3. Control Magic Magic in an AD&D campaign is a splendid thing. It opens new possibilities for play and, more importantly, it provides a sense of wonderment for the players. Piles of gold and gems might make players’ eyes sparkle, but magic is different because it gives PCs the power to do wondrous things. Magic puts a little bit of fantasy into the players’ hands.

Too much magic, however, ruins play at any level. Excessive magic destroys game balance by giving the heroes too much power too quickly; the PCs cease to be heroic personas struggling in a hostile world and become high-powered exterminators who magically fumigate castles and dungeons, cleaning out the monsters and treasure before moving on to their next clean-up job.

Overabundant pluses also exacerbate the breakdown of game mechanics at high levels. Look at figures 3 and 4 again. Every plus a character gains (whether from magic, high ability scores, or special abilities) shortens each bar by one unit. The shorter the bar, the less risk of failure and the lower the level of tension in any particular encounter. Less tension means that every game situation is more commonplace and less satisfying to complete.

When magic is common, it loses its ability to evoke a sense of wonder in the players. If magic is fairly rare, even a minor item such as a potion can be a momentous find. Players tend to appreciate whatever their characters can get when magical items are hard to find, and even the short-term boost a potion grants to a PC is significant. In contrast, even a holy sword is no big deal if every PC in the game already has two or three magical weapons. The more magic the PCs have, the less likely they are to be impressed with any single item. In the latter example, the PCs are undoubtedly much more powerful than the magic-starved characters in the former campaign, but magic in the former campaign actually has a greater impact on play.

Magical armor has perhaps the greatest impact on play. Every paladin on the block would love to have his suit of full plate +5 and a shield +5, but this presents some serious problems for encounter design. Not only do you have to create an encounter that builds on strengths and minimizes weaknesses, but now you must also provide opponents capable of striking a –10 Armor Class. Once characters get below an Armor Class of –4, a great deal of the tension dissipates. The heroes are virtually immune to most physical attacks. Proficient use of rust monsters and other armor-eating beasties are highly encouraged.

Bracers of defense and even mid-level rings of protection create the same problems as a suit of full plate +5. Bracers of defense AC 2 grant an effective Armor Class bonus of +8 and should be more rare than even magical plate—bracers of defense AC 0 should be viewed as gifts from the gods! When introducing protective magical items, remember that a little bartering or loaning of magical items within a party can allow a single character to attain an unbelievably low Armor Class. The characters who give up their magical items to protect a comrade make themselves a little easier to be attacked, while their friend is virtually cloaked in protective magic.

It is important to remember that campaigns can have too little magic. Finding magical treasure is an important award for PCs who have done well. Players become disheartened and cynical if their characters do not enjoy rewards commensurate with the risks they take. Consequently, giving out few or no magical treasures is not an appropriate way to control magic in the campaign. Workable—and fair—controls are discussed below.

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