Buying magic items vs. finding magic items

[maddman75]

I do not restrict the sale of magic items - why not? The only thing I do restrict is their availability. You can't just find Boots of Striding and springing anywhere...

But you may find a seller who is willing to get rid of that "round copper box which was found amidst the ruins of a long forgotten Atlantean city". Now, what does the box contain? Is it worth the money you have to pay for it? And if it is cheap enough for you to afford - does it mean there is something you don't know but the merchant does? Is it an elaborate fake? Is there a hidden catch - like a "+1 sword" which will animate and turn on its wielder when he is severely wounded?

The possibilities are endless! Just avoid the "over the counter wands" syndrome and even buying an item will be a small adventure!

W3rd. You can have made/bought items still add to the plot. The way I stay away from the 'OTC wands' problem is to have most items made, not bought. The mage may have a few common items on hand - potions of healing, longswords and daggers +1, etc. Most items, especially the kind of items the PCs will be looking for, have to be made. Further, I decide ahead of time which feats the mage in a given town has and what level he is. So if the town mage is 5th level with Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Scribe Scroll, and Brew Potion, those items can be done. But they'll have to find another merchant to get Wonderous items.

By the way, here's a guaranteed way to tick off a PC. With most items being crafted, the PCs will tend to overwhelm the mage with requests. Crafting these things take time, he likely won't be able to make all of them before the PCs need to be out on the road.

Well, the ranger really wanted Gloves of Dexterity, but couldn't wait on them. So he gave the guy his money and said he'd pick them up when they got back in town. Well it turns out that the BBEG arose in the town when they were gone and dominated everyone. They fought their way back through and found 1) the mage dead and 2) his leuitenant wearing the PC's magic gloves.

He was kind of ticked

 

[kirinke]

in most of the games i've played

in most of the games i've played, magical items were fairly available. at least stuff like +1 or +2 weapons, plus potions and scrolls. if nothing else, having readily available and buyable potions of healing and elixers of health will be very good. and if the mage is willing to go and make some more powerful items, make the characters go out and get the ingredients. make a sub-quest out of it. that way, both your players and their characters will be proud of having a story behind their custom creations. within reason of course.

 

[megamania]

I generally have players find / defeat a foe for the item. Magic is scarce and there are few if any means to buy goods that are enchanted. When I do allow it, I limit it to items that could have been easily found (thus available to buy).

 

[Altalazar]

I think Players appreciate found items more - so long as they are useful and at some point every character manages to find an item useful and appreciated (in-character).

Though even bought items can, in a sense, have the "feel" of found items if you role-play it out properly. Instead of some generic sword+1 at a generic forge, you can go into a tavern and see a battered, but sturdy shield of a strange, red hue on the wall. Talking to the tavernkeeper, you find that it is a Dwarven-Forged Shield made from ancient red dragon scales - with appropriate special properties. It just so happens that someone in the group would like such a shield, and so then negotiations ensue for acquiring it.

Perhaps it turns out that, along with the shield, the tavernkeeper acquired a key and a map - and if the group goes and retrieves a certain treasure from that location, then anything else they find there, along with the shield itself, is theirs!

 

[Quasqueton]

In my previous campaigns, (mostly AD&D1 rules in my homebrew world), magic was rare but wonderous and relatively powerful -- a party of 6 experienced PCs may have one or two items worthy of legend, but absolutely nothing else magical (probably not even potions or scrolls). In this campaign, a PC's character (personality) would probably change from what the Player planned because he found a magic item that gave him a different presence. The Player may not have expected or intended his mage to become the "Ice Wizard of Landward", but you don't toss aside the Staff of Ice (the only magic item the character would probably ever see) just because it doesn't fit your initial concept.

I had never really been a Player much during that series of campaigns, so I didn't realize how a Player might have a concept in mind for his PC.

In a campaign I played in, (AD&D2 in the DM's homebrew world), our PCs found or were awarded magic items we wanted or that fit our character. It was kind of neat that our magic items supported our PC's role, rather than the magic item altering the course of the PC's personality. Events and adventures and companions guided/instigated the PC's personality changes -- not the tools he found.

But as a Player in this campaign, it did feel rather "gamey" how the items in lost hordes or the king's vault were just what we were looking for.

In my current campaign, (D&D3.5 in my homebrew world), the PCs can buy and sell magic items as commodities through guilds and brokers (no magic Wal-Marts). Most ancient lost/hidden treasure caches will contain plenty of cash-loot for the PCs to equip themselves with standard magic items as they want and/or need. But there are also many unusual and wonderous ancient magic items to be *found*.

To me, the perfect treasure horde is one with lots of money (to buy standard equipment and magic items) and one or two unusual and interesting and unusual magic items (to ooh and ahh over). No matter how much some people would like to pretend, for D&D veterans there is nothing wonderous and mystical about another +1 weapon or a cloak of elvenkind or a bag of holding. Been there, used and worn that. Might as well let the PCs pick and choose their own standard magic equipment -- but do have some unusual "toys" to find and play with.

As a Player, I'd like to buy magic items to support my character concept, but I do also like to find some unusual and wonderous item as a quirk (not as a character-defining presence).

Quasqueton

 

[Bullgrit]

Yes, this is thread necromancy. I'm curious how the newer editions of D&D, (with different magic item mechanics), affect this concept.

Bullgrit

 

[Derren]

Whatever makes most sense in the setting and situation.

 

[Gilladian]

I still prefer "found" items, and quirky stuff - I'm tired of +1 blah blah blah. Give me a backstabbing dagger or a dancing sword or something interesting and fun! Best is if the PCs have to defeat the current holder/owner in combat or trick it out of him, or something.

However, there's also a place for the "we need healing potions; let's go visit the swamp witch and see what we can do to convince her to make us some!". No store with shiny blades and bottles sitting on shelves, though.

 

[delericho]

I prefer found items, but don't prevent my players from buying/selling/crafting them.

The place you run into problems is replacement characters. By the book, they get X amount of gold to spend on items.

The way I handle this is:

- use the 4e rule that you only get 20% of the base cost when you sell items (in my 3e games, that is). This makes selling items a pretty poor deal.

- I stick pretty close to the 3.5e DMG's Wealth by Level tables when handing out treasure. Of that treasure, about two-thirds takes the form of 'valuables' - coins, gems, whatever...

- With the remaining third I multiple the value by 5, and use that as a "treasure budget" when placing items. However, I make sure not to place the "dull but useful" items that make up the "Big Six" - my PCs will basically never find a weapon or armour +X (with no other special ability), a ring of protection, an ability boost item, etc. Instead, I place items that the can use, but that are not what they would buy if they were just spending the money.

The net effect of all of this is the PCs can either keep their valuable but not optimised items, or they can choose to sell them and instead spend the money on the "Big Six". Most players in my current group have chosen to keep most of their found items.

(But new PCs, then, just get the cash to spend. Sure, their items are therefore much more optimised... but they also have a much lower nominal value.)

 

[Umbran]

As a Player (as opposed to a DM), would you rather your PC get money on adventures, with which to purchase magic items of your own choosing? Or would you rather "find" magic items?

Do you prefer picking (buying) specific magic items to support your character concept, or do you like building your character based on the magic items he/she finds in the course of adventure?

I definitely prefer finding them. I don't typically consider items, bought or found, when "building" a character. But then, I don't normally do the long-range, think many levels ahead form of building that many others do. So, maybe I'm not in the question's target audience.

I should note this is a system-agnostic thing, for me, most times. Shadowrun being a clear exception.