As for thread title.
I get it’s fantasy, but is it high magic or low magic?
By high magic I mean a setting where magic is powerful, very widespread and recognized, there are a lot of wizards (who might be accepted or well received by the populace) and magic items are as available as luxury items in our world - maybe not in the hands of farmers, but easily buyable by who has enough money.
Depends where you go in the setting
. It ranges from medium magic to ultra high magi, to technomagic.
Thanks for your answer friend. I didn’t specify, but was asking more about the system than the setting.
Taking the rules as they are, no homebrewing and no house rules, what kind of world do they model?
I even wrote “setting” in the OP, sorry I must be retarded
Did you even open the book? It has characters using magic items baked into the math of the system and casters can basically do everything while non-casters can sometimes do enough damage to matter.
Magic items can be effortlessly acquired with enough cash, so it's high magic.
What your asking is "is GOLARION high magic or low magic?"
The answer is high magic. There are entire nations governed by the use of magic in everything. Wizards, clerics and sorcerors are commonplace to be nearly unremarkable unless their actions make them noteworthy, and bards and rangers can freely use magic themselves.
Not to mention that RAW in the core book even the poorest of shit-hole hamlets can sell you low-value magical items.
>Taking the rules as they are, no homebrewing and no house rules, what kind of world do they model?
High magic. In the core books, most classes have access to magic, can cast magic, can make magical items, and about one of three NPC classes can use magic.
It's extremely high magic, the entire system (which of course is based on 3.5e D&D) is built around players either using a ton of magic or getting magic items.
>Taking the rules as they are
Don't do this to yourself. Pathfinder is one of those rpgs that should not be ran as is.
Pathfinder as a system?
It's GURPS now. If you want it to be low magic, it will be.
Pathfinder setting and only core rule book? High magic, when above level 9.
>shouldn’t be run as is
Why is that?
Because nobody runs any ruleset ever as is. Every GM ever has bent a rule or changed things slightly, even on the fly, to make more sense or make it more fun.
user just has a hateboner for 3.PF. It's not a perfect game by any standard, but it's not about how balanced the rules are or how realistic or anything. It's about how much fun you can have with your group, and generally that means changing stuff in the process regardless of system
The game has extreme imbalances and many thing that don't make sence. Start with the rules but don't be afraid to homebrew or nerf on the go.
No I don't ive been running 3.pf for years now. That does not mean you should over look its flaws.
>low magic, it will be
If I choose to be a wizard, rules as written, will it be low magic up to lvl20?
No. You will be low magic till 5. If that.
>Because nobody runs any ruleset ever as is
I can guess, but I wanted to know if PF “as intended” is going to be like wfrp or like exalted. And if it’s high magic - as it appears to be - is going to make sense or if it’s going to fall apart if you think about it too hard.
Oh it falls apart RAW without magic user. For example: "Free Action" in combat. RAW you can take unlimited free actions in your turn (you technically have unlimited up to the GMs discretion) and talking is classified a free action.
Therefore, by RAW you can recite the completed works of Shakespeare in every language you know inside a 6-second combat turn. This is a running joke in my group.
PF isn't simulationist. It's a game with rules to play that game and should be treated as such.
It's high magic and the rules themselves break the game, never mind high level magic. Don't look too closely. It's a game.
Going by your definition it's high magic. There's magic schools and most cities have spellcasting services as well as magic item shops.
Only in tiny hamlets or very primitive societies magic is viewed differently
Depends on the GM.
Yes, a GM can actually alter the rules to suit his or her needs as much as they want. It's capable of being low magic by banning a few classes or even a lot of classes, and simply magic rare - or even nonexistent (PF Unchained even has rules for no-magic in setting). It's capable of being high magic if you use everything as presented.
It's as variable as the GM needs.
You're committing the classic blunder of engaging the troll while giving them the benefit of a doubt.
He's not here to engage in a civil debate on the merits of the system, he's only here to start shit and derail the thread into another D&D hate thread by false-flagging.
You're better off ignoring him from this point forward.
You’re the only one trying to stir shit up here so far, we are all having a civil discussion. Either get up on our level or leave.
Depends on the level, and in that case, of the races used.
You CAN use only part of the rules and do a low-magic campaign but remember in that case that stuff like healing has to be taken in account in the way you design encounters.
RP and prudence/avoidance will be encouraged
>It's as variable as the GM needs.
It was asked about the system “as it is”, the GM has to work a lot to achieve those goal you mentioned and they’re not even guaranteed at the end of the butchering.
So if I have to use the rules as written it’s going to be high magic, correct?
ultra super duper high magic.
Misconception.
This is not changing the rules, but using only a part.
Say (just imagine, as an example, a gritty setting, post magic apocalypse). Rollable from level 1 is only Rogue, Fighter, Barbarian and Spell-less Ranger (say).
You can, through quest rediscovering the old days, gain levels in caster, but never more than half of the total HD and from level 4+.
And you exclude some spells because reasons.
Of course, magical monsters like demons must b a rarity, like "final bosses" and such.
You are just selecting a subset of the rules as a new framework, the new option set creates a new world.
But you are not making shit up like new classes, spells or items.