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<blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 4018075" data-attributes="member: 19675">OTOH, if you wanted to go for a &quot;realistic&quot; approach, you don't completely eliminate the magic store, you modify it.&nbsp; Otherwise, you're eliminating a chunk of realistic commerce from your fantasy economy.While many treasures pass directly from person to person, some get lost or sold.&nbsp; People find things and sell them- like the Dead Sea Scrolls.&nbsp; People outgrow their possessions- like a former Cub Scout who upgrades from his organizational blade to a nice Spyderco.&nbsp; How many great guitarists found their first axe in a pawn shop?The key is that people may not know that what they sell (or buy) is magic.So, no &quot;One Stop Magic Shop&quot;- what to replace it with?Much like the real world, minor things such as potions should be available in such a store- be it an apothecary, alchemist's, or the dwelling of a hedge wizard at the edge of town.&nbsp; Depending upon the local social climate, visiting such a place might be risky...after all, who wants to be associated with a witch who consorts with demons?Other items would be found among mundane items of their kind.&nbsp; A magic sword would be found at a weaponsmith's.&nbsp; If he knows its magic, he'll charge for it.&nbsp; If he doesn't know its magic, probably none of his customers do either.&nbsp; Of course, without the right skills or spells, neither will the PCs.&nbsp; Selling/buying a magic weapon (unknowingly) is even more likely if local laws restrict the right to bear arms to a select few.&nbsp; Holding onto a sword without the right to bear one would be foolish- better to sell it off for a few gold and eat for a fortnight. (On a certain level, this turns shopping in town into a treasure hunt in and of itself.)Still other items should be in the hands of private collectors, armories, guilds, churches or schools. Access to those- either by loan or purchase- would be granted via connections made in game, PrCls, or perhaps an adventure like a raid on a merchant's summer house...And, of course, this keeps open the possibility of a plotline involving the PCs getting defrauded by a dishonest seller, or finding out that the Church's relic that they were entrusted to use was just a &quot;wallhanger.&quot; (Again, with RW analogs- how many young men have died because a shaman told them they were protected by magic that simply didn't work?)</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dannyalcatraz, post: 4018075, member: 19675"] OTOH, if you wanted to go for a "realistic" approach, you don't completely eliminate the magic store, you modify it. Otherwise, you're eliminating a chunk of realistic commerce from your fantasy economy. While many treasures pass directly from person to person, some get lost or sold. People find things and sell them- like the Dead Sea Scrolls. People outgrow their possessions- like a former Cub Scout who upgrades from his organizational blade to a nice Spyderco. How many great guitarists found their first axe in a pawn shop? The key is that people may not know that what they sell (or buy) is magic. So, no "One Stop Magic Shop"- what to replace it with? Much like the real world, minor things such as potions should be available in such a store- be it an apothecary, alchemist's, or the dwelling of a hedge wizard at the edge of town. Depending upon the local social climate, visiting such a place might be risky...after all, who wants to be associated with a witch who consorts with[I] demons?[/I] Other items would be found among mundane items of their kind. A magic sword would be found at a weaponsmith's. If he knows its magic, he'll charge for it. If he [I]doesn't [/I]know its magic, probably none of his customers do either. Of course, without the right skills or spells, neither will the PCs. Selling/buying a magic weapon (unknowingly) is even more likely if local laws restrict the right to bear arms to a select few. Holding onto a sword without the right to bear one would be foolish- better to sell it off for a few gold and eat for a fortnight. (On a certain level, this turns shopping in town into a treasure hunt in and of itself.) Still other items should be in the hands of private collectors, armories, guilds, churches or schools. Access to those- either by loan or purchase- would be granted via connections made in game, PrCls, or perhaps an adventure like a raid on a merchant's summer house... And, of course, this keeps open the possibility of a plotline involving the PCs getting defrauded by a dishonest seller, or finding out that the Church's relic that they were entrusted to use was just a "wallhanger." (Again, with RW analogs- how many young men have died because a shaman told them they were protected by magic that simply didn't work?) [/QUOTE]

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