Players Whining that they Should be able to Buy Magic Items

[Piratecat]

So you are violating the TRUE D&D way just as much as I am.

Let's not bait people, okay? That goes for Doug, too. Please keep the thread focused, instead of spiraling towards insults.

 

[Vigilance]

Let's not bait people, okay?

Understood

Chuck

 

[Hitokiri]

But it deviates from the default D&D world as expressed in the core rules and is therefore not as legitimately D&D as one that is.

This has to be the single most extreme sample of STUPID I've had the misfortune of reading.

Congrats Doug, you've made it onto the "The List" in a single post. A new record I think. Thank you for saving me the trouble of determining the validity of your posts, as I can now feel free to skip them as meaningless drivel.

AS for ad hoc exp. awards for RPing. definately a good idea. Remember folks, ALL of the rules in D&D are optional. They are hints and guidelines, not straight jackets.

 

[replicant2]

.But it deviates from the default D&D world as expressed in the core rules and is therefore not as legitimately D&D as one that is.

What exactly are you implying here? That someone else's style of play is somehow inferior to the "one true way" of D&D?

Here's some news for you: there is no one true way to play D&D. There is no canon. The core books are rife with statements that the rules are flexible, and that imagination is the only limit on what form your world will ultimately take.

The core books are a flexible, ever-changing set of guidelines, at all times subject to rule zero. There is no "legitimate D&D that is."

 

[Doug McCrae]

Change too many rules and what do you end up with? Powers & Perils. And no one wants that.

 

[Vigilance]

Change too many rules and what do you end up with? Powers & Perils. And no one wants that.

Actually it appears that all one has to do to deviate from the true way is violate an assumption that appears in one paragraph of a 300 page book.

I never knew it was this strict.

Chuck

 

[fusangite]

Doug,

Thanks for posting this text from the DMG. Although I agree with others that it contains a number of disturbing statements whose letter and spirit I intend to keep out of my games, it doesn't actually say what you claim it does. You produced this quote to argue that all D&D worlds must, by edict of the rules, contain magic shops. In fact, according to your own post, the DMG says,

In very large cities, some shops might specialize in magic items if their clientele is very wealthy or includes a large number of adventurer [sic] (and such shops would have lots of magical protections to ward away thieves).

Please find a requirement that all campaigns must have "very large cities" in them. Then find a requirement that all things that all things that are permitted by the rules to exist in a D&D world are therefore required to somewhere in every D&D world created. Does the existence the the Beholder in the MM require that all D&D worlds contain beholders?

 

[replicant2]

Change too many rules and what do you end up with? Powers & Perils. And no one wants that.

What's so wrong about modifying rules for flavor? Maybe you enjoy campaigns where characters can go the nearest magic shop and swap their grandfather's +2 sword for a bigger and better +3 model. Others like magic rare and awe-inspiring.

Is it any "less D&D" to want to run a Lord of the Rings inspired campaign? How would that work if magic shops were scattered across Middle-Earth? "Hey Aragorn, Narsil is only +4, but if we throw that in with the Palantir we could get you an upgrade to a +5 holy avenger!"

The point is, by letting arbitrary rules dictate the shape of your campaign you're really limiting yourself.

 

[ssampier]

ye olde magic shoppe - gasp

I consider myself a classic D&D fan, I like dwarves to be dwarves and elves to be elves, and my dungeons crawled. However, I have been warming up to the idea of buying magic items, simply because I cannot fanthom why they shouldn't. I encorporated this idea into my home brew, stating that one of the major faiths sells minor magic items, such as potions, scrolls, etc. The other major faith think this is a terrible idea and forces all sorts of unnecssary taxes, tithes, and restrictions to the buying and selling of magic items (not bad for a LN faith).

 

[ragboy]

The core books are a flexible, ever-changing set of guidelines, at all times subject to rule zero. There is no "legitimate D&D that is."

I think a lot of the 'add-ons' are flexible and ever-changing, but there's also a core set of 'precepts' that you can't get away from without the campaign spiraling out of control or putting yourself (as a DM) through a ton of work that ultimately probably yields little return. The d20 ruleset is so diverse now that you don't have to settle for D&D with a lot of custom mods if you want a different 'genre' of campaign.

As a DM, I am the arbiter of the rules, but not the 'god' as in 1st edition AD&D. It's really a partnership between whomever's running the game and those that are playing. The contract explicitly states that you're all getting together to entertain each other. If it states anything like "I'm the god and you are my minions." or "We're not going to play unless +5 Vorpal butter knives are cast at our feet everywhere we go." then you're starting off on the wrong foot and your campaign is doomed to failure. But, that being said, the contract has to take both sides' 'styles' into account. If the players prefer Forgotten Realms and you prefer a low-magic gritty campaign, then unless someone compromises, neither side is going to be happy.

Anyway...