Do your players expect discounts for party made magic items?

[TheAuldGrump]

Hmmm, the last time that I remember it coming up the Wizard got things like enemy spell books and wands or scrolls without it being a part of his share of the 'party treasure'. In return he sold items at cost to the rest of the party. The Cleric only took Scribe Scroll and Brew Potion - he tried selling them at market value but the rest of the characters decided that in that case they might as well go to the market. After that he went with 10% over cost, but the Wizard was definitely on better terms with the rest of the party. The Cleric got shouted down when he tried to change the way treasure was divied up... (he wanted free scrolls and potions too...) winning friends all over the place he was.

The Auld Grump

 

[Sigurd]

The first advantage of in house magic item creation is not cost but flexibility. You find x amount or random or near random magic items and you want a type of bonus in a type of use slot. Thats a huge advantage.

You also get an assurance of quality and no bad mojo. Why knows what curses, previous owners etc... come with another item. Buyer beware becomes Party Protected.

I've always expected a discount for party members if you are making items. I think it is posing to make up objections based on off game time that, usually, nobody plays or really benefits from. At the same time I do think EXP losses are a real cost. The magic item maker may not want to make any item if they are focused on the next level. To expect the creator will do it for free, and pay for it in EXP is just rude.

I don't think its fair to alot a party share to making items because then the creator pays for the item twice. It might be enough to draw a share for the item creator and then calculate the item creation slush fund from the remaining shares.

Adventures where they keep careful check of component costs and magic creation costs have to deal with the Wizards being _much_ more expensive to play. The party does not want the Wizard to not cast the spell because he cannot afford the 1000gp gem it requires. If the party doesn't have a policy for that they are kicking themselves in the teeth.

The final say on the creation of items has to be the creators. Usually thats enough to bargain with to get reasonable treatment. Its definately a question I would ask before taking item creation feats. I'd request the Party also pay towards\or for the wizard's laboratory.

Sigurd

 

[Crothian]

Expect, no. But the Wizard has never "charged" for the items anyway. Most the money is a group fund that things get made from.

 

[Imret]

Typically, that decision is left to the player as befits their character. The last campaign I played in our wizard was the only one with any kind of item creation, and my ranger/rogue wanted some boots and gloves enchanted; he offered to make them at cost for me, which was great. Upon realizing he was slipping backwards in the XP department - despite being the only one to not lose a level to the vampire spawn - I funded his wand of magic missile at 7th level out of my share of treasure, so he could always contribute to the combats.

It's not a situation that should require DM intervention, being a player and character issue. And if I was, at any point, expected to create magical items for the group at my own expense or get no help from the party, I'd be glad to make them some potions of inflict serious wounds, some cursed scrolls, and some -1 longswords and ride off in the middle of the night. My casters aren't anybody's...umm...female dog.

 

[Herremann the Wise]

Different Campaigns and Characters call for different ideas. I see no reason to attach a stigma to wizards/item creators just because they charge book price.

Take for example, Lucifus Cray, the high level alienist that I play. He would charge anywhere from cost up to several times book price depending upon the client. Whichever the way, he would always ask for a favour in return. This could be anything from arranging a meeting with a "special" person and ranging to some of the more bizarre requests I have seen played out in a game. Sometimes a favour to Lucifus Cray is priced at an exorbitant cost. Most of the time, it would just be simpler for party members to get their stock standard stuff elsewhere - part of Lucifus's design behind his pricing scheme. Occasionally though, he would be motivated to surprising acts of generosity. Others times not.

There was one time when somebody claimed the price was more than his friend paid elsewhere. To this, Lucifus replied that perhaps the quality of the friend's item was not quite up to scratch. I mean you can get it made by some base cleric who follows some strange and bizarre dogma or you could purchase it from one of the greatest arcanists gracing the lands of Urth. As arguing with high level wizards is neither wise nor good for one's health, most clients were just happy with their "superior" version.

Alternatively, in the upcoming Age of Worms campaign that I'm running, the book price is considered standard across the board. To cheapen one's work by wholesaling it off is NOT the behaviour of a true wizard - although other classes might not be so strictly governed. As such, wizards may choose to gift their items to another but never sell them at half price or bogof. It's all in the wizardly mystique you see.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[Kurotowa]

Because your PC buddy gets to reinvest the profit into improving him/herself and hence the party as a whole benefits. (Assuming they're OK paying the XP cost)

Why put all the profit into improving one PC instead of splitting it so everyone improves and benefits the party? If an adventuring party isn't a group of friends who look out for each other, they're business partners working together for mutual profit. The wizard shouldn't be looking to turn a small profit on item creation at a business partner's expence. The wizard should be equipping the party so they're all stronger and can take on riskier challanges. His share of one dragon's hoard will more than make up for the GP difference, and all it takes is avoiding one death and Raise Dead because of superior gear to make up the XP difference.

IMO, D&D is about teamwork. Crafting for your teammates is just another example of that.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I do have a wizard that makes wands and scrolls. Our House Rule allows the wizard to sit down with the cleric to make wands, scrolls and such, so when the cleric needs a new CxW Wand the group puts in the wizard plays for the xp cost and the cleric has to spend X number of days with the wizard. A few times the wizard has said- "you guys pay for my share of the component cost," but that is seldom.

This isn't a house rule, except that you seem to have no choice who spends the XP. Base rules are "any number of casters can participate, each must contribute a prerequisite, and you choose who supplies caster level - that person also supplies XP". IOW - the cleric could have been paying XP on half those wands.


My general point of view is that the wizard is well within his rights to expect market price for anything he makes. He's giving up very precious time (Wizards are just about the only PC who have a use for downtime. It is VERY important to them) and even more precious experience to, in effect, simply save someone else the hassle of finding a dependable crafter.

Certainly any player who expects the group crafter to craft for free, or for cost can get stuffed.

 

[Parlan]

My general point of view is that the wizard is well within his rights to expect market price for anything he makes. He's giving up very precious time (Wizards are just about the only PC who have a use for downtime. It is VERY important to them) and even more precious experience to, in effect, simply save someone else the hassle of finding a dependable crafter.

This is completely at odds with my experience. usually, our only downtime was waiting for the wizzie to finish scribing or crafting. whether it took him two days or two months, the time passed with a wave of the DMs hand.

besides, my Ftr isn't at the bar, he's training hard the whole time!

XP is worth something, but I'd be pi$$y if a party member insisted on charging me full price. Cost to create plus something for the XP, but in general I'm never asking for more than an item or two anyway. I could see it getting annoying if other party members presented your caster with a 17 page list of the items they wanted your caster to create for them.

 

[Parlan]

IMO, D&D is about teamwork. Crafting for your teammates is just another example of that.

Amen brotha.

If we're having serious issues over the cost for intra party item creation, then something's wrong. Why are we wasting time that could be spent slaying monsters dickering over whether the mage gets 66.45% or 78.97% of market price?

But if he pulls the 5000 gp for a clw crap someone mentioned above, I'll pay, rest up, and then geek him while he sleeps. Maybe his next character will be wiser.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Usually in my games it ends up going like this:

Need Before Greed (If an item can be used by somebody in the group to good effect, they get it, if it replaces something they had, that goes in the 'pot')

Wizards Get The Spellbooks (The only real way to account for the unordinate amount of money you have to spend to scribe spells into your book and stay functional)

Crafters Charge Cost (for low-level stuff). Honestly, 30xp here and there isn't a big hit, to me anyway.

I'm usually churning out 1/1 wands like there's no tomorrow. True Strike, RoFeeb, Sheild, Mage Armor, CureLight ... heck, even Daze and Disrupt Undead. Same with useful low-level clerical stuff that still gets play as levels go up.

--fje