D&D 5E (2014) Magic Item Costs in 5E

[kramer81]

So I have been DMing Fifth Edition for about two months now, and the party is about 5th level.

Soon they will start being able to purchase magic items, but as of right now there are no rules for prices of items.

Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations?

 

[Tormyr]

Do you have the September play test packet? There were suggested item costs based on rarity.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Do you have the September play test packet? There were suggested item costs based on rarity.

Of course, the core game in 5e also assumes that magic items--except a few potions or scrolls--cannot just be purchased. You have to quest/adventure to find them. If you prefer magic item shops in your campaign, that's your call. But it's a house rule--or at least a non-core option--so I don't know if I'd expect too much support for it.

 

[kramer81]

Tormyr: I sadly do not have that playtest packet.

Mouseferatu: I did not see that. Must have slipped past me.

 

[Bumamgar]

Player's Handbook, p144 under 'Selling Treasure':

Magic Items. Selling magic items is problematic. Finding someone to buy a potion or a scroll isn’t too hard, but other items are out of the realm of most but the wealthiest nobles. Likewise, aside from a few common magic items, you won’t normally come across magic items or spells to purchase. The value of magic is far beyond simple gold and should always be treated as such.

 

[Mr Fixit]

Player's Handbook, p144 under 'Selling Treasure':

Magic Items. Selling magic items is problematic. Finding someone to buy a potion or a scroll isn’t too hard, but other items are out of the realm of most but the wealthiest nobles. Likewise, aside from a few common magic items, you won’t normally come across magic items or spells to purchase. The value of magic is far beyond simple gold and should always be treated as such.

That's something I've always liked. I truly hate the "magic items are so mundane you can buy them in your friendly supermarket, and if you call now you'll even get a set of +1 steak knives for free" philosophy. Granted, that's just my subjective play preference and not a truism. I'm not inherently opposed to a mundane magic setting, but then it should be built from the ground up to support that flavor and play style.

 

[Alarian]

I am very against the ability to buy magic items. And if the players are lucky enough one day tom come across a store that does have a few items for sale, say in huge and powerful city, I would place the few items that were available in the store myself as the GM. NEVER would I ever allow the players to simply pick, or buy the magic items they wanted. This is one of the biggest things I disliked about 4th edition. Players would come into town, pull out the players handbook and buy whatever they wanted. Just insane in my book.

I'm a strong believer in the GM placing every magic item in the game himself.

 

[KarinsDad]

Magic Items. Selling magic items is problematic. Finding someone to buy a potion or a scroll isn’t too hard, but other items are out of the realm of most but the wealthiest nobles.

I don't get this part at all.

If the PCs decide to sell a magic item, they could price it at 1 GP and a lot of NPCs could afford it.

Selling is not the problem. NPCs who want the item will negotiate with the PCs and either a deal will be struck, or it will not. Since there are no "cost of magic item" tables (at least not yet), players do not know what to charge for a magic item.

Buying is the only problematic aspect.

 

[Thank Dog]

I really, really, really hope that they continue with the trend of not assigning any prices to magical items and use the same philosophy in the DMG. I also really, really, really hope that if they have a magical item creation system, that's it's heavily restrictive in a way that makes creating magical items something more than just, "My character spends a few weeks doing this, now he has a +5 uber-munchkinator-of-doom'eth."

Personally I'd like to see some sort of system designed around questing for rare components. Or perhaps even spontaneous magical item creation, like, "Oh, you just crit the dragon for exactly enough hit points to bring it to 0 while you'd dodged for three rounds on 1 hit point and now you can stabilise the three party members on their last death save! Your sword is now a dragonslaying sword +1!"

 

[Mouseferatu]

Or perhaps even spontaneous magical item creation, like, "Oh, you just crit the dragon for exactly enough hit points to bring it to 0 while you'd dodged for three rounds on 1 hit point and now you can stabilise the three party members on their last death save! Your sword is now a dragonslaying sword +1!"

I just did this last night in my own game. Our fighter uses a two-handed flail (reskinned maul). I could never find a legit reason to have a magical two-handed flail lying around.

But then I realized I'd put a chain devil in the adventure, and she (the fighter) was using an oil to make her weapon temporarily magic. I just decided the chain devil's lifeblood reacted with the oil and bestowed a permanent magic on the weapon. Now it's a +1 flail where she can spend a bonus action to change its length, granting her reach at the expense of some damage.