System recommendations for a low magic, medievil type game

[creed]

Hello all

I'm currently building up an adventure that would be similar to the medievil age tech wise, with magic being a relatively newer concept (think semi recently discovered, spells of great power like most over level 5 not realized, magic being more unstable then it would be in a typical dnd game). Was wondering if there's any systems out there that would fit such a setup, offer a bit more realism, and be able to handle large battles?

[jr1v3]

Originally Posted by creed

Hello all

I'm currently building up an adventure that would be similar to the medievil age tech wise, with magic being a relatively newer concept (think semi recently discovered, spells of great power like most over level 5 not realized, magic being more unstable then it would be in a typical dnd game). Was wondering if there's any systems out there that would fit such a setup, offer a bit more realism, and be able to handle large battles?

ummm... I don't know. Itried anima beyond fantasy and the game can be low magic game. also very costy, so it it not like you can use it like candy compared to D&D. It has a poll of mana that recover a fixed rate daily. So the most magical oriented class would have a recovering loading mana equivalent like 40 to 80 and a pool like 400 ~ 500 and the more basic spell costing like 20 for simple spells and basic defense (this have a consumption rate if you want to maintain active) - attack spells like 40 ~ 60, the mid to high tier are most expensive.

The magic is powerful but also pretty limited and if you fail to control it can be catastrofic and deadly.

also the magic is themed to elements and each element have some kind of orientation. I like it a lot; sadly, you can see much people playing that...

[orcbane]

I think you'll find a lot of rules-lite systems or there will handle this basic premise. It's really going to depend on what else you're going to achieve in the storytelling that will make some systems work better than others.

In all likelihood, there isn't going to be a system that gets it just right. You'll probably need to modify an existing game to sit your purposes.

And then you're back to the question of storytelling and system. Aside from the low-powered emerging magic, what type of story and gameplay experience are you trying to create?

Is it a zany Monty Python-esque romp? A violent, grimdark campaign? Is it more Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings? Or Star Wars?

The more context you can give, the easier it will be to find the best system.

[zevonian]

GURPS allows for varying Tech Levels of worlds. You could set one with no guns, low magic, etc.

How about FATE? Lots of room for varying character concepts, and party/team building can be part of character creation. One player might be the "knight in dull armor" and another could be a "fledgling sorcerer". Their friend the "wiry burglar" have complimentary skills, and everyone's aware that magic is rare.

[creed]

jr1v3 - is the system named anime beyond fantasy?

orcbane - I think the best way to describe the story type would be lord of the rings meets 13th century france. I'd want magic to be a thing, but not have it where epic spells aren't a thing. LIke i picutre at one time, people were discovering magic, so something like that. Like I don't want to have magic classes be unplayable, but ya

I've never heard of GURPS or FATE. FATE from a very brief scan seemed futureish, GURPS....ya I'd have to look at that some more.

[jr1v3]

Originally Posted by creed

jr1v3 - is the system named anime beyond fantasy?

orcbane - I think the best way to describe the story type would be lord of the rings meets 13th century france. I'd want magic to be a thing, but not have it where epic spells aren't a thing. LIke i picutre at one time, people were discovering magic, so something like that. Like I don't want to have magic classes be unplayable, but ya

I've never heard of GURPS or FATE. FATE from a very brief scan seemed futureish, GURPS....ya I'd have to look at that some more.

Anima Beyond Fantasy ---> https://www.amazon.com/Flight-Games-.../dp/1589944674

[Dworin]

There's Dragon Warriors, which is medieval themed and has magic but I don't think as much as D&D. I don't know about big battles but it's pay what you want at drivethru so wouldn't hurt to take a look.

[Aethera]

Have you ever heard of literally capping the levels of D&D3.5e/Pathfinder1e at 6E6 (Epic 6)? The rules are free and They can be applied to any d20 game, of whatever variety. I believe it was designed for D&D 3.5e, but then ported to Pathfinder and continued. I do not know how well it might work with D&D 5e, but I'm betting it still works.system-agnostic, you can easily check them out. It's basically a game that makes a 6th level wizard the greatest caster ever, but that's only 3rd(?) level spells. It might work well for a grittier game, and as long as the players understood there might be more work involved in discovering spells, or limits placed on caster characters, you would probably be good.

[Kayal]

I am a little late to this thread, so it might a tad late for a recommendation. Nonetheless, I will parrot what Orbane said: any generic or rules-lite system could work. d6, Tristat, and Fuzion come to mind. Ultimately, it depends on what you want to do with it.

Given that four weeks have passed since the original post was made, it's entirely possible that you (Creed) have already started this game. If so, let us know what you decided and how it's working out.

[Ildrahil]

There is King Arthur Pendragon, where magic is a rarity. Only one version of it even allows for magic user PCs, and that is two or three versions ago. Greg Stafford considered KAP his finest achievement. It is a true role playing game that has some really awesome adventures, including a detailed campaign that goes from before Arthur's birth to his downfall. This is the kind of game where you start as a PC and end as that first PCs grandson.

[Hellella]

Hârnmaster is very heavy on the medieval "realism" side and has what you're after in terms of rare and unreliable magic, though powerful. I'm sure it has a module for massed battle too

[Aegis]

There’s a system called “Low Fantasy Gaming” that looks good. Complete system, where the magic has a pretty high cost to use, so there isn’t much of it.

[Hotshot lasgun]

i will suggest the old standard, fate core. systemless, and easy to mod

[creed]

Oh wow there's a lot of reading to do! Thanks all! Guess it's off to Google to see which one would work best.

[Codger]

Originally Posted by Hotshot lasgun

i will suggest the old standard, fate core. systemless, and easy to mod

Yes