DMs: What would you allow your PCs to buy?

FireLance

Legend

• Jan 27, 2005

• #1

Reading through this thread about players whining about being able to buy magic items made me wonder where most DMs draw the line at allowing players to customize their characters' equipment.

Note that "buy" for the purpose of this poll means outright purchase with gold pieces, commissioning the creation of, trading existing equipment, or some other commercial transaction. It does not include equipment that is found, given as gifts or rewards, or which increases with the power of the owner.

 

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arwink

Clockwork Golem

• Jan 27, 2005

• #2

I'm all for allowing players to buy whatever they want, as long as they give me advanced warning before any big purchases. Not everything is available immediately, but if someone is willing to put the time and effort into researching where they can buy the item they're looking for I'm willing to let them pay the price.

 

hero4hire

Explorer

• Jan 27, 2005

• #3

Unless it's Eberron, the max I'd allow to "buy" would be MW Full Plate. Eberron's Sharn actually has existing Magic Shops, with Artificers being numerous. I could easily see Magic Armor being buyable in a place like Sharn.

 

Treebore

First Post

• Jan 27, 2005

• #4

I have essentially the same DMing philosophy as Arwink.

 

Mercule

Adventurer

• Jan 27, 2005

• #5

I'd allow any of the above. But, it'd be a commissioned piece. Definitely not off-the-shelf. I checked only the first two boxes because there is the slimmest chance that an armorer in a large city might have something that could be modified a bit, rather than made from scratch.

 

Kelleris

Explorer

• Jan 27, 2005

• #6

On the condition that more expensive things will require digging up a mage to do it and some time, or a wide-cast net o' merchandisin', anything on the list is fine by me. Now that magical items don't require an epic quest just to create, I don't see how it should be any different. Prices may vary and caveat emptor, of course.

Also, it bothers me when people characterise player requests as "whining," though I admittedly haven't seen the thread that generated this one.

 

reanjr

First Post

• Jan 27, 2005

• #7

I would let them purchase full plate, regular or masterwork.

And by purchase, I mean commission. They could not just walk into a city one day and leave the next day with a suit of full plate.

 

Kelleris

Explorer

• Jan 27, 2005

• #8

So armorers are susceptible to the lure of shiny, shiny gold pieces, but no wizards are?

Heh, sorry, I don't mean to be antagonistic. Though, if you don't under any circumstance allow permanent magical items to be purchased/commissioned, is there an in-campaign reason why, or is it a flavor-maintanence thing?

 

Angel Tarragon

Dawn Dragon

• Jan 27, 2005

• #9

When you say buy, I assume you mean walking into an a place that sells the stuff. I allow my players to buy whatever is in the PHB, and other items from various D20 and WotC books, barring approval. Everything else, from masterwork to magic items need to be commissioned.

 

Ryltar

First Post

• Jan 27, 2005

• #10

The first three. There will never, ever be +5 items in any of my games.

As for the method of acquiring said full plate:

normal: can be bought in select armorer's shops
mwk: commissioned work
mithral: only as a quest reward or something similar.