Re: High Magic vs Low Magic - Was: OT: 4e notes from ENworld

From: "Steven" <steven.james.1@??????????.??.uk>
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 11:00 PM
Subject: Re: [SPELLJAMMER] OT: 4e notes from ENworld

I've changed the thread subject as this no longer has anything to do with 
ENWorld.

> SJ is fine for "High" magic :) For "Low" magic I prefer Dark Sun...each
> is great in it's own way.
> Spelljammer allows intercourse between vastly different peoples, (no
> smutty remarks! :>)
> Thus, like the Internet and the Renaissance, it would indeed, allow and
> provoke a vast amount of change, new ideas and technology etc. But since
> not all forms of tech or magic may work in some spheres, or practical
> problems abound, you'd have a mix, as SJ does.

I don't like to see SJ as being like the Internet or the Renaissance. I like 
the idea of societies having some "industrial secrets". So a dwarven 
weaponsmith from Reorx should have a hard time reverse-engineering a samari 
sword that came from the Shou Empire. This helps give people a reason to 
import specialist goods. (So an Anadian Halfling who wanted to get hold of a 
Kender hoopak would have to wait until the next time the Crimson Caravan 
came to Realmspace.)

> It's a conceit of we 21st century Westerners, that our tech, science,
> political views would "automatically take sprout somewhere else!" Which
> is patently false. While it takes a great many scientists working in
> labs, engineers to design factories, miners to get materials etc to
> create "Preparation H!" ;) or any tech achievement, a wizard can do it
> on his own, or do spectacular things.

I'm not really interested in tech, but I think that political views would 
spread with cultures related to them. I think that cultures from Deities and 
Demigods/Legends and Lore and clerics dedicated to their gods can be used to 
show cultures coming into a new crystal sphere. The Priest Stronghold rule 
(from Complete Spacefarer's Handbook) gives the locals an entire year to 
shut out the newbies.

As for wizards working on their own, they only have so much mana, so can 
never take on an entire army. So powerful wizards need some sort of deal 
with the local king (even if that deal is just stay out of my way and I'll 
stay out of your way).

> -A simple argument to show why gunpowder (smokepowder) would not be
> popular in a D&D setting, never mind SJ with the explosive Phlogiston:
> What happens to a squad of infantry, carrying firearms, hit by a
> Fireball? They *detonate*, that's what ;)

All attended objects are usually entitled to a saving throw.

> -Carrying gunpowder in a milieu where fire magic is easy, would not be
> too smart.

Unless you are a giff. Giff come from a race where "manlyness" seems to be 
defined by the ability to own the most spectacular weapons. I think that 
avoiding the risk of an explosion would possibly be seen as cowardice.

> SJ not only requires high magic, it would encourage it. The folk who
> sail the stars are not going to be the average Joe, or even, the average
> adventurer.

> When I was writing up the characters for my Wildspace cartoon series,
> that's what I was thinking. They will be comparatively rich in both
> monies, gear and personalities. I also love 3rd ed for making skills so
> integral. Skills like Appraise, Bluff, Sense Motive, Gather Information,
> are perfect for merchant star-farers.
> :)

Don't forget that most "spacefarers" in wildspace are almost as unlikely to 
travel on a spelljamming ship as a groundling. People live and die on the 
same rock they were born on.

I think that even among spacehands, many people will work on system ships 
and never leave their own sphere.

People who sphere-hop are a minority. If traders fly to Greatspace and try 
to sell hoopaks, the locals should be baffled as to what to do with the 
"strange sticks" they see. I think that spears and shields would be more 
likely to go down well with the Greek culture of those customers. But I 
can't see a way to import spears and shields that are "more advanced" than 
the ones the locals make for themselves.

The only way I can see a long distance market like that working is to use 
something specific to a crystal sphere, like High Sorcery magic, to spears 
and shields and then transport those specialist versions to Greatspace.

David "Big Mac" Shepheard
Virtual Eclipse Role Playing Club
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/virtualeclipselrp/links/d20_system_001071937434/Spelljammer_001071430476
http://www32.brinkster.com/virtualeclipse/