PAGING ALL MERCHANTS! How do you protect your wares? (This ain't Baldur's Gate!)

[Florin]

What I do is not worry about it. If the party decides to rob a shop, it obviously can't be that uncommon of an occurance. The next couple of times they try to buy something, have the store recovering from a recent robbery so that it has very little to sell (or steal)...

If they decide not to try robbing a store, then you have nothing to worry about.

 

[Utrecht]

IMC, I have controlled this by operating under the assumption that all magical purchases (beyond simple 1st level stuff) is monitored by govermental officials - with all items being registered and stored in governmental shops.

What this does is ensure that by stealling from the merchant, you are inherently stealing from the Government - and making them concerened by attempting unauthorized access of devices that they really wish the public did not have.

Another aspect of this of course is that there is a fairly brisk black-market for items. However this is run on a by appointment/commision basis.

 

[Forrester]

What I do is not worry about it. If the party decides to rob a shop, it obviously can't be that uncommon of an occurance. The next couple of times they try to buy something, have the store recovering from a recent robbery so that it has very little to sell (or steal)...

If they decide not to try robbing a store, then you have nothing to worry about.

I'm not as concerned about the party robbing a store as I am the possibility of theft in general. I'm trying to create an internally consistent world, and this is one of the issues that arose.

So far, though -- *great* ideas, guys. Here's a lower powered one:

Suggestion, Charm Person, and such don't work when you don't have line of effect. It may be sufficient in some cases for the seller to stand behind a thick glass-steel barrier .

(One problem arises when the merchant decides to hit the tavern after a hard day of ripping off the adventuring rubes that just came into town. If he was targeted there, there could be a problem.)

 

[clockworkjoe]

Probably the best way to deal with commercial aspect of magic items is to treat them similarly to art objects and antiques. Each antique is a rare one of a kind object that are traditionally traded by specialist dealers to the rich.

In a fantasy world, only the rich are going to have the cash to even afford a sword +1. So specialist merchants go out and buy and sell magic items, and they probably don't have a store to showcase the items.

Also, potions and scrolls are more likely to be sold in stores but only in cities that where adventurers, aristocrats, and magic users are rich and common enough to support such a store.

 

[Conaill]

A couple of people have suggested church contacts for magic shop owners. Here's a good reason why:

A cleric with the Magic domain doesn't need the 100 gp arcane material component to cast Identify, he just needs his divine focus! For that reason alone, these clerics would have a big advantage over arcane casters to run a low to mid-level magic shop. Trade and Magic domains seems like a nice combination. Wouldn't be surprised if there was a particular deity/sect whose clerics specialize in opening magic shops.

 

[kamosa]

Hey just thought I would throw in my two cents on this one. Hope these help or atleast get your mind moving in the direction you want to see. Mostly I use method #1.

Mundane precautions:

1) Limit stock on hand.
Nothing says don't rob me quite like knowing there isn't much to steal. You could rule that most items are special order. You must come in and place an order, then show up at the proper time to pick up items. (Gee we just don't keep +3 swords around these parts, but we could get one if you're willing to wait 3 weeks)
Minor items are on hand, but in limited quanties.

Pro: The shop isn't a target for theives.
Con: harder to control the list of items availble as the GM.

2) Limit access to items while PC's are in store.
The magic items are stored in the back in some secure fashion. One item is brought out at a time, so there is limited stock on hand to grab and dash with. This prevents most stun and grab jobs and most charm and walk jobs, but leaves that back store room as a target for the invisible thief.

Magical Mundane Precautions.

3) Glyphs of warding
This works well in combination with #2. Go ahead and sneak into my backroom.

4) Wizard Lock to cabinets
This is pretty straight forward. Items are in cabinets and they are locked. Won't stop parties but would foil the local no good thief.

5) Cabinets that store items are actually command word activated extra dimensional spaces.
Same strategy as #4, but taking it up a notch. High levels could also require that the item be bonded to a particular hand print or retinal pattern (if you want to throw in some cyber punk elements into your magic shop)

6) Hallow combined with an Invisibility Purge.
This would have to be renewed every year and it costs a lot of money, so only highly profitable businesses would bother, but it is still out there as a way to expose the invisible thief.

7) Forbiddance around the counter and backroom
This will stop most thieves from coming anywhere near the items.

8) Almost forgot alarm stones.


Need to bend the rules just a bit suggestions.

9) Permanent antimagic shells around storage area.
This prevents teleporting, invisiblity and all sorts of high level sneak stuff. Combine this with an item like an alarm stone that is always going off and an item that creates a force cube. When the antimagic shell is up those items don't work, but when it is dispelled, boom instant thief trap. You might throw in some sort of area dimension anchor etc. If your really cruel throw in a mirror of life trapping or perhaps an item that creates a circle of death.

10) Use some of the portals ideas from FR.
The local shop is just an outlet for some centralized magic creating outfit. Each local store has a portal to some central location where magic items are created and super protected. Not only would knocking off the local shop be a waste of time, but would piss off a much larger organization. Each morning the shop would be passed minor items (scrolls, potions, +1 swords) so they have these on hand without needing to use the portal too much.

11) Sensormatic Teleport tags
All magic items have a spell cast on them such that when the command word is spoken, they return to the item creator or the shop where the item was for sale. Removing this spell is part of the post sale treatment of the item.



Social Inhabitioins.

12) Guards
Pretty straight forward. You can customize by inserting constructs, gargoyles, or by giving them some of the magic items.
(Gems of true seeing, rings of invisibility, etc)

13) Mafia/Powerful Mage guild runs shop.
You can steal from the shop, sure you can. But do you want these guys on your trail?

14) Strong thieves guild in town
Chances are the items your PC's are trying to buy didn't come from some hero that died of natural causes. Heck, they might not even be dead yet. The Thieves Guild ain't going to be happy when the items, they are fencing, errr, selling on consignment, get stolen.

 

[Simon Magalis]

Sorry but this whole discussion is why I HATE the amount of magic in D&D these days (well, from the beginning I guess). The truth is, there is no way to accomplish this protection in anything close to a rational way. Looking at spellcasting costs, to take these precautions would put most stores under right off the bat. Mainly though, the whole concept of stores all over having these protections spells everywhere just seems gratuitous, sloppy, and silly silly silly.

 

[Forrester]

Sorry but this whole discussion is why I HATE the amount of magic in D&D these days (well, from the beginning I guess). The truth is, there is no way to accomplish this protection in anything close to a rational way. Looking at spellcasting costs, to take these precautions would put most stores under right off the bat. Mainly though, the whole concept of stores all over having these protections spells everywhere just seems gratuitous, sloppy, and silly silly silly.

I'm with you, man. As I said in my first post, the creators of 3E obviously played way too many CRPGs. But even if you ignore some of the more outrageous dictates from the Sage (supposedly 5th level wizards can now make Wands of Fireballs), there's always going to be some magic around.

I also agree that many of these protections are simply way too expensive -- the mafia/wizard's guild/church-based magic shops are a cheaper and more appropriate way to protect said goods.

That, and the creation of a 6th level spell that prevents extra-dimensional travel into a set area for a long period of time. Don't have the details worked out yet, but it's damn necessary. Why would anyone build a high-walled castle when any team of mages can teleport in to cause problems any time they want?

 

[mearls]

I've always assumed that there aren't any "magic shops" per se. Anyone who wants to buy a magic item finds a spellcaster, pays him for the item, and then waits for him to make it. You can't steal something if it hasn't been finished. Besides, the initial investment to make an item is high enough that most spellcasters prefer an upfront payment before starting work.

 

[der_kluge]

One of the things you might consider is auctions.

If a particularly powerful magical item came into the market, it seems reasonable that it might go up on an auction block.

Most powerful magic items are USED, and don't lay on store shelves collecting dust.

If you do an auction, you could have a whole throng of people protecting it, and have all the appropriate wards in place, etc. You could build your own version of something like the big Auction Houses. whose names escape me now.

That seems more logical to me.