Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Seraph of Babel 10-05-05, 06:25 AM	I'm thinking of detailing out all the available items for sale within a settlement. For example, when the party enters a particular metropolis and decides to shop for magic weapons, I want to be able to give them a randomly-generated list of weapons currently available for sale. (The list is re-generated every month.) Basically, I want to move away from the "you can buy almost anything you want" approach. The problem is although DMG gives gp limit of settlements, it never tells how many of magic items there are for sale. So I came up with a system which I'd like to have some review on. According to DMG, the metropolis demographic of artificers (as wizards in DMG table) is... four 14th-level, eight 7th-level, sixteen 3rd-level, and thirty-two 1st-level. (The levels are average figure.) Unique NPC (e.g. Elminster) are not included, and usually are not merchants/crafters anyway. The highest-level ones are assumed to hold some social/political positions which puts them out of commercial services. Some/most of the rest can be commercial crafters/merchants. So the magic item output of even a metropolis is not very high. The amount of magic items is increased somewhat by adventurers returning from dungeons, wilderness, etc. with their loot. The table below indicates the amount of magic items of each category (weapons, wondrous items, etc.) available for sale. (Specifics are then randomly determined.) The numbers for rods, staves, and rings are halved since the resident artificers are unable to craft them. Small Town: 1d4 minor Large Town: 1d6 minor Small City: 2d4 minor, 1d4-2 medium Large City: 2d6 minor, 1d4 medium Metropolis: 2d8 minor, 2d4 medium, 1d4-2 major Note that the numbers are for each item category, so a large town has 1d6 minor weapons, 1d6 minor armors, 1d6 wondrous items, etc. So are the numbers of items okay or too little? If too little, what do you suggest?
Rhomphaia 10-05-05, 07:35 AM	Those numbers seem rather high when you make it for each category other than potions and scrolls, for which they seem somewhat low. What I would do is increase the die type by one (d4 changes to a d6) and make that the total number of items available from all categories, except potions and scrolls. If your random generation comes up with a rod, staff or wand, simply have it count as two items from the pool. For potions and scrolls, I would simply have double the numbers you listed for, since every spellcaster and their grandmother makes them or finds and sells ones they can't or won't use. To clear up what I mean, this is how your example would look if you did this. Small Town: 2d4 minor potions/scrolls, 1d6 other minor Large Town: 2d6 minor potions/scrolls, 1d8 other minor Small City: 4d4 minor potions/scrolls, 2d6 other minor, 2d4-2 medium potions/scrolls, 1d6-2 other medium Large City: 4d6 minor potions/scrolls, 2d8 other minor, 2d4 medium potions/scrolls, 1d6 other medium Metropolis: 4d8 minor potions/scrolls, 2d10 other minor, 4d4 medium potions/scrolls, 2d6 other medium, 2d4-2 major potions/scrolls, 1d6-2 other major
CzarGarrett 10-05-05, 09:26 AM	Low level scrolls, potions, and consumable items are usually available without hassle in most mid-sized and larger cities. Some smaller places might have a bit, but thats more likely a personal stash of someone's. The more elaborate items, multi-use, expensive, etc- are by request only. If you want a Ring of Protection, you're going to have to track down a caster powerful enough, pay him alot, and possibly do a few small errands for him before he'll make it for you.