Blog D100: Spellcasters

     This week we have another post courtesy of the Blog d100 challenge laid down by buster over on 19 Sided Die. The source of these prompts is found over on d4 Caltrops.

 

Rolled 3: Are spellcasters rare and how do people feel about them?

 

    I love this question for a lot of reasons. I get to talk a little bit about some table philosophy that I keep and the setting of Hodas! Let us dive in!

 

    I'll talk about table philosophy first because it's going to be important to the second half of this. At my table, the PCs are the only people in the entire setting I run who have class levels. The only wizards with levels in wizard in the entire world are the three who were played by players  in prior campaigns. An NPC might have a few features of a class, like a skilled pit fighter might have a deed die that adds to attack and damage but doesn't allow deeds. A magician might have a couple of spell like abilities but they won't have full spellcasting range like a wizard. A burglar might have the ability to pick locks and sneak silently but they won't be spending luck or using the full range of thief abilities. A high priest of a temple will be able to perform minor healing with a ritual of prayers and incense but never as easily call on divine power as a cleric. This allows me to tell stories where the PCs are this unique and possibly legendary or disruptive force who move through the world doing things that others could only dream of. I like to run a low magic game where the PCs are not outshined when they meet an NPC who is just them but better.

 

    So in Hodas, the average NPC will never see magic, real magic, in their lifetime. They might see a magician who knows a few parlor tricks, or a priest who has some small healing ability, but they will never see the kind of magic that a PC is slinging around. Those evil sources of magic, foes, aren't the type to openly practice in a world that would fear and hunt them if they just whipped out their magic tricks. Its a low magic setting, one magic user who decides to announce themselves publicly had better prepared for the mobs that will come for them. As it stands, no foe of the PCs has gotten to the point of being a wizard in his tower with an army of minions. Not for lack of trying. There is at least once case of a former PC who's going to become a problem in 10ish years, but that is a story for another time.

 

 

If you decide to join the d100 challenge or even just make a post related to the d4 Caltrops list, comment below and I'll include a link to your blog under this section!