DMs: What would you allow your PCs to buy?

[Darkness]

I voted "+5 full plate" only because I'm not quite sure I'd actually allow "anything the players want." Pretty close, yes. But there are theoretically items out there I wouldn't allow. Most of these would be items that do not actually exist in the DMG, but are based on the DMG pricing guidelines in some broken way, or 3rd-party items that I find broken.

Agreed, I read "within the rules" as "within my rules." I.e., broken items are modified or don't exist.

 

[Pinotage]

I voted Mwk Full Plate, but I'd add +1, +2 and possibly +3 to that list as well. +5 armor would be something really special, as would adamantine, but I might be tempted to allow Mithral armor to be made, not bought, if the PC could find the mitral for it and make it or have it commissioned (probably not going strictly by craft times on this).

Pinotage

 

[Umbran]

For my players the problem is no "What am I allowed to buy?" but rather, "Who could I buy it from?" Certainly, high priced magic items aren't sitting on shelves waiting to be bought. They have to be commissioned. And the people who have the power to make these things are rare, and powerful people with their own agendas.

So sure, they can get +5 full plate, if they can manage to get the royal smith away from his royal commissions, and convince the local archmage to put aside his own work for them. Neither is easy. And the latter especially is likely tog et the PCs embroiled in something over their heads.

 

[Bigwilly]

What he said

I'd allow any of the above. But, it'd be a commissioned piece. Definitely not off-the-shelf.

Of course the characters need to be in a city with a GP limit high enough for the piece to be made. I've found that my PCs are now of high enough level that they can make most of what they need / want themselves or have already found it in loot.

Bigwilly

 

[Wormwood]

If they can find a seller/crafter, they can buy anything they want (up to the Community GP limit, with a few exceptions).

Gather Information, Knowledge (local), Knowledge (arcana), Bardic Knowledge and the like facilitate the search.

I try to make it easy for the players to get what they want, and get it quickly, so we cen get back to the adventure as soon as possible.

 

[shilsen]

According to the poll results, more people would allow PCs to buy masterwork full plate than ordinary full plate

 

[Darkness]

According to the poll results, more people would allow PCs to buy masterwork full plate than ordinary full plate

I suspect some posters might not have realized that this is a multiple choice poll.

Or maybe they're treating full plates like D&D treats katanas: (Almost) all katanas are well-crafted, and thus masterwork.

 

[Dracomeander]

Personally, I'd allow minorly magicked Full Plate armor to be found and purchased off-the-shelf before I'd allow non-magical Full Plate. Non-magical Full Plate has to be fitted to the wearer during the constuction phase to be comfortable enough to be worth using. Minor magicks could allow the armor to adjust to the wearer provided the prospective wearer was of a similar enough build to the one who had the armor comissioned. (Has happened in previous campaigns both as DM and Player. Noble has comissioned piece then died or been killed before picking up the piece. Armorer wants to recoup some of his losses.)

That said, I would not allow any of the items on this poll to be available off-the-shelf. They are all comission pieces which means the PC has to invest time and effort to find those capable of the work as well as the money for it.

 

[Thanee]

I can't really answer this poll. While I generally allow PCs to buy pretty much anything, which is listed in the DMG, it isn't like they can just buy them if they choose to, but they also must have an opportunity, which might be extremely rare for higher level stuff.

Mundane items and minor magic items are close to freely available usually.
Moderate magic items are scarce, but not impossible to come buy, given time and some tracking down... or luck.
Major magic items are rare and only few opportunities will arise to buy these precious items.

Bye
Thanee

 

[diaglo]

none of the above.

the pcs can only purchase what is available.