How do you handle selling magic items in your campaign? (New question on page 4)

[Bandersnatch777]

Middle ground? Not so much...

In your campaign, how do you handle selling magic items?

<snip>
That said, how much more? I'd like to have some guidelines in place so that we can resolve it out of game with more detail than just "you get 50% of its market value." Not so much detail that the idea of resolving it during downtime becomes impossible, but some nice middle ground.

What do you do?

--I run low magic D&D games. (3.5E is feat heavy instead.)

--All magic & alchemical items are made by someone; For someone; To a specific purpose. There are never generic +1 swords floating about.

--Too, I limit the maximum number of permanent magical items a spell-caster can create equal to their Con. And I limit the number of temporary magic items that they can have in creation at any one time equal to twice their Con. These are the maximum numbers totalling up their past lives; current life; lichedom (if applicable) & reincarnation.

--Having an item in your possession, made by a spell-caster is the same as if you had some of their fresh blood (for sympathetic magic purposes).

--Economically, the PCs starting gold is straight from the book (feats that affect a PC's starting gold is also in gold; after creation &/or ongoing, they're in sp). However, with the exception of Alchemical & Magical items, all of the other items are in silver pieces. It is a silver piece standard world (including any treasure found). Alchemical & Magical items, if they can be found for sale at all (as there are no magic shops), will cost the PC normal D&D gold piece prices.

--Its worked for my gaming groups since 1979. Your results may vary.

Bonne chance!
-Bander

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/GauliaSweetGaulia/

--"Nothing on the face of this earth --and I do mean nothing- is half so dangerous as a children's story that happens to be real, and you and I are wandering blindfolded through a myth devised by a maniac." -- Master Li Kao (Tang Dynasty)

 

[Woas]

I'd like to create a simple model for bartering magic items, as well. What rolls do you involve, Woas?

1st roll is a Gather Info check. This check is for the players to find info on someone who is willing to barter with them in the first place. The better the roll, the more expensive the item they have to barter for is (usually). You don't have to do this one everytime though. Once the players find a person, they may be able to go back to them multiple times. So that roll isn't that hard... you can have some fun comming up with neat traders.

Once the NPC and the players meet, the NPC does an Appraise check. The players are welcome to appraise the NPCs item(s) as well. Sometimes the NPC can appraise themselves. I have had situations where the NPC is some wealthy so-and-so and had a hired appraiser in the room with them. Theres also a number of magic and mudane items that help out with appraise checks. Its all up to you when it comes to that in regards of how well the NPC can appraise. With the appraise checks in, the starting prices are set. Sometimes, depending on the appraise check the prices can be skewed and the players may actually be getting jipped, or in some cases, they could be getting a real bargain.

Either way, once the prices are set then I use opposed diplomacy checks. These checks work like this: Joe-Joe the Insane Wizard is trading with Billy the NPC. Joe-Joe believes that Billy's item isn't quite worth the same as his, and would like Billy to throw on a little extra. This calls for opposed Diplomacy checks. For every 100 gold Joe-Joe wants Billy to add, he recieves a -1 penalty to his diplomacy check. If Joe-Joe wins, then Billy will agree to add in extra. If Billy wins, then he stands firm at his price. With the new price set, if Billy still thinks its fair prices based off the appraise check then they can just trade. If Billy thinks the trade isn't fair anymore, then Billy may attempt to raise Joe-Joe's price the same way with the same 100 gold per -1. This goes back and forth until both are in agreement. This same thing can be done in reverse. If Joe-Joe felt that Billy's item was to expensive from the get go, he may try to get Billy to reduce the price the same way with 100 gold per -1. However it usually works out that Billy would want Joe-Joe to raise his price before he would lower his... but thats just my games. I guess it doesn't have to be that way everytime.

To keep people from just raising it 99 gold unlimited times without a penalty, there is also a cumulative -1 penalty each time you ask to raise (or lower) the price. But the 1st price raise is free.

Thats pretty much it. If its kinda klunky to read I appologize. I don't really have it written down 100% in one place... I just know it off hand. Its one of those strange systems that grew from experience and use.

 

[The Thayan Menace]

Simplicity and Diversity

This thread has a fair number of interesting ideas regarding business transactions and some of them are actually quite different from one another.

The way I see it, as long as you can explain your in-game commercial system in a page or less, you are on the right track.

Although I do not intend to use all of the advice presented here, much of it is succintly stated and useful (especially the classic idea of using crafted items as a link for sympathetic magic ... that is priceless).



The diversity in DMing styles displayed here affirms my faith in my favorite hobby.

Also, props to Kealios for his spreadsheet and interest in my campaign.

 

[haiiro]

A dilemma

I've finally whipped my little system for selling magic items into a form I'm happy with, and now I've got a dilemma: I'd like to publish it, either as a free PDF or a very low-cost PDF.

This sounds like it could be a lot of fun, but given that I developed it after discussing the idea in this thread, and reading the two others that Larcen linked us to, is it even possible? I have no desire to steal anyone's ideas, and the system I came up with is wholly my own -- but it was certainly influenced by what's been posted here.

In particular:

- Ambrus's "40% base + roll" idea
- njrpg's "%ile chance = % of MV" idea
- Larcen's many viewpoints on the topic
- Spatzimaus's breakdown of high supply vs. high demand

My current version has an acknowledgements section that reads as follows:

"After playing a session that was a bit bogged down by mundane tasks, my gaming group came up with the idea of creating a simple system for selling magic items in-game. Three of the players in this campaign, [names withheld for the moment], all provided excellent inspiration and feedback.

When I asked how others resolved the sale of magic items on the EN World messageboards, I got a lot of good responses. Four posters in particular contributed ideas that helped me come up with this little system: Ambrus, Larcen, njrpg and Spatzimaus.

My thanks to all of you!"

So...what's the right course here?

 

[hong]

If it's free, I can't think of any reason someone would take exception to your publishing it. Heck, even if you charge a nominal amount, it should still be okay, since you're acknowledging the contributions of others.

 

[Umbran]

If it's free, I can't think of any reason someone would take exception to your publishing it. Heck, even if you charge a nominal amount, it should still be okay, since you're acknowledging the contributions of others.

If the person in question ever wanted to publish their ideas for themselves, there'd be difficulties. How much money you make off it is irrelevant.

If you take large inspiration from another, such that they could look at your work and say, 'Hey, that's my idea!", then you need to do more than acknowledge their input. You need their express permission.

 

[haiiro]

I'll give this one [bump] for the evening -- I'm still very curious to hear what folks think about my question (three posts up).

Thanks for the feedback, hong and Umbran. Umbran, I don't think I'm in "Hey! That's my idea!" territory with this one, but it's a very good point.