the sorta thing that virtually everyone I've ever met already house ruled on anyway, others of it are certain to be things that would absolutely get a knee jerk reaction from players who are used to D20 PF RAW.

A lot of these changes actually came from these very forums. Take a look at the threads of, "if i could change / fix that one thing in PF D20 what would it be?" Or "What 3 house rules do you use, or have you seen used most commonly?" If you look at it, my overhaul also seen many of those same points as problems and set to fix as many of them as I could while also toning down the setting to something much more low magic in theme and feel. In many cases I had never thought of those issues, in other cases I learned a great deal about how to fix things that had me pulling my hair out.

Either way, the one thing I will say with these types of overhauls is most players are looking for a quick band aid answer such as "well just deny full caster classes and make your magic items scale with the player = instant low magic campaign". I'll be the first to say that while you can play under any rules and get the right feel for your campaign depending on how cooperative both the players and DM are willing to be with each other, these types of quick fix answers tend to leave a lot of holes that I'm trying to fix as I go.

When it is done I'll package it as an "OGL D20 Low Magic overhaul based on Pathfinder".

Anyway, back to work. Will pick this up a little later today / tomorrow.


GottaDance wrote:


I wanted to create a variant rule system for Pathfinder suitable for use in a low-magic setting. A low-magic setting is one in which magic and spellcasters are very rare, and spells are less powerful. For reference, I usually thought of the Lord of the Rings setting as a baseline.

My friend it sounds like we should compare notes a bit more detailed as I too have done a lot of work on this topic. As such I wanted to give you a more well thought out response to some of your specific points.

For myself I base lined the magic level somewhere between the Witcher video games & books and the Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire so my "low magic" may actually be a tad more magical than yours. As general time period for my setting looked like a 12th century Game of Thrones sorta world.

GottaDance wrote:


This ruleset assumes that we are using only the Core Rulebook.

I did the same thing for magic spells, although feats, archetypes and others had more flexibility. Honestly the additional flexibility was allowed largely because it made my job of writing the material easier as I cross referenced d20pfsrd.com heavily while writing it.

GottaDance wrote:


Part 1: Changes to spellcasting:

All full spellcasters (wizards, clerics, druids, sorcerers) will have spell progression similar to what the paladin/ranger had previously, with a highest spell-level of 4. Cleric, druid, and wizard will use the following progression of spells-per-day, starting with cantrips:

A couple of ideas for you. Have you looked at the Diminished Spell Casting feature / flaw seen in some of the archetypes? It basically drops your spell casting ability by one spell from each spell tier daily (I think...I'm not looking at it at the moment).

Have you considered requiring spell casters to simply multi-class? or banning full caster classes entirely, thus making an Evoker mage become a Magus instead, a cleric become a WarPriest, Paladin and Rangers would have to elect for non-caster archetypes as a campaign base line, etc?

GottaDance wrote:


Cantrips are expended upon use.

By comparison I completely removed cantrips and other 0 level spells from the campaign. Access to them by other wise non-casters was simply too easy to acquire with a background trait which went againt the low magic theme when virtually anyone could be casting unlimited cantrips such as light, stabilize and create water. Yes, this does in fact put a serious hurt on low level casters, however thier spell DC's were adjusted to allow their magic to hit harder, and thus they had a better reason to hoarde their spells for when they were needed.

GottaDance wrote:


Clerics and druids now have a more limited list of spells. Each will now begin with three cantrips (or orisons), and gain three new spells, of any level they can cast, per level. Cleric and druid spontaneous casting abilities remain in place.

Agreed, under my overhaul (called the LCM Ruleset) I restricted "open spells" to 3rd level or lower. Spell of 4th - 6th level were limited to domains only. For this reason Druids had Diminished Spell Casting but domains were added, where as clerics were required to multi-class at not greater that a 2:1 ratio with a non-spell casting class. This also meant that never every cleric was casting the exact same battery of spells every day.

Arcane casters were required to specialize in a school of magic, and faced the same restriction of open vs closed spells. Sorcerers spell lists were restricted by the bloodlines, witches by their patron.

GottaDance wrote:


For all spells, DC = 10 + ability score modifier + caster level. This is regardless of spell level. This reflects the fact that, in a low-magic world, spells are more difficult to deal with.

Almost the same rule I went with, only mine was D20 + ½ caster Level + Charisma Bonus + Feats / Bonuses (specalty and domain school spells add + 2 bonus).

GottaDance wrote:


There are no limits on the number of damage dice rolled for spells that factor caster level. The first level spell shocking grasp, for instance, would deal 11d6 damage if the caster is at level 11.

This is one I never got around to implimenting, but will do so tonight or tommorow. I think I originally didn't do so as a complete oversight.

GottaDance wrote:


All spell-level effects in the spell descriptor are caster-level instead.

Agreed

GottaDance wrote:


Certain spells above level 4 can be cast as rituals, at GM discretion. <snip>

I put a hard cap on spells at 6th level, and character level at E12. NPC's were hard capped at 10th level. Spell were restricted by arcane schools and divine domains as listed above, and some spells such as Raise Dead were all but banned in the campaign entirely.

GottaDance wrote:


Some spells will require additional modifications. As always, this is up to the GM.

Agreed, some of the individual spells need a close 2nd look (and more than a few re-writes) to work effectively under a low magic system.

GottaDance wrote:


Changes by class:
Monk: no change. I'm leaving ki alone because it is not magic.

By comparison I felt the Ki system was too much like magic and went in making changes here too.

My Paladin and Rangers also seen quite a bit of love under my overhaul. Feel free to check out my obsidian portal I linked in an earlier post for the full run down on those.

GottaDance wrote:


Rogue: cannot take any rogue talents that allow spell-like abilities

100% agree on this one.

Bards in my overhaul were nearly banned as a pc class but were later allowed when I realized how restrictive their spell casting already is as a spontaneous caster, which is really brought into focus with their level being restricted to E12.

Wizard / Cleric and Druid all seen a heavy re-write under the LCM ruleset, as did magic in general. Spells were set up in a "Spell Matrix" similar to the way the Arcanist casts spells. You simply prepare your spells normally for the day and then cast them dynamically the way a sorcerer or arcanist would. Spontaneous clerical casting is restricted to domain spells only

Clerics were granted additional domain spells at 6th and 10th level due to the restrictions on what they could cast. Channel energy was reduced to a range of touch and was single target.

GottaDance wrote:


Druid: A druid is limited to plant and animal forms for their wild shape. They cannot take elemental forms, nor any creature with magical abilities.

Same here

GottaDance wrote:


wounds and injuries take a long time to heal since they must heal naturally (as described in the rulebook). Crippling injuries may genuinely cripple a character. In addition, there is no resurrection. Expertise in nonmagical healing is therefore actually useful. Players should take a more cautious, thoughtful approach to problems in such a setting, as slip-ups can have potentially dire consequences.

Oh yeah, we are definitely on the same page here. Only I really reduced the amount of natureal healing to a max of 1/3 character level or their con bonus, which ever was higher. As the full write up on that would be quite long I'll just drop a link for it here: https://lazlo-cos-pathfinder.obsidianportal.com/wikis/death-damage-and-heal ing

GottaDance wrote:


In this setting, spells and spellcasters are extremely rare. <snip> Only clerics are likely to be found in a very large city, as public figures. Yet even then there may be only a bare handful, and their level of power might be questionable. The gods in this setting are choosy, and select only the most dedicated and worthy on which to bestow the gifts of their divine powers.

Absolutely, keep something in mind when dealing with clerics and their presence, not everone that wears a clerics robes and prays to their god is actually a cleric. Many are just lay people that follow the same faith, or serve their temple in some helpful but mundane way. Think about a modern hospital and the clerics there (doctors) vs the number of support staff that they have.

GottaDance wrote:


Alchemy is somewhat more common, though still rare and expensive. Yet it is likely that a thriving metropolis will contain at least a few alchemy shops, of varying quality and repute, which sell a small selection of weak potions.

Alchemy is the most commonly purchased form of "magic" in my campaign setting. Once in a blue moon the alchemist will get a Natural 20 on his attempts to create some healing salve (or whatever) and actualy pull off a Cure X Wounds potion instead.

GottaDance wrote:


Magic items are extremely uncommon, and it is critical to the setting that, with the exception of expendables such as potions, every one is unique.

Absolutely! In my setting I did away with "disposable magic items" and one time use spell trigger items almost entirely. Magic scrolls are now only good for research into your next spell or meta-magic feat you are trying to learn. Wands became minor magic items similar to the Wizards bonded item (give a free bonus spell) and adds a bonus to spell DC based on the character level (+ 1 per 3 levels, give or take)

All Magic Item Creation feats were banned.

GottaDance wrote:


Almost anything that Pathfinder categorizes as a 'medium' or 'major' magic item has no place in this setting, except perhaps as the focal point of an entire campaign.

Yep right there with you!

GottaDance wrote:


As the magic items are vastly scaled down, so is the monetary system. A minor potion of healing will remain at 50 gold, but in this setting 50 gold is quite a lot of money. Players in this setting should be carefully parceling out their coppers and silvers, and saving up their golds in order to purchase something as useful as said potion of cure lesser wounds. Resource management is important in this setting. (Note: certain non-magical items are overpriced in the Pathfinder rules, such as a set of full plate costing 1,500 gold. This is done for balance reasons, but it is not necessary in this setting. At GM discretion, cheapen mundane items as necessary or provide alternate means of acquisition.)

Check out this article. It is right there with this train of thought. http://alvenapublishing.blogspot.com/2011/05/economics-in-pathfinder-and-d. html?showComment=1403077292519#c104315492110555861

Personally I simply cut the gold value of the encounter in 1/2 based on party level, and ignored any results which generated magic items. Magic items instead would be swapped out for alchemical or masterwork items, gems, jewelry, or even things of significant worth but no monatary value such as the head of the thieves guild owing you a blood debt for saving his little sister from the necromancer cult. In my campaign setting magic items are NEVER random, and are hand placed for a specific character or NPC. Frequently these treasures are pretty obvious who they are intended for, occassionally however figuring this part out becomes part of the adventure itself. Because of this Use Magic Device is a skill which was completely removed from the campaign setting.

GottaDance wrote:


Magical items, even relatively simple ones such as potions and scrolls, are difficult to create in this setting.

Agreed, because of which I restricted the creation of such items to NPC Artificers only. They must create large (read: stationary and grossly expensive) forges, labs, libraries, meditation chambers, etc in order to produce magic items at all and only a few are so created each year.

GottaDance wrote:


In this setting the overall level is low. Only a scattering of people on any continent should be level 10 or higher. Even a spellcaster reaches their highest spell level at 13. Meeting anyone at this level or higher should be a truly momentous event for the PCs. If and when the PCs reach this level, most NPCs will cease to be a significant threat – at least, on the battlefield.

I capped my LCM Ruleset overhaul at 10th level for NPC's and E12 for players. 7th level magic only exists in the campaign as the sort of thing whispered and rumored of by mad men.

GottaDance wrote:


The role of the gods. The gods are fairly inactive in this setting, working almost exclusively through their few chosen clerics. The same could be said of all interplanar travel and communication – it is very rare. Only very powerful spellcasters possess the ability to communicate with or travel between planes. Summoning spells do exist, but they are weak and transient.

Love it, right there with you.

GottaDance wrote:


Alignment functions normally, though it plays a lesser role in a low-magic setting. Some GMs may prefer to do away with the alignment system (along with all spells/items/etc that utilize alignment) entirely.

I converted alignment to a personality type / moral compass sorta thing and let it go at that. All spell / items, etc based on alignment were either banned or rewritten to account for this change. Such as "targets CE casters" might become "targets necromancers that follow the Whispering Tyrannt"

GottaDance wrote:


Races: No race has innate magical abilities or spells. Races that suffer a significant loss from this change, such as gnomes, may choose alternate racial traits, at GM discretion.

Yeah, I went so far as to ban gnomes from the campaign. Largely because of the way I've seen EVERY SINGLE GNOME ever played at my gaming table. Your version of it however is admittedly much less heavy handed.

GottaDance wrote:


Monsters: Most monsters have no magical ability whatsoever. Magical beasts with spells or spell-like abilities are very rare, and are generally encountered at higher levels. Do not adjust DCs for spells or spell-like abilities of monsters.

Agreed. Most such monsters in my campaign were individually retooled based on the type of encounter I was trying to set up for that game session. I never run ANYTHING straight out of a published module / AP without customizing it for the needs of my campaign.

GottaDance wrote:


Well that's all we came up with so far. I'm sure it still needs some work. Balancing the spellcasters was particularly tricky, of course. But I was more concerned with how such a setting might feel, and how it might be fun and unique for my players.

Anyway, let me know what you think!

Much like yourself, I wanted to create a unique gaming experience for my players. One they would talk about for years to come and enjoy so much they would bring their children to our campaigns to experience their first table top RPG's. In that regard our campaigns have been wildly successful and I could not have been happier with the results!


Dotting.


Thanks for all the feedback! We are going in different directions with some of our stuff, but reading through your material has given me a lot of ideas I might work on implementing. Three cheers for collaboration!

It's good to hear that you've had great success with your LCM. I hope I'll be able to test my own ideas soon.


Right on man, feel free to reach out to me anytime with this. I'd love to follow any additional developments you might come up with. One tip I will share with you is if you are looking for something that will be highly compatible with already published materials take a hard look at the existing optional rule variants. Just create a list of ones you would like at your gaming table. That way a new player to your campaign can see that these are "official options". It is weird how many players freak out over the idea that something is different, but are both quick and happy to accept the idea that something is an official rule variant. Expect those players to come to the forums however and nit-pick it to death anyway looking for loop holes.

Personally I cant wait until I tackle the spell squish and re-write. I'm envisioning the back lash from that will be huge. I'll probably just publish that as a pdf and let it roll vs trying to "sell it" to my players and the Pathfinder community. Not worth all the negative feedback on it. I'm envisioning something similar to the works of Monte Cook with that one.

Anyway, awesome comparing notes with you. Please feel free to share more of it you are so inclined. I'd also be interested in how these rules were implemented or were changed as a result of actual game play. Did they work as intended or did they just present unexpected problems?


Here is an article on the effects of a low magic campaign that I found to be very helpful reading.

http://www.dndadventure.com/html/articles/art_low_magic_adventuring_WOTC.ht ml

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