Magic in the Campaign World (CWH)

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Whether designing a campaign or establishing the parameters of a single adventure, the DM will find it helpful to understand the prevalence of magic in his world. Is magic relatively common—are wizards encountered as frequently as any other character type—or is magic extremely rare, with practitioners relegated to rumors and legend?  Deciding how much magic exists involves not just the number of wizards and magical items, but also the prevalence of spells, magical monsters, and magical effects in general.
Here are a few of the questions the DM should consider when deciding how magic fits into his world:          
How common are wizards? The frequency with which wizards are encountered gives a good indication of how often a party is likely to encounter magical items and spell books. Obviously, if magic is uncommon, magical items are especially valuable.
How available are academies and mentors? A world with little magic provides would-be wizards with few opportunities to learn their crafts. Advancement through the various levels of skill is likely to be slow. Certain specialties may not be available at all. Conversely, a world where magic is relatively common should have a variety of specialists of all levels among its population.
How are wizards accepted among the general population? Are wizards feared or respected? Revered or despised? A predominance of magic does not guarantee that the general population feels comfortable with wizards; though familiarity can foster acceptance, it can also breed prejudice and resentment.
Is there a relationship between magic and political power? Wizards usually wield more power than any other group in a society. Have the wizards used their power for political gain? Are they commonly found as rulers and administrators? Does the general population reject the idea of wizard rulers (wizards are too strange or too frightening) or do they embrace it (wizards are smart and deserve to run the government)?          
How integrated are wizards in the rest of society? Do wizards live openly, or must they keep their abilities secret? Are wizards able to walk down the street unmolested, or do they invariably draw a crowd of curious on-lookers or hostile townsmen who regard them as a threat? Do they live in a special area of town, or can they make their homes anywhere they wish? Do they associate only with other wizards, do they mingle freely with people from all walks of life, or do they prefer a solitary existence?
There are no fixed rules for the amount of magic available in a campaign world, as long as the DM strives for consistency and balance. Following are some general guidelines for several different types of campaigns.
==Worlds With Excessive Amounts of Magic==
In worlds where magic is relatively common, the non-wizard is sometimes the outsider. Wizards are the most frequently encountered character class and typically hold all positions of power. Wizards of good alignments consider themselves caretakers of the non-wizard population; wizards of evil alignments see the non-wizards as an exploitable resource.
Kingdoms controlled by evil wizards often clash with one another. They also frequently wage war on kingdoms controlled by good wizards. The awesome power wielded in these conflicts can easily devastate the entire world. (Think of such conflicts as the wizardly equivalent of nuclear war.)
Mentors and academies of magic are common, as are wizards of all schools and levels. Novices tend to rise quickly in ability, and high-level wizards are in abundance. Magical items and magical monsters abound. There may be a large number of priests as well, since they are also magic-users, but an abundance of wizards does not guarantee that a world has an abundance of priests. (Priests get their magical abilities from the gods, who may be as generous or as stingy with their gifts as the DM wants.)
Worlds where magic is prevalent are invariably populated by a large number of powerful characters. The DM will probably have his hands full trying to maintain play balance, devising challenging adventures for his player characters, and prevent non-wizard player characters from feeling overwhelmed or insignificant. For these reasons, it is suggested that only experienced DMs attempt to stage adventures in a magic-heavy campaign world. Creating a world where magic is taken for granted can be difficult, but for DMs and players up to the challenge, it can be a fascinating alternative
==Worlds With Typical Amounts of Magic==
"Typical" in this sense means the amount of magic present within the limits of an average AD&D® campaign world. In such worlds, magic is known to exist, but real wizards are regarded with awe and perhaps a little suspicion. Average people may be baffled by magic and others may be afraid of it, but all are impressed by its power.
Wizards are uncommon, especially those of higher levels. Novices wishing to master a particular school of magic may have to work hard to find a suitable mentor or academy. In some areas of the world, certain specialists may not even exist. Spell books, magical items, and magical monsters are relatively rare; finding one will probably be a major event in the life of any character.
To avoid violating the unique nature of magic in this type of world, the DM must be careful to set limits on the availability of magical items, spell books, and magical effects in general. He also may wish to limit the number of magic-users by deciding whether PCs can be multi-class or dual class characters with wizard or priest spells. In a campaign where such restrictions are in force, evil wizards will not need to be quite as powerful to be effective against a typical party. Without such restrictions, there are likely to be more magic-users in a party, meaning that evil wizards will need to be of higher levels to be effective opponents.
==Worlds With Low Amounts of Magic==
Not surprisingly, wizards are rare commodities in worlds where little magic exists. Most people have never seen a real wizard. In some of these societies, wizards are confined to myths and legend. A player character wizard will likely be restricted to low levels, and advancement will be difficult. In fact, it may be impossible for a wizard to reach higher levels of ability—such spells may simply not exist. Magical items are extremely rare, if they exist at all. Magical monsters are equally rare, but those encountered are especially formidable, wielding powers unheard of by a typical adventuring party.
==Worlds With No Magic==
By means of a portal, a magical device or artifact, or divine intervention, an adventuring party might find themselves on a world where magic does not exist. Alternately, a player character may find himself transported from a world where magic is common to a world with no magic. Aside from the PC wizards in the party, such a world has no wizards at all. There are also no magical items, spell books, magical monsters, or magical effects of any kind. Such a world will have a number of interesting ramifications for wizard characters, as well as for the party as a whole.
* There is no way to recharge rods and other magical items.
* There is no way for a wizard to learn new spells.
* Magical research is impossible.
* Magical potions no longer exist (aside from those the characters brought with them).
How would such a world react to a wizard? As an analogy, imagine how people of our world would react to the news that an actual wizard walked the planet. Some would beseech him for favors, while others would seek to exploit him. Some would see him as a hero, while others would see him as a physical manifestation of their religious beliefs. Governments might attempt to recruit him as a weapon against enemies. Scholars might seek to study him. Unsophisticated people, fearful of his power, might try to capture or kill him.
Obviously, a world without magic is radically different from the typical AD&D® campaign world, but it can be a refreshing change for the DM and a stimulating challenge for players with wizard PCs. There are many interesting themes to explore in this type of campaign world, but the action is also likely to be more subdued without magical monsters and evil wizards for opponents.