How medieval are your fantasy games?

Agreed, Jerry. And that, I suppose, depends on the setting’s specifics. I wonder if anybody has made a “fantasy” setting that is a mirror of our real, post-industrial world, but decided that all the high tech is actually powered by magic and not by our laws of nature. I don’t actually read a lot of fantasy fiction, but I suppose that there are few settings in which the magic to make long distance calls, to check the magical equivalent of the internet, or to power factories is as ubiquitous as these things are in our world. What I’m trying to say is that magic seems to be a small-scale thing even in high-fantasy settings, if we compare it with the more boring effects of post-industrial technology. Magic makes some things quicker and better but only for a few. I’m curious to know if anybody reading this knows of fantasy settings that mimic our world but with magic, and why anybody would want to imagine such a world.

I was thinking more along the lines of communication via some sort of magic object, rather than magic objects that are essentially our modern tech but ‘D&D-ified’. So magic mirrors, telepathy/psionics and that sort of thing. Also, various flying D&D animals could be used for transport over distances. Lastly, there’s also the divine aspect, in which deities can be asked to help/intervene, or choose to do so for their own agenda/outlook. I don’t see any of this as ‘our stuff now but magic and in D&D’. Mgaic in D&D is it’s own thing and there might be all sorts of rules from area to area/society to society about how it’s used and who gets to use it.

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In the Northern Crown setting for 3.x, there are Natural Philosophies which are D&D spells created through understanding natural laws, and made through mechanical or chemical artifice. However, magic spells also exist in the setting, so that may negate your criteria.

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