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The Magic Item Shop: Creative Expression Through Capitalism
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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7786658" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>And that's just the sort of thinking that dooms magic shops for the rest of us: that it just becomes one more level of gamist character building without any basis in the reality of the game world.</p><p></p><p>Magic items should be available to purchase, of that there's no debate. But what's available at any given time should be completely* random (both in quantity and in selection) and not in any way tailored to the PCs. Even the biggest city isn't likely to have more than 15-25 items on the market at once, other than basic scrolls and potions. Sure, sometimes a PC will get lucky and find exactly the item she wants - but that's all it is: luck.</p><p></p><p>* - with allowances made for in-fiction goings-on e.g. if there's a war coming and magic weapons and armour are being snapped up then fewer of these would be on the open market at any given time in that region.</p><p></p><p>Regarding custom-to-PC items: the way in-game to achieve this is to commission the item's construction, pay up front, and then be prepared to wait an in-game year or two while it's being made...with the known risk that by the time it's completed you might not need it any more because you've found better, or your adventuring career has ended, or you're dead. (unclaimed commissions are a valid source of items coming on the open market)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 7786658, member: 29398"] And that's just the sort of thinking that dooms magic shops for the rest of us: that it just becomes one more level of gamist character building without any basis in the reality of the game world. Magic items should be available to purchase, of that there's no debate. But what's available at any given time should be completely* random (both in quantity and in selection) and not in any way tailored to the PCs. Even the biggest city isn't likely to have more than 15-25 items on the market at once, other than basic scrolls and potions. Sure, sometimes a PC will get lucky and find exactly the item she wants - but that's all it is: luck. * - with allowances made for in-fiction goings-on e.g. if there's a war coming and magic weapons and armour are being snapped up then fewer of these would be on the open market at any given time in that region. Regarding custom-to-PC items: the way in-game to achieve this is to commission the item's construction, pay up front, and then be prepared to wait an in-game year or two while it's being made...with the known risk that by the time it's completed you might not need it any more because you've found better, or your adventuring career has ended, or you're dead. (unclaimed commissions are a valid source of items coming on the open market) [/QUOTE]
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