In role-playing games, there are various genres. Science fiction, fantasy, modern and horror are just some of the examples. Some RPGs, such as Savage Worlds, Gurps, and Palladium, offer many different genres or settings for the game to take place.

Dungeons and Dragons falls into the fantasy genre, though there can be some subtle differences within that genre (Eberron, Points of Light, etc.). All of these are considered “high fantasy” settings, due to the proliferation of wizarding and magical elements. While there are surely several games that use the “low fantasy” (low magic) setting, D&D 4e is not one of them. In this article, I will discuss how to turn your fourth game into a game environment similar to Conan and Lord of the Rings.

When it comes to your world map, you should limit the number of defined zones or territory lines. Since accurate maps are hard to come by for those in a fantasy setting, especially since land disputes can drag on for years, there is never a secure feeling of location. This should be especially true in territories between different races (elves, humans, etc.).

In a classic fantasy setting, there are few races. Most likely, the only races available are Human, Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling. However, that does not mean that there is only one type of human or one type of elf. Take any “off-limits” race (like an orc) and use it as your character, just call it elf (or human, or whatever). For those races with special abilities, you’ll need to change the flavor of the abilities to be in line with your race (the dragonborn’s fire breath ability could actually be a flask of ignited oil, etc.). When an elf walks into town, it’s a big deal: he’s an instant celebrity (or oddity).

Regarding character classes, players and the DM should limit most player characters (as well as enemies) to martial classes (fighter, thief, ranger, etc.). Too many characters with mystical powers detract from the realism of the setting (yes, I’m aware I’m talking about the fantasy setting, but remember we’re going for little magic here). If you have a magical character, try to limit it to one per adventurer party.

When it comes to magic items, less is more (and more powerful). The game of D&D 4e assumes that the player characters carry a certain number of magical items to help them overcome skill challenges, enemies, monsters, encounters, and adventures. Without those magical elements, the DM would have to work harder to tone the challenges, or the PCs wouldn’t be “heroic” enough to deal with them.

While the PCs will be carrying very few (if any) magical items, they have to make up the difference somehow. There is an easy solution. Just assume your character has a level-appropriate magic item of their choice at 1st level. Each level after that, gain another magic item to fill a different slot, until all slots are filled (neck, weapon, feet, armor, etc). At the start of each level, the player is free to mix and match whatever combination of items their character would normally be allowed to have. Now, you’re not actually receiving any magic items; you’re just getting the upgrades as if you had them. So how do you explain that?

You must explain how your character gets these upgrades, since normal people don’t get them. Has your character been given a single magical item (such as a sword, wand, staff, or shield) that encompasses all the magical properties of all of their “phantom” items? Has he been bewitched by witches? Is he the son or daughter of a god? What is important to remember is that, individually, magical items are not important, because they don’t really exist. You simply have to discover its source and use it as an important part of your character’s background/story.

Also, with little concern for individual magical items, the treasure should be given much more sparingly. No need to buy powerful magic items, no need for exuberant amounts of treasure. When the characters come across a few hundred gold pieces, now it means something.

The enemies and monsters the PCs face should be mostly human (since we’re looking for a mostly human environment). When the characters encounter an orc or goblin, it’s not because they’ve found an orc camp, it’s because someone, somewhere has created a band of orcs to wreak havoc. Fantastic creatures, like the beholder, should be reinterpreted as a powerful wizard, and then things like dragons should just be very rare.

Remember, most adventures in a classic fantasy setting should involve threats devised by humans. Out-of-this-world threats should come from faraway lands, where few humans venture. If you need help imagining the classic fantasy setting, just watch movies like Clash of the Titans, Lord of the Rings, and Conan. That should put you in the mood to play a real more low-on-earth classic fantasy setting.