Easy magic vs unique magic poll

[Kurichan]

I'd like to know what the popularity of mass magic is. Personaly I think paying the cost and xp and "poof" here's your magic item really dulls the game. Fewer, much harder to make, cool items with names and history really add flavor.

 

[s/LaSH]

I voted the 'lowest' category, which surprised me. There are items of maximum power in my campaign world, but getting hold of them isn't usually as simple as penetrating to the heart of an ancient tomb guarded by Things Man Was Not Meant To Engage In Conversation, which in itself isn't all that easy. There certainly isn't a Ye Olde Magic Shoppe in every town. Wizards aren't one big happy family, they're jealous old ****s who want all the power for themselves, damnit, so why should they demean themselves doing customer relations? If you're given the power to reshape Heaven and Earth, you don't reshape yourself a place in the service industry.

 

[hong]

I'd like to know what the popularity of mass magic is. Personaly I think paying the cost and xp and "poof" here's your magic item really dulls the game. Fewer, much harder to make, cool items with names and history really add flavor.

If I wanted flavour, I'd add MSG.

 

[Irda Ranger]

IMC both option 2 and 3 would be correct. Disposable items such as wands and scrolls are available at Ye Olde Wand Shop, but permanent items have no natural market. They are very hard to come by.

I think an interesting twist on this poll would be the prevalence of magical spellcasting services. Spells without pricey material components are basicly free to create, only costing the Wizard's time. This is a pure service industry play. Some serivce providers (like good lawyers and consultants) charge top dollar, while others (street sweepers) command minimum wage.

I know it takes the fantasy out of D&D to think this way a bit, but its helpful to realize that Priests would probably have a holy edict to cast every spell in their repetoire every day for the benefit of the faithful and for "outreach" work. It doesn't cost the priests anything to cast the spells, and it brings in the faithful on Sunday, adding to their deity's power and influence.

Sorcerers have absolutely no up-front costs, since they have no spell books and do no research. A Sorcerer who can cast Fly might as well cast it every day, and could propably command a good price for it every day. The same goes for simple spells too that most people find useful. It might be cheaper to hire a maid to clean your house than to hire a Sorcerer to cast Unseen Servant, but I can see a wealthy Noble house hiring the Sorcerer a couple times a year to dust the crystal chandeliers 100 feet overhead without having to lower them.

This is assuming that spell-casting isn't a government monopoly of course.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Not to be a fence-sitter, but I like all the options for different campaigns. High-magic, low-magic, common-magic, rare-magic... It all depends on the feel I want for the given setting.

Right now I'm about to start a campaign that falls somewhere between 3 and 4, but I've run games all across the board at various points.

 

[blackshirt5]

Magic is unique but still common in my world. Most magical weapons have their own names and histories(Stormbrand and Balefire, for example, the Axe of Greymore, or The Black Sword of the Emperor's Champion), but wands, potions, magical runes, etc. as well as lesser magical weapons are all common enough that most people know what they are. Magical rings are known to be worn by the nobility, wizards carry staffs, etc.

 

[Merlion]

None of the options quite fit so I didnt vote...but heres my view. I think magic items are a bit to common and easy to make in standard DnD. Especialy some types. Potions, scrolls and even wands arent as big a deal. But permanent items especialy powerful ones should be tough to find. Some places might have establishments were such things can be aquired...either they have some their and/or their willing to go out and aquire them or try and get someone to make them...but smallish areas shouldnt have more than scrolls or potions readily avaible.
I like the item creation rules basicaly but if I was running i would take the gold piece costs listed and at the very least make the player search for an unusual place to aquire unusual matierals(unicorn hairs, wood from a 500 year old lightning struck oak tree etc etc) for things like wands and potions and whatall and probably adventure to aquire even odder things for big stuff(weapons armor etc). Of course I dont really run much I'm more of a player but I do think some of the wonder and mystery has been taken out.

 

[blackshirt5]

Also in my campaign(since Merlion's post reminded me of it), you can(and should) use unusual materials in your items, it helps to defray some of the cost of creating them. Things such as a unicorn's horn(great for both shortswords and healing wands) and, for example, red dragon scales and other assorted body parts(for flaming weapons, fire resistant armor and shields, and other such items), are greatly prized by spellcasters, who are willing to pay out the rear for such items, knowing that they'll be worth the price later on.

 

[Merlion]

And thats in the somewhat rare event you can find them to be baught. Often times I'd say you must go hunt them yourself.

 

[blackshirt5]

Well that's why being an adventurer is so cool. You can make a killing and get enough money to say, raise an army, if you're a good enough hunter, and you know the how and the what of harvesting monster bits.