Magic Item Prices in Eberron [Archive] - Wizards Community

Magic Item Prices in Eberron [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Lognor
08-13-06, 03:39 PM I have thought about this for a while now... and it would seem to me that if Eberron is a world where Magical Items are common occurence... would this not lower the price to create or Buy said items..? Its simple supply and demand... if there are few magic Items... they cost more. If its common to see people using a +1 or better weapon or armor... then.. should it not be cheaper to purchase said Items..? In a typical D&D campaign magic is something hard to come by typically... in Eberron not so much. So why is it that no one has come up with a pricing scheme that reflects the fact that magical items are common...? (cause coming off the last war Im 100% sure that there is an abundance of magical weapons that each army would have just laying around)

Or would this be too Unbalancing..?
Korhal_IV
08-13-06, 03:43 PM The costs for magical items are fixed - each creation requires X gp in components and Y cost in XP. It is simply that in Eberron, there are more people producing these items (and why shouldn't they, when even the cheapest magical item is worth months' pay?). You can't lower prices below what they cost to make.

I think the more accurate question is, why don't magic items cost more in settings without magewrights and House Cannith? ;)
JulesCARV
08-13-06, 05:00 PM For balance purposes, magic item prices shouldn't be lowered, but from a game realism perspective, it does seem like the ratio of costs between mundane things and magic might be reduced, since when magical items have a mundane substitute, the mundane substitute is usually so much better for the cost for everyone but adventurers.

So possibly non-weapon, non-armor mundane things like meals, inn stays, the cost of bread, houses, lanterns, and the results of craft and profession checks could be multiplied by three or something. In terms of ordinary people, it would be the same as reducing the price of magical items threefold, but it would leave the balance of adventurers essentially unchanged. It would mainly be a flavor thing.

Also, you might change the amount of weight of coinage. For example, a gold coin might only contain 1/500th of a pound of gold. That way, you don't get so much stuff like a mundane suit of chainmail costing the equivalent of four pounds of gold (at current prices of gold (about $600 an ounce, IIRC), that'd be about $40,000, though admittedly current gold prices are rather inflated by current uncertainties).

As is, putting 110 gp everburning torches all over every town seems like a pretty bad use of public funds, but if typical 1 cp torches and 1 sp lamps were more expensive, they'd be more viable and less wasteful.
Naudachu
08-14-06, 01:28 PM I think while its true that individually crafted items have a certain price attached to them, mass produced items can be made significantly cheaper. Its been hinted at that House Cannith has forges similar to the warforged creation forges that can mass produce other magic items.

But while Eberron has wide low-level magic, the higher level items are even more rare than other settings (due to the rarity of high level NPCs). This could work one of two ways. Either the forges work on the same principle as dedicated wrights and are limited by the level of the artificer who starts the process or each forge has a maximum level embedded into it (determined by the dragonshards within it?).

So, I think it is possible to have cheaper low level magic items. Just remember that the NPCs will have access to these also. As long as all things are equal then the balance is intact.
igotsmeakabob!!
08-14-06, 08:05 PM No, the prices are fine, more items are available in common buying. In my campaign I allow the party to buy any Minor magic items they want with the exclusions of wondrous... they have to talk to me about them.
cancerousmango
08-14-06, 08:12 PM My player wants some super high level item, and has enough money, and said, all cocky, "I buy the mittens of utterdoom" (or whatever item he wanted) and I flatly told him, "feh, those aren't just sitting around waiting to be bought, this is EBERRON boy!"

He got all huffy.

I like Eberron, hindering Forgotten Realms powergamers since day 1.
Salla
08-14-06, 09:01 PM My player wants some super high level item, and has enough money, and said, all cocky, "I buy the mittens of utterdoom" (or whatever item he wanted) and I flatly told him, "feh, those aren't just sitting around waiting to be bought, this is EBERRON boy!"

He got all huffy.

I like Eberron, hindering Forgotten Realms powergamers since day 1.

No, but some artificer could certainly create them via commission. It'd just take a while. ;)
igotsmeakabob!!
08-14-06, 09:18 PM Ah, but keep in mind that Eberron is quite short on lvl 10+ characters! So its unlikely than anyone at all can craft you a major item, unless its the ancient artificer of qual'nathep-zaran ir'quoist, bearer of the sacred hammer of nor'ath k`lathir-torjen (these fake mystic names provided to you by igotsmeakabob!! Inc. Remember, if it isn't long and complicated then it isn't mystic).
zambuka
08-15-06, 01:20 AM But while Eberron has wide low-level magic, the higher level items are even more rare than other settings (due to the rarity of high level NPCs).

The high level magic isn't rarer than other campaigns.

For a start you have the 10 thousand year civilisation of the giants pumping out magic items, the Dhakaani empire at its peak produced quite a significant amount of items, the elves of Aerenal have had even longer to produce these items. Then there is the human empire of the 5 Kingdoms lasting a few thousand years and producing some rather amazing works.

While there aren't many high level NPCs cranking out high powered items now, and at any one point in history there aren't many high level NPCs making magic items, there have been enough over the 10s of thousands of years of civilisations in Eberron to have produced sufficient numbers of high level items. So even if you say that only one high level item is produced every 10 years there would still be thousands of fun goodies out there for your adventurer to go and find.

When you do the maths, the cost of a basic magic item (something with little more than a cantrip or level one effect) is about the same as the yearly income of middle class workers. With things like the Kundarak banks (and loans they would likely have) these people could easily buy a basic magic item or two over a number of years. The types of items are things like self cleaning clothes, cabinets that chill food (or preserve meat with a gentle repose spell), a bowl that keeps food warm etc. This is where the wide magic of Eberron comes into play.

The type of magic an adventurer would buy is a higher class and a lot less common than what the middle and upper class would purchase so the prices are pretty much what they should be.
Lognor
08-15-06, 02:19 AM The types of items are things like self cleaning clothes, cabinets that chill food (or preserve meat with a gentle repose spell), a bowl that keeps food warm etc. This is where the wide magic of Eberron comes into play.

The type of magic an adventurer would buy is a higher class and a lot less common than what the middle and upper class would purchase so the prices are pretty much what they should be.

Okay.. I see your point here... However, didnt Korvhaire just come out of a 100 Year war..? Wouldnt house Cannith have used the forges to create thousands of weapons and or pieces of Armor..? Or does that not seem logical that in War the groups in power would want to have more effective weaponry for their warriors..? If the countries were willing to spend a LOT of money on entire armies of Warforge... would they not want to equip them with more effective weaponry..? or even enchant the composite plating that said WF are "wearing"..? if you think about it the price of a +1 weapon or "armor" would be nothing compared to the price of new warforged.... So why wouldnt they expend the extra little money for a more effective warriors that will last through battles that much better..? For this reason I Still think that adventurer gear would be more easily found. The Arms race of the Last War would almost require it... Or does no one think that this is a valid point..?
Naudachu
08-15-06, 07:20 PM I like the idea of the middle-class being able to afford 0-level items through loans. I had started coming up with some ideas for these, but I hadn't really thought about affordability for commoners.

I do believe there are many high-level magic items waiting to be found in ruins throughout the world. But I don't think by and large these are available for sale in cities.

The weapons race makes sense and seems to point to an overabundance of +1 items. These would probably be sold by House Deneith and Medani as competition to Cannith. Unless towards the end of the war, Cannith started loaning these to the nations when they couldn't afford to buy them and now have large stockpiles.

EDIT: I guess this all depends on how common dragonshards are in your Eberron and how much of the shard needs to be used in each item.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lognor 08-13-06, 03:39 PM	I have thought about this for a while now... and it would seem to me that if Eberron is a world where Magical Items are common occurence... would this not lower the price to create or Buy said items..? Its simple supply and demand... if there are few magic Items... they cost more. If its common to see people using a +1 or better weapon or armor... then.. should it not be cheaper to purchase said Items..? In a typical D&D campaign magic is something hard to come by typically... in Eberron not so much. So why is it that no one has come up with a pricing scheme that reflects the fact that magical items are common...? (cause coming off the last war Im 100% sure that there is an abundance of magical weapons that each army would have just laying around) Or would this be too Unbalancing..?
Korhal_IV 08-13-06, 03:43 PM	The costs for magical items are fixed - each creation requires X gp in components and Y cost in XP. It is simply that in Eberron, there are more people producing these items (and why shouldn't they, when even the cheapest magical item is worth months' pay?). You can't lower prices below what they cost to make. I think the more accurate question is, why don't magic items cost more in settings without magewrights and House Cannith? ;)
JulesCARV 08-13-06, 05:00 PM	For balance purposes, magic item prices shouldn't be lowered, but from a game realism perspective, it does seem like the ratio of costs between mundane things and magic might be reduced, since when magical items have a mundane substitute, the mundane substitute is usually so much better for the cost for everyone but adventurers. So possibly non-weapon, non-armor mundane things like meals, inn stays, the cost of bread, houses, lanterns, and the results of craft and profession checks could be multiplied by three or something. In terms of ordinary people, it would be the same as reducing the price of magical items threefold, but it would leave the balance of adventurers essentially unchanged. It would mainly be a flavor thing. Also, you might change the amount of weight of coinage. For example, a gold coin might only contain 1/500th of a pound of gold. That way, you don't get so much stuff like a mundane suit of chainmail costing the equivalent of four pounds of gold (at current prices of gold (about $600 an ounce, IIRC), that'd be about $40,000, though admittedly current gold prices are rather inflated by current uncertainties). As is, putting 110 gp everburning torches all over every town seems like a pretty bad use of public funds, but if typical 1 cp torches and 1 sp lamps were more expensive, they'd be more viable and less wasteful.
Naudachu 08-14-06, 01:28 PM	I think while its true that individually crafted items have a certain price attached to them, mass produced items can be made significantly cheaper. Its been hinted at that House Cannith has forges similar to the warforged creation forges that can mass produce other magic items. But while Eberron has wide low-level magic, the higher level items are even more rare than other settings (due to the rarity of high level NPCs). This could work one of two ways. Either the forges work on the same principle as dedicated wrights and are limited by the level of the artificer who starts the process or each forge has a maximum level embedded into it (determined by the dragonshards within it?). So, I think it is possible to have cheaper low level magic items. Just remember that the NPCs will have access to these also. As long as all things are equal then the balance is intact.
igotsmeakabob!! 08-14-06, 08:05 PM	No, the prices are fine, more items are available in common buying. In my campaign I allow the party to buy any Minor magic items they want with the exclusions of wondrous... they have to talk to me about them.
cancerousmango 08-14-06, 08:12 PM	My player wants some super high level item, and has enough money, and said, all cocky, "I buy the mittens of utterdoom" (or whatever item he wanted) and I flatly told him, "feh, those aren't just sitting around waiting to be bought, this is EBERRON boy!" He got all huffy. I like Eberron, hindering Forgotten Realms powergamers since day 1.
Salla 08-14-06, 09:01 PM	My player wants some super high level item, and has enough money, and said, all cocky, "I buy the mittens of utterdoom" (or whatever item he wanted) and I flatly told him, "feh, those aren't just sitting around waiting to be bought, this is EBERRON boy!" He got all huffy. I like Eberron, hindering Forgotten Realms powergamers since day 1. No, but some artificer could certainly create them via commission. It'd just take a while. ;)
igotsmeakabob!! 08-14-06, 09:18 PM	Ah, but keep in mind that Eberron is quite short on lvl 10+ characters! So its unlikely than anyone at all can craft you a major item, unless its the ancient artificer of qual'nathep-zaran ir'quoist, bearer of the sacred hammer of nor'ath k`lathir-torjen (these fake mystic names provided to you by igotsmeakabob!! Inc. Remember, if it isn't long and complicated then it isn't mystic).
zambuka 08-15-06, 01:20 AM	But while Eberron has wide low-level magic, the higher level items are even more rare than other settings (due to the rarity of high level NPCs). The high level magic isn't rarer than other campaigns. For a start you have the 10 thousand year civilisation of the giants pumping out magic items, the Dhakaani empire at its peak produced quite a significant amount of items, the elves of Aerenal have had even longer to produce these items. Then there is the human empire of the 5 Kingdoms lasting a few thousand years and producing some rather amazing works. While there aren't many high level NPCs cranking out high powered items now, and at any one point in history there aren't many high level NPCs making magic items, there have been enough over the 10s of thousands of years of civilisations in Eberron to have produced sufficient numbers of high level items. So even if you say that only one high level item is produced every 10 years there would still be thousands of fun goodies out there for your adventurer to go and find. When you do the maths, the cost of a basic magic item (something with little more than a cantrip or level one effect) is about the same as the yearly income of middle class workers. With things like the Kundarak banks (and loans they would likely have) these people could easily buy a basic magic item or two over a number of years. The types of items are things like self cleaning clothes, cabinets that chill food (or preserve meat with a gentle repose spell), a bowl that keeps food warm etc. This is where the wide magic of Eberron comes into play. The type of magic an adventurer would buy is a higher class and a lot less common than what the middle and upper class would purchase so the prices are pretty much what they should be.
Lognor 08-15-06, 02:19 AM	The types of items are things like self cleaning clothes, cabinets that chill food (or preserve meat with a gentle repose spell), a bowl that keeps food warm etc. This is where the wide magic of Eberron comes into play. The type of magic an adventurer would buy is a higher class and a lot less common than what the middle and upper class would purchase so the prices are pretty much what they should be. Okay.. I see your point here... However, didnt Korvhaire just come out of a 100 Year war..? Wouldnt house Cannith have used the forges to create thousands of weapons and or pieces of Armor..? Or does that not seem logical that in War the groups in power would want to have more effective weaponry for their warriors..? If the countries were willing to spend a LOT of money on entire armies of Warforge... would they not want to equip them with more effective weaponry..? or even enchant the composite plating that said WF are "wearing"..? if you think about it the price of a +1 weapon or "armor" would be nothing compared to the price of new warforged.... So why wouldnt they expend the extra little money for a more effective warriors that will last through battles that much better..? For this reason I Still think that adventurer gear would be more easily found. The Arms race of the Last War would almost require it... Or does no one think that this is a valid point..?
Naudachu 08-15-06, 07:20 PM	I like the idea of the middle-class being able to afford 0-level items through loans. I had started coming up with some ideas for these, but I hadn't really thought about affordability for commoners. I do believe there are many high-level magic items waiting to be found in ruins throughout the world. But I don't think by and large these are available for sale in cities. The weapons race makes sense and seems to point to an overabundance of +1 items. These would probably be sold by House Deneith and Medani as competition to Cannith. Unless towards the end of the war, Cannith started loaning these to the nations when they couldn't afford to buy them and now have large stockpiles. EDIT: I guess this all depends on how common dragonshards are in your Eberron and how much of the shard needs to be used in each item.