NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fanaelialae" data-source="post: 6545051" data-attributes="member: 53980">I can understand why some want fixed prices for magic items, but I like the 5e handles magic item pricing. Overall, I think it's a better approach. In a post-apocalyptic tribal warfare setting, a magic sword is likely to be more valuable than a ring of mind shielding, whereas in a highly politicized setting where the use of detect thoughts is commonplace, the opposite is likely to be true. Items have a cost range based on their rarity, but the DM is free to decide how valuable a particular item is given the scenario. There are undoubtedly some items that have a poorly ranked rarity (Ioun Stone of Strength) but over/undervalued items have existed in every edition.I also like that magic items are not for sale by default. In 3rd and 4th, we tended to save our gold for magic items. In my current campaign, I've had players "wasting" gold on booze and charity, and I love it. I really feel that it brings something great back to the game that's been missing since my 2e days. Granted, they also spend gold on adventuring gear such as healing potions and poison, but they have plenty to spare for both. Aside from one group that can sell them a limited selection of tech-based magic items (if the PCs ever get on the group's good side) I don't have magic shops. I've allowed players to sell magic items, and when the fighter was looking to trade his ring of mind shielding for something more useful, I had an influential merchant broker a deal (for a fee) that got him a circlet of blasting. The player didn't get to choose; I rolled for what was available. If he wasn't happy with the offering, the merchant could have kept looking, but there were no guarantees. And given that (unbeknownst to the PCs) the trade was with one of the elven king's political rivals, there may be unexpected consequences down the line.Something I was thinking about while reading this thread is that magic items shops (if they existed at all) would likely be regulated in many settings. After all, while the local ruler might not care if the local farmboy-done-good acquires a sword +1, he might feel more strongly about a wand of fireballs that could be turned against his army, and he'd almost certainly ban the sale of a ring of invisibility that could be used as part of his own assassination. So if a market for magic items exists at all, it may well be a black market.Another thing is the assumption that since wizards exist, they must be cranking out magic items all the time. While that certainly true of Eberron with its artificers, I don't think it can be assumed for other settings. I think it's safe to say that there's a vast difference between a hedge mage who can brew simple potions of healing or love, and a true wizard capable of creating a vorpal sword. While the former may largely make his living crafting magic items, what he's capable of is likely quite limited. On the other hand, a wizard whose amassed significant power is likely more interested in unlocking further secrets of the arcane arts than spending all his time mass-producing magical swords for the local murder-hobos. If he needs a quick gold piece, it's probably easier for him to sell his services as a spellcaster to solve a quick problem than to spend weeks or months investing his own gold and time into the creation of a magic sword. If he has a favored lieutenant, the wizard might be inclined to take the time to create an item which will help his henchman serve his needs even better, but he's not necessarily going to do the same for every dirty vagabond that shows up on his doorstep with a pile of gold.Finally, even if non-adventurers have magic items, that doesn't necessarily constitute an economy. In most settings (aside from perhaps Eberron), not everyone has magic items. It's entirely possible (even likely, IMO) that these items would be a symbol of prestige among the nobility; heirlooms passed down from one generation to another. While it's possible that a family in dire financial straits would stoop to selling off their heirloom, the likelihood is that they'd sell it to another noble family, rather than some rich mercenary. Its bad enough to see your heirloom in the hands of another house without it being paraded about in the hands of a simple commoner.Those are my thoughts on the topic, anyway.</blockquote>

Verification