D&D 5E Magic Item Shops in Your Campaign

[Yaarel]

I am a big fan of "rituals" that can do almost anything and can require almost anything. They can cover just about any of the magical phenomena that happens in reallife folkbelief − and in modern movies.

Is a player tired of being a Dragonborn and now want to become a Duergar? There is a ritual for that!

Do players want to build a floating city? There is a ritual for that!

Does a player want to meet the noble while in full regalia before the clock strikes at midnight? There is a ritual for that!

In my view, the D&D classes are primarily fighting styles, wielding various power sources. Spells are conveniently packaged weapons and tools. But rituals cover the more whimsical and quirkier aspects of magic.

When players want to do something magically unusual, it can be an adventure to track down someone who knows how to do it, or to get items for it, or downtime to figure out how to go about it themselves.

A "ritual" can be anything, such as meeting a certain person at a certain time and doing or saying something specific.

 

[Shiroiken]

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

Same. I've replaced it with healing herbs that take 1 minute to apply, giving players the same option for out of combat healing, but preventing in combat healing with it.

 

[Puddles]

In my town for my players there is a "Night Market" that occurs every month. The location and details are scrawled in Thieves Cant on walls in chalk (so the rain will wash it off), this means it is the Rogue who learns about it and the location of it changes each time.

As you might imagine, the Night Market is legally dubious.

Each time the players visit, I create a chart for them to roll on to see what they find. Last time it was potions and poisons that they went for. As they get to higher levels, I will put better stuff on the chart to tempt them to spend more of their gold.

It serves as a good place for plot development too. Last time they visited they were hired by someone at the Night Market to break into an evil sorcerer's mansion.

 

[Ath'kethin]

Same. I've replaced it with healing herbs that take 1 minute to apply, giving players the same option for out of combat healing, but preventing in combat healing with it.

In one campaign I ruled that there were no healing potions other than Keoghtom's Ointment, but made it a nonmagical item that warlocks could brew. It worked out pretty well.

Point of clarification: Warlocks were the only full caster class in that campaign, which worked so well I made it a general rule when I run 5e.

 

[Yora]

Without checking, I think it's pretty much only common potions and scrolls. I might have allowed the occasional common wondrous item or weapon to be bought if the campaign had gone longer but it wouldn't have been on a shelf in a store.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

The only thing readily available are standard potions of healing, and even those I limit the number they can by because one of my groups would stockpile hundred of potions if they had the chance.

Otherwise I use a modified version of the rules in Xanethar's, so it's possible most of the things on the list could be for sale, but far form any guarantee.

 

[Yardiff]

As a player I prefer there be a magic shop but that there are just a bunch of random items for sale in said shop. What is for sale should change every 2-4ish weeks or so.

 

[Li Shenron]

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.

None. Use what you find.

 

[Lanefan]

Type: random.
Rarity: random.
Availability: random, limited.

When they get to a city I'll randomly generate a "shopping list" of what's available in town (if they look for it) from a whacking big excel file that takes care of the rarity factor in generating said list. The length of this list is also somewhat random, based on my roll for, relative to normal, how much happens to be available right now.

Poll doesn't really cover these options unless I vote for everything on the list, except doing that would wrongly imply everything's for sale all the time. So, no votes from me.

 

[Fanaelialae]

I didn't vote because my system is a bit different.

The only magic items that are readily available are basic healing potions.

Aside from that, I have an NPC in my world who has a small selection of randomly rolled magic items at any time. The rarity of what he has available at the beginning of the campaign is only common and uncommon, but this increases gradually throughout the campaign (as he finds investors for his business). The PCs can also invest in the business in order to accelerate this availability.

However, it's not a magic shop as the idea is normally presented. You can't simply walk in, plop down a bag of gold, and buy a Flametongue Greatsword, outside the small chance that this merchant has one of those currently available. PCs can, however, pay the merchant a commission to keep an eye out for a certain item, which increases the odds that one will become available. That said, unless the player gets very lucky, the wait is likely to be at least a few game sessions.