Buying Magic Items in FR Campaign

[Wraithdrit]

Hey all,

I know that the idea of purchasing magic items turns the stomach of some DMs. What I am looking for is how this topic should be handled in an FR campaign. In the FRCS it talks about four ways to get magic items are through adventuring, temples, purchase, or the Red Wizards.

Magic of Faerun expands on that a little and details the four different types of merchants that deal in magic items. You have the bazaar dwelling minor item seller that probably has as much non-magic gimmick items as he does real minor itmes, the secret magic shop owner who deals in very high brow clientelle and is only available to people that know someone, you have the black market dealers, and you have the trade wizards that focus on the creation of lots of smaller items.

Problem is, other than the Red Wizards, the other methods are not defined as to what they have.

If you run an FR game, how do you handle it?

- Wraith

 

[Henry]

I actively run an FR game right now, one which roves all over the Dalelands, Sembia, Cormyr, and the Moonsea, and here is how I handle it:

Each merchant has a limited stock of items that constantly revolve. If the party comes back through after spending a week in a dungeon or off adventuring, they come back to a dealer whose inventory has changed.

Is the dealer a minor or major one?

MINOR: These are they guys in towns of 5,000 people or less. I list a half dozen potions, a dozen scrolls, and one or two minor magic items (rings, miscellaneous, etc.) that he currently has. Each item has 1d6 in stock, except for permanent items.

MAJOR: a major dealer (Red Wizard Enclaves, Magic Brokers) are in towns of 5,000 people or up. There are a maximum of up to 5 to 7 dealers in the largest towns (Ordulin, Waterdeep, Suzail, etc.), and only one or two everywhere else. These dealers have a fairly large assortment of both in-house magic, as well as items they can get their hands on within a week's time. I will simply tell the Players, "list for me several Magic items you are searching for, and He'll tell you if he has them." I use a percentile check based on the following:

Size of Town        Minor magic     Medium Magic    Major Magic
5,000 to 10,000        50%                25%              5%
up to 20,000           60%                30%              10%
up to 50,000           70%                35%              15%
above 50,000           75%                40%              20%

Now, can they afford it?

All magic I price about 30% to 50% above book value, depending on whim, to represent area economic conditions. Then, the PC's make a Diplomacy Check.

Check Result = under 10? They get gouged. Either they pay the 150% value, or they're walking out without their gewgaw.

Check result = 10 to 19? They'll get it about 0% to 10% over book value.

Check Result = 20 to 30? They'll get a minor discount, about 90% of book or so.

Check result = over 30? They really got the merchant's snoggies over a barrel, or the merchant really likes them, or they told him JUST what he wanted to hear. They can walk away with their purchase for up to 75% of book value.


The sad part is, despite my reminder since day one that Diplomacy and Bluff is very important to NPC interactions, only one player has a Diplomacy score of higher than +1.

This info ties in to how wealth is made in the game too. I have given them opportunities to trade with monsters and folk, They rarely find loose coins, but more often find jewelry, expensive items, luxury goods, etc. (One employer once paid them with 1900 POUNDS of smoked salmon. They traded it for 1500 gold and passage on a boat.)

Hopefully, this is helpful to you, but keep in mind that the most important thing is to make it seem organic, even if the secret is to make it arbitrary. Magic items move across the Realms all the time, shopkeepers change inventory, and there's no need to keep up with exact lists between visits, because trade is very alive in Faerun.

 

[Faraer]

My advice is to ignore this retcon (one of several instances where the setting has been bent to match the new rules). Here's how it is in Ed's Realms: No magic shops, but a few curio shops may have a few magic things, and other shops occasionally one or two behind the counter. Many temples sell potions and scrolls. Making magic items is difficult and time-consuming, as described in Volo's Guide to All Things Magical, and apart from potions (which are often labelled with symbols -- see Dragon #285 p. 88), they're largely unique, not mass-produced. Magic items may also change hands by trade, but more often of service or goods than coin. There are a few exceptions: Waterdeep's Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors sells minor items to members, for instance.

 

[Mystery Man]

Cool system Henry! I may have to incorporate that into my FR Campaign.

Also the Magic user in the group makes magic items. I don't restrict a thing, if he can afford the materials and has the time and XP to burn I say go for it.

The sad part is, despite my reminder since day one that Diplomacy and Bluff is very important to NPC interactions, only one player has a Diplomacy score of higher than +1.

That was overlooked for only a few levels in my campaign until they started to look for rather expensive items.

 

[Desdichado]

I think every town over hamlet size should have a shoppe, and everyone should have a d% chance to have any particular magic item. I mean, really, what's the point in going into local shoppes if there isn't a chance to find a +4 vorpal dancing mercurial greatsword?

 

[Mystery Man]

I think every town over hamlet size should have a shoppe, and everyone should have a d% chance to have any particular magic item. I mean, really, what's the point in going into local shoppes if there isn't a chance to find a +4 vorpal dancing mercurial greatsword?

So you can kill everything and get the XP?

 

[Desdichado]

That's what you do to shoppekeeps that don't have the items you're looking for -- you kill them and take their stuff.

 

[Wraithdrit]

The players are headed to Arabel. My current plans are for their to be a Thayan Entourage setting up shop in town (not an enclave yet), for their to be an Iron Throne presence (masterwork/magic weapons and armor), and the Lady's House (temple magic courteousy of Tymora). That should give a few different options, and some interesting RP opportunities at the same time.

 

[Philip]

The sad part is, despite my reminder since day one that Diplomacy and Bluff is very important to NPC interactions, only one player has a Diplomacy score of higher than +1.

I have the opposite problem. My character has maxed out his diplomacy from the start of the campaign and he has trouble getting a good room at the inn, because the DM doesn't seem to like the skill that much. Says its 'too easy'.

Anyway, I use of formula to decide the availability of a particular item that depends on:

- character level (more experienced and reknowned characters tend to get magic items more easily)
- market price of item (cheaper items are easier to get)
- rarity of item (arbitrarily decided by me, I think 8,000 gp. ioun stones are rarer than cloaks of protection +3, despite the similar price)
- g.p. limit of settlement (larger towns have a greater chance to have an item available)

Then the PC searching for a particular item makes a Gather Information or Diplomacy skill roll. Gather Information if he tries to search for an existing item, Diplomacy if he tries to convince someone to make the item.

I put the roll into the formula and it results in a percentage chance to find the item in question. If the percentage is rolled, the PC succeeds. Doing this takes a PC a week of game time (and longer if he convices someone to make the item). They can try again each week.

 

[Arnwyn]

If you run an FR game, how do you handle it?

No magic shops and no Thayan enclaves. See Faraer's post, above.

However, if you like that wacky 3e retconning stuff, I think Henry's suggestion above is the shiznit.