Do you let players buy Magic items?

[Donatello]

I allow most things with a market price of 25K or less to be available in big cities (I run FRCS, so Waterdeep and Silverymoon have good resources of magic items for sale), and sometimes more expensive thigns can be found, but more often, they have to find someone to make the item for them.

I use the generic term "Artificer" to describe people that make magic items, and artificers generally charge 125% to 150% of the market price to have something custom made.

Potions, Scrolls and Wands are considered "Common" items in big cities, and are readily available for 110%-125% of market.

 

[Ravellion]

If you raise the prices too much, you'll eventually get people taking a lot of item creation feats. I think for D&D to have a low magic feel, the rules need to be altered, otherwise you'll get stuff like petrosian suggests.

Rav

 

[el Voz]

I have no "magic" weapons in my campagin. I just have grades of craftmanship. What you call a +2 I call a very fine crafted blade.

It is all how you present it. The PCs do not go into the store and ask for a +3 sword. The shopkeeper would call the nut house. But when I describe it OOC I tell the player I have no +3 swords only several +2 and a single +4.

The "+X" all give us a common ground to relate to.

How to explain the mage feat that allows them to enchant a weapon? The human being with his clumsy tools can only do so much fine detail, the mage is needed to assist the weaponsmith in creating even finer "steel"

 

[Psion]

I generally use the city limits described in the DMG, and also I don't have magic shops per se. I have brokers. They don't keep items above the minor level on hand... otherwise, they would be targets for theives. And they always make a profit... you won't get market value out of your items.

In my current campaign, there are two such brokers in the central city of the campaign. One is a good female grey elf wizard who lives in a vine covered house and generally avoids working with evil items.

The other is a shady and paranoid lizardman who trades in anything that lives down by the water.

The funny thing is, if players show up at a broker and hear of an item that they pass up on, or sell the broker an item, sometimes they show up in the hands of NPC villains.

 

[Piratecat]

Lots of good advice in this other active thread:

http://www.enworld.org/messageboards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4557

 

[Eye Tyrant]

I don't really dig the idea of magic being "for sale", it is too easy for PCs to make their own stuff. There might be an off chance of finding a minor item for sale somewhere, but more often then not it will be more expensive then creating it themselves, which makes sense, the creator is going to profit.

 

[Warlock]

potions, scrolls, some minor wonderous items, a few wands, maybe a week ring or two but thats about it.

 

[dkoz]

I had a bunch of problems with PCs buying and selling magic items in my last campaign (it ruined the game). I had players that had memorized the DMG and would use that knowledge to meta game buying/selling items (i.e. fighters with low Int and Wis getting upset, in and out of character, because they can't sell magic items for the price listed in the DMG).

If I ever run a game again (which might not be likely for awhile. Plug: see my add in the Gamers Seeking Gamers forum http://www.enworld.org/messageboards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1080) I plan keep magic items more on the down low. For instance, I think I will have weapons dealers and the like selling items they don't know are magical. I mean why would a smith know such and such sword had such and such power. All he will know is that the sword is an example of master workmanship. On the flip side, why would the same smith buy a sword from a adventurer for more than a masterwork price just because the adventurer says it is "magic".

Just some advice: Make magic items something a PC is happy to have. Make them work bit to get them (violently and diplomatically) and they will enjoy the game much more.

 

[Henry]

All of you are wimps!

In my campaigns, Characters can buy any magic item they want, if they have the money to do so. Vorpal Swords, Wands of lightning bolt, Books of Vile Darkness, Manuals of gainful exercise, Helms of Brillians, YOU NAME IT!

And NOT ONLY can they buy the magic item of their choice, they can also get upgrade options Most magic items do not come with all their powers, but for extra cash, they can have these powers added. Want a Rod of Lordly Might? It's yours! Want the +3 Spear, the +4 battle axe, and the climbing pole extension? Those cost extra. Also, for 3% of the cost of the item, they can get an assurance from the crafting mage or priest that they will repair or recharge the item for free, if they return it to any participating dealership for repair.

Even lack of cash in my campaign is not a negative thing. For a percentage of their looting and exploration proceeds, they can get whatever magic item they wish! It only makes good sense, because people with magic items are more productive citizens, so even the local money-lending houses get into the act. With the backing of the magic item dealers, they can gain the magic item of their choice for very little down and very low payments each month!

It doesn't matter if they have poor credit, slow credit, or even NO credit - Everyone goes away happy!

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I just think it makes the players more appreciative of the power of the magic weapons if they only get them by taking them off a corpse or from a treasure hoard, or make them. If I have an adventure that causes the fighter to lose his +3 Keen Greatsword it's a lot different if he knows he'll only be able to replace it by advenutre and risk compared to him thinking. "what the f**k. Earl's has a discount on +4 swords next week so I'll just go buy one."