Post by JimP.On Mon, 5 Jun 2017 06:40:20 -0700 (PDT), Ralph Glatt
Post by Ralph GlattI just stumbled across this video on Youtube and was wondering what everyone here thinks about it.
http://youtu.be/mU2Elrz34gs
Painfully boring video. Don't like magic in d&d, modify or play a
different game.
Good god, that video /is/ boring. I couldn't get more than a minute
into it before I dozed off. His voice makes Ben Stein's seem exuberant
in comparison. The "spooky sound effects" in the background didn't
help any; they were an annoying distraction.
Myself, I tend to DM low-magic campaigns so I somewhat agree with the
premise (at least, as much of the premise as I heard). One of my
issues with D&D - especially later variations - was how common magic
was; all the classes seemingly had magical abilities, wizards could
crank out potions and magic swords in their spare time, and both
players and NPCs took fantastic monsters like zombies or dragons in
stride. It stripped the game of its mystery and wonder.
Correcting this is possible in D&D but is difficult. It's not only how
much magic is built into the system but a lot of its mechanics require
players to have access to magical loot to survive. A world without
easy access to clerics or healing potions means that PCs might be
holed up for weeks after a single combat, and survivability rates
against higher-level monster plummets if the PCs don't have access to
magical armor or weapons. This can make for some interesting - and
arguably more realistic - games but it's a poor fit for D&D's
gameplay, with its mechanics scaled towards a small band of heroic
characters single-handedly taking out the Big Evil and all its
minions.
Myself, I strive to create low-magic worlds - I use the Conan novels
as a touch-point for how much magic to use - but even I have to fudge
a bit during actual gameplay (e.g., the heroes end up having access to
more magic than NPCs). Still, my players seem to appreciate the
effort, and when they are lucky enough to stumble across a rare magic
weapon or encounter some unnatural beast, I see the wonder and mystery
in their eyes that is too often missing when playing more stock
adventures.
Of course, I am not saying all D&D campaigns should go the low-magic
route; there's something to be said about pitting a band of
uber-powerful PCs with +5 plate, gauntlets of ogre strength and vorpal
swords against an evil a dragon-riding wizard and his monster horde.
But on the whole, I feel that the magic levels in D&D could be toned
down a bit, even if not to the extent to which I go.