jester47
First Post
IMC I am very weary of people buying magic items. But I realise it is part of the game and so obtaining some magic through themarket should be allowable.
Here is my solution.
I keep it as described as it is in Magic of Faerun. However, I don't make it easy to find or deal with (when they can easily be tracked down as is the case with Thayan Enclaves or crooked Zhents) magic vendors. Temples tend to operate based on your relation to the gods goals. Sometimes things bought on the open market are fake or not what the characters wanted (mislabeled). Many sales come with strings attached (as in the case of buying from a temple or a secret shop).
Rather than a diplomacy roll I require a gather info check to locate a potential seller of a particular item. This takes a number of days = caster level + highest spell level to make the item - the number of points you pass the check by with a minimum of 1. Failure takes longer because they follow all sorts of dead leads. Add one day for each point failed by. If the players research where they can just find one (i.e. they do a lot of book study) all the info points to a dungeon somewhere. (ussually the one I have planned or the one thay choose to go to.) This takes a the same number of days as tracking down a item with gather info. And there is no garuntee that the item could be there or for sale. And the gaurdians or owners might be too much of a challenge for the characters. Bardic Lore also works for both of these purposes. They can do it as many times as they want. Cause it takes time.
In either case the DC to find the item is the same. 10 + caster level to make the item + highest level of spell to make the item. So for an item that is made by a 1st level caster using a 1st level spell and not one of severely common use (potions, scrolls, and what not of healing, light, movement, or protection) the DC to locate one that might be for sale is 12. Its pretty common knowledge that a local hedge wizard might be able to make a scroll of reduce person. However, tracking down a Daern's Instant Fortress (that someone MIGHT be trying to get rid of) takes a DC of 30.
None of this bars any rumors that I put into the game that says "hey there is this item here."
Now I determine where the item is. If they are reserching, it might be in a dungeon or in the hands of someone. If they are looking for a seller, then its always in the hands of someone. So, Daern's Instant Fortress costs 55,000gp. If the players are in the town of Oakhurst (running sunless in the realms) which is set IMC between Everlund and Silverymoon they will not find a DIF for sale in that town (not to say there is not one there!) but might be able to find someone who can be talked into selling one in Everlund or Silverymoon. If they fail the roll they don't find one for sale or can't find anything that would give the location of one. Just for S&Gs I could put it in, say, Ravens Bluff.
At this point factors such as the owners attachment to the item, character's diplomacy (or intimidation) skills, character reputation, and time come into play to see if the item is for sale. Not to mention getting to where it is to purchase it.
The diplomacy (or intimidate) DC to get an NPC to sell is based on attachment (5 not too attached or is trying to sell, 10 uses item regularly, 15 very attached/favorite item). so 5/10/15 + caster level to make + highest spell level to make + circumstance modifiers. The diplomacy roll is modified by the ammount offered: for every 5% over the list price the PC offers the roll gets a +1. For every 5% under the roll gets a -1. So for a DIF that the owner loves, players offering 110k gp would have a DC of 15+13+7-10= 25 as opposed to 35. Failure means the item is not for sale to the Characters. If the roll is sucessful, the price is then negotiated. Negotiations can be carried out by currior, but this takes time.
The players make another roll against the same DC as the for sale offer. For every point over, the seller will knock 5% off the price offered to him by the PCs. For every point under the seller will increase it 5%.
Common use items- items based on light, healing, movement and protection spells are easily obtainable for the listed price, based on most expensive item avail in the DMG town generation rules. These come in the form of scrolls, potions, and wands. Most settlements have a potion maker or a scroll writer (someone who will do it for money) or a temple. All will interview heavily before sales. So the system above still applies.
Typically vendors will only sell things that require 1st or 2nd level spells as anything else starts to cost and offeres too much of a liability. i.e. once 3rd level spells are involved, no base DC is 5.
This allows for a pretty good control of magic items. Ands speeds up the time passage in the game. Concievably, a character could grow old hunting down a few items.
Aaron.
Here is my solution.
I keep it as described as it is in Magic of Faerun. However, I don't make it easy to find or deal with (when they can easily be tracked down as is the case with Thayan Enclaves or crooked Zhents) magic vendors. Temples tend to operate based on your relation to the gods goals. Sometimes things bought on the open market are fake or not what the characters wanted (mislabeled). Many sales come with strings attached (as in the case of buying from a temple or a secret shop).
Rather than a diplomacy roll I require a gather info check to locate a potential seller of a particular item. This takes a number of days = caster level + highest spell level to make the item - the number of points you pass the check by with a minimum of 1. Failure takes longer because they follow all sorts of dead leads. Add one day for each point failed by. If the players research where they can just find one (i.e. they do a lot of book study) all the info points to a dungeon somewhere. (ussually the one I have planned or the one thay choose to go to.) This takes a the same number of days as tracking down a item with gather info. And there is no garuntee that the item could be there or for sale. And the gaurdians or owners might be too much of a challenge for the characters. Bardic Lore also works for both of these purposes. They can do it as many times as they want. Cause it takes time.
In either case the DC to find the item is the same. 10 + caster level to make the item + highest level of spell to make the item. So for an item that is made by a 1st level caster using a 1st level spell and not one of severely common use (potions, scrolls, and what not of healing, light, movement, or protection) the DC to locate one that might be for sale is 12. Its pretty common knowledge that a local hedge wizard might be able to make a scroll of reduce person. However, tracking down a Daern's Instant Fortress (that someone MIGHT be trying to get rid of) takes a DC of 30.
None of this bars any rumors that I put into the game that says "hey there is this item here."
Now I determine where the item is. If they are reserching, it might be in a dungeon or in the hands of someone. If they are looking for a seller, then its always in the hands of someone. So, Daern's Instant Fortress costs 55,000gp. If the players are in the town of Oakhurst (running sunless in the realms) which is set IMC between Everlund and Silverymoon they will not find a DIF for sale in that town (not to say there is not one there!) but might be able to find someone who can be talked into selling one in Everlund or Silverymoon. If they fail the roll they don't find one for sale or can't find anything that would give the location of one. Just for S&Gs I could put it in, say, Ravens Bluff.
At this point factors such as the owners attachment to the item, character's diplomacy (or intimidation) skills, character reputation, and time come into play to see if the item is for sale. Not to mention getting to where it is to purchase it.
The diplomacy (or intimidate) DC to get an NPC to sell is based on attachment (5 not too attached or is trying to sell, 10 uses item regularly, 15 very attached/favorite item). so 5/10/15 + caster level to make + highest spell level to make + circumstance modifiers. The diplomacy roll is modified by the ammount offered: for every 5% over the list price the PC offers the roll gets a +1. For every 5% under the roll gets a -1. So for a DIF that the owner loves, players offering 110k gp would have a DC of 15+13+7-10= 25 as opposed to 35. Failure means the item is not for sale to the Characters. If the roll is sucessful, the price is then negotiated. Negotiations can be carried out by currior, but this takes time.
The players make another roll against the same DC as the for sale offer. For every point over, the seller will knock 5% off the price offered to him by the PCs. For every point under the seller will increase it 5%.
Common use items- items based on light, healing, movement and protection spells are easily obtainable for the listed price, based on most expensive item avail in the DMG town generation rules. These come in the form of scrolls, potions, and wands. Most settlements have a potion maker or a scroll writer (someone who will do it for money) or a temple. All will interview heavily before sales. So the system above still applies.
Typically vendors will only sell things that require 1st or 2nd level spells as anything else starts to cost and offeres too much of a liability. i.e. once 3rd level spells are involved, no base DC is 5.
This allows for a pretty good control of magic items. Ands speeds up the time passage in the game. Concievably, a character could grow old hunting down a few items.
Aaron.
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