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Worlds of Design: The Problem with Magimarts
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<blockquote data-quote="Edgar Ironpelt" data-source="post: 9319278" data-attributes="member: 32075"><p>Thoughts:</p><p>My preference is for magic items to be available by commission, rather than in-stock at a magic mart.</p><p></p><p>I also prefer a range of special items, from the 'merely' masterwork, to common minor items, to the rare and incredibly valuable, rather than a sharp division between "Mundane, meh" and "Magic! Oooh shiny!"</p><p></p><p>The source material often has loads of magic items that aren't highly visible. Tolkien's Middle Earth, for example, has those well-known examples of magic items that are unique and can't be duplicated even in theory - but also barely-mentioned examples of magic items so common that they're sold as <em><strong>toys</strong></em> and <strong><em>party favors</em></strong>.</p><p></p><p>Trying to make magic items wondrous by making them rare will backfire if they're so rare that the PCs don't have access to them. </p><p></p><p>Making items that are unique possessions of PCs and other heroes is best done by some sort of point-buy system that's part of the character creation mechanics. E.g. the Hero system where magic items are character powers with the focus limitation, bought with character points, or where "has a magic item" is a D&D feat taken by the character. </p><p></p><p>More generally, rare & unique items that just happen to be in the hands of the PCs requires world-building with reified narrativium. Without this reified narrativium, making magic items "beyond price" will either screw up the economics of the game world, or else will screw the fun away from the players. Or both. </p><p></p><p>My preferred vision for wizards (and others) making magic items is not that they do so as an everyday job, but as an occasional special activity. E.g. a wizard will set up a lab in his tower, putter away at magical 'experiments' and slowly gain XP in the process - and then every so often he'll spend some or all of that XP to create a magic item which he sells to fund further magical experiments and his own upkeep.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Edgar Ironpelt, post: 9319278, member: 32075"] Thoughts: My preference is for magic items to be available by commission, rather than in-stock at a magic mart. I also prefer a range of special items, from the 'merely' masterwork, to common minor items, to the rare and incredibly valuable, rather than a sharp division between "Mundane, meh" and "Magic! Oooh shiny!" The source material often has loads of magic items that aren't highly visible. Tolkien's Middle Earth, for example, has those well-known examples of magic items that are unique and can't be duplicated even in theory - but also barely-mentioned examples of magic items so common that they're sold as [I][B]toys[/B][/I] and [B][I]party favors[/I][/B]. Trying to make magic items wondrous by making them rare will backfire if they're so rare that the PCs don't have access to them. Making items that are unique possessions of PCs and other heroes is best done by some sort of point-buy system that's part of the character creation mechanics. E.g. the Hero system where magic items are character powers with the focus limitation, bought with character points, or where "has a magic item" is a D&D feat taken by the character. More generally, rare & unique items that just happen to be in the hands of the PCs requires world-building with reified narrativium. Without this reified narrativium, making magic items "beyond price" will either screw up the economics of the game world, or else will screw the fun away from the players. Or both. My preferred vision for wizards (and others) making magic items is not that they do so as an everyday job, but as an occasional special activity. E.g. a wizard will set up a lab in his tower, putter away at magical 'experiments' and slowly gain XP in the process - and then every so often he'll spend some or all of that XP to create a magic item which he sells to fund further magical experiments and his own upkeep. [/QUOTE]
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