How do you handle (mundane) item pricing?

[John Crichton]

The first thing I would say as player is, "Well, why didn't you tell me up front that halflings weren't allowed. I'll play the elf like you want me to."

My point is it sounds like pointless railroading. Unless you really wanted no one to play a gnome, halfling or dwarf, in which case you should state that at the outset.

Just a little background on this topic: I gave out some material on the races that the players have had for some time. All the equipment was purchased with no penalties to GP. The 2 players created characters we worked out some detailed history and I worked it all in the homebrew. We are starting to play friday.

I am told on Sunday by one of the 2 participating players that he doesn't want to play his character that we worked for hours on (that I have already done a decent amount of planning for). He tells me he wants to play something different so I say I'm a little disappointed because I like the concept he had (he sold me on it and it grew on me, plus he was lobbying to play it for a good week or so).

But I said ok to a new character because I don't want someone playing something they don't want to; that's no fun. So I have the starting location set to go, I'm getting to the point where all I need is a little more history from the players so I can work it in and splat, half the party changes (a drawback to having only 2 PC's). I've already spent too much time creating the area the PC's will be in so I can't change it at this point (no time) and that region has a very low population of little folks (both original PC's were human or elf).

Now, the PC's won't be in this area forever and there will be plenty of travel to places where this armor will be easier to find. But I wanted to be fair to the player with the halfling and warn him that getting new 1/2-plate would probably run him a few more GP than the PHB says.

Just wanted to give the situation in my defense. I have railroaded in the past and I know what it is (as both a PC and a DM). It is not the case here. Had I known before I planned that there would be little folk in the party there would have been a larger contingent of them in the area. If it seems like railroading, I could see that. But it's not like I made it impossible or said that it couldn't be done. Just that at the outset, replacement 1/2 plate would probably cost a bit more. And I don't plan on having any NPC's steal the armor he has on now so unless he comes across hordes of $$ very soon, it won't even be needed.

 

[Buttercup]

I tinker with pricing and availablity in several ways. First, unless my players are in a large city, they can't assume they can buy everything that's in the PHB. Any locale smaller than a small town will not usually have any weapons or armor for sale, with the possible exception of arrows, bolts, bullets, slings and light crossbows.

Depending on local conditions I might raise prices. For example, I once had a group in a city that was under siege, so I took all the PHB prices and doubled them. A week later, I doubled them again. In another instance, in a locale where magic was illegal, spell scrolls and arcane potions were three times the PHB price.

If a region has to import all their iron, then weapons & metal armor will be more expensive. An area that has access to grazing animals or wild boar will have cheaper leather armor.

But I haven't ever made different prices for different races.

Edit: And now that I've actually finished reading the whole thread, no one has actually suggested that. Nevermind.

 

[jgbrowning]

Well here's what i do. (And this is more fully explained in "A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe"... see the publishers forum.. *plug* *plug* )

Every item as a Purchase DC. This is the DC that must be rolled for the PC to purchase the item at the PHB list price.

DCs are modified by: Community size, how much the PCs offer (overprice and underprice), the price of the item in the PHB, and any campaign specifics.

For example: Oswync fitz Richer needs a pound of nutmeg (Purchase price DC 12) for his next dinner party. He lives in Pushkar (a large city, purchase roll modifier of +9) so he shouldn’t have any difficulty finding nutmeg. Unfortunately, the player rolls a 1 for his purchase roll. Oswync can’t find anyone willing to sell nutmeg at 11 gp a pound in Pushkar, and his dinner party is tomorrow night! Oswync decides to offer the spice merchant 13.75 gp (1.25 buyer’s modifier of +1, giving a total +10 to his roll) and the player rolls again. This time he gets a 15 and Oswync’s dinner party is saved!

This system simulates a complex economy. GMs should create production centers (like a dwarven city renown for its weapons) and then create demand centers. Purchase DCs are lower at production centers and higher at demand centers. If long distances separate production and demand centers, intermediary cities develop as transit commercial centers. A good historical example is silk. It was produced in the Far East and transported to the Middle East by one group of traders who then sold it to another group of traders who moved it into Europe. The cities that stood in the middle of the silk route became very wealthy. As the DCs fluctuate from location to location, so do prices.

its pretty simple and elegant and provides a good solution to a complex problem. There are a few flaws with it... (not all items will be defacto less expensive in larger cities) but it is flexible enough for GMs to do whatever they want to with it.

joe b.

 

[Steverooo]

Hamlets' weapons

I tinker with pricing and availablity in several ways. First, unless my players are in a large city, they can't assume they can buy everything that's in the PHB. Any locale smaller than a small town will not usually have any weapons or armor for sale, with the possible exception of arrows, bolts, bullets, slings and light crossbows.

I believe the DMG even has rules for the first part of that, Buttercup!

I've also had the problem of players losing weapons in an area where there were only three businesses (a blacksmith, general store, and Inn/Tavern). Don't forget the "tool" weapons: Knives (unfortunately removed from 3e), sickles, scythes (likewise absent from the core rules), pitchforks, handaxes, etc. Any smith should have a few such farming implements around. Any weight (such as a lock) on the end of a chain will make a flail, as will a pair of manacles.

Then again, there are the old stand-bys of the "zero-cost" weapons, the club, sling, and staff. These are pretty much always available...

 

[John Crichton]

jgbrowning: Not a bad little system. I could see using it for harder-to-acquire items in a pinch.

 

[jgbrowning]

jgbrowning: Not a bad little system. I could see using it for harder-to-acquire items in a pinch.

Why thank you! I've always found most economic systems very difficult to use because they're often concerned more with the "why" things happen as opposed to the "how" things happen. I like this system because it allows a multitude of various "whys" to occur, but only needs one "how" mechanic to deal with all of them. ie. regardless of the reasons behind price change, the DC mechanic should be able to handle it.

glad you like it! (**plug** I've got 7 pages of items DC'ed for you in A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe **plug** )

joe b.