Deck of Many Things... ever try to sell one?

[Dr Midnight]

A player in my campaign now owns a Deck of Many Things.

He's trying to sell it. There's no price in the DMG listed for it, and I imagine it should be appropriately outrageous.

I'm also ruling that no one's going out of their way to buy it, as anyone with enough money to buy it is not likely to be dumb enough. It's going to take the character about six months' worth of questing to find a buyer for the damn thing.

I'm wondering how any other DMs would handle this.

 

[RogueJK]

I'd think that there would be many, many collectors willing to take it off of his hands, just for bragging rights, if nothing else. Rich, snobby nobles who have nothing better to do with their time and money would jump at the chance to own something like that.

Also, I'm sure a few archmages or other high-level wizards wouldn't mind getting one to study.

Even a church or other powerful organiation might want to buy it, if only to keep it safe and out of the wrong hands.

(Don't forget that quite a few unsavory characters wouldn't mind getting a hold of a Deck...)

 

[Piratecat]

We had this issue too; the players, clever little cusses that they are, decided to take the money instead of effectively committing suicide.

I gave them several options:

- Sell it quickly, for less money

- Sell it moderately quickly, for lots of cash, to a person of suspicious ethical and moral values (they knew if they picked this, it would come back to haunt them!)

- Sell it to a discerning buyer (a wild mage) who couldn't really afford it but had good political pull and some interesting quirky items to trade

- Sell it after some dedicated searching to some newly rich, foolish adventurers

 

[Riekhan]

What did they choose?

 

[madriel]

God...I remember how he got the deck. I couldn't believe it when he, um, go read the story hour people! Laughed myself silly. That was awesome.

So Doc, when are you starting Glacier Season? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Zhure]

I was hoping there might be some price ideas in 1e, but the DMG lists it as a woefully low 10,000 gp price.

First time somebody puts a Deck of Many Things on the market, I can imagine the mad scramble as priests, mages and thieves guilds all vye to procure it. Adventure in a box!

Greg

 

[Numion]

I would put the price somewhere around 200 000 gp. There aren't many magic items of that price in DMG, and remember also that it's potentially dangerous.

 

[Dr Midnight]

God...I remember how he got the deck. I couldn't believe it when he, um, go read the story hour people! Laughed myself silly. That was awesome.

So Doc, when are you starting Glacier Season? Inquiring minds want to know.

Thursday, we start the new adventure. Going to be some cool stuff happening.

 

[apsuman]

[Light bulb on]

Wow, this would be a great quest to give a chaotic character.

Imagine the diety of a rogue, priest, or sorcerer questing them to sell a deck of many things.

Imagine the paladins, monks, and wizards working so viciously (sp?) to keep them from doing so.

[/light bulb off]

 

[Piratecat]

What did they choose?

The wild mage. In 3e, I'd probably peg the price at somewhere around 60,000 - 100,000. It's too damn dangerous for anyone to want to pay more than that. I'd raise the price if the PCs advertized it by saying all the cool stuff it had granted in the past.