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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elder-Basilisk" data-source="post: 382473" data-attributes="member: 3146">Actually, I think it's fair to use appraise to assess the price of an object (as well as it's relative quality). There are several ways this can be explained.---------------------------------------------1. Appraise doesn't assess the absolute value of an object but rather allows you to accurately estimate "How much do I think I can get for this?"--in other words, it evaluates supply and demand for an item of quality Q.2. D&D doesn't have mechanics for supply and demand, instead assuming that every item--particularly a magic item-- has an inherent value. The inherent value of a +2 longsword, for instance is 8315 gp. This inherent value is either determined by the cost of crafting the item or determines the cost of it (either way you want to work causality, they're directly causally linked).Characters may get more than an items inherent value in trade but usually only get half of an item's inherent value when they sell it. DMs may, of course adjust this but the mechanics for appraise assume this kind of an economic system where every item has an a priori inherent value.----------------------------------------------Option number 1 makes sense if you want to explain the effects of the observations of number 2 without using fantasy economics or messing with the simplicity of the existing appraise mechanics. (Bear in mind that this makes Appraise a much more useful skill since most players will have no idea how much money they should be able to get for an item I of Q quality since that is, in an advanced economic model, effectively arbitrarily decided by the DM. (The choice isn't arbitrary but the assumed supply and demand which determine the price are so the end price is essentially arbitrary). Thus, the skill doesn't serve its purpose of letting characters avoid getting cheated unless it puts a gp value on the items appraised or references a fixed inherent value of an item (ie "this is a masterwork longsword" in a system where masterwork longswords are inherently worth 315 gp).</blockquote>

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