-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Does your setting have Magic Shops
- Thread starter Hussar
- Start date
Baron Opal
First Post
Yes, but anything major has to be custom ordered. Gold alone is often insufficent for major items.
Major = 3rd level spell or greater, any permanent item.
Charged items (e.g. wands) of 1st and 2nd level spells are in the grey zone.
Major = 3rd level spell or greater, any permanent item.
Charged items (e.g. wands) of 1st and 2nd level spells are in the grey zone.
frankthedm
First Post
Players use social skills to find those who trade items and such. Players can ask for what they want. Middleman checks for availability and costs through networks of contacts. Middleman delivers offer, and sees that negotiations are set up to both parties agreement.
Both parties will need to prove to the other what items are capable of. The campaign uses 3.0 Identify so a first / second level spell is not enough.
A "shop" of magic items is far too great of a risk. The ward that stops a thief will kill the the Royal Guard searching the shop and lead to the shopkeep's execution.
Both parties will need to prove to the other what items are capable of. The campaign uses 3.0 Identify so a first / second level spell is not enough.
A "shop" of magic items is far too great of a risk. The ward that stops a thief will kill the the Royal Guard searching the shop and lead to the shopkeep's execution.
I run a city based game set in Ptolus,(info from Monte's website and Banewarrens). I have one dedicated retail shop, Myreth's oddities that sells magic items. It generally sells minor to medium items, and availability of items is random,( I roll a d20 to see if an item is available).
This is not to say, that Potions, Scrolls, and some Wands are not readily available for sale from the temples in the city, as well as possibly some minor items for sale from the adventurer provisioning shops, (dungeonering in Ptolus is like the gold rush in the old west). Magic Items are also available for commision from a magical organization that monopolizes that trade.
With that said, beyond buying potions, a bag of holding, or a cloak of resistance, not much buying goes on. I also tend to differ from the normal campaign in I do not provide automatic weapon powerup/ replacements as loot. For most of my 14th level party, their magic items started out as Masterwork items, and have been enchanted by the party Druid (has Craft Arms and Armor).
Assumptions that the 3.0/3.5 rules must neccisitate Wallmart style magic items shops, are false assumptions. Historicaly, however, magic items being for sale have always been an aspect of D&D, even back in 1e days. How else were you supposed to turn all of the billions of +1 magic swords and Rings of Portection you got from any adventure Gary Gygax wrote? There is a reason why Tenser made his flying disk! In the first Gord the Rogue novel, Gary has a scene where the fine wares of a dwarvern weaponmerchant are magic items. Some degree of commerce is logical, but it does not have to be dominating.
As a DM, I think it relieves the pressure of coming up with a reason for why a particuliar item you know the player wants just happens to be in a horde, it also gives players the illusion of control, and sets up locals and NPCs the players can grow fond of, increasing the sense of reality.
This is not to say, that Potions, Scrolls, and some Wands are not readily available for sale from the temples in the city, as well as possibly some minor items for sale from the adventurer provisioning shops, (dungeonering in Ptolus is like the gold rush in the old west). Magic Items are also available for commision from a magical organization that monopolizes that trade.
With that said, beyond buying potions, a bag of holding, or a cloak of resistance, not much buying goes on. I also tend to differ from the normal campaign in I do not provide automatic weapon powerup/ replacements as loot. For most of my 14th level party, their magic items started out as Masterwork items, and have been enchanted by the party Druid (has Craft Arms and Armor).
Assumptions that the 3.0/3.5 rules must neccisitate Wallmart style magic items shops, are false assumptions. Historicaly, however, magic items being for sale have always been an aspect of D&D, even back in 1e days. How else were you supposed to turn all of the billions of +1 magic swords and Rings of Portection you got from any adventure Gary Gygax wrote? There is a reason why Tenser made his flying disk! In the first Gord the Rogue novel, Gary has a scene where the fine wares of a dwarvern weaponmerchant are magic items. Some degree of commerce is logical, but it does not have to be dominating.
As a DM, I think it relieves the pressure of coming up with a reason for why a particuliar item you know the player wants just happens to be in a horde, it also gives players the illusion of control, and sets up locals and NPCs the players can grow fond of, increasing the sense of reality.
WayneLigon
Adventurer
Yes and No. For some things, generally in the Minor catagory, you can indeed hunt and find in the largest cities and probably find them for sale. And if you go back, they'll probably have restocked; people are always going to need things like curative potions, the lowest level of magical pouches, etc. For things like weapons, armor, shields you'd have to commission an artificer for anything more than a +1 or +2, or anything with any sort of special ability. Some they'll be able to do, some not. For things like rings, staves and rods, you're probably out of luck unless you get extremely lucky. Not even many commissions are done for things like that.
It is possible to get ahold of minor magical items like potions, wands, and scrolls. The only other magical items for sale in a town are ones that I write ahead of time in case they ask. These represent items currently on the market, and I occasionally change the items. In order to find one they usually have to find a contact, or have good social skills, and then locate the seller.
Rarely it is possible to find a caster willing to create magical items, I tend to be reluctant to include these.
Rarely it is possible to find a caster willing to create magical items, I tend to be reluctant to include these.
fnork de sporg
First Post
If you're in a city with any kind of Planar connections, that has set public portals and trades with Sigil or the City of Brass or where ever, than you will almost certainly have the Mercane. They do nothing but sell items and you can try to make special orders from them. However any really powerful item is probably going to be unique, or at least have some kind of cool history behind it.
But on most worlds your average medieval city of castles and peasants and thatched roofs almost certainly won't.
But on most worlds your average medieval city of castles and peasants and thatched roofs almost certainly won't.
airwalkrr
Adventurer
I voted both magic shops and casters who work for commissions, but I should qualify. In small communities, I usually adhere to the limit 5 philosophy. At any given time there are no more than 5 of any given item available in the community under the gp limit. For larger communities, I expand that to virtually unlimited for minor items, but most medium or major items require some kind of commission and usually good connections or favor with crafter. For instance, a PC can't walk into the city of Greyhawk and say "Here is 75,000 gp. Give me a gem of seeing," even though, as a metropolis, Greyhawk has a 100,000 gp limit. Usually they have to know someone like a powerful mage or have a high priest as a patron before they can get such items, and then they sometimes have to wait for them to be crafted. However, in a medium fantasy world, extremely resourceful merchants should have connections all over the world meaning anything that can be imagined can be bought if the merchant is given the time to find it. These merchants are usually powerful characters in their own right and not given easily to petty robbery. They also usually judge their clientele very carefully. For example, they might allow an apprentice to deal with most customers, selling them wands of magic missile and potions of cure light wounds. But if some group comes in asking for a ring of shooting stars, they are directed to the boss (assuming their coin is good to demonstrate they mean business) who personally interviews them to see if they are the kind of people worth supplying with such powerful magic. Items over 100,000 gp ALWAYS require commission (meaning a long wait) and ALWAYS require connections, usually with a very powerful ruler or patron of the largest mages guild or powerful faith.
Li Shenron
Legend
Not anymore. Basically the only items available "on the stock" are healing and similar potions.
You have to find someone to make the item for you otherwise, but it's probably easier to do it yourself.
You have to find someone to make the item for you otherwise, but it's probably easier to do it yourself.
Similar Threads
