Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Zan 01-09-04, 03:13 AM	I'd like to have a list of different options of having ways of getting magic items in a city without it involving magic shops. It would help me setting hooks and background into the only activity I'm positively sure my players will get into, often. # concept (possible side quests or problems): #1 Stolen item in thieves hands. (original owner, illegality of buying stolen goods) #2 Collection in wealthy noble's mansion (easy to explain defenses, noble accepts only magic items as paying) #3 Mirror can open a portal to a djinn who sells some items (djinn requires breaking the mirror once done but has no way of enforcing it) #4 City guard has jailed some adventurers and their items are in the guard house (auction, pay adventurers freedom fee in exchange for some of their items) #5 Undertaker sells people's magic goods before burying them. (public murder with some excuse to aquire the item without looting corpse) #6 Temple accepts items as offerings and then sell them to use wealth for the order. (severe alignment restriction, justifying the use that will be done, items enchanted with alignment restrictions, items enchanted with a tiny curse that helps the evil order) #7 Some intelligent creature that lives in the sewers sells rings and other items that are lost there. (people who lost the item may recognize it) #8 City pays yearly a ransom to a powerful being. Players can ask for a magic item in the paying in exchange for equally valuable goods (powerful being does not accept money, powerful being gets to know of the trade and decides the items are his by right) Could you help me with similar ideas?
CaoSlayer 01-09-04, 06:18 AM	ummm, this can be simple: make an organization of mages control the city and forbiding all the use or comerce of magic unless if you have a special permition from the guild. This way, pj can try to get the permition (quest or insane amount of money) or going into the black market and the thieve´s guilds.
Lankin the Mad Mage 01-09-04, 06:24 AM	What about this: Any community has some spellcasters (as the make-a-city-tables in the DMG specify). Not all of them die adventuring. Some of them settle down after a while, living peaceful lives, or take long breaks in their careers. While not actively adventuring, what can they do to earn a living? Cast spells for fees. Be a magical troubleshooter for the community. AND: Those who can make magic items are probably willing to craft and sell items on request, or might have some left over from previous adventures. So you end up with, basically, asking the "Magic-smith" for items, and if you're lucky, he might be able and willing to make it....for a handsome fee that is. Otherwise, pester retired adventurers with requests for buing their magic items not that they don't need them anymore.
Dryder 01-09-04, 06:50 AM	I had the same problem and solved it this way! There is an "underground" scene, which makes, from time to time, auctions, where only invited guests can be part of! This scene is led by two people, who travel the whole country to make these auctions in secret. Normally, they cooperate with local thieve guilds, because the have the propper locations! My PCs get to know them, because they once rescued the daughter of one of those leaders, who invited them to attend one such auction, and gave them a special pass to attend other's in other citys. Of course, the PCs have to find out when such auctions are made, and where the place is... The leaders charge 2/10 of every sold item, and a fee of 50gp to put the item into the auction, wether it will be sold or not! The leaders have a strong company of bodyguards, and everybody thinks they are rich merchants. The fun thing with this is, during auctions, there can happen a lot of things... I use it normally to bring new NPCs into play! The auctions are considered NEUTRAL ground, so there might be a lot of DIFFERENT creatures in peace together, where normally they wuld fight each other on the spot! This system is working really well in my campaign!!! Not only because the PCs have a place where to sell such items!
Zan 01-09-04, 06:56 AM	Originally posted by CaoSlayer make an organization of mages control the city and forbiding all the use or comerce of magic unless if you have a special permition from the guild. Humm, I'll use this. Actually I'm thinking of a region that asks everyone who enter it to sign a magical document that includes: "I will not buy or sell any kind of magic item." ...among other conditions. MWAhahaha!... ha... ... If I may add.
Zan 01-09-04, 07:02 AM	Originally posted by Dryder There is an "underground" scene, which makes, from time to time, auctions, where only invited guests can be part of! Of course, the PCs have to find out when such auctions are made, and where the place is... The leaders charge 2/10 of every sold item, and a fee of 50gp to put the item into the auction, wether it will be sold or not! The fun thing with this is, during auctions, there can happen a lot of things... I use it normally to bring new NPCs into play! The auctions are considered NEUTRAL ground, so there might be a lot of DIFFERENT creatures in peace together, where normally they wuld fight each other on the spot! Wombat Good!! Actually I had something similar in my campaign to play right tomorrow, your idea just made it much better. :D (I won't say in what way because my players read this sometimes ):smirk:
Dryder 01-09-04, 07:06 AM	Glad I could help you! :) Let me know how it worked out for you... :D
deadDMwalking 01-09-04, 08:13 AM	In one town that my players spend a lot of time in, their is an agent, who can get them what they need. He doesn't have a shop with goods in it, but he lives in town and tries to know who has what in the way of magical items. Then if someone is looking for something specific, he can try to convince them to sell. Or, more likely, someone who needs a little extra cash will discretely inquire whether he has a buyer for a magical item. After some negotiation a price will be set. He will serve as the go-between so the rich seller isn't constantly seen cavorting with disreputable adventurers. I think that works pretty well. If the merchant is well connected, he might even watch an area much larger than a single city. Or much smaller if the city is large, and he is not so well connected.