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<blockquote data-quote="Raduin711" data-source="post: 4269992" data-attributes="member: 15303">Here's my take.The economic system of 3.5 was 4 things.1- Unrealistic.&nbsp; While a lot of folks are pointing out how unrealistic the economy of 4e is, 3e was no better.&nbsp; 2- Time Consuming.&nbsp; The process of figuring out each person's take of the treasure, and then figuring out what you wanted to buy with it, took at least an hour.3- Against the ideals of Dungeons and Dragons.&nbsp; D&amp;D is supposed to be about going on heroic adventures (often in dungeons), slaying monsters (often dragons) and finding treasure.&nbsp; Not buying treasure.&nbsp; It is many times more exciting to play a paladin who finds a holy avenger (possibly given to him by a ghost of some long-dead hero) than going to Magic-R-Us and buying one.&nbsp; 4- Dull, dull, dull.I like the 4e answer.Normal items aren't worth anything to sell.&nbsp; no more finding out how much you can sell 12 longswords, 11 spears, a sling, 3 boomerangs, a masterwork greatclub, etc.&nbsp; No more having to imagine hauling that laundry list of blood-covered garbage to a podunk town, where there always just so happens to be a trader who really gives a crap.They encourage treasures to be found, not bought, by reducing the sale price of magic items to 1/5th.&nbsp; Why 1/5th?&nbsp; why not 1/2? or 9/10ths?&nbsp; Because thats how much residuum you get from it.&nbsp; Think about it.You're a merchant.&nbsp; Just a guy.&nbsp; Magic is a hot commodity.&nbsp; Are you going to carry a wheelbarrow full of magic weapons with you?&nbsp; While a few you might use yourself for protection, 12 +1 swords are not going to help much when a bunch of bandits jump you on the road.&nbsp; So what do you do?&nbsp; turn it all into residuum.&nbsp; It is more valuable to you this way.&nbsp; It is easier to carry, easier to keep secret, and in a form that any customer you encounter can use.&nbsp; This also can make the process of purchasing magic more fun as well.&nbsp; If a merchant has some magic items that haven't been converted yet, he can conceivably sell them at a discounted price (but more than he could have sold the residuum for).&nbsp; Lower level merchants might have a few items he thinks he can sell (+1 longsword yes, +1 bohemian ear-spoon, no.) if the DM decides so, and the PC's are interested in role-playing the encounter.&nbsp; At higher levels, you could have a wonderous magical item emporium run by a steel dragon or some such with lots of discount items and have it make sense both economically, and in terms of the story, actually mean something.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Raduin711, post: 4269992, member: 15303"] Here's my take. The economic system of 3.5 was 4 things. 1- Unrealistic. While a lot of folks are pointing out how unrealistic the economy of 4e is, 3e was no better. 2- Time Consuming. The process of figuring out each person's take of the treasure, and then figuring out what you wanted to buy with it, took at least an hour. 3- Against the ideals of Dungeons and Dragons. D&D is supposed to be about going on heroic adventures (often in dungeons), slaying monsters (often dragons) and [B]finding[/B] treasure. Not [I]buying[/I] treasure. It is many times more exciting to play a paladin who finds a holy avenger (possibly given to him by a ghost of some long-dead hero) than going to Magic-R-Us and buying one. 4- Dull, dull, dull. I like the 4e answer. Normal items aren't worth anything to sell. no more finding out how much you can sell 12 longswords, 11 spears, a sling, 3 boomerangs, a masterwork greatclub, etc. No more having to imagine hauling that laundry list of blood-covered garbage to a podunk town, where there always just so happens to be a trader who really gives a crap. They encourage treasures to be found, not bought, by reducing the sale price of magic items to 1/5th. Why 1/5th? why not 1/2? or 9/10ths? Because thats how much residuum you get from it. Think about it. You're a merchant. Just a guy. Magic is a hot commodity. Are you going to carry a wheelbarrow full of magic weapons with you? While a few you might use yourself for protection, 12 +1 swords are not going to help much when a bunch of bandits jump you on the road. So what do you do? turn it all into residuum. It is more valuable to you this way. It is easier to carry, easier to keep secret, and in a form that any customer you encounter can use. This also can make the process of purchasing magic more fun as well. If a merchant has some magic items that haven't been converted yet, he can conceivably sell them at a discounted price (but more than he could have sold the residuum for). Lower level merchants might have a few items he thinks he can sell (+1 longsword yes, +1 bohemian ear-spoon, no.) if the DM decides so, and the PC's are interested in role-playing the encounter. At higher levels, you could have a wonderous magical item emporium run by a steel dragon or some such with lots of discount items and have it make sense both economically, and in terms of the story, actually mean something. [/QUOTE]

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