How much does that Magic Item cost?

[ccs]

I have now finally gotten around to answering this question - in regards to my campaigns anyways.

Answer? It's random.

I simply plugged the vague guidelines on pricing items from the DMG into a random # generator I found on Google & ran a set of 50 numbers for each category*.

*For the Legendary category I just arbitrarily capped it at 100,000 GP. I had to pick something for the field.... And if any of my players can conjure up 100K GP? Well, then so be it.


So the next time the party is in town looking to see if they can buy/trade for any items? I'll just refer to the 1st # on the page for the rarity of whatever they're dealing for. Once I've crossed off all 50 I'll regenerate the list.
Yes, I can envision someone objecting to a price as seeming too high. Oh well, that's what the owner of this particular item wants for it.
But what about trying to haggle etc? Ok. I'll give a single persuasion (maybe intimidate?) roll. Meet the DC & it's a 5% discount. For every point the DC is exceeded by it'll be +1% more. Minimum price = the base for that items rarity (ex: V. Rare = 5,001 - no matter how good the roll.)

 

[Ymdar]

Nobody is selling their magic items in my game. Or rather: You have to pay in blood to get one.

 

[aco175]

I always like to have a quest cost associated with good magic items. The map may be only a hundred gold though.

 

[Gwarok]

Yanno, I find it funny how folks approach magic items as these super rare oddities, that no one would buy/sell/trade them regularly. I know I'm painting with a broad brush here and that this doesn't describe everyone, but more often than not when someone asks a question about giving out magic the response is that they overpowered and game breaking. I get that one of the main concepts behind 5E is that of bounded accuracy, and that small modifiers are supposed to represent big effects, and that magic items can really seem to throw that out of whack if you use them too much. Hence people want to treat them like super rare artifacts of legend. Ok.

But here's what don't get. The new campaign world released specifically for 5E is freaking Eberron. They have floating cities, dragon marked houses that incorporate magic so heavily the effects mirror the perks of a modern technological age. They have a transcontinental train system powered by bounded elementals. Flying ships. This is a HIGH MAGIC world to put it mildly. To then say that even mild magic items would be super rare, not regularly traded, etc... is kind of absurd. I'm all for making magic items special, but I have a hard time engaging in the doublethink that this requires. Seems to me a lot of DM's are simply paying allegiance blindly to the concept of bounded accuracy regardless of whether or not what they have to do to do that makes logical sense or not, and just arbitrarily making life difficult for their players.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[jgsugden]

I put the story first. If a PC wants to buy, or sell, a magic item, they need to find someplace to do it, and that place will have a story that will impact what they can find, when they can get it, and what proce will be charged.

Did some other PCs go on an adventure, find something in a treasure horde and decide they could not use it? If so, it wouldn't be an iconic or highly useful magic item. And, the person that bought it and is reselling it has to be considered...

Is there a mage making the items? If so, why? Just for profit? If so, he'll likely want to squeak out every penny he can. Maybe the mage will force the PCs to come to him to negotiate. And can he make anything, or just some things?

Are the PCs the only ones in the market? Or are others bidding on the item?

The DMG provides guidelines on item prices, but I find them to be less useful than letting the PCs negotiate a price that makes sense given the storylines and options. Boots of Flying are something anybody - not just adventurers - would want. They go for well above the cost of a typical uncommon item. On the flip side, a +1 club or sling is something that appeals to a small circle of individuals... and it might be something a merchant is willing to move just to get it off his shelves, even if he gets very little for it. However, if the PCs are buying during wartime, the seller might sell on the cheap to fund their escape from the area - or demand even more than normal due to the urgency and chaos.

 

[ccs]

Yanno, I find it funny how folks approach magic items as these super rare oddities, that no one would buy/sell/trade them regularly. I know I'm painting with a broad brush here and that this doesn't describe everyone, but more often than not when someone asks a question about giving out magic the response is that they overpowered and game breaking. I get that one of the main concepts behind 5E is that of bounded accuracy, and that small modifiers are supposed to represent big effects, and that magic items can really seem to throw that out of whack if you use them too much. Hence people want to treat them like super rare artifacts of legend. Ok.

Magic Item =/= just +x weapons & armor you know.
And there's a ton of really cool things that "bounded accuracy" simply doesn't apply to.

 

[Blue]

The game I currently run does occasionally have magic items for sale, usually select items done as part of a high-priced auction.

My general guideline about how much the minimum they should go for depends on the minimum level I'd want to introduce them into play. For example, while "fly" comes at 5th level, a "fly all day set of wings" wouldn't be something I'd want that early, maybe around 9th earliest. So I'd price it around there - a good chunk of what the whole party could band together to pay at 9th.

This way magic that's "cool" but doesn't have a huge campaign effect can be had at reasonable prices, while other things really have an opportunity cost in that the party won't have that money for other things (including other items).

Since I also give out items, I calibrate against what the whole party could afford - it's basically extra magic items, specifically targeted to purchase so usually what they want.

 

[ccs]

There is definitely a dividing line in campaigns between those that have magic items as something that are bought, and something that is "earned." Now, I'm trying to be flip or cast aspersions- you have to "earn" gold in order to buy magic items as well, but still.

A big part of this divide often comes from those who game more "Old School" (OD&D, 1e, 2e, BECMI, Retroclones, etc.), and those who started with 3.x or 4e. Again, this isn't a complete dividing line (some 1e Campaigns, for example, used the DMG as rough price guides and had 'magic marts,') but there tends to be a strong correlation.

Well, this very 1e DM has never had a problem with the general idea of buying & selling/trading of Magic Items. You find something rare/valuable/powerful & there'll be people interested in acquiring it from you. Likewise, if you're rich enough & want something, someone will be willing to make your wish come true.
And yes, we used the prices in the DMG as our start point.

What my games (whatever edition) don't have are the Magic-Marts many people base their 3x+ thinking on.
Yes, you can go shopping for magic items. But 1st you have to be in a place where that would even be a possibility. Hamlet #33 out on the boarderlands? Not likely. But I will roll a d100 - on a 1 they'll have 1 completely random item. Likely a trip to someplace like Waterdeep, Greyhawk City, Port Nezan-whatever in Chult, etc is in order. And that's just for random stuff.
If you want something specific? Well that's called an adventure (and it'll take me a week or two to write up)....


So why after 3.5 years of 5e have I just now gotten around to the pricing of items? Need.
The previous campaigns had no real need for buying/selling magic items. This time though? The party has retuned to Port after exploring the jungles of Chult for a bit & has a fair amount of loot/valuable information. Before setting off for Omu they've decided to see if there's any Magic Items for sale brought in by other explorers.
That answer is YES.
I've decided that there's 12 items. Other than that? We'll roll them up randomly & apply my random prices next session.