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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Thasmodious" data-source="post: 4566506" data-attributes="member: 63272">It's not artificially low and it does make sense.  It's not just some arbitrary number that exists in a vacuum.  It's part of a system that backs up the design assumptions of 4e.  20% doesn't exist in a vacuum and makes sense both within the rules system its a part of (as a control) and in the default game world.  50% made sense in 3e.  It was part of an assumption that included a robust magic item market, that included easily accessible shops and an existing trade.  50% for an easy turnaround profit at market value as a baseline.  The 50% matched the half market materials cost and said that a magic item was basically worth its component cost.  This gelled with the assumed wealth by level and the ease of upgrade for characters.  It was a component of the complete system.  The same is true for 4e, just the default assumptions have changed.  There is not an assumption of a robust magic item trade and plentiful magic shops.  Instead, the assumption is a PoL setting where such trade would be expensive and dangerous, where customers would be few and far between.  There isn't much of a sustainable market.  Magic items are still worth their component cost, same as in 3e, only that cost is now 20% in ressidium rather than 50% in materials.  This is also part of the overall economic system that gels with the expected item wealth by level, treasure parcel system, and so forth.  If you're just hung up thinking that nothing sells for 20% of its market value then plenty of posters have already given numerous examples in real world economics where similar numbers are the norm.  And, of course, in any system, these are baselines from which the group and DM are free to work from.  If the group wants to spend a lot of time haggling, or search for their own buyers, or start their own more even trade by meeting fellow adventurers and setting up some kind of item share plan, whatever works for the group.  But in both 3e and 4e, the economies work from the game's basic assumptions.</blockquote>

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