Maxperson
Morkus from Orkus
Of course they are magic shops.
they are official source materia in 2 official 5e campaign/modules.
Then I can walk into one of them and buy a suite of +3 plate mail, right? Because in a magic shop as they are being asked for in this thread, and in the magic item section of the DMG where it says they don't exist unless the DM wants them to, you can do that.
They are shops that stock exclusivley (3 of the stores) a limited set of magic items. That is the very definition of magic shop.
No. It's the definition of a potion shop, and a few other shops that happen to have a few magic items.
"You can't go into them and buy any magic item you want."
Yes you can....there is no restriction on any of the 4 magic stores placed on adventureres in Tomb of Anhilation or Dragon Heist.
If adventurers have the money they simply can walk in and purchase any of the listed items at any time they please.
Just b/c they have a limited range of items does not mean they are not magic stores....no store in the world (real or fantasy) is a one stop shop where you can pick up any item in existance.
The point is that there are no less then 4 stores in 5e (that we know of) that you can walk into and buy magic items straight of the shelf with no restrictions beyond gold that are official Source Material.
The only thing that changes this is the DMs discretion in any given campaign but OFFICIALY 4 magic stores DO exist.
If those two shops in Tomb and Dragon Heist exists, then they are optional and only exist if the DM wants them there. Here's the rule from page 135 of the DMG.
"Unless you decide your campaign works otherwise, most magic items are so rare that they aren't available for purchase." and "Doing so is rarely as simple as walking into a shop and selecting an item from the shelf." and "In a large city with an academy of magic or major temple, buying and selling magic items might be possible, at your discretion."
Modules have to be written for the most people, so they will include some minor shops with magic items, but those are still only there at the DMs discretion. They are not assumed to be there by 5e. Modules are not rules.