DMs against the Magical Wal-Mart

[Syntallah]

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?

 

[Crothian]

The few magical shops I have, will have a predetermined inventory. And they don't advertise, so they are not easy to find. They buy items at a tenth of what they are worth and the can seel them for up to twice of the DMG cost. I see it as a sellers market, even in a meduium to high magical world there is never enough magical items to go around. Lots of nobles and rich merchants love to buy the best stuff. They can make deals and arrangements PCs just can't match.

 

[Dark Jezter]

In my campaign, low-powered magic items (such as +1 weapons and armors, potions, scrolls, minor wonderous items, etc) can usually be purchased in large cities.

For more powerful magic items, the PCs either have to find them, craft them, or hire a powerful wizard to craft the item for them.

 

[Pants]

Most items are comission only, although bigger cities will have small magic shops, because in a society where adventuring is common, selling magical trinkets would be an appropriate endeavor.

However, no matter the size of a city, I will put a limit on what can and cannot be bought.

Then again, my haet of magic walmart shops does not knwo no lmit like some others seem to. But that's just me.

 

[MerakSpielman]

I don't much mind the purchasing of magic items, but I do follow the DMG rules as to what is available in what towns. I don't remember them off the top of my head, but the town has to be large enough to have a spellcaster of the appropriate level to create the item in question and has to have a "spendable gp value" (or whatever the right term is) equal to the price of the item. Also, if there's very few casters of the appropriate level available, the players will have to commission the item and wait for it to be completed.

I also follow the 50% rule for selling items. It's always more cost-efficient to keep the items you find, even if they're not exactly what you want, than it is to sell them and purchase exactly what you want.

However, you will probably run into the problem of your PCs getting weary of not having what they want and taking the Craft Item feats, which makes item acquisition even easier.

 

[Lordrel]

Hmm...

I allow them to buy many things. Anything in the +3 or higher range I either make the price much much higher, or make them wait. the shopkeeper says "Yes, I think I may have something like that. Pay me 10,000 gold now, and 10,000 in a week when I have the item." Sometimes it discourages them from trying to buy everything. Wild goose chases always makes it fun too. They have to go to many different shops/sages/wizards before they find what they are looking for. It could be an adventure within itself. Sometimes though, it's just not a big deal if I allow them to buy high powered items. They have to spend their money on something. I can compensate within the game for anything overpowered.

 

[reiella]

I find it odd that people assume that the 3.5 ruleset allows for this 'magical wal-mart' type idea. In fact, if you read over the rules for city wealth and the like, it almost certainly not the case. Unless you happen to live in a Planar Metropolis.

The answer is simple, when your players want to buy something from a given city, and it isn't available, just say "They don't have that here."

And if you're feeling particularly nice, give them suggestions of where to go in order to find said item.

 

[Trainz]

There's no magical WalMart IMC. However, I let my PC's use their Gather Information, Knowledge Arcana, or Knowledge Religion to hunt down avalable specific items.

I also make use of the City of Union in the ELH. As soon as the PC's can travel through planes, they can travel to Union to acquire what they want. Of course, to become aware that such a city exists has to be integrated in the game story.

This way, high-level PC's have access to such a facility, without said facility cheapening my base campaign setting. It's on another plane.

 

[Psion]

How do some of you DMs out there handle this sort of situation?

By not allowing it. After all, you define the world, right?

In my game I assume that mostly cheap and limited-use (10 charges or less) items would be available in a shop-like enviroment. More expensive, and permanent (or many-charge) items are a bit too much of a luxury/rarity to be put up on shelves that way. Regardless of the fact that it is more convenient to produce these items in 3e, they still are custom-build items and not mass produced, so a wal-mart situation is ridiculous. Think of them more like paintings or the like.

In my game, the more expensive items are usually to be had only through a broker who usually doesn't hold the items themselves, and the PCs typically have little control over what's available (for that, they will have to commission an item.) I roll what items are available randomly.

 

[Azlan]

If it's a typical D&D "high fantasy" world, like Forgotten Realms, then I have no problem with magic items being sold in stores. With all those mid- to high-level adventurers running around, looking to exchange all that magic loot they plundered from dungeons and what not; and with all those dwarves, alchemists, and wizards looking to profit from the many magic items they create; then why wouldn't there be an open market for magic items? Especially in big, cosmopolitan cities such as Waterdeep.