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<blockquote data-quote="rmcoen" data-source="post: 9318583" data-attributes="member: 6692404">I think a &quot;compromise&quot; situation is the best solution.&nbsp; As many others have posted - commoners can't afford even the cheapest thing, so it can't be a 7-11.&nbsp; Nobles and wealthy merchants will purchase magical items that make their lives easier - or highlight their wealth in an obvious fashion.&nbsp; (&quot;Why yes, all the lights are Smokeless Torches! (tm)&quot;)&nbsp; But they generally don't want or need the things adventurers want: warfare and instant healing.&nbsp; They might keep a potion of healing on hand for the unexpected, or gift a valued employee (best gear for the bodyguard!) with enchanted arms and armor.So, in my world, I did things this way: 1)&nbsp; Most potions are made with Herbalism.&nbsp; They cost about 1/12 the normal price, but last only 3-ish days.&nbsp; &quot;Preserved&quot; herbal versions cost five times that (so, about 80% &quot;normal&quot;), and lost 1-3 months.&nbsp; Alchemists make the list price versions, and generally have contracts with the official military for everything they can make... but occasionally something &quot;falls off the truck&quot; for adventurers and ne'er-do-wells to buy.2)&nbsp; All &quot;+1&quot; weapons and armor are nonmagical, and have their bonuses due to crafter skill and/or special materials.&nbsp; There are lots of other benefits that skill and material can provide as well.&nbsp; Bloodsteel edged weapons, as a &quot;side effect&quot;, for example requires far less maintenance and sharpening, while bloodsteel armor is 10% lighter and doesn't rust.&nbsp; These items are between 4 and 20 times the normal price of a weapon or armor, with specialization being a thing.&nbsp; The best polearms are made in Mariha; bloodsteel gear can only be purchased in Klathos.3)&nbsp; Wizard Towers exist in or near major cities (there is one in the campaign's starting area, an easy week-long journey east of the starting town).&nbsp; In the associated city, there is a Sapphire Agent who represents the Tower.&nbsp; This agent will have a small handful of example items, but exists to take orders that will be crafted by the Tower.&nbsp; Magic arms and armor are always at least +2, and are always &quot;interesting&quot; - the wizards aren't cranking out a dozen +2 longswords, each is a &quot;work of art and Art&quot;.&nbsp; And usually are built upon a weapon that already was &quot;+1&quot; from craft and/or material.&nbsp; Captain Tannril's silverblade is a +2 longsword made of argentium (always considered magic against undead and aberrations, inflicts an extra +2 damage against them), made by Gargik the Mute (his blades are always &quot;keen&quot; [crit on 19 and 20], but require maintenance [short rest] to keep this heightened edge), and enchanted by Master Kalivar.&nbsp; The magic woven into the blade flares with blinding light to defend the wielder (3/day, when &quot;hit exactly&quot;, cause the incoming attack to instead &quot;miss by 1&quot;), and sear his foes (on a crit, inflict +1d6 radiant damage after all other effects of the crit are determined).4)&nbsp; If you bypass the Sapphire Agent in town and go directly to the Wizard Tower, and you have some sort of &quot;in&quot;, you can sometimes hook up with enterprising apprentices who need to make some cash &quot;for reasons&quot;.&nbsp; You can buy a wide variety of lesser items, but can't order anything; these are mistakes, &quot;senior projects&quot;, cast offs that &quot;disappear&quot; rather than being rendered back into their parts for re-use.&nbsp; In this way you might acquire a &quot;normal +1&quot; weapon - a random iron dagger that some apprentice enchanted to &quot;magical +1&quot; with no special effects as part of his training.&nbsp; Most of these items tend to have side effects, and/or are not permanent; that +1 dagger you just got should be good for a year (longer than most campaigns), but might lose its power unexpectedly when subjected to stress (like being in a dispel magic field, or striking a powerful creature).5)&nbsp; Everything else... this is the private collection / shady agent / noble auction situation.&nbsp; Captain Tannril died on a mission for the Baron; perhaps adventurers are hired to retireve the silverblade.&nbsp; Perhaps someone did retrieve it, and now the silverblade is being auctioned for sale by the Baron's heir (the Baron having also died on the mission).&nbsp; &quot;What, you wanted a magic warhammer? Okay, we'll keep an eye out for one; today though, we are selling this magnificent silverblade...&nbsp; Hmm, hang on... have you checked with Bromnum Burrowfound? Dwarf prince out of Kagh Da'ruhm? I heard he found the legendary spiritslayer Dran Trik, a dwarven-crafted warhammer, inlaid with jade, or so I hear.&nbsp; Supposedly can call down lightning bolts out of a storm, and rips apart the vile creations of those goblin shamen.&nbsp; I could perhaps make inquiries on your behalf?&nbsp; No need to get the dwarves all riled up or worried about threats, just a subtle feeling out, see if he's open to a sale or trade?&nbsp; Maybe Prince Bromnum might be interested in, I don't know, an enchanted argentium longsword?&nbsp; Hmmmmm?&quot;6)&nbsp; And of course... lost items in old ruins!&nbsp; A major reason to go adventuring!&nbsp; [And these items don't have to obey any of the &quot;rules&quot; of #1-5.&nbsp; The party acquired an old iron javelin made by goblins, found lodged in the knee of a golem (surrounded by the skeletons of the slain goblins that previously owned the javelin!).&nbsp; Its enchantments had degraded over time, and the iron wasn't &quot;special material&quot; or &quot;mastercrafted&quot;.&nbsp; Now the weapon is just a magical +1 javelin, but it does still inflict +2d6 damage to fey...</blockquote>

[QUOTE="rmcoen, post: 9318583, member: 6692404"] I think a "compromise" situation is the best solution. As many others have posted - commoners can't afford even the cheapest thing, so it can't be a 7-11. Nobles and wealthy merchants will purchase magical items that make their lives easier - or highlight their wealth in an obvious fashion. ("Why yes, all the lights are Smokeless Torches! (tm)") But they generally don't want or need the things adventurers want: warfare and instant healing. They might keep a [I]potion of healing[/I] on hand for the unexpected, or gift a valued employee (best gear for the bodyguard!) with enchanted arms and armor. So, in my world, I did things this way: 1) Most potions are made with Herbalism. They cost about 1/12 the normal price, but last only 3-ish days. "Preserved" herbal versions cost five times that (so, about 80% "normal"), and lost 1-3 months. Alchemists make the list price versions, and generally have contracts with the official military for everything they can make... but occasionally something "falls off the truck" for adventurers and ne'er-do-wells to buy. 2) All "+1" weapons and armor are [I]nonmagical[/I], and have their bonuses due to crafter skill and/or special materials. There are lots of other benefits that skill and material can provide as well. Bloodsteel edged weapons, as a "side effect", for example requires far less maintenance and sharpening, while bloodsteel armor is 10% lighter and doesn't rust. These items are between 4 and 20 times the normal price of a weapon or armor, with specialization being a thing. The best polearms are made in Mariha; bloodsteel gear can only be purchased in Klathos. 3) Wizard Towers exist in or near major cities (there is [I]one[/I] in the campaign's starting area, an easy week-long journey east of the starting town). In the associated city, there is a Sapphire Agent who represents the Tower. This agent will have a small handful of example items, but exists to take orders that will be crafted by the Tower. Magic arms and armor are [I]always[/I] at least +2, and are always "interesting" - the wizards aren't cranking out a dozen +2 longswords, each is a "work of art and Art". And usually are built upon a weapon that already was "+1" from craft and/or material. Captain Tannril's silverblade is a +2 longsword made of argentium (always considered magic against undead and aberrations, inflicts an extra +2 damage against them), made by Gargik the Mute (his blades are always "keen" [crit on 19 and 20], but require maintenance [short rest] to keep this heightened edge), and enchanted by Master Kalivar. The magic woven into the blade flares with blinding light to defend the wielder (3/day, when "hit exactly", cause the incoming attack to instead "miss by 1"), and sear his foes (on a crit, inflict +1d6 radiant damage after all other effects of the crit are determined). 4) If you bypass the Sapphire Agent in town and go directly to the Wizard Tower, and you have some sort of "in", you can sometimes hook up with enterprising apprentices who need to make some cash "for reasons". You can buy a wide variety of lesser items, but can't order anything; these are mistakes, "senior projects", cast offs that "disappear" rather than being rendered back into their parts for re-use. In this way you might acquire a "normal +1" weapon - a random iron dagger that some apprentice enchanted to "magical +1" with no special effects as part of his training. Most of these items tend to have side effects, and/or are not permanent; that +1 dagger you just got should be good for a year (longer than most campaigns), but might lose its power unexpectedly when subjected to stress (like being in a [I]dispel magic[/I] field, or striking a powerful creature). 5) Everything else... this is the private collection / shady agent / noble auction situation. Captain Tannril died on a mission for the Baron; perhaps adventurers are hired to retireve the silverblade. Perhaps someone [I]did[/I] retrieve it, and now the silverblade is being auctioned for sale by the Baron's heir (the Baron having [I]also[/I] died on the mission). "What, you wanted a magic warhammer? Okay, we'll keep an eye out for one; today though, we are selling this magnificent silverblade... Hmm, hang on... have you checked with Bromnum Burrowfound? Dwarf prince out of Kagh Da'ruhm? I heard he found the legendary spiritslayer Dran Trik, a dwarven-crafted warhammer, inlaid with jade, or so I hear. Supposedly can call down lightning bolts out of a storm, and rips apart the vile creations of those goblin shamen. I could perhaps make inquiries on your behalf? No need to get the dwarves all riled up or worried about threats, just a subtle feeling out, see if he's open to a sale or trade? Maybe Prince Bromnum might be interested in, I don't know, an enchanted argentium longsword? Hmmmmm?" 6) And of course... lost items in old ruins! A major reason to go adventuring! [And these items don't have to obey any of the "rules" of #1-5. The party acquired an old iron javelin made by goblins, found lodged in the knee of a golem (surrounded by the skeletons of the slain goblins that previously owned the javelin!). Its enchantments had degraded over time, and the iron wasn't "special material" or "mastercrafted". Now the weapon is just a [I]magical[/I] +1 javelin, but it does still inflict +2d6 damage to fey... [/QUOTE]

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