Does your campaign have magic shops?

[FireLance]

In my current Eberron campaign, I've done away with the concept of buying and selling equipment entirely. Each of the PCs is tied to an organization, and the organization supplies them with equipment appropriate to their level. Every time they level up, they turn in whatever equipment they have, and get whatever gear they want, up to the standard wealth level of their new level.

Quite frankly, the whole debate about the presence of magic shops in a campaign sidesteps the real issue, which is: how comfortable is the DM about giving the PCs whatever magic items they want? If the DM wants to give an item to the PCs, they will get it somehow - found as loot, given as a gift, obtained through the PC's contacts amongst the rich and powerful, whatever. If the DM doesn't want the PCs to have an item, they will never find it. All magic shops will never have it in stock, all the rumors about the whereabouts of the item will prove false, spellcasters will require components that are impossible to obtain before they can make it, etc. Everything else is just rationalizing the decision you've already made.

 

[DragonLancer]

Magic item shopes do not exist IMC. They are a silly idea IMO.

You might be able to trade some to local temples or mages in return for scrolls or potions, but magic items should be as close to priceless items as you get in D&D.

 

[Sejs]

In my homebrew setting, for the most part there are not magic item shops, and if you want to purchase magic items you need to go to a spellcaster and see if they'd be interested in trading, or know somebody who would. Trade is usually in the form of other magic items, spells they don't have (personal researched spells or variants are a big plus here), power components they could use, or rarely liquid funds (gold, gems, jewelry, etc).

There are 3 exceptions:

1) Items made with the Craft (Alchemy) skill. When I run, Alchemy does not require the user to be a spellcaster. So that village wise woman who is an Expert may be able to sell you some healing salve, poison curing draughts, or what have you.

2) Large magical organizations such as the Arcane Order, or the Brotherhood of the Silver Griffon tend to have some stock in enchanted items floating around, or are able to have them commissioned. However, such services are generally reserved for members or the very wealthy (who have a good relationship with the organization and still end up paying thru the nose anyway). This is probably the most accessable Magic-for-Cash option available, outside of...

3) One of the nations in the setting is a Magocracy. Infact you have to demonstrate at least some modicum of arcane (read that as trained, spell-slots using, wizardly) ability to become a Citizen. Otherwise you're a Non-Citizen Resident, and have a different set of rights and so forth. There actually are shops there that sell low-level magic items; usually things that are about on level with cantrips in power. Floating glass baubles that hover just behind your shoulder and give off light upon command. Spools of enchanted thread that can mend (as mending) nearly anything, but only have 50 uses worth of thread on the spool. Crystal prisms that glow with a colored light when passed thru a magical field. Quills that take dictations. Things like that. Additionally, there are some people in said country that are sort of partial spellcasters, particularly for certain types of magical crafting. There is a family that has a tradition of producing magical tailors. They're amazingly gifted in their chosen craft, and can even make some enchanted clothing (that looks really, really nice too!) - if you want an enchanted cloak and are able to meet their price, they're the place to go. But if you want a magical sword, find somebody else because they couldn't make a Longsword +1 even if they wanted to.

 

[Bigwilly]

I put no, but meant sort of.

In large cities, including the one the PCs call home, spells and potions can be bought from the mage's guild, good temples or even the local alchemist. Magic items can be sold off, but new ones can only be made to order.

There is one nearby city where I have said that anything is available - for a price!

Bigwilly

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Sure, Urbis has magic shops - lots of them, in fact. And depending on the shop, there's a wide vast variety of items you can buy.

The only snag is that the shops aren't allowed to sell items to anyone without the
appropriate licence - and you do have the licence to own and use that wand of fireball, don't you?

 

[random user]

So no one has come up with a world where magic isn't super scarce but magic shops don't exist and those two things co-exist?

Do you just accept that it doesn't make sense and hand wave it away, or have you found a set of civilizations which has successfully made it make sense?

Or do all the people who say no to magic shops run sparse magic worlds? (And do you allow the PCs to craft items? I assume not?)

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

So no one has come up with a world where magic isn't super scarce but magic shops don't exist and those two things co-exist?

Well, I think that's only possible in a world that doesn't have much commerce at all - a "tribal" society might have access to lots of magic, but disinclined to trade the magic it has.

Once you have both widespread commerce and relatively common magic, someone will try to make some bucks from magic...

(Or perhaps all magic is granted by divine beings who would revoke these powers the instant their follower tries to make some money with them...)

 

[knifespeaks]

In answer to your question random user, the simplest solution is this:

Magic items are few and the vast majority of them have yet to be discovered.

Same with dungeons and races and places....IMC, much of the world is a vast unknown. Magic is practiced, and some magical items can be crafted....but survival is the first order of the day, not accumulating wealth.

 

[dreaded_beast]

In answer to your question random user, the simplest solution is this:

Magic items are few and the vast majority of them have yet to be discovered.

Would this equate to only special villains or NPCs having magical items?

Or does this mean that monsters/NPCs encountered with magical items are among the minority that actually have magical items?

In answer to the original post, I go by the DMG most of the time: depending on the size of the city, etc. Most of the times, a big city will have something, but so far the PCs have had enough gold to buy. Or the city just didn't have what they were looking for at the time. While role-playing purchases can be fun at times, it can also drag at times.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I divide magic items in to 2 categories - magic and gear. Pretty much done on price and it changes as the players advance:

Proper magic items are tricky to get hold of. They need to be comissioned, found and so on. Basically, they take an amount of ingame effort to get hold of. Usually involves a sidetrack adventure, favors and so on.

Gear is 'low value' magic items. I'll let people buy these during downtime without any real interaction. This uses the same method as the proper magic items, but it's handwaved into the background. I just assume that the PCs contacts and friends are easily able to find such stuff.

Gear generally covers items below about 10% of the 'suggested total wealth' figure for the PCs level. High level one use items are an exception - those take more effort. But that's mostly because I don't want 10th level PCs throwing 9th level scrolls about!

I put in lots of downtime, so a month or twos wait isn't a big deal. If they want stuff in a real hurry, then that might be a bit more difficult.

It's all in the interests of fun. I didn't want a 'magical Wall Mart' feel to buying any items - had that in previous games and it annoyed me. At the same time, I don't mind the PCs tailoring their items or getting hold of imaginative one use items. Didn't want to bog them down in a great deal of searching and roleplaying for 'minor' items.