D&D 5E Magic Item Shops in Your Campaign

[Thunder Brother]

Cool - now what about an option for: “None because WotC’s designers refuse and/or are too inept to provide ample game mechanics for my desired magic item economy?”

I do often wish for a Build-A-Bear approach to magic items.

 

[Ath-kethin]

No magic item shops in my campaigns, ever. No magic items for sale, even the goofy potion listed in the Player's Handbook.

That doesn't mean items can never be purchased, it just means that finding a seller can be an adventure on its own. And even then, I feel it cheapens the very concept of magic to have any kind of magic weapons or armor for sale.

 

[Hexmage-EN]

I think I just like giving PCs toys to play with, especially consumables. I've included a number of homebrew magic items, too. Letting them look through and buy what they want is more likely to result in a player getting something that appeals to them.

 

[Vaalingrade]

They're everywhere and there are competing magic item corporations of varying levels of evil. I like fantastic rather than special magic and prefer my players get what they want rather than what I give them.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

The discussion about magic item costs in 5E Level Up thread has sent me down a rabbit-hole. I'm curious about how the folks at ENWorld handle "shopping lists" and magic item purchases in their D&D campaigns. Specifically, I'm curious what items are available for purchase, which ones aren't, and what the criteria that drives that decision.

To the polls, fellow voters!

Choose a city in your D&D game world, the closest one to what your characters would consider "home base," the place where they are expected to do their shopping. Then vote for the items that can be purchased there, checking as many boxes as are applicable.

If you base your decision on the type of items for sale ("only potions and scrolls," for example), vote according to Item type. If you base your decision on the rarity of the items instead ("only Common, Uncommon, and Rare items"), use the boxes for Rarity. If you base this decision on a combination of different types of criteria, click for everything that applies. And if you don't allow the purchase of any magic items at all, slap that "No magic items for sale" option.

As always, feel free to add any nuance and clarification in the comments. Thanks for your time!

Of course, this varies from campaign to campaign.

 

[cbwjm]

I had a magic shop in one city that had common items, potions, and scrolls. Players couldn't buy just anything though. Any 1st to 2nd level spell scroll could be bought, above that stock was limited, same with uncommon potions.

Other items could be requested and the shop owner could help facilitate finding a seller of an item.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Though I voted "None," even with my high magitech campaign, that's not entirely correct. You cannot just buy a magic item, sure, but you can find plenty of crafters that will make one for you...if you can just get the right materials. And that's going to involve going on an adventure. If a PC really wants a certain magic item, I can use that as a hook for an adventure.

 

[tetrasodium]

o5e complicates matters as gm by not having any room i the sytem's math allocations for magic items & shifting so much PC power onto the class/archetype itself. If Salvatore started writing drizzt for 5e's design he'd just be powerful like some overpowered wuxia/isekai protagonist instead of becoming powerful as he gains magic items & experience through combat. Because of bounded accuracy they become one & done if you as the gm force some room for magic items into the system too.

I allow wide latitude in what players could theoretically buy in my games, but with little more than the size of damage dice it's very difficult to get players to care

 

[Yaarel]

I love high magic settings. All magical items are potentially available.

However, items (with special exceptions) remain unattunable until reaching the requisite tier.

Tier: Rarity of Item Available
1-4 Student: Common
5-8 Professional: Uncommon
9-12 Master: Rare
13-16 Champion: Very Rare
17-20 Legend: Legendary

Magic items cannot be bought or sold. But players can make magic items using the relevant Tool proficiency. Depending on the nature of the item, this might require a "ritual" involving special circumstances or ingredients.

By definition, a magical item requires attunement. Some attunement is easier than others. Generally, to attune with a magic item, one must attune with the intention of the mind of the person who created that item.

This attunement is why magic items cannot be bought or sold. The items are magical but only function for certain individuals. In a way, the item must choose the user.

 

[hopeless]

I would figure potions would be available depending on the type and region its brewed within.
I can see churches wanting their own source of healing potions, but out in the villages and hamlets there should be a herbalist available.
As for other common and uncommon magical items most should have been scavenged from ruins and perhaps former heirlooms sold to maintain their former owner's finances or perhaps as rewards posted by the settlement for some quest.
The larger the settlement the more of a chance certain items might be available after all a noted smith or armorer might be able to craft a basic enchanted weapon or armour but it would still be very rare and often spoken of in legend or urban myth so shouldn't be taken as fact.
A Mage's Guild or Wizard's Tower should have ready access to arcane scrolls though they'd be more likely to pay for rare tomes, spell books and grimoires found by adventurer's than sell such items.
Doesn't mean they won't offer a reward for some task they want completed after all.

As for actual magic shops I'd expect if one exists it would be the largest of cities to thus explain its existence as their crafting would need to be sold somewhere and an actual shop or mall where these can be bought, sold or ordered would be much more likely if we're talking about a metropolis home to a large wizard's guild, multiple churches or an adventurer's guild.
Which doesn't even cover wealthy merchants or nobles with the means to pay for these items.