Low magic setting casters question

[Umbral_Arcanist]

I am currently working on a low magic campaign setting and, as is needed by such a setting, tweaking the casters. I'm planning on using truenamers instead of clerics, spliting druids into wild shapers and animal companion people with spells as a ranger off the druid list, nixing sorcerers, adding warlocks with a fey flavor (jnstead of fiendish flavor) and making wizard a PrC (using the one from d20 modern) I also might add shadowcaster to the mix.

However, i am worried that the shadow caster and truenamer might be too powerful for the setting.


When it comes to magic item making I'll allow warlocks to craft rings and wonderous items, wizards (in the PrC) to craft potions, wands, rods, staffs and scrolls.

I haven't made a low magic setting before, though i've thought about and i wish to know if my worries are unfounded

[Were-Sandwich]

One thing you might want to look at is the Witch spell list in the DMG somewhere. ITs perfect for a low magic campaign. Consider adding an Advanced Learning to the caster classes each time they gain access to a new spell level, where they can add any spell of their normal list to their spell list, up to a maximum level of the highest spell level they can cast.

[El Jaspero, the Pirate King]

You might have already, but in case not: have you looked at Malhavoc's Iron Heroes variant PHB? It's a very low-magic setting, but the idea is that the PCs should still be able to fight at roughly their standard CRs so the classes are very high-powered, and skills are much more important.

[Umbral_Arcanist]

You might have already, but in case not: have you looked at Malhavoc's Iron Heroes variant PHB? It's a very low-magic setting, but the idea is that the PCs should still be able to fight at roughly their standard CRs so the classes are very high-powered, and skills are much more important.

I've heard about Iron Heroes but it seems a little too low magic to me, i'm looking for a lower magic, but it will still be a fairly fantastical world, magic just will be rarer and harder to learn.

[El Jaspero, the Pirate King]

Yeah, IH is definitely very low-magic. We tried mixing some pieces of it into an Arcana Evolved campaign to 'ramp up' the combat system, but never really got enough playing in before the game fizzled to see how well it worked.

[Triaxx]

On the other hand, my methodology would say there's perhaps only one or two magic classes, each with very different magic, and hard to achieve, but very, very powerful in comparison to normal classes. To the point where you have an apprentice class that devotes it's entire being to gaining the skills, stats, and errata required to become a caster.

[Fax Celestis]

So your exchanges, I take it, are as follows:

Clerics->Truenamers
Druids->Rangers/Shapers
Wizards->Wizard PrC
Sorceror->Warlock

I'd recommend the following, too:

Sorceror->Shadowcaster
Paladin->Binder

Yes, the Paladin/Binder swap seems odd, but if you change the flavor of the Binder (such as making them bind aspects of the deities/demigods instead of vestiges) it works rather nicely.

[Umbral_Arcanist]

So your exchanges, I take it, are as follows:

Clerics->Truenamers
Druids->Rangers/Shapers
Wizards->Wizard PrC
Sorceror->Warlock

I'd recommend the following, too:

Sorceror->Shadowcaster
Paladin->Binder

Yes, the Paladin/Binder swap seems odd, but if you change the flavor of the Binder (such as making them bind aspects of the deities/demigods instead of vestiges) it works rather nicely.

Basicially, except i'm using the non-spellcaster ranger, and i have an animal companion possessing druid alt as well as the shaper one. I am planning on using shadowcaster as an alternate to warlock (depending on which fey teaches you magic) and i was actually getting rid of paladins altogether, and using a samurai (one from these boards, Shiyuan's i believe (i hope i got that naem right......))