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how do any dm's treat this? Do you restrict players from buying a item that has a higher level then the players?
I understand about the balancing of the game and not breaking the game with one OP item.
Example is a group of 5 lvl 2's wanting to buy either one cloak of distortion or one cloak of walking wounded for the defensive pally in the group. The item levels are both lvl 4.
As far as i have read the item level on magic items were for gold pricing. Is it that only lvl 2 pc's can have level 2 items? Or does it vary just mainly on the dm's preference?
The game handles items of above-your-level just fine.
The catch is money: items go up in price so rapidly with level so you would normally have to spend all the gold you've got to buy an above-your-level item - or as in your case, pooling more than one PC's gold for a single purchase...
And that's hardly an optimal way of spending your cash*, so let them! So in the end, you should find that players generally buy stuff of their level or lower; the high-level items they have is the items they find or loot.
And that's exactly how the game is designed to work out
*) Do remember to add 1d4*10% to the price of any magic item the PCs are looking to buy.
I found it very hard to populate my adventures with enough loot (and the "right" loot), so in the end I gave up.
However, that doesn't mean there is a "gear street" with several vendors trying to push +3 Firebrands.
Instead, there are a select few mysterious merchants scattered over the campaign world. They usually have the vanilla stuff only. This means +1 swords as well as +6 amulets. But seldom anything "interesting" - stuff with powers and properties. (Thanks in part to the new magic item creation rules, this isn't so ridiculous anymore)
This allows the math to work, but without lessening (much) the incentive to go forth and find really magical stuff.
Actually, I do offer generic +1 weapons, armor, amulet for purchase... but I don't actually believe in generic +2-+6 versions thereof. Far rather just give out _any_ property...
*) Do remember to add 1d4*10% to the price of any magic item the PCs are looking to buy.
. . . what?
Where did that come from?
~
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I keep shops well behind player level for 2 good reasons
1) The gold bit. Generally the party doesnt have gold enough to buy beyond there levels (if you follow the gold outlay from the DM's, which I do)
2) It generally takes away from the thrill of the find. There is nothing better than that drop which is just a sensational upgrade : it leaves a good taste in your mouth. The more you let players "easily aquire" exactly what they need, the more you take away from that good feeling.
Shops and gold in my group are used primarily to allow players to "Fill the Gap" in terms of loot (for instance. Had a lvl 5 warrior who hadnt got an amulet drop yet. He bought a +1 amulet for cheap : Filled the gap!)
I'm not generally a big fan of magic item stores, at all... so I guess I pretty much wouldn't.
If you're ever in Suzail in Cormyr, please stop by Raguel's Discount Magic Mart, I am selling looted used magic items for only 60% of the manufacturer's suggested retail price!
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If you're ever in Suzail in Cormyr, please stop by Raguel's Discount Magic Mart, I am selling looted used magic items for only 60% of the manufacturer's suggested retail price!
I keep shops well behind player level for 2 good reasons
1) The gold bit. Generally the party doesnt have gold enough to buy beyond there levels (if you follow the gold outlay from the DM's, which I do)
2) It generally takes away from the thrill of the find. There is nothing better than that drop which is just a sensational upgrade : it leaves a good taste in your mouth. The more you let players "easily aquire" exactly what they need, the more you take away from that good feeling.
Shops and gold in my group are used primarily to allow players to "Fill the Gap" in terms of loot (for instance. Had a lvl 5 warrior who hadnt got an amulet drop yet. He bought a +1 amulet for cheap : Filled the gap!)
THIS.
I thought it was understood that the Treasure system was designed so that
a) players can acquire items they want and need
b) players are excited by finding loot
c) players are encouraged to keep the loot they find unless they REALLY, REALLY want that item...
Alternately, liberal use of the Item Levels as Treasure mechanics can take the place of shops and have much more style.
In my game I've formalized the Item Levels as Treasure into "IXP". One IXP = one gold worth of 'accumulated cool factor' which an existing item has accumulated. So if an item needs 10,000gp to enchant from its current status to the new, desired status, but it has 8,000IXP, the cost to enchant is just 2000gp. Once you have enough IXP to advance it without needing gold, I generally allow the item to "become" better without needing Enchant Item to do it - the item grows with the PC. IXP come out of treasure parcels just like everything else, but this way you don't have to do it all at once; you can toss some IXP at an item just 'cause it's been adding to the coolness of the character or the game.
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