Post/Author/DateTime	Post
jaspercrey 06-05-07, 08:21 PM	I'm looking for some advice . . . I am in a rotating-DM, generic "home-brew" D&D campiagn setting . . . We use mostly core-rules with the Magic Item Compendium (sans the Ebberron stuff). We have very limited time for sessions and none of us like to bog down game time with shopping and re-equiping ourselves . . . That being said, I kinda loathe the idea of just opening up the DMs Guide and the Magic Item Compendium and picking out whatever I want. First of all, I dig the mystique of not knowing everything that's out there. And second, I find in some cases it is kinda "meta-gamey" knowing that I need to save up X amount of gold to buy X item 7 levels from now - especially if it's not one of the more common magic items in the game. Third, I have always maintained that players should not be privy to all the treasures in the DMG (yet in our case, that is exactly what will happen). So here's my question: How does my group encourage players to shop between games (to avoid wasting precious game time) while avoiding the meta-game pitfalls that come when a player has a sourcebook in his/her possession?
Gemmalah 06-05-07, 10:58 PM	I generally say that they may buy most items in the players handbook as common items available in all towns of reasonable size. Then other rarer items will have to be asked for in large towns. This means that a bulk of ordinary shopping is done by players but the DM still gets charge of what magical items are around. If only the largest towns have these items the DM knows when the players are likely to get there, have an indiction of what the players want to buy and will be able to prepare for the shopping trip. hope this helps i know it doesn't take away your entire problem but it means the players don't get the DMs guide as a shopping catalogue.
Brian_Link 06-05-07, 11:00 PM	Well certain magical items are a rarity. Only the very best of all the multiverse has a complete stock of all the various weapons listed. There are probably many different material planes without a complete set of magical items. As such, say to your players that at this town only these few magical items are available. Of course there are exceptions. Almost every decent sized town is going to sell Wands of Cure Light Wounds, but that's becuase they're common adventurer equipment. Most other items aren't likely be available everywhere, if at all.
Zaver 06-05-07, 11:06 PM	I'd just print out a list of what the store has to sell and for some items, the price. Then you give copies to the players and they can know that Hendrick has +2 gloves of dex but no +4 belts of giant strength.
Kouk 06-06-07, 12:34 AM	If you can't rationalize away that you have knowledge of all items in existence (like, while you are in town, your character spends several days asking around at all the major item shops and compiling a list for future reference) the best way would probably be to do it over email or the phone with whoever is your current DM.
Kaldric 06-06-07, 01:01 AM	You could just say that they can buy 1st and 2nd level wands and potions and scrolls. I don't let players shop for other magical items, I think that the game isn't balanced for it, and I think it also destroys any enjoyment they get out of receiving them as treasure. If they want specific, custom magic items, they need to persuade their party members to take the feats. For practical reasons, it is useful for players to be able to purchase low-level potions and scrolls and maybe wands. Otherwise, I think they should keep their noses out of the DMG.
jaspercrey 06-06-07, 08:24 AM	Thanks for the replys so far.
northern_bear 06-06-07, 08:48 AM	Make a list of stuff that every person knows you can buy. Then make a list of stuff that is unusual. The stuff that everybody knows about, the characters can buy between games. No limits, no questions asked. You can walk into any city and buy a +1 sword. A +5 sword is harder to find, but everybody knows what that is. It's like a +1 sword, only better. Not too complicated. If you can't find it, you can at least commission one. The same goes for upgrades. "See my shield? It's magic. Can you make it better for me?" (upgrade it from +2 to +3). The unusual stuff is harder to find. Characters may not know that such a thing exists. And even if they do, the guy at the local magic shop may never have heard of such a thing. Players need to spend their downtime researching what sort of magic items exist, then tracking down the rare individuals who might have one to sell, or know how to make it. This out of game treasure searching can be represented by putting limits on the number of such items the character can have. For example, you can only buy one unusual magic item per level. Or, each level, you can only buy your level x 200 gp worth of magic items. Or, you are limited to having only one quarter of your total wealth tied up in unusual magic items. Restricting the number of such items a character has preserves the flavour of characters really having to research them, and spend a lot of time tracking them down.
Ldyparadox99 06-06-07, 10:06 AM	When the players reach someplace where they can shop, I ask them to email me a "wish-list." For simple restocking I usually give them a price in gold and they can get all the "common" things they've used up (food rations, extra water skins, ect). Once I get their list, I formulate a list of my own with a handful of armor, weapons, and magical items that might interest them. I rarely give them exactly what they asked for (otherwise the rogue would be running around with a ballista or a Boba Fetta helmet. /sigh), but their wish lists also gives me ideas for treasure down the road. Once I release the list, I can expect an in-box full of role-playing the shopping or some story about how they went about buying the item up until the next session is played. Sometimes I also turn the shopping/restocking task into an encounter which is fun at times. g'luck with this dire task. :D
mcnoo 06-06-07, 12:37 PM	It depends how they say they're going shopping. Sure, you can always find somewhere selling a load of +1 weapons and all the usual potions and gear. If they're going to browse the marketplaces looking for trinkets and hidden bargains, then maybe an appraise check to find some true beauties for sale at a good price. If your rogue is looking to pick up a hat of disguise, a load of poisons and a set of particularly evil daggers, then maybe he's going to have to hit the black market to find everything he wants, requiring gather information or diplomacy checks. Maybe the town has a spcialist "adventurer's mart" which is forever stocked with 10 rolls on the random magic item tables, or maybe it has a 30% chance of having any item the players look for if you're feeling generous. It all depends on how in depth you want the shopping to be. If you do it all via e mail between games, you can make the system as complicated as you like.
kyeudo 06-06-07, 01:02 PM	If you are playing in Eberron, there's no need to worry. The saying is "If its sold anywhere, its sold in Sharn." Otherwise, suck up the metagaming and just let the PCs shop for what they want, unless they are in too small of a town to find an item of that price.
skywyze 06-06-07, 01:30 PM	Make a habit of letting the players roll an appraise or gather information check every time they enter a town and then give them a list of the magical items for sale there if they pass the check?
Krusk 06-06-07, 01:46 PM	When I dm anything under 100gp can be assumed to be bought. You don't even need to tell me, just take the gold off when your in town and add in the item. Anything above that price but nonmagical there is a good chance depending on the region. Dwarves in my game favor hammers, so the smiths in dwarven lands generally only have masterwork hammers on hand and no masterwork swords. Anything magical can simply be requested. "hey, do you have a flaming sword of some sort? we are gonna fight some trolls soon." "ah, no not on hand, i can make you one that will be read in 1d8 days though. Pay half now and then bring this slip back and ill give it to you, pay half then." All shops generally have one or two magical items around, but never anything aside from +X weapons, armor, or stat boosting items. And at most 2.
Gyrofthewastes 06-06-07, 05:25 PM	How does my group encourage players to shop between games (to avoid wasting precious game time) while avoiding the meta-game pitfalls that come when a player has a sourcebook in his/her possession? So: You don't want the players to be looking at sourceboook item lists, but you STILL want them to be able to handle shopping between games? It follows then that you're going to have to come up with some sort of stock list, or a catalog of possible commissions for them to peruse between games. If you don't want said list to be numerical, simply use qualitative descriptions. +1 sword might become "faintly glowing", or "inscribed with a few runes", the shopkeeper/enchanter might describe it as imbued with minor magics, the PCs might discover upon hefting it that it swings slightly easier than such swords normally should. Of course, the more qualitative you wish to be, the more work you're going to have to put in. And very likely the more (game) time the players are going to take up trying to figure out what the descriptions really mean.
jaspercrey 06-06-07, 07:21 PM	Actually the Magic Item Compendium has solved my problem . . . It lists items by level. So . . . since we all all about 4rth level, we can look at and buy anything on the 4rth level list and below. All we need to do is print out those lists . . . and all the work is done for us. Thanks for all the replies.