D&D 5E The Case for a Magic Item Shop?

BASHMAN · Oct 16, 2014

My character is a human, very adept in stealth, re-skinned as a ninja. Sneaking and scouting for the party is her role in the group. But recently we've been in the underdark and it looks like we're going to be there for quite some time. My main role, sneaking ahead and scouting, is now useless because I:
A. Cannot see in the dark and
B. If I use a light-source, I am automatically not stealthed, making me the worst ninja ever.

Currently now that we're in the underdark, I still use stealth, but I have to travel with the "light pack" of other characters that need light to see, while others who can see in the dark, but aren't as adept at stealth, do the scouting. At best, this just gives me an edge in the first combat round when we're attacked, but I cannot do the scouting / recon that I'm good at.

If I want to keep doing what my character was built to do (and did very successfully before we got to the underdark) I *require* the ability to see in the dark. This would likely entail some sort of magic item (some sort of goggles, I guess) that would let me do that. At present, there is a 0% chance that I will get such an item (what are the odds of that being in a drow's random treasure pile)?

My options seem to be: A. multi-classing into Warlock JUST TO GET DEVIL's SIGHT, which is not fitting with this character's concept and totally cheesy and the GM HATES multi-classing level-dips for features (and I agree with him).
B. Beg the GM to drop a darkvision item for me in some future treasure pile. I hate the very idea of this; that monsters will carry custom-made treasure for whiny PCs.
C. make it possible for people to buy some magic items.

I've got THOUSANDS of GP and nothing to spend it on, because we cannot buy magic items, even minor ones. What are we supposed to DO with all that gold, anyway? Buy hexes on the world map?

I get why some items should be rare; it makes magic more special, yada yada. But relying on the kindness of others... both the GM to drop the exact treasure I need and THE OTHER PLAYERS TO ALLOW ME HAVE IT (seriously I've played in a party before where the dwarf would INSIST on taking goggles of darkvision and had some sort of logic-gymnastics spectacle as to why that would be appropriate just to grief other players).

I understand not having enchanted weapons, armor, rings, and such "legendary" things for sale. But making small, utilitarian items purchasable might give us something to spend our gold on and allow characters to do things like adventure in hostile environments (like under water dungeons or the underdark, etc.).

Astrosicebear · Oct 16, 2014

Talk to your GM. Find out how long this Underdark scenario will last. If its going to be the crux of the campaign for the foreseeable future, raise your concerns and come up with a way to either get that item, or something equivalent. Maybe you can do a quest for a mage that he will gift you the item, or cast a spell on you to give you darkvision.

If this underdark scenario will only last a few more sessions, maybe best to tough it out for a while and be glad you are out of there.

Also, if you are going to be there for a long time, dip in warlock is acceptable, just play it out. Talk to your DM and say that if no magic item is available, i want to do this and the character would do whatever they could... if that means making a pact with a devil, so be it. Play it up in game "id do anything to see in the dark" "what i woudlnt give for darkvision" etc.

Korgul79 · Oct 16, 2014

I don't know if my advice would work with every dm, but personally, or if it fits your campaign, but the solution I prefer if the player want something in game is simple: Look for it.

Search in libraries for legends or report of night vision google or items, try to work for powerfull mages that can provide you the abilityes to see in the darkness, have somone try some divination spell to clue for finding similar items.

(I tend to favor sandboxy type of game where player imputs and player goal can drive the campign, so, as a DM, I'd appreciate this kind of commitment from PC).

No magic wallmart does not means magic item can't be searched or found. It just means that finding them is not as trivial as doing some shopping.

Paraxis · Oct 16, 2014

First I agree with you, magic item shops and player created magic item creation should be a thing.

What you are looking for at least is in the DMG basic pdf.

Goggles of Night
Wondrous item, uncommon
While you wear these dark lenses, you have darkvision in a 60-foot radius. If you already have
darkvision, wearing the goggles increases its radius by 60 feet.

I can see some drow might have these to increase their own darkvision, any edge against other creatures especially other drow is a nice thing for them to have.

Another thing your DM should consider, how darkvision works. It allows someone to treat dim light as bright light and darkness as dim lighting. What that means is most places commonly used by creatures with darkvision should be illuminated to a dim lighting level which is ideal for stealth. Who wants to have disadvantage all the time on perception checks and only see in black and white?

So sure in the tunnels the the drow scouting parties might not use any illumination, but in the cities themselves I imagine they have soft lighting everywhere.

Giltonio_Santos · Oct 16, 2014

This is totally up to your DM. It's not that magic items cannot be sold, but that they're not trade goods in the default setting. They're not trade goods on my own setting either, but I can see various settings where the magic item shop would be fine. The question is: what kind of setting is your DM's setting? In my own game, I'd let you spend your huge accumulated wealth researching some kind of ritual that would allow you to steal a creature's darkvision, for example, but finding a magic item shop would be out of question.

billd91 · Oct 16, 2014

epochrpg said:
My options seem to be: A. multi-classing into Warlock JUST TO GET DEVIL's SIGHT, which is not fitting with this character's concept and totally cheesy and the GM HATES multi-classing level-dips for features (and I agree with him).
B. Beg the GM to drop a darkvision item for me in some future treasure pile. I hate the very idea of this; that monsters will carry custom-made treasure for whiny PCs.
C. make it possible for people to buy some magic items.

Depends on how this DM's underdark works. If it's like the standard underdark, as introduced in 1e modules like the D1-3 series, humans interact with underdark communities - sometimes travel there from the surface. Regular traders or travelers, most likely fairly powerful in their own right, may be good sources of human-friendly devices for seeing in the dark. If so, hit a few caravans if you can find them and loot for such items.

If the DM doesn't run the underdark like that, and this is sufficiently important to your PC, what's wrong with selling (or maybe just renting out) your soul to a powerful force and gaining a little warlock power? That doesn't sound particularly cheesy to me at all. Could lead to some serious consequences but those could be fun to play.

epochrpg said:
I've got THOUSANDS of GP and nothing to spend it on, because we cannot buy magic items, even minor ones. What are we supposed to DO with all that gold, anyway? Buy hexes on the world map?

I'm interested to see the DMG's take on what PCs are expected to do with the gold and riches they liberate from their adventures. In AD&D, most of that money went to training costs when you wanted to advance in level. In 3e and 4e, most of that money went to magic items. Since neither is the expectation in 5e, what will the money be useful for?

Astrosicebear · Oct 16, 2014

billd91 said:
I'm interested to see the DMG's take on what PCs are expected to do with the gold and riches they liberate from their adventures. In AD&D, most of that money went to training costs when you wanted to advance in level. In 3e and 4e, most of that money went to magic items. Since neither is the expectation in 5e, what will the money be useful for?

From the teasers, most of the player's wealth would be spent on living expenses and stronghold/land purchases. But in a mobile campaign, where the PCs arent rooted down, we simply dont know what those options are yet.

Dausuul · Oct 16, 2014

Korgul79 said:
I don't know if my advice would work with every dm, but personally, or if it fits your campaign, but the solution I prefer if the player want something in game is simple: Look for it.

This, exactly.

Keep in mind that if there are civilizations in the Underdark (drow, duergar, svirfneblin, et cetera), then there are probably a handful of surface-dwellers who've found themselves living in those civilizations. They have the same problem you do, except in their case they aren't trying to be stealthy but just get along in cities where everybody except them can see in the dark. Many of them probably have goggles of night or the equivalent. So all you have to do is locate such individuals, then either make a deal of some kind or kill them and take their stuff. All that gold you've got might come in handy here.

Another option would be to work something out with an Underdark spellcaster. Drow tend to be pretty good with magic. They could probably rig something up to let you see in the dark... for a price, which may or may not be limited to money. And of course you have to convince the drow that cutting a deal is better than simply killing you and taking your stuff.

Or just use spells like legend lore and some good old-fashioned Persuasion checks to uncover the location of a suitable magic item.

Prism · Oct 16, 2014

Have you a wizard, sorcerer or druid to cast darkvision on you? Then there should be no problem

Even if there was a magic item shop what are the chances that it will have the item you want?

Korgul79 · Oct 16, 2014

Paraxis said:
First I agree with you, magic item shops and player created magic item creation should be a thing.

Well, that could apply for some settings and some types of campaign, but would fit very bad with many others setting and playstyle, expecially settings that aim to give an aura of mistery and uniqueness to magic and wonderous items. Anyway, if magical items are not that uncommon in the game world, Goggles of Night or some similar equipment should be more easy to find or loot than in virtually any other place. Expecially from traders or explorers from the outside world, who may not have dark vision and thus tryed to compensate from the handicap. I'd prefer loot to not be completly random, but to make sense with the circumstances.