Buying Magic Weapons [Archive] - Wizards Community

Buying Magic Weapons [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Melor
10-17-04, 06:28 PM Are you able to buy magic weps with other bonuses on it such as keen,flaming,frost,defending etc. Or is this all just DM choice about who sells what? I am currently in a dwarven city and most of those things require wizards if im correct so would they not be selling wares such as these? Keep in mind im only lvl 3 close to 4, however i have saved all my gold and im not in a bigger town looking to spend hehe. Any answers on the matter would be appreciated.
Sae Cael Oanar
10-17-04, 06:44 PM dwarves can be wizards, stop being so racist.
BladeMage_1
10-17-04, 07:11 PM Yes, of coarse you can buy magic weapons or armor or whatever. The aditions of the price for the ability, such as a +1 flaming weapon, is:

base weapon price+quality(+1=1000 gp.)+magic ability(DM's guide, such as flaming is like adding a +1 bonus again,+ 1000)

so, this alone will cost a little over 2000 gold pieces. Which, might be a little expensive for a 3-4 level PC. (Of coarse, I don't know how much $ you have.)

is this what you were asking?
Naeron
10-18-04, 06:33 AM Clerics can also craft magic weapons and armour. An Axiomatic weapon can only be made by a Cleric with the Law domain. A Holy weapon can only be made by a Cleric with the Good domain.

Defending, Disruption, Flaming, Flaming Burst, Merciful, Mighty Cleaving, Spell Storing, Thundering and Unholy weapons can also be made by Clerics.

And as the previous poster has said, Dwarves can be Wizards.

Yes, of coarse you can buy magic weapons or armor or whatever. The aditions of the price for the ability, such as a +1 flaming weapon, is:

base weapon price+quality(+1=1000 gp.)+magic ability(DM's guide, such as flaming is like adding a +1 bonus again,+ 1000)

so, this alone will cost a little over 2000 gold pieces. Which, might be a little expensive for a 3-4 level PC. (Of coarse, I don't know how much $ you have.)

is this what you were asking?

This is incorrect. The Flaming qualtity is a +1 equivalent enhancement and a weapon must have a minimum +1 enhancement to have special abilities.

The market price of a magic weapon is MW weapon price + ( weapon + squared times 2000). So a +1 Flaming Longsword has a market price of 8315gp.
DM Zoc
10-18-04, 07:22 AM Are you able to buy magic weps with other bonuses on it such as keen,flaming,frost,defending etc. Or is this all just DM choice about who sells what? I am currently in a dwarven city and most of those things require wizards if im correct so would they not be selling wares such as these? Keep in mind im only lvl 3 close to 4, however i have saved all my gold and im not in a bigger town looking to spend hehe. Any answers on the matter would be appreciated.
Everything is DM choice, always. Many DMs, especially those who started in older editions, find the concept of buying magical weapons to be ludicrous. There are guidelines in the DMG which suggest what types of magical items (weapons included) might be found in a typical city, depending on size, but there's no guarantee that anyone would be willing to part with them for any price.
arbanafal
10-18-04, 07:42 AM I agree with DM Zoc. As DM you decide wheter buying magic items fits your campaign.

My group has an unwritten rule that the only purchasable of-the-shell items are the ones found in the rulebooks (even +3 keen, shocking burst, crossbows of speed). Items that are not in the books, need to be custom made. This is either the job for the party wizard (that's were I come in ;) ) or some mighty wizard in one of his guilds. Usually the last option results in just buying the item, but if the DM wants it can also be an interesting adventure hook.

just my 2cp
tarkin
10-18-04, 01:02 PM 1) Never trust anyone that says "Most DM's...". They have not taken a survey. They are just telling you what they do and assuming that everyone else does it.

2) In a large city it is totally unreasonable to not be able to buy a magic item. the DMG has clear rules for what is available where, based on cash. In a city where you can buy an item valued at 100,000gp, it makes NO sense to be harder to buy a magic item worth that amount of money than it would be to buy a ship worth that amount of money. In the real world, the United States is willing to sell Battleships, submarines, and Aircraft Carriers to "qualified buyers". You can certainly bet that any large city probably has high end magic weapons/armor for sale. They definitely will have a mage willing to enchant items for the regular price.

3) There are reasonable ways to limit magic item purchases. Some DM's use them. Here are a couple of the ones I like to enforce on my players when I am feeling nasty:

Tax on creation and purchase of them = 5-15%. Not really worth it to make it cost much more, then the players start buying creation equiptment and setting up shop outside the government's borders (Off shore magic item creation on ships instead of off shore gambling).
License required to buy/sell such items, costing 100gp with an annoying "one month waiting period" for anything deemed to be dangerous.
Wands/staves always come used (d100/2), unless ordered new. Ordered new takes regular time to make + 1 day.
Membership in a Wizard's Guild required to make such items/sell/buy them without a 20-35% Guild Fee (The wizard guild, being a "multi-national" force will hunt you down if you try to make them "off shore")
CruelDM
10-18-04, 01:49 PM In campaigns run as described by Tarkin above, where anything is commonly available at all times for purchase, and there are magic marts on every corner whose inventory is only limited by the GP values for the city, magic is very commonplace. Every lowly NPC would work his fields with +3 scythes of reaping and +2 carts of hauling. Magic has inundated the entire game world and everyone reaps the benefits that magic and magic items bestow on their lifestyles. Though there is nothing wrong with this if it fits your campaign world, I would imagine that there are many who dont want this to be the case in theirs, the simple fact that I dont want mine like this would suggest that their are others of the same mindset.

Some would argue that farmers wouldnt have the means to support buying all the magic to aid them, but it would only take one enterprising farmer to dominate the market with a single ring of plant growth and put those that didnt follow suit out of business. It would seem that the costs listed in the DMG assume some limitations on accessability because common sense would dictate that too much of a good thing does affect cost. Look at the trends in todays market, there are certain givens, such as supply and demand. Once supply outweighs demand, prices plummet, demand outweighing supply causes prices to rise. There is no reason to believe that it wouldnt be like this in a fantasy world.

Having magic marts everywhere would actually cause the price of the items to be considerably less than in the DMG, price wars would erupt due to all the competition. Just because a cities stats stated that it has a 100,000 gp limit doesnt always mean that anything worth 100,000gp is commonly available, only that it could be available (and not neccisarily commonly).

In the end, different strokes for different folks, everyone has the option to run their campaign as they want (the beauty of being the DM). Find a level of magic that fits for you, stick to it, and everything should work out fine for you.
Walnut
10-18-04, 02:20 PM I disagree with CruelDM. The system Tarkin described above is for the 'average' magic world; highly specialized items may be harder to get but common ones are reasonably available. (Our group has a general agreement that we don't go buying significant magic items unless we have a month or more off)

The PHB wage and service prices prevent silly notions like '+3 scythes' for harvesting wheat. Look at the trade good list: 1 lb of flour costs 2cp. A simple +1 scythe would cost 58 TONS of flour--that's an entire lifetime of work for a farmer using medival farming techniques, assuming he doesn't pay taxes or feed his wife and kids. Even if you can get the plants to grow faster you'd need to hire a lot of extra help to harvest and pay more to mill it faster, it wouldn't increase profits much. And yeah, cows cost 10gp but need to be fed & tended for years before they're saleable, their return on investment is about the same as wheat.

Magic is out of the reach of 95% of the population, and in a fantasy setting that's about right. Adventurers, nobles, and others who can afford it are a minority, but generate enough demand to have it available. If you don't want to just say that anything is obtainable, roll up about 20-30 items off the tables and provide them as a 'menu' and say custom orders are available in double the standard crafting time and at 10% extra cost.
tarkin
10-18-04, 02:33 PM I didn't say that everything is commonly available, I said that anything should be gettable in the time it takes to make it, and the majority of common items (+1-+5, with your choice of at least one other enchantment for weapons) should be available instantly.

As for the notion that such a "common" approach would drive down the price - don't be a fool. Magic items are already relatively cheap. It costs 1/2 the gold plus xp to make them and only a fool underprices his personal XP.

The system describe (without the taxes etc) is for the average game. A game where you have taxes, etc. is for a "low magic game". A high magic game would have everything available instant, no waiting.

Another major thing that "magic items should be rare" people forget is transportation spells.

Unless your Magic Item manufacturers are total morons, they all have a list of the high end items available in other cities and will be willing to teleport in, purchase it, and teleport out, for a nominal fee, say an extra 5,000 gp (including the cost of teleport).

So yes, the Capital of Cramthack may not have a +5 flaming Spiked Chain, but they know where one is and for a mere extra 5,000 gp, they will sell it to you.
meabolex
10-18-04, 02:40 PM It's easy to have a campaign without any magic item shops. You simply must find a buyer or seller and figure out a reasonable price. However, as with any business system, finding the buyer and the seller is the hard part. But D&D has an excellent mechanic for finding things: Gather Information.

The following rule is what I use in my campaigns:

Magic Item Availability: Finding the proper seller and proper item will require a Gather Information check equal to 0/23/27 for each minor/medium/major item in a metropolis. Failures by 5 or more can cause unpredictable results. A local group of thugs could try to mug you if you let the wrong person know that you're looking for expensive merchandise. Trying to find an item when you're hunted by the law, racially prejudiced, unfavorably viewed, etc, is extremely dangerous.

Every town size category smaller than metropolis imposes a -2 modifier on the Gather Information check. Occasionally, you must also provide the means to identify and verify items (usually through a third party). All checks made this way that are above DC 27 are impossible. Also, the rules for GP limits and wealth in communities also hold (page 137 in the DMG) .

For example, finding a cure light wounds potion in a country thorp would be impossible (over the 40 gp limit). Finding a cure light wounds potion in a hamlet would require a DC 12 gather information check. Finding gloves of ogre strength in a hamlet is virtually impossible, but finding them in a large town is fairly easy (DC 6 gather information check). Finding extremely rare items (medium items) is impossible in anything below a city. Major items are exclusively available only in a metropolis, as they are guarded by considerable resources. Even then, finding a seller for such a rare item is dangerous for both parties -- hence the high gather information checks. Specific organizations and NPCs can grant circumstance bonuses to your gather information checks.
Melor
10-18-04, 02:51 PM Is the post above about the +1 flaming longsword correct on the price? I though u just add 1,000 gp for each enchantment you put on it plus the weapon price. This is pretty much what it says in the 3.0 PHB i dont see anywhere in there about squaring anything and timesing it by 2000
DragonsArt
10-18-04, 03:55 PM Are you able to buy magic weps with other bonuses on it such as keen,flaming,frost,defending etc. Or is this all just DM choice about who sells what? I am currently in a dwarven city and most of those things require wizards if im correct so would they not be selling wares such as these? Keep in mind im only lvl 3 close to 4, however i have saved all my gold and im not in a bigger town looking to spend hehe. Any answers on the matter would be appreciated.

There is a forge in Races of Stone that allows a smith to create items as if he had the Craft Arms and Armor feat and met all prerequisites.

In addition, druids and clerics can create magical weapons... not just wizards. Plus, even if there aren't many dwarven wizards... there's nothing to say a gnome isn't working with the smiths...
OrbitalB
10-18-04, 04:06 PM Yes that price is correct. A +1 Flaming Longsword would be 8,315 gp.

DMG Pg 222, note 2 under table 7-9: Weapons gives a nice simple example of why a +3 dagger of speed is treated as a +7 dagger for pricing purposes.

Exact same example as given in the 3.0 DMG, except that it`s page 184, note **, and table 8-10: Weapons.

The specific rule itself is the third paragraph under Weapons on pg 221 (pg183 DMG3.0).
primemover003
10-18-04, 04:09 PM Is the post above about the +1 flaming longsword correct on the price? I though u just add 1,000 gp for each enchantment you put on it plus the weapon price. This is pretty much what it says in the 3.0 PHB i dont see anywhere in there about squaring anything and timesing it by 2000
Yes that price is correct.
There is a baseline formula for pricing weapons: Total pluses squared*2,000gp.

Armor & shields have a similar formula: Total pluses squared*1,000gp.

Look at your DMG again and re-do your math... it's the same in 3.0/3.5
Melor
10-18-04, 04:36 PM Thank you I was looking at the chart for armor and was thinking it was same prices for armor hehe Thanks for pointing out the page numbers all makes sense again =P
Melor
10-18-04, 04:40 PM Thanks for all the info on the magic items i was curious also about buying some of the special items (ex. Monks belt, Quiver Elhonna, Various Tomes of + attributes). I saw in some post people just buy these as soon as they can afford them because the make such a difference. Should DM's make quest centered around this or do some use the "Magic Walmart theory" as stated before?
CruelDM
10-18-04, 04:40 PM Magic is out of the reach of 95% of the population, and in a fantasy setting that's about right.

I will totally agree with this, however, it appears the reasons that we come to the same conclusions are different. You propose that the reason the farmer doesnt have magical means to ease his everyday struggles is that he cant afford it. I propose that its because its not commonly available. In all truth it would probably be a mix of both.

Finding items of low magical value should not be hard for the PCs, potions and scrolls of 3rd level or lower should be readily available. Its not to hard to find and solicit the sale of a +1 shield or a ring of featherfalling from a retired adventurer, or to talk to the local Mages Guild and offer gold or services for a +2 amulet of natural armor. It becomes a much greater challenge to find and solicit a +2 keen energy longsword of speed. And if such an item can be found, would the seller only be interested in gold, or might he want something of great value attainable only through even greater peril that even he dare not attempt? Even if his sole interest was mere gold, wouldnt he be more inclined to sell it to the highest bidder? Are the PCs the only interested party?
Having Magic-Marts isnt unheard of, Ive known many DMs that fall into this belief, I am not one of them. I find that making them earn the items that interest them is far more rewarding to the fun and excitement of the campaign than making them simply just walk to the corner store. My style isnt for everyone, I admit, but neither are everyone elses for me.
primemover003
10-18-04, 04:46 PM As Meabolex and Tarkin have pointed out, the core rules assume magic items are available in larger settlements. There are however no magic walmarts... Just because an item is available doesn't mean it's gonna be easy to find it, secure it, and leave town with them!

I like M's use of Gather Info. Very simple. Talk with your DM to find out how the issue is handled in your campaign world. Ask if you'll be able to purchase items from Temples, Guilds, wizards colleges, etc. If not be sure your Cleric and Wizard are willing to take some item creation feats... they're invaluable!
Stuntman
10-20-04, 02:44 PM I do have magic shops in my campaign. However, each magic shop has a specific list of magical items that the PC's can buy. They cannot just walk in and ask for a +1 flaming longsword and assume one will be available. I either choose or randomly roll for the items that a particular magic shop has. I do this for magic scrolls as well, so sometimes my wizards cannot find the exact spell they want just because the shop just happens to not have it.

I like to do this because I do not want to make it easy for PC's to get the exact items that they are looking for. Also, the value of item creation feats mean more because that is the only reliable way of acquiring the exact items that you want. Lastly, I like players to actually use the magical treasure that they find instead of treating it like a pile of gold pieces.
wonlee76
10-20-04, 03:42 PM In my current campaign, there are wizard's guilds in the major cities. The wizard's guilds often sells potions and scrolls of "common" types. It is rare to be able to order or buy other types of magical items. I figure there are only a handful of classes that can make magical items. Then you got a handful of classes that could make magical items but don't take an item creation feat (with the exception of Scribe Scroll which is free for Wizards). In order to create them, they need to use up xp to make them. I can see them in a pinch making some minor magical items when they need to cash such as scrolls and potions.

As such, relatively easy to find and buy +1 weapons, armors and wondrous items since its an relatively inexpensive way for a wizard to make a quick buck for a nominal xp cost. Other things like wands, rods, weapons with the speed, holy, keen, etc. properties will be nearly impossible to simply buy out of a store since the creator of such an item had a specific reason for doing so. I figure most wizards/clerics/druids who do make powerful magical items will make it for themselves or for the church in the case of divine spellcasters.

Of course this allows good RPing for finding "better" magical items. Trading with other NPC adventurers for a magical item they found/stole on their adventures in exchange for a magical item you found in your adventures. More often then not, they rarely take gold for a magical item they found but would rather exchange the item for a more useful magical item. Lots of bartering going on in more "high powered" magical items in the mercenaries guild hall or adventurer's guild.

So the items are out there, its a matter of finding or trading for the item. I dislike the idea of there being a magic item supermarket somewhere in a large city since I believe a majority of magical items in the world will be those weaker +1 or +2 type of magical items. The items are there but its all about like kind exchange and knowing the motivations of the NPC.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Melor 10-17-04, 06:28 PM	Are you able to buy magic weps with other bonuses on it such as keen,flaming,frost,defending etc. Or is this all just DM choice about who sells what? I am currently in a dwarven city and most of those things require wizards if im correct so would they not be selling wares such as these? Keep in mind im only lvl 3 close to 4, however i have saved all my gold and im not in a bigger town looking to spend hehe. Any answers on the matter would be appreciated.
Sae Cael Oanar 10-17-04, 06:44 PM	dwarves can be wizards, stop being so racist.
BladeMage_1 10-17-04, 07:11 PM	Yes, of coarse you can buy magic weapons or armor or whatever. The aditions of the price for the ability, such as a +1 flaming weapon, is: base weapon price+quality(+1=1000 gp.)+magic ability(DM's guide, such as flaming is like adding a +1 bonus again,+ 1000) so, this alone will cost a little over 2000 gold pieces. Which, might be a little expensive for a 3-4 level PC. (Of coarse, I don't know how much $ you have.) is this what you were asking?
Naeron 10-18-04, 06:33 AM	Clerics can also craft magic weapons and armour. An Axiomatic weapon can only be made by a Cleric with the Law domain. A Holy weapon can only be made by a Cleric with the Good domain. Defending, Disruption, Flaming, Flaming Burst, Merciful, Mighty Cleaving, Spell Storing, Thundering and Unholy weapons can also be made by Clerics. And as the previous poster has said, Dwarves can be Wizards. Yes, of coarse you can buy magic weapons or armor or whatever. The aditions of the price for the ability, such as a +1 flaming weapon, is: base weapon price+quality(+1=1000 gp.)+magic ability(DM's guide, such as flaming is like adding a +1 bonus again,+ 1000) so, this alone will cost a little over 2000 gold pieces. Which, might be a little expensive for a 3-4 level PC. (Of coarse, I don't know how much $ you have.) is this what you were asking? This is incorrect. The Flaming qualtity is a +1 equivalent enhancement and a weapon must have a minimum +1 enhancement to have special abilities. The market price of a magic weapon is MW weapon price + ( weapon + squared times 2000). So a +1 Flaming Longsword has a market price of 8315gp.
DM Zoc 10-18-04, 07:22 AM	Are you able to buy magic weps with other bonuses on it such as keen,flaming,frost,defending etc. Or is this all just DM choice about who sells what? I am currently in a dwarven city and most of those things require wizards if im correct so would they not be selling wares such as these? Keep in mind im only lvl 3 close to 4, however i have saved all my gold and im not in a bigger town looking to spend hehe. Any answers on the matter would be appreciated. Everything is DM choice, always. Many DMs, especially those who started in older editions, find the concept of buying magical weapons to be ludicrous. There are guidelines in the DMG which suggest what types of magical items (weapons included) might be found in a typical city, depending on size, but there's no guarantee that anyone would be willing to part with them for any price.
arbanafal 10-18-04, 07:42 AM	I agree with DM Zoc. As DM you decide wheter buying magic items fits your campaign. My group has an unwritten rule that the only purchasable of-the-shell items are the ones found in the rulebooks (even +3 keen, shocking burst, crossbows of speed). Items that are not in the books, need to be custom made. This is either the job for the party wizard (that's were I come in ;) ) or some mighty wizard in one of his guilds. Usually the last option results in just buying the item, but if the DM wants it can also be an interesting adventure hook. just my 2cp
tarkin 10-18-04, 01:02 PM	1) Never trust anyone that says "Most DM's...". They have not taken a survey. They are just telling you what they do and assuming that everyone else does it. 2) In a large city it is totally unreasonable to not be able to buy a magic item. the DMG has clear rules for what is available where, based on cash. In a city where you can buy an item valued at 100,000gp, it makes NO sense to be harder to buy a magic item worth that amount of money than it would be to buy a ship worth that amount of money. In the real world, the United States is willing to sell Battleships, submarines, and Aircraft Carriers to "qualified buyers". You can certainly bet that any large city probably has high end magic weapons/armor for sale. They definitely will have a mage willing to enchant items for the regular price. 3) There are reasonable ways to limit magic item purchases. Some DM's use them. Here are a couple of the ones I like to enforce on my players when I am feeling nasty: Tax on creation and purchase of them = 5-15%. Not really worth it to make it cost much more, then the players start buying creation equiptment and setting up shop outside the government's borders (Off shore magic item creation on ships instead of off shore gambling). License required to buy/sell such items, costing 100gp with an annoying "one month waiting period" for anything deemed to be dangerous. Wands/staves always come used (d100/2), unless ordered new. Ordered new takes regular time to make + 1 day. Membership in a Wizard's Guild required to make such items/sell/buy them without a 20-35% Guild Fee (The wizard guild, being a "multi-national" force will hunt you down if you try to make them "off shore")
CruelDM 10-18-04, 01:49 PM	In campaigns run as described by Tarkin above, where anything is commonly available at all times for purchase, and there are magic marts on every corner whose inventory is only limited by the GP values for the city, magic is very commonplace. Every lowly NPC would work his fields with +3 scythes of reaping and +2 carts of hauling. Magic has inundated the entire game world and everyone reaps the benefits that magic and magic items bestow on their lifestyles. Though there is nothing wrong with this if it fits your campaign world, I would imagine that there are many who dont want this to be the case in theirs, the simple fact that I dont want mine like this would suggest that their are others of the same mindset. Some would argue that farmers wouldnt have the means to support buying all the magic to aid them, but it would only take one enterprising farmer to dominate the market with a single ring of plant growth and put those that didnt follow suit out of business. It would seem that the costs listed in the DMG assume some limitations on accessability because common sense would dictate that too much of a good thing does affect cost. Look at the trends in todays market, there are certain givens, such as supply and demand. Once supply outweighs demand, prices plummet, demand outweighing supply causes prices to rise. There is no reason to believe that it wouldnt be like this in a fantasy world. Having magic marts everywhere would actually cause the price of the items to be considerably less than in the DMG, price wars would erupt due to all the competition. Just because a cities stats stated that it has a 100,000 gp limit doesnt always mean that anything worth 100,000gp is commonly available, only that it could be available (and not neccisarily commonly). In the end, different strokes for different folks, everyone has the option to run their campaign as they want (the beauty of being the DM). Find a level of magic that fits for you, stick to it, and everything should work out fine for you.
Walnut 10-18-04, 02:20 PM	I disagree with CruelDM. The system Tarkin described above is for the 'average' magic world; highly specialized items may be harder to get but common ones are reasonably available. (Our group has a general agreement that we don't go buying significant magic items unless we have a month or more off) The PHB wage and service prices prevent silly notions like '+3 scythes' for harvesting wheat. Look at the trade good list: 1 lb of flour costs 2cp. A simple +1 scythe would cost 58 TONS of flour--that's an entire lifetime of work for a farmer using medival farming techniques, assuming he doesn't pay taxes or feed his wife and kids. Even if you can get the plants to grow faster you'd need to hire a lot of extra help to harvest and pay more to mill it faster, it wouldn't increase profits much. And yeah, cows cost 10gp but need to be fed & tended for years before they're saleable, their return on investment is about the same as wheat. Magic is out of the reach of 95% of the population, and in a fantasy setting that's about right. Adventurers, nobles, and others who can afford it are a minority, but generate enough demand to have it available. If you don't want to just say that anything is obtainable, roll up about 20-30 items off the tables and provide them as a 'menu' and say custom orders are available in double the standard crafting time and at 10% extra cost.
tarkin 10-18-04, 02:33 PM	I didn't say that everything is commonly available, I said that anything should be gettable in the time it takes to make it, and the majority of common items (+1-+5, with your choice of at least one other enchantment for weapons) should be available instantly. As for the notion that such a "common" approach would drive down the price - don't be a fool. Magic items are already relatively cheap. It costs 1/2 the gold plus xp to make them and only a fool underprices his personal XP. The system describe (without the taxes etc) is for the average game. A game where you have taxes, etc. is for a "low magic game". A high magic game would have everything available instant, no waiting. Another major thing that "magic items should be rare" people forget is transportation spells. Unless your Magic Item manufacturers are total morons, they all have a list of the high end items available in other cities and will be willing to teleport in, purchase it, and teleport out, for a nominal fee, say an extra 5,000 gp (including the cost of teleport). So yes, the Capital of Cramthack may not have a +5 flaming Spiked Chain, but they know where one is and for a mere extra 5,000 gp, they will sell it to you.
meabolex 10-18-04, 02:40 PM	It's easy to have a campaign without any magic item shops. You simply must find a buyer or seller and figure out a reasonable price. However, as with any business system, finding the buyer and the seller is the hard part. But D&D has an excellent mechanic for finding things: Gather Information. The following rule is what I use in my campaigns: Magic Item Availability: Finding the proper seller and proper item will require a Gather Information check equal to 0/23/27 for each minor/medium/major item in a metropolis. Failures by 5 or more can cause unpredictable results. A local group of thugs could try to mug you if you let the wrong person know that you're looking for expensive merchandise. Trying to find an item when you're hunted by the law, racially prejudiced, unfavorably viewed, etc, is extremely dangerous. Every town size category smaller than metropolis imposes a -2 modifier on the Gather Information check. Occasionally, you must also provide the means to identify and verify items (usually through a third party). All checks made this way that are above DC 27 are impossible. Also, the rules for GP limits and wealth in communities also hold (page 137 in the DMG) . For example, finding a cure light wounds potion in a country thorp would be impossible (over the 40 gp limit). Finding a cure light wounds potion in a hamlet would require a DC 12 gather information check. Finding gloves of ogre strength in a hamlet is virtually impossible, but finding them in a large town is fairly easy (DC 6 gather information check). Finding extremely rare items (medium items) is impossible in anything below a city. Major items are exclusively available only in a metropolis, as they are guarded by considerable resources. Even then, finding a seller for such a rare item is dangerous for both parties -- hence the high gather information checks. Specific organizations and NPCs can grant circumstance bonuses to your gather information checks.
Melor 10-18-04, 02:51 PM	Is the post above about the +1 flaming longsword correct on the price? I though u just add 1,000 gp for each enchantment you put on it plus the weapon price. This is pretty much what it says in the 3.0 PHB i dont see anywhere in there about squaring anything and timesing it by 2000
DragonsArt 10-18-04, 03:55 PM	Are you able to buy magic weps with other bonuses on it such as keen,flaming,frost,defending etc. Or is this all just DM choice about who sells what? I am currently in a dwarven city and most of those things require wizards if im correct so would they not be selling wares such as these? Keep in mind im only lvl 3 close to 4, however i have saved all my gold and im not in a bigger town looking to spend hehe. Any answers on the matter would be appreciated. There is a forge in Races of Stone that allows a smith to create items as if he had the Craft Arms and Armor feat and met all prerequisites. In addition, druids and clerics can create magical weapons... not just wizards. Plus, even if there aren't many dwarven wizards... there's nothing to say a gnome isn't working with the smiths...
OrbitalB 10-18-04, 04:06 PM	Yes that price is correct. A +1 Flaming Longsword would be 8,315 gp. DMG Pg 222, note 2 under table 7-9: Weapons gives a nice simple example of why a +3 dagger of speed is treated as a +7 dagger for pricing purposes. Exact same example as given in the 3.0 DMG, except that it`s page 184, note **, and table 8-10: Weapons. The specific rule itself is the third paragraph under Weapons on pg 221 (pg183 DMG3.0).
primemover003 10-18-04, 04:09 PM	Is the post above about the +1 flaming longsword correct on the price? I though u just add 1,000 gp for each enchantment you put on it plus the weapon price. This is pretty much what it says in the 3.0 PHB i dont see anywhere in there about squaring anything and timesing it by 2000 Yes that price is correct. There is a baseline formula for pricing weapons: Total pluses squared2,000gp. Armor & shields have a similar formula: Total pluses squared1,000gp. Look at your DMG again and re-do your math... it's the same in 3.0/3.5
Melor 10-18-04, 04:36 PM	Thank you I was looking at the chart for armor and was thinking it was same prices for armor hehe Thanks for pointing out the page numbers all makes sense again =P
Melor 10-18-04, 04:40 PM	Thanks for all the info on the magic items i was curious also about buying some of the special items (ex. Monks belt, Quiver Elhonna, Various Tomes of + attributes). I saw in some post people just buy these as soon as they can afford them because the make such a difference. Should DM's make quest centered around this or do some use the "Magic Walmart theory" as stated before?
CruelDM 10-18-04, 04:40 PM	Magic is out of the reach of 95% of the population, and in a fantasy setting that's about right. I will totally agree with this, however, it appears the reasons that we come to the same conclusions are different. You propose that the reason the farmer doesnt have magical means to ease his everyday struggles is that he cant afford it. I propose that its because its not commonly available. In all truth it would probably be a mix of both. Finding items of low magical value should not be hard for the PCs, potions and scrolls of 3rd level or lower should be readily available. Its not to hard to find and solicit the sale of a +1 shield or a ring of featherfalling from a retired adventurer, or to talk to the local Mages Guild and offer gold or services for a +2 amulet of natural armor. It becomes a much greater challenge to find and solicit a +2 keen energy longsword of speed. And if such an item can be found, would the seller only be interested in gold, or might he want something of great value attainable only through even greater peril that even he dare not attempt? Even if his sole interest was mere gold, wouldnt he be more inclined to sell it to the highest bidder? Are the PCs the only interested party? Having Magic-Marts isnt unheard of, Ive known many DMs that fall into this belief, I am not one of them. I find that making them earn the items that interest them is far more rewarding to the fun and excitement of the campaign than making them simply just walk to the corner store. My style isnt for everyone, I admit, but neither are everyone elses for me.
primemover003 10-18-04, 04:46 PM	As Meabolex and Tarkin have pointed out, the core rules assume magic items are available in larger settlements. There are however no magic walmarts... Just because an item is available doesn't mean it's gonna be easy to find it, secure it, and leave town with them! I like M's use of Gather Info. Very simple. Talk with your DM to find out how the issue is handled in your campaign world. Ask if you'll be able to purchase items from Temples, Guilds, wizards colleges, etc. If not be sure your Cleric and Wizard are willing to take some item creation feats... they're invaluable!
Stuntman 10-20-04, 02:44 PM	I do have magic shops in my campaign. However, each magic shop has a specific list of magical items that the PC's can buy. They cannot just walk in and ask for a +1 flaming longsword and assume one will be available. I either choose or randomly roll for the items that a particular magic shop has. I do this for magic scrolls as well, so sometimes my wizards cannot find the exact spell they want just because the shop just happens to not have it. I like to do this because I do not want to make it easy for PC's to get the exact items that they are looking for. Also, the value of item creation feats mean more because that is the only reliable way of acquiring the exact items that you want. Lastly, I like players to actually use the magical treasure that they find instead of treating it like a pile of gold pieces.
wonlee76 10-20-04, 03:42 PM	In my current campaign, there are wizard's guilds in the major cities. The wizard's guilds often sells potions and scrolls of "common" types. It is rare to be able to order or buy other types of magical items. I figure there are only a handful of classes that can make magical items. Then you got a handful of classes that could make magical items but don't take an item creation feat (with the exception of Scribe Scroll which is free for Wizards). In order to create them, they need to use up xp to make them. I can see them in a pinch making some minor magical items when they need to cash such as scrolls and potions. As such, relatively easy to find and buy +1 weapons, armors and wondrous items since its an relatively inexpensive way for a wizard to make a quick buck for a nominal xp cost. Other things like wands, rods, weapons with the speed, holy, keen, etc. properties will be nearly impossible to simply buy out of a store since the creator of such an item had a specific reason for doing so. I figure most wizards/clerics/druids who do make powerful magical items will make it for themselves or for the church in the case of divine spellcasters. Of course this allows good RPing for finding "better" magical items. Trading with other NPC adventurers for a magical item they found/stole on their adventures in exchange for a magical item you found in your adventures. More often then not, they rarely take gold for a magical item they found but would rather exchange the item for a more useful magical item. Lots of bartering going on in more "high powered" magical items in the mercenaries guild hall or adventurer's guild. So the items are out there, its a matter of finding or trading for the item. I dislike the idea of there being a magic item supermarket somewhere in a large city since I believe a majority of magical items in the world will be those weaker +1 or +2 type of magical items. The items are there but its all about like kind exchange and knowing the motivations of the NPC.