2 questions [Archive] - Wizards Community

2 questions [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Balafre
10-03-07, 12:47 PM 1) i'm looking for maps of the Aglarondan cities, in the book Unnaprochable East there is nothing except Rekhal's Foot and I'm looking for map of Velprintalar and Glarondar

2)I have a problem with my group, it's all about getting magic items

should I suppose that there is a mage fair at each metropolis/city/town/village they go???

or else I should only give them magic items by encounters..but it stinks to do it this way

Thanks in advance
Old Sage
10-03-07, 09:23 PM 1) There's a map for Velprintalar in 2e's Spellbound. I don't immediately recall a published map for Glarondar. Have you tried the FR Interactive Atlas?

2) Perhaps you should consider having your characters interact with any of the local Thayvian trading enclaves established in particular cities across the Realms.

Re: Mage Fairs - Ed tells me that the locations of Mage Fairs are usually left to the DM, deliberately. Kept secret until VERY shortly before the event, and not talked about, afterwards. Always a wilderland setting, usually (but not always) far from both trade routes and large settlements. Ed kept the locales mysterious from those players in his home campaign, even when one or more of them got "smuggled into" a Mage Fair.
Calmar
10-04-07, 07:13 AM Re: Mage Fairs - Ed tells me that the locations of Mage Fairs are usually left to the DM, deliberately. Kept secret until VERY shortly before the event, and not talked about, afterwards. Always a wilderland setting, usually (but not always) far from both trade routes and large settlements. Ed kept the locales mysterious from those players in his home campaign, even when one or more of them got "smuggled into" a Mage Fair.
That sounds cool. :)
The Simbul
10-06-07, 01:12 PM 1) i'm looking for maps of the Aglarondan cities, in the book Unnaprochable East there is nothing except Rekhal's Foot and I'm looking for map of Velprintalar and GlarondarAs noted, the only official published map of Velprintalar is in Spellbound. One can occasionally find maps created by fans or gaming groups elsewhere on the web, and creating your own maps is a fairly viable alternative.

Unless a DM plans on running urban encounters in the city, having some battle take place within it, or otherwise using the city for something other than adventuring downtime, then you can usually get away without having a precise keyed map of it. Since we have a general visual description of the city (enhanced by novel passages in Farthest Reach and The Simbul's Gift), and since we know what the most important buildings are, you can generally just either make your own ad-hoc map of the city, or just assume the players find what they are looking for after a few Gather Information checks or hiring a guide.2)I have a problem with my group, it's all about getting magic items

should I suppose that there is a mage fair at each metropolis/city/town/village they go???

or else I should only give them magic items by encounters..but it stinks to do it this way

Thanks in advanceNo you should not require players to rely entirely on random treasure encounters to equip their characters. Likewise, you do not need to utilize a Mage Fair, Red Wizard Enclave, or other unique aspects of magic item trade in the realms in order to buy/sell magic items. The rules assume and imply that ANY item (including a magic item) is potentially available for purchase in a given city if it has a market price less than or equal to the gp spending limit of that city.

This does not necessarily mean that there is some single central magic item shop where everything is sold and in unlimited quantity. What is means is that because magic is a key element of any D&D world, and because they are an essential component for every PC adventurers, a PC should be able to find and purchase a desired magic item with little difficulty. With a little searching (usually through Gather Information) the PC can manage to find:

-a merchant who happens to have the item among their wares.
-a merchant who can import it, craft it, or commission it.
-someone who owns the item and no longer has use of it (retired adventurers, noble or wealthy collectors in sudden need of gold, etc).

In the case of a city like Velprintalar (a metropolis), your players should be able to find and purchase any magic item whose market price is less than 100,000gp. The city is the principle center for trade between Aglarond and the rest of the lands that surround the Sea of Fallen Stars, and it is home to a great number of NPC adventurers, merchants, and spellcasters--both infamous and obscure. Therefore, it has the justification in the rules and the lore for characters to find roughly whatever magic item they are searching for.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Balafre 10-03-07, 12:47 PM	1) i'm looking for maps of the Aglarondan cities, in the book Unnaprochable East there is nothing except Rekhal's Foot and I'm looking for map of Velprintalar and Glarondar 2)I have a problem with my group, it's all about getting magic items should I suppose that there is a mage fair at each metropolis/city/town/village they go??? or else I should only give them magic items by encounters..but it stinks to do it this way Thanks in advance
Old Sage 10-03-07, 09:23 PM	1) There's a map for Velprintalar in 2e's Spellbound. I don't immediately recall a published map for Glarondar. Have you tried the FR Interactive Atlas? 2) Perhaps you should consider having your characters interact with any of the local Thayvian trading enclaves established in particular cities across the Realms. Re: Mage Fairs - Ed tells me that the locations of Mage Fairs are usually left to the DM, deliberately. Kept secret until VERY shortly before the event, and not talked about, afterwards. Always a wilderland setting, usually (but not always) far from both trade routes and large settlements. Ed kept the locales mysterious from those players in his home campaign, even when one or more of them got "smuggled into" a Mage Fair.
Calmar 10-04-07, 07:13 AM	Re: Mage Fairs - Ed tells me that the locations of Mage Fairs are usually left to the DM, deliberately. Kept secret until VERY shortly before the event, and not talked about, afterwards. Always a wilderland setting, usually (but not always) far from both trade routes and large settlements. Ed kept the locales mysterious from those players in his home campaign, even when one or more of them got "smuggled into" a Mage Fair. That sounds cool. :)
The Simbul 10-06-07, 01:12 PM	1) i'm looking for maps of the Aglarondan cities, in the book Unnaprochable East there is nothing except Rekhal's Foot and I'm looking for map of Velprintalar and GlarondarAs noted, the only official published map of Velprintalar is in Spellbound. One can occasionally find maps created by fans or gaming groups elsewhere on the web, and creating your own maps is a fairly viable alternative. Unless a DM plans on running urban encounters in the city, having some battle take place within it, or otherwise using the city for something other than adventuring downtime, then you can usually get away without having a precise keyed map of it. Since we have a general visual description of the city (enhanced by novel passages in Farthest Reach and The Simbul's Gift), and since we know what the most important buildings are, you can generally just either make your own ad-hoc map of the city, or just assume the players find what they are looking for after a few Gather Information checks or hiring a guide.2)I have a problem with my group, it's all about getting magic items should I suppose that there is a mage fair at each metropolis/city/town/village they go??? or else I should only give them magic items by encounters..but it stinks to do it this way Thanks in advanceNo you should not require players to rely entirely on random treasure encounters to equip their characters. Likewise, you do not need to utilize a Mage Fair, Red Wizard Enclave, or other unique aspects of magic item trade in the realms in order to buy/sell magic items. The rules assume and imply that ANY item (including a magic item) is potentially available for purchase in a given city if it has a market price less than or equal to the gp spending limit of that city. This does not necessarily mean that there is some single central magic item shop where everything is sold and in unlimited quantity. What is means is that because magic is a key element of any D&D world, and because they are an essential component for every PC adventurers, a PC should be able to find and purchase a desired magic item with little difficulty. With a little searching (usually through Gather Information) the PC can manage to find: -a merchant who happens to have the item among their wares. -a merchant who can import it, craft it, or commission it. -someone who owns the item and no longer has use of it (retired adventurers, noble or wealthy collectors in sudden need of gold, etc). In the case of a city like Velprintalar (a metropolis), your players should be able to find and purchase any magic item whose market price is less than 100,000gp. The city is the principle center for trade between Aglarond and the rest of the lands that surround the Sea of Fallen Stars, and it is home to a great number of NPC adventurers, merchants, and spellcasters--both infamous and obscure. Therefore, it has the justification in the rules and the lore for characters to find roughly whatever magic item they are searching for.