Excerpt: Economies [merged]

[malraux]

Governments could tax a nominal fee... say 50%... on the official sale of magic items. Merchants are eating that cost for the adventurers when it's at 20%. That's actually all pretty normal and reasonable and cuts a lot into the practice.

Well, there's likely government taxes, guild fees, protection racket fees to the local thieves guild, identification fees, cursed item protection insurance, rent, dragon protection insurance, etc. Its not like the only expense of being a shop owner is the 1/5 price to buy the item from adventurers.

 

[Ximenes088]

Yeah, they're having to dump them for a 1/5th of the value they buy them for ..

The issue is such mark up usually only exists for illict goods; so, why are magic items illegal in your world

There's a reason the city's ruler tolerates powerful magical objects being sold to just anyone inside his walls? Items that are useless for mundane pursuits but ideally designed for murderously violent types who break through magical defenses to kill powerful people and take their stuff?

I'd say he'd make very, very sure that nothing moved anywhere without his very expensive approval.

 

[Deverash]

Still another way to handle it would be to have a gentleman's agreement with the players that they're free to make all the money they want, but they promise not to pour it all back into magical items. If the PCs are using the extra 80% of cash to build castles, buy titles, bribe mercenary bands, and such, then that's good for the game. That sort of thing is interesting and it's good that they have 'extra' wealth to spend it on. Too often in 3E I saw PCs who were carrying a fortune in magical equipment, but never spent cash on anything else other than a superior grade of inn. I recall a DM once pointing out that we were basically homeless bums (who happened to be rich beyond measure).

That's an awesome idea. I may have to put that forward as an option.

 

[Andor]

RE: Direct to market PC sales, it's been there in all editions, but most PC are willing to put up with a 50% loss in value as a time saver. Now that it's going to be an 80-93% loss in value... I forsee a lot more PCs getting cranky at the merchants.

In any event this was the bit that caught my eye: "The 5th-level NPC has a 6th-level item—not because he needs it, but because it’s one of the treasure parcels. The characters don’t find magic items that are beneath their notice—they won’t walk out of the drow enclave with a wheelbarrow full of +1 rapiers. "

Okay... If the Drow weren't fighting with +1 rapiers I can live with that. But if they were wearing plate mail, I'd better bloody well have the option of leaving with a wagon full of platemail. Otherwise it's just like every computer game ever made where the equipment the badguy was hitting you over the head with doesn't exist, those are just pixels, but he does drop some random loot he wasn't using. Watching a swarm of mosquitos drop a suit of full plate is amusing in Diablo. In D&D? Not so much.

 

[Simplicity]

I love the fact that magic item selling has such a disincentive.

You sell for 1/5th the value. Then try to buy something new for 10-40% over value?

I can see it now:

PC: I want to sell these bracers.

Merchant: You don't want to sell those to me. Are they used? Potentially stolen? I'll give you practically nothing for them.

PC: Practically nothing is better than keeping these bracers and doing nothing with them.

Merchant: How about this? You give me 500 gold, and I will take you out back and kick you in the nuts.

PC: 400 gold.

Merchant: (rolls d6). Deal.

 

[shadowlance]

Maybe this has been discussed but I didn't see it...

3,500 pp, or 20 ad + one potion of life + one 50,000 gp art object, or 30 ad + two potions of recovery

This is from the 25th level loot chart. Anyone have any idea what the "AD" refers to?

 

[Derren]

Maybe this has been discussed but I didn't see it...



This is from the 25th level loot chart. Anyone have any idea what the "AD" refers to?

Astral Diamonds, worth 50.000 gp I think

 

[Lacyon]

Maybe this has been discussed but I didn't see it...



This is from the 25th level loot chart. Anyone have any idea what the "AD" refers to?

Astral Diamonds, I believe. Could be wrong.

 

[Engilbrand]

If I'm in a game where someone starts hoarding to sell and becomes a pain, I'm going to call him on it. I've gotten to the point where I see my future 10th level character trading magic items to cities for certain things (maybe even magic items), or saving the local missing kid and giving him a +1 Dagger for the trip back to make him feel better. If you litter your old items around the world, and actually make some of them have an impact, you set up the possibility of future events.
Maybe the next campaign starts in a town that the previous heroes had made a home base and built into a city. Maybe that next PC was the little kid who was rescued by the once-mighty hero 15 years ago and he still has the +1 Dagger and has decided to become a hero, too.
Then again, they've also talked about items doing more than just giving a little bonus. In 3.5, I sold a lot of stuff. When Magic Item Compendium came out, though, I saw a lot of items that I would have wanted at low AND high levels. Why can't you have a spare item that you've kept for 10 levels? If it gives you the ability to breathe water for 5 minutes, it's just as useful at 15 as it was at 5.
I like the idea of rare item merchants. Some merchants might be ex-adventurers, other might not even know that they have magic items. If gold isn't as important, though, then who cares how much you get for something? Barter. Give favors. Stuff like that.
Ultimately, read what the DMG says and decide which type of game to play. WotC's fluff doesn't need to be your fluff.

 

[shadowlance]

Astral Diamonds, worth 50.000 gp I think

Ok, that's interesting. I wonder why that doesn't read "30 [price] gp gems". Are astral diamonds some new special 4e component or something that has somehow snuck past me?

Either way, thanks for the info.