Describing magic items?

[hammymchamham]

How do you do it? I mean, if you're in Ye Old Magic Shop... or Ye Old shop Of Rings, or "Boby's Corner Store" who might have a couple magic items (how ever you do it in your campaign), how does the merchant describe what he is selling does. How does the merchant compare a Ring of Protection +1 to a RoP +2, or another merchant a Long Sword +1 vs a L.S. +2?


Or.... how do you do it? This isn't a discusion of ye old magic shop vs finding it in a tomb, but about RPing the buying process.

 

[demiurge1138]

Well, back when my players actually cared about such things as a lack of metagame thinking , I usually mentioned that the +2 sword felt a bit lighter, shined a bit more, and was more ornately hilted than the +1.

Demiurge out.

 

[hammymchamham]

lol. this basically came up in my game, so I was just saying "on a scale of 1 to 5 its around a X" where X is the bonus. I felt so bad. I was kinda doing good though. "This shield will protect you a bit more than a normal shield." was the best I did for a +1

 

[Lord Pendragon]

In my games you can't really judge a magic item's power based on it's physical appearance. Sometimes the artifact is the object that looks the dumpiest, after all. (Remember Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ? ) So I describe the item based on what I've designed it to look like.

Then the PCs can either trust the guy they're buying the item from as to its power D) or they can get their own mage to cast the appropriate magical detection spells.

Edit: To answer the question "how does the merchant describe the ring he's trying to sell?" As appealingly as he can.

 

[Zulkir Jax]

When my players get magical items, I describe it and let them, if they have the means, cast Identify or cast a Identify spell off a scroll if they have it.

If not, then they need to have a wizard or magic shop owner of the same level as the item, identify it.

 

[Tonguez]

I agree with Pendragon to an extant
and it does provide another use for the Expet Class and Appraise Skill

"Hmm" said Fred the Blacksmith taking a second look at the dull grey blade "there's something different about this sword..."

 

[Ferret]

OT a bit, The pc that I DM once found a longsword, with a black gen in the hilt, they all thought it was evil!

 

[Wormwood]

How I handled it two years ago:
DM: "The wizard shows you a small platinum band bearing a large diamond. He tells you that it has been enspelled to protect it's wearer by turning aside all but the most dire blows..."
Player: "Ring of Protection +3?"
DM: "He is unfamiliar with such terms"
Player "<Rolls Eyes> How much does he want for it?"
DM: "He rubs his hands together and says that he could not part with such a treasure for less than 18,000 pieces of gold"
Player: "<mentally scanning the Treasure Tables> Yeah, that's a +3. Sold. How much does he want for my old +1?"
<back to the adventure>

Here's how I do it now:
DM: "Ring of Protection +3, 18,000"
Player: "Sold. I sell my old +1."
<back to the adventure>

To be honest, I prefer the new way myself. We've been playing for so long that we just want to enjoy the system without getting bogged down in flavor text. YMMV, naturally.

 

[Tonguez]

How I handled it two years ago:
DM: "The wizard shows you a small platinum band bearing a large diamond. He tells you that it has been enspelled to protect it's wearer by turning aside all but the most dire blows..."
Player: "Ring of Protection +3?"
DM: "He is unfamiliar with such terms"
Player "<Rolls Eyes> How much does he want for it?"
DM: "He rubs his hands together and says that he could not part with such a treasure for less than 18,000 pieces of gold"
Player: "<mentally scanning the Treasure Tables> Yeah, that's a +3. Sold. How much does he want for my old +1?"

<player starts making adjustments to his character sheet>
DM " - Ah no John sorry thats not a +3 to AC "
Player "but its a +3 ring"
DM "no its not"
<DM grins evilly>

- see my players know never to trust the Tables in the books - they don't apply when NPCs have personality and life can be unfair

 

[Wormwood]

- see my players know never to trust the Tables in the books - they don't apply when NPCs have personality and life can be unfair

I understand that's how it works in many games, and was an overriding principle in 1e & 2e (Wish spells screwing you over, access to magic at the DM's whim, etc.)

My game operates along pretty strict treasure and EL guidelines, so evaporating 12,000gp of character wealth just to be cute would throw off the balance of the game.