Low Fantasy, Low Magic, High Fantasy, and High Magic

[AlexanderHowl]

I was curious, how do people define the terms low fantasy, low magic, high fantasy, and high magic in relation to GURPS? From my understanding of the type of fantasy, low fantasy possesses common and predictable magic while high fantasy possesses rare and/or unpredictable magic. From my understanding of the type of magic, low magic is the magic of the masses while high magic is the magic of the elites. How do you understand the terminology in relation to GURPS?

[AllenOwen]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

I was curious, how do people define the terms low fantasy, low magic, high fantasy, and high magic in relation to GURPS? From my understanding of the type of fantasy, low fantasy possesses common and predictable magic while high fantasy possesses rare and/or unpredictable magic. From my understanding of the type of magic, low magic is the magic of the masses while high magic is the magic of the elites. How do you understand the terminology in relation to GURPS?

I tend to think of low magic and low fantasy as magic being rare and difficult to cast, but can provide great power, for a price. High magic means it's common and everywhere, and powerful without much cost. Probably the opposite of what you think LOL.

That's just me, though.

[johndallman]

To me, high:low fantasy and high:low magic are separate properties.

IMHO, High Fantasy deals with the destiny of a setting; the Encyclopedia of Fantasy is a bit more specific about it. Nearly everyone agrees that The Lord of The Rings is high fantasy, but there's debate about what else is.

Low Fantasy, for me, deals in grimy human matters in a fantastic setting. The Encyclopedia differs on the definition. Joe Abercrombie's Third Law trilogy and other books in the same setting are low fantasy; the fate of nations sometimes turns on events, but those events are driven by very mundane concerns.

[Refplace]

To me High Fantasy is where magic is weaved into the setting, Tolkien is a good example but so are the Shanara Chronicles, Elric, and the Lankhmar books. Low Fantasy is more like Conan, a gritty world where most magic is viewed as folklore and if encountered it can usually be worked around or overcome with mundane means.

High Magic means magic tends to have (or had) epic capabilities and is pretty common. Low Magic means rare or scarce magic and likely few or no magic items.

I do not consider reliability or predictability as part of that definition, though unreliable magic will tend to be less commonly used because of the risk.

[zoncxs]

To me, High and Low fantasy have nothing or very little to do with magic. High and low fantasy has to do with how different the world is from reality. A low fantasy setting has more in common with our world than a High Fantasy setting.

High Magic and Low Magic for me would be about the capabilities of the powers in the setting and its availability.

Low Magic would mean powers that do not outshine the physical and technology that much. Small effects that require great thinking in how to use it to the best effect. It is not that powerful compared to the mundane.

High Magic is the opposite for me. Its easy for magic to out perform the mundane, and there will be societies that thrive out magic alone. It is easy to do for those that can.

[AlexanderHowl]

Middle Earth is a High Fantasy and High Magic setting because magic is quite rare and it is usually the property if the elites. Magic items were quite rare in the series, they were never bought, and the power to make magical items seemed to be even rarer. Even Bilbo, who became quite wealthy, only possessed three magical items, and they were either found or gifted.

Conversely, Yrth is a Low Fantasy and Low Magic setting. Anyone born with Magery could potentially become a caster (Low Magic) and there are stores that sell magical items in nearly every town (Low Fantasy). In fact, most gaming worlds with magic tend to be Low Fantasy and Low Magic.

[khorboth]

Clearly, these are poorly defined or at least not well agreed upon. The way I use them:

High fantasy: deals with epic adventure and grimy details are glossed over. Supply lines are not considered. Nobody goes to the bathroom etc. Rule of cool overrules logic.

Low fantasy: great pains for realism are taken. The effect of magic and the supernatural on the world is contemplated strongly. World consistency is extremely important.

High magic: magic is a common factor in the story and/or world. Generally, magic, magic items, or their effects are accessible to most people.

Low magic: magic is rare in the story/world. Most people will be surprised by magic or magicians.

So, examples...

High fantasy, high magic: D&D

High fantasy, low magic: Middle Earth

Low fantasy, high magic: Avitar The Last Airbender

Low fantasy, low magic: A Song of Fire & Ice

[AlexanderHowl]

I think that there may be a conflation between 'low' and 'uncommon' and 'high' and 'common'. Traditionally, low magic has been associated with the lower classes (Voodoo, Hoodoo, Appalachian Witchcraft, Native American Shamanism, etc. are good examples) while high magic has been associated with the elites (O.T.O. and A.A. are good examples). Low magic can be quite common or quite rare, depending on the setting, while high magic is usually quite rare.

Of course, definitions can vary. Some people think that low fantasy deals with fantasy in the real world while high fantasy deals with fantasy in another world. Other people think that low fantasy deals with realistic portrayals of characters while high fantasy gives unrealistic portrayals of people acing fantastic circumstances.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

I think that there may be a conflation between 'low' and 'uncommon' and 'high' and 'common'. Traditionally, low magic has been associated with the lower classes (Voodoo, Hoodoo, Appalachian Witchcraft, Native American Shamanism, etc. are good examples) while high magic has been associated with the elites (O.T.O. and A.A. are good examples). Low magic can be quite common or quite rare, depending on the setting, while high magic is usually quite rare.

Of course, definitions can vary. Some people think that low fantasy deals with fantasy in the real world while high fantasy deals with fantasy in another world. Other people think that low fantasy deals with realistic portrayals of characters while high fantasy gives unrealistic portrayals of people acing fantastic circumstances.

Yeah, I don't know about your tradition but as far as I'm concerned the 'conflation' is the true path. It's 'low' or 'high' concentrations, or settings on the dial.

You can talk about 'low' or 'high' magic referring to what's essentially class issues, sure, but that's a description of a magical practice, not a setting. It's very common for settings to have both kinds (or multiple flavors of both kinds). And applying that to 'fantasy' barely makes sense at all, or at least leaves an excluded middle that encompasses most gaming.

Whereas for concentrations, it's clear enough. Low magic - there's not much of it (though it might be grand when it makes an appearance), high magic it's all over the place. For the 'fantasy' side, that's the metric of prevalence of classical fantasy tropes and archetypes.

[edk926]

Low fantasy is realistic fantasy with primarily humans. High fantasy is full of various races and fantastical and mythological creatures.

Low magic is rare and inherently dangerous. High magic can be a couple of things really. One is plentiful magic. Another is magic done with ceremonies and rituals.