Excerpt: Economies [merged]

Fallen Seraph · May 14, 2008

I was thinking about the different potions and this came to mind.

They said higher tiers had different methods beyond Healing Surges to heal, perhaps some of these potions interact with that. So say Potion of Recovery, could speed up Regeneration.

ForbidenMaster · May 14, 2008

Rechan said:
So, the only thing one is supposed to really spend gold on is magical items.

I thought 4e was supposed to reduce the dependency on magical items? All your money in 3e was funneled into your equipment. I'd really like to avoid that particular feeling.

This also makes me wonder what you do if you reduce the amount of magical items in your games period. The "I give you the necessary bonuses of magical items you WOULD be getting this level, instead of giving you the items" method.

And, here's an important part: That NPC who is carrying around that Level 6 item... can he use that? I mean, if that NPC can't use that item, then I question why that guy has it in the first place.

Well first I want to make the distinction between magic items and wondrous items. D&D with less magic items means more mundane items. D&D with less wondrous items means less winged boots.

Now how I understood it Wizards meant that there would be less wondrous items so that you arent a "Christmas tree". That doesnt mean that there will be less magic items. What I think it does mean is that magical items like potions and rituals are going to be more common and more prevelant. Thats what you will be spending your money on.

As for NPCs and magic items, given what we saw on customizing monsters, magic items NPCs will have magic items already calculated into their stats. So as long as you mind the magic threshold, all you have to do is give a magic item to an NPC and not actually change their stats. Magical effects like fire damage, etc. should probably be added.

Thasmodious · May 14, 2008

Like several of these excerpts, the point is that the system in place is easy to use, not very complicated, and easily customizable to the type of game that a particular group enjoys. Yet so many people seem to get caught up on one piece of language or another and start bemoaning how now they must literally write out treasures by level in parcels, or how they hate selling magic items and hate that its still in the game, or how disenchanting is "just like WoW" (really, some of you seem to think WoW literally invented the fantasy genre rather than knock off just about everything else out there).

The whole point of the system is that its customizable. Some groups enjoy magic item commerce - researching an item, tracking down a seller, bargaining, getting adventure hooks off of that. Others hate the idea that you could ever sell a magic item. The system has room for both. That's a good thing.

Pawsplay may be a fan of bags of holding and Quiver's of Elhonna stuffed full of +1 daggers and short swords from the last dungeon foray, but I'm not. I really like the new/retro direction magic items are taking in 4e.

Sojorn · May 14, 2008

Rechan said:
The thing I find more important though is that many magical items give you powers.

Most of the items we have seen give some sort of ability. I want to know if the NPC can use those. Because those always seem very COOL.

According to the customizing monsters article, yes, absolutely.

Unless it's like a potion. Don't put those on a treasure list of something that could use them.

"Well, um, sorry guys, looks like the BBEG drank all your treasure."

dungeon blaster · May 14, 2008

Why are minions worth more XP than standard monsters? My guess is that the columns are switched...

Fallen Seraph · May 14, 2008

Sojorn said:
"Well, um, sorry guys, looks like the BBEG drank all your treasure."

Or when he fell dead all his potions broke open and the contents spilled out

(I have never done this myself, least face the wrath of my group).

Boarstorm · May 14, 2008

Sojorn said:
Unless it's like a potion. Don't put those on a treasure list of something that could use them.

"Well, um, sorry guys, looks like the BBEG drank all your treasure."

Heh, that's what you call MOTIVATION.

"Take him down quick, he's drinking our lewt!"

Stormtalon · May 14, 2008

Funny thing is, the single most popular cache of treasure I've ever put in an adventure for my group was a room full of casks of exotic liquors and ales....

Rechan · May 14, 2008

A'koss said:
And one of the few conventions from that edition I missed...

The one problem is that if you have a player (or a group) who do not care about building castles or nationbuilding, or any of that jazz, then gold becomes worthless to them.

Rechan · May 14, 2008

Stormtalon said:
Funny thing is, the single most popular cache of treasure I've ever put in an adventure for my group was a room full of casks of exotic liquors and ales....

Put some exotic and expensive whores in there with 'em, and that's the best treasure in all of fantasy.

Excerpt: Economies [merged]

Fallen Seraph

First Post

ForbidenMaster

Explorer

Thasmodious

First Post

Sojorn

First Post

dungeon blaster

First Post

Fallen Seraph

First Post

Boarstorm

First Post

Stormtalon

First Post

Rechan

Adventurer

Rechan

Adventurer

Similar Threads