Character shopping trip

[Ahrimon]

When my players get to the point where they have enough money to go magic item shopping, I end up with fighters, rogues and other characters with no magic skill what so ever asking the local wizard to enchant thier items with specific effects. This has been bothering me for a while, but I haven't had a chance to fix it yet.

I don't restrict my players from looking through any books. Or from researching anything. I don't want to restrict my players at all. I'm not saying I have a magic shop on every corner. But I do allow characters to seek out casters to commission an item.

But I have an issue with the fighter asking the wizard to make his armor have effect X and Y, when the character really shouldn't have any idea what sort of enchantments are available. I have no problem with them asking for it to be "better" or "can you make my armor so it protects me from undead". Then the caster could present the character with options and prices. But when a character asks for his armor to be ghost touch, I have to ask myself would this person really know what sort of enchantments are available for his armor? It's not as if the wizard/cleric/etc has a nice spread sheet with a price breakdown and all of the available effects that the character can choose from.

I don't really have a problem with a character who has the requisite feat to have a really good knowledge about the items of the type he/she can make. After all they took the feat to know how to do it.

I've been thinking of trying a system where, in order to ask about a cirtain effect the character will have to roll a knowledge:arcana check. If you have the feat then you would get a large competence bonus. Then I would only need to base a DC on costs (for most items) or market modifier (for armor and weapons).

Does anyone else have any proplems like this? Or should I just STFUAC?

Ahrimon

 

[diaglo]

yes. the current campaign i'm gaming in. several fellow players tick me off with requests like this.

 

[Shallown]

My players always explain it as. "I ask the party wizard/cleric about X" so that they do have the knowledge and the Spellcaster can even give them an idea of a reasonable price (With some skill rolls of course) I allow a lot assuming they spend almost 24/7 with each other adventuring. They know each other well and fill the down time void with this information.

later

 

[MarauderX]

It sorta borders the OoC and in character discussion, doesn't it? Ever heard or said something like this?

PC to PC wizard: "I would like you to research some enchanting magic that will allow me to hit an opponent more easily than my current sword, but doesn't have to be super-duper, y'know, but better than what I am weilding now, and if you can, add some flames to it too. That would be so cool of you. See ya in a month or two!"

I think it's pretty lame also, but I usually up the costs for magic item creation by twice the amount anyway (no XP costs). Soon the PCs learn that sitting around having the casters create better toys for them is probably the most costly and boring way to get extra (not necessarily better) stuff. IMC, making a magic item is not certain and depends a lot on how much money and time you spend, eventhough in the DMG it's more like putting bread in the oven and waiting til it's done.

You may think it's just deterring the PCs from taking a break to make some magic items, and you are right; it slows down the sessions, the adventures, and sometimes the entire campaign. Instead I hint that the players could probably research the location of a flaming sword and go adventure after it much faster than making their own, and still have all of their loot left over.

"Well, what are we supposed to spend it on?"
Build a town, buy a bridge, get some personal guards, gather an army, invest in a merchant, get some workers to build you a castle in a swamp, pay off some barons to give you your own lands, start up a thieves guild, construct a missionary temple or two, there's all sorts of things to be done with it that I let PCs do with their money. One of them is also letting them buy magic items at a few rare auctions.