Standard DM behavior?

[delericho]

True, I was using it to illustrate how residuum trade could be a plausible explanation for finding any magic item you wish to purchase.

Indeed. It also works a bit better than the DMG suggestion that a merchant "just happens" to be passing through who "just happens" to have the very item(s) the PCs want. Functionally, they work exactly the same, but that advice always felt somehow wrong to me.

My problem with PCs buying whatever items they wanted wasn't ever really about them having the items, as such. It was that they would invariably gravitate to the functionally powerful but dull items (the "big six" in 3e). This is somewhat less of an issue in 4e. (Of course, I don't play 4e, so it remains an issue for me. I haven't yet figured out a good solution.)

 

[DarkLord Of DForce]

Gang, from all the replies, I gather that most DMs do not allow whole-sale buying of Magic items as is listed in the Adventurers Vault.

and apparently the suggestions I made, as to magic shops in larger towns, and specific - to - char level items in those shops didn't go over too good.

Ok, well and good, as I said and agreed, it is the DMs call and I can accept it if thats what our current games DMs decide to stick with...

But just so I've got the future play scoped out, I can figure on the probability of never getting the things you want or likely not happening, and that you'll probably finish a campaign, with slots still unequipped, and a ton of gold that you can't use anywhere...

I guess that's just the way things are... but it seems kinda sad.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

You are splitting hairs. Lets drop it.

[Kidding]OK, I'll just deem your original post an abomination and we can move on. [/Kidding]

One thing on this matter hasn't come up. For those DMs who do limit magic item purchases, how do you do it?

For me:
Early 1E - No magic item purchases. Ever.
Late 1E to Early 3E - Set up arcanely developed odds for finding an item and rolled random chance. (This method today would annoy the heck out of me. Back then I had a spare hour to roll through a laundry list of items a player wanted to see if any were available.) -OR- Pre-rolled a list of avaialbe items for each town.
Mid-3.0 to Mid 3.5 - Set up additional arcane odds of finding a high enough level crafter to commission a wanted item.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

...and a ton of gold that you can't use anywhere...

I guess that's just the way things are... but it seems kinda sad.

Back in first edition when I and the other DMs I played with disallowed any purchase on magic items we accumulated gold as we reached higher levels. The game had a mechanic for "name levels" and attracting followers. The gold we had accumulated woud be used to build a keep, a church, a tower, or establish a new guild. The characters took leadership roles between adventures. Just one thought if you end up with a stockpile of unused gold.

 

[S'mon]

Gang, from all the replies, I gather that most DMs do not allow whole-sale buying of Magic items as is listed in the Adventurers Vault.

No, it's very common for the 4e GM to let the PCs buy the items they want (this is an option in the rules), but often the PCs have to put a bit of work in to acquire the item, especially higher level items.

IMC the PCs can buy PHB items up to 10th level from the local wizard pretty routinely for 10-40% above list price, though they have to wait a week or so. Other items are harder to acquire.

 

[Gort]

I usually allow the PCs the chance to find what they're after as far as magic items are concerned if they're in a large population centre. Stuff they loot from enemies or dungeons is thoroughly under my control - I often use this to shore up any parts of the party that don't seem to be as good as the others, or introduce items I think would be interesting in the game.

 

[S'mon]

DMG pg 155 "The Magic Item Economy"

Characters can use the monetary treasure they
find, as well as the gold from selling items, to acquire
new magic items. They can’t make items above their
level, and can’t often afford items more than a few
levels above theirs. It’s to their benefit to use the
Enchant Magic Item ritual for items of their level
or lower, rather than buying these items from merchants,
agents, or fences, because of the 10–40 percent
markup over items’ value that these sellers charge.
When they want items above their levels, they have to
go to merchants.
The game still works if you decide that magic items
can’t be bought and sold in your world. Characters
can rely entirely on rituals to duplicate the economy
of buying and selling without money changing hands.
The residuum they collect from disenchanting items
provides the expensive ritual components they need
for the enchanting ritual. If you want characters to rely
entirely on these rituals, remove the cost to perform
the Disenchant Magic Item ritual, making it just as
efficient as selling.
On the flip side, you can drive the characters to
markets instead of rituals by altering the prices they
pay for magic items. You can remove the random
markup, or even alter it to allow the possibility of finding
items for sale below normal price. For example,
roll 1d6 as usual, but a 1 means the item is available
for 10 percent below the base price, a 2 means it’s
available for the base price, and 3–6 means a 10 percent
to 40 percent markup. Items are readily available,
and sometimes characters can get a good deal.

So 10-40% is the standard rule, while no item purchase or purchase without markup are optional rules.

 

[DarkLord Of DForce]

S'mon, that all really makes sense to me. Thanks for the reply, and the reference.

The 2 DM's and us 7 players sat down and discussed it Saturday, during the bi-weekly session. One of the points they brought up was that if a magic shop existed in a large town, with all these nice items, the local government would already confiscated the good stuff, or thieves would have appropriated it.

We're playing, and we're having fun, but its still odd at times. We had a largish encounter, seven level 8 PC's vs a big group including -12- Dopplegangers!.
and a large encounter before that, that included the Berbalangs we talked about (activated by the spheres, see my earlier msg). Anyways, 2 pretty large encounters. Afterwards, we searchd and this is what we found:

quarter staff
orb
chain mail
halbard
crossbow
club
2 nets
2 daggers
2 short swords
leather armor
mantle
totem of natures fury

12 daggers
48 gold

4200 xp
5000 xp

Sounds pretty good - until the DM told us that every single item was mundane. No magic items, no + anythings, no magic mods at all.

I don't know gang....

On a happier note - we had a final small (hilarious) encounter with 5 skeletons that was fought with us on a 20 foot boat (we're sailing to a tower upriver), and the skels. onshore. About 4 of our 7 have ranged/radiant attacks, so we were pinging away at them. Our fighter had no ranged attacks, so when his turn came up, he came up with this bright idea of whipping out his rope from his adventurers kit, lasso'ing the lead skeleton, and dragging it behind the boat in the water. He made a DM ruled DC check of 24 to do this, and did a D12 (hit a 9) points of damage when it bounced along the bottom. The mental image of our Dwarven fighter during this was too much - the group broke up laughing.

 

[Ariosto]

But just so I've got the future play scoped out, I can figure on the probability of never getting the things you want or likely not happening, and that you'll probably finish a campaign, with slots still unequipped, and a ton of gold that you can't use anywhere...

Whatever has become of the option of undertaking an adventure to acquire the Widget of Watsahoozit?

I journeyed in Zamora, in Vendhya, in Stygia, and among the haunted jungles of Khitai. I read the iron-bound books of Skelos, and talked with unseen creatures in deep wells, and faceless shapes in black reeking jungles. I obtained a glimpse of your sarcophagus in the demon-haunted crypts below the black giant-walled temple of Set in the hinterlands of Stygia, and I learned of the arts that would bring back life to your shriveled corpse. From moldering manuscripts I learned of the Heart of Ahriman. Then for a year I sought its hiding-place, and at last I found it.

 

[Nifft]

Whatever has become of the option of undertaking an adventure to acquire the Widget of Watsahoozit?

Sounds like these DMs don't encourage that particular adventure hook.

But right back at you: what's wrong with the option of undertaking an adventure to reach MagiK-Mart, where the PCs can finally spend all that gold they've been hauling around?

Cheers, -- N