Syntallah said:
I DM for a group that happens to like a medium to high magic campaign in the new D&D3.5 system, and I am generally OK with that (this is NOT a discussion on low vs high!). However, I am very much against the whole "magical Wal-Mart" idea wherein the PCs can merely go into a shop and spend their gold to get whatever they want.
How do some of you DMs out there handle this sort of situation?
Urbis is a "high-magic" setting, so naturally I had to adress this - especially since the
Nexus Towers make enchanting magic items rather easy (for those In Charge, that is). However, it seems unlikely that rulers would just allow any random adventurer go and buy Magic Items of Mass Destruction, so there had to be
some sort of restriction...
The answer to this question is
Spell Legality. For most spells - and appropriate magic items - you need a licence to legally use or purchase them. I've used the following categories:
Legal: The spell can be freely cast by anyone who knows it without fear of legal repercussions.
These spells have mostly fairly harmless effects, or effects that are solely centered on the spellcaster himself.
CL: Civilian licence. The spell can be cast by a registered spellcaster for his personal use only. He may not charge money for casting it - that requires a professional licence. Anyone, whether citizen of a city-state or a visitor, may get a civilian licence, though convicted felons are usually denied one. A civilian licence costs 25 gp times the highest spell level squared. So someone who wants a licence to cast up to third-level civilian spells would have to pay 25 gp x 3 x 3=225 gp.
These spells might be used for mischief, but the government trusts responsible citizens to use them correctly (and usually, those who apply for such a licence are lectured on what constitutes "correct usage" and what doesn't).
PL: Professional licence: This is required to charge money for spellcasting services, as well as being allowed to cast professional spells. A civilian licence is required to purchase a professional licence, and professional licence costs 50 gp times the highest spell level squared.
It is also possible to purchase professional licences for single schools of magic. This costs 10 gp times the highest spell level squared. Professional licences for a single spell cost 5 gp times the spell level squared.
Holders of professional licences must usually give a full list of all the spells they are able to cast to the authorities. These spells either hold potential for abuse or are a major money-maker for organisationed spellcasters, and as such are tightly monitored. Also included are a number of offensive spells that bodyguards and other non-military or non-guard professionals might require in their line of work
ML: Military licence: These spells are usually only legal for military forces, city guards, and similar organisations. In some cases, mercenary company may get licences for their own combat spellcasters, in which case the licence costs then company 50 gp times the highest spell level squared. Private individuals may be able to get military licences if they join a city's reserve forces. In this case, the licence doesn't cost them anything, but they must join military exercises (which usually last for a week and take place two times a year on average), and they will be drafted in times of war.
These spells have vast potential for abuse, and are often hard to justify to use in a civilian context. Examples include spells that cause devastation in a large area such as fireball, spells that deny the target its free will, such as charm person, or spells that might help wanted criminals to avoid the authorities, such as alter self.
Banned: These spells are illegal to cast for anyone with the possible exception of trusted government agents (and even then it often must be kept a secret from the general population). In some rare cases private individuals or non-government organisations may be granted permission to cast these spells, but there is no fixed price for this - it usually requires hefty bribes combined with huge favors for those in power.
Banned spells include those that create undead, permanently slay the living (i.e., those that prevent the victims from being raised), and anything that might significantly alter the status quo, such as wish.
So basically, if you want the good stuff, either register at your friendly neighborhood government office and pay for the privilege, join the militia, or go to the black market...
