Do you "find" magic items or "buy" magic items?

[dpdx]

Going through the adventure modules, we got the standard stuff we looted - er, captured from our villainous opponents, some of it magical, but it wasn't until we deviated from the adventure path (after Speaker in Dreams) and conquered Return to White Plume Mountain (converted 2e module) that we got true wondrous items. We couldn't use most of them, but those we didn't (insert WPM spoiler here) we sold, and the haul in gems, gold and platinum was enough to get, upon our return to our communities, commissioned magical items we DID want.

Getting usable magic items seems to me to be the only way a PC can survive the challenges of the upper levels. Somehow, cross-classing my ranger to fighter for the Quickdraw feat at 10th just isn't enough to instill me with confidence going into the Heart of Nightfang Spire, but the +2 Longsword of Icy Burst, with a Bag of Tricks, a +2 Composite Longbow of Flaming Burst, and a Hat of Disguise, makes my PC comfortable enough to survive even the most urban of environments...

 

[V_Shane]

As a GM, I do allow the players into being fooled they are buying a magic item, after about 6 game sessions and loosing money to mischevious wizards they back off. I do however have alot of custom well made items available for them, no magic per se, but some have resiliance that is almost magic like. If they want the real stuff, they gotta hunt it down!

I GM to about 6 players on the average.

 

[Li Shenron]

Its things like that that I do like some item buying, it allows me to put out more realistic treasure. If the fighter wants a special spiked chain, go find someone to make you one.

That's good, it's just that I don't like as a DM to let the whole DMG be available for the PCs to buy. Actually, I first thought the whole DMG magic item list was basically a huge set of suggestions (at least with regards of weapons/armors, wondrous items, rods, staves and rings), so I don't like that my PCs just say: "hey, we need boots of striding & springing, let's find the next town with more than XXXX population and buy them". I want to make a magic item (except scrolls, potions and wands, which are more standard kind of items) more important: e.g. only the elves in region YYY have the knowledge to craft boots of S&S.

I am not against magic items shops, I am against magic items supermarkets!

But I see that the majority of you like thinking that the whole DMG list is basically the available technology around in a campaign, and that can be fine as well.

BTW, the magic item creation system is so simple that basically every character with Craft M. Weapons&Armors becomes able to craft a vast assortment of them; the only control the DM have, it is to make it a rare Feat for NPCs (if every spellcaster in the world has on the average 1 or 2 IC Feats, then it becomes obvious you can always buy what you're looking for). If otherwise a PC gets the IC feat, I really appreciate he has suddenly much more choice. And it makes PCs more unique and more important in the world.

 

[Chacal]

IMC, PCs find (few) magic items, and can buy potions and scrolls.
There are some limitations besides the size/wealth of the
community from where they try to buy :
religion/background for clerical stuff
some towns prohibit selling of dangerous spells scrolls

An enchantment is a common reward though.

Chacal

 

[LokiDR]

I tend to stick to discovered treasure most times, until the PCs reach an area with a magical merchant (pretty rare). As a side effect, most of the item creation feats exsist in the game, including an artificer.

To help the PCs get through the periods between shops, I let them spend a portion of their own XP for an inprovement in one or more items. The idea being that in a magic world, superstions become real to a degree. It is an oriental adventures idea I liked. The max XP they can spend at 4th level is 80. At 6th, it goes up to 240. It goes up again ever even number after that. XP costs run as item creation (1/25 of base cost).

The trick is, as the DM I tell them what the XP they spend does. This lets me balance the abilites, but still give them what they want, or close to it. The mage has a staff that casts mage armor or bulls strength at a touch. It only saves him a few spells memorized, and encourages him to cooperate with the rest of the party. Plus, it is a nifty item to help define his character that can improve over time.

 

[Steverooo]

Magic Items

To any player of 1e AD&D, magic items are almost always found, almost never bought. It's okay to allow "buying" when equipping a PC generated at levels higher than first. It's also okay to find some +1 ammo or an occasional potion (or maybe even scroll) for sale, but the rest, no.

Of course, it is (apparently) common-place, in 3e. Pity...

 

[IceBear]

Yeah, it is "suggested" that the PCs be able to purchase magic items and as long as they don't exceed the suggested wealth limit they should be "balanced".

Feeling like you do about magic items being more rare, I tend to allow low level scrolls and potions to be bought, but keep scrict control on everything else.

IceBear

 

[magnas_veritas]

As a GM, I do allow the players into being fooled they are buying a magic item, after about 6 game sessions and loosing money to mischevious wizards they back off

I suppose that's an interesting story idea, in that the party then hunts down the wizard and does deeply unpleasant things to them based on party alignment...anywhere from taking away the wizard's spellbook and having him jailed for theft to building a fire on his chest. Cheated PCs are almost invariably quite upset PCs.

Caveat emptor is always in effect, of course. You should probably have a caster handy to help verify the authenticity of the item, and any municipality that focuses on trade would do its utmost to keep a clean rep, which would include policing fraudulent merchants. For magic items, that might not be anything lower than a metropolis or planar metropolis.

Brad

 

[TwoSix]

Over in Tristam...

I let the PCs in the game I run buy whatever they want, as long as they have enough Stones of Jordan to trade.