Source for General Store item availibility and prices

[mattcolville]

Ugh, long title.

Is there any resource online for "generating" (or stealing one already made) a list of what items are availible in a given general store, and how much they cost?

Seems a useful thing. Like, for instance, I need one for tomorrow.

 

[FireLance]

My personal rule of thumb is: everything on the equipment list with a gp value up to the maximum for the settlement the general store is in.

Of course, I hardly use it these days because I just handwave equipment acquisition. My group would rather adventure than shop.

 

[Treebore]

I just use the gp limit given for the size of the community in the DMG. If it costs that or less it is available in the towns general store.

For example, last weekend my players were in Mullikan ( population 1200 in the lands of Ed Cha's Whitehorn) the gp limit was 800 gp. I told my players that they could find anything of 800 gp or less off of the equipment price lists in the PH. If they wanted potions or cheap magic items they had to ask me.

So in your situation I would just say the shop is stocked with everything, or determine if there is more than one supply shop in town, then divide the d100 by how many stores are in town, that being what chance any one of the given stores has a given item in stock, assuming they intentionally don't stock the same items other stores carry. If the stores compete against each other then just say each store has a 70% or higher chance of having any particular item. Give them a 95% chance if they are on a very good/busy trade route.

But no, I don't know of any publication that does what you want.

 

[mattcolville]

That's awesome. I've read that rule and thought it was great but never used it.

Thanks!

 

[Pinotage]

I'd love to see a 'store generator', particularly where potions and scrolls are concerned. Something that can generate the number of scrolls and their type, number of potions and their type and various other mundane and minor magical items. My PCs keep asking me what in stock in various stores and rather than specify a gp limit I always try to give them something randomly generated.

Pinotage

 

[mattcolville]

For verisimilitude, I'm taking the item and equipment list from the SRD and working on an excel sheet that will generate a town's availible items and cost based on inputting the max gold of the town and then selecting a level of trade. High levels of trade mean lower prices. Lower levels of trade mean higher prices.

I'd also like to assign a "rarity" level to items so some things, like exotic weapons, are not always availible.

Probably something similar with magic items would be useful.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Don't be afriad to mix up your store's contents now and again. Pick an item or two at random that they don't have and toss in something that they "shouldn't have". Like a level 1 spell scroll or something that's selling for 5 gp because the store owner doesn't know the true value of such a thing.

I mention this because a buddy of mine once found a dozen ethernet cards for US$1 at a trading post off of a Rocky Mountian hiking trail. The store owner didn't know what the things were and picked a low price to move the supposedly useless things off of his shelves.

 

[IronWolf]

I agree with BiggusGeekus, don't be afraid to mix it up a little. I picture the General Store as a rapidly changing place. Some things sit on shelves forever while others move quickly and are more likely to be out of stock. Maybe last weeks merchant caravan didn't make it, so they are out of certain items. So while the gp guidelines are a start, I try to make mine a little more varied as far as what they stock.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

It's really going to depend heavily on the local area, random market fluctuation and how far away the items traveling to reach the store (i.e. foreign goods).

Naturally, Goods and Gear: the Ultimate Adventurer's Guide has tables for that, and lists base availability for items.

 

[Silveras]

Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe has a "Market Simulator" system for the same kind of feeling. It takes a very different approach, however.

Every item in the SRD is given a base purchase DC. This DC presumes you are offering "list price" for it. Offering less money increases the DC, offering more decreases it.

The problem is that, given the number of new items produced in new reference books, assigning each a rarity or individual DC is a maintenance nightmare. I would recommend adapting MMS:WE's system to use DCs based on the item category (Exotic Weapon, Martial Weapon, etc.), Material (Wood, Bronze, Steel, Cold Iron, Alchemical Silver), and price above/below the listed maximum for the settlement. Then, a calculator function only needs to know a few things to tell you how hard it is to find *any* item in *any* settlement.