Buying / Selling magic items in a campaign [Archive] - Wizards Community

Buying / Selling magic items in a campaign [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
bmagleby
11-22-05, 06:25 PM I got a few good ideas from the thread "Players reselling items" I was just looking for a bit more perhaps.

Does anyone have rules or ideas for buying and selling magic items in a campaign. for example what kind of items you can buy in a magic shop or how often things are avail.. etc...

any help or ideas would be appreciated
Marius_Khushrenada
11-22-05, 06:41 PM The best way is to establish friendly ties to a magic oriented organization. (Such as the Red Wizards) Sure any given store might not have the specific thing your looking for, or may not have enough cash on hand to buy all your excess, but you will eventually be able to buy or sell pretty well anything. Plus, it gives you the ability to use plot hooks, such as, get as this artifact, We'll give you a permanent 1% discount/1%markup. That does'nt seem sizable, but added up over a campaign...
Surgo
11-22-05, 06:53 PM There usually isn't a "magic shop", but rather an abstraction over an otherwise boring and repetitive part of the game. Think of it as buying a tank or an airplane. Most people can't do so, but there are many suppliers and retailers and it's fairly easy to get one if you have the money for it.
Edymnion
11-22-05, 07:01 PM Yes, buying and selling magic items does not mean there has to be a Magics 'R Us in the setting. In a big city, somebody is going to have magical gear, thats just a given. The local lord may collect armor, some of which is magical. He would pay for magical armor the party finds to add to his collection, or he could be down on his luck and needing to sell off parts of his collection to get debtors off his back.

There's lots of roleplaying that can go into buying/selling magical items, and a magic item shop need never come into the picture.
mvincent
11-22-05, 07:02 PM Does anyone have rules or ideas for buying and selling magic items in a campaign. for example what kind of items you can buy in a magic shop or how often things are avail.. etc...The 'standard' D&D method is assigning each town a maximum item value based on it's population size. Players can then generally freely purchase any magic items that are below this value there.

Example: a medium town might have a 5,000 gp cap, which means PC's would have to go to larger population center (city, capital, etc.) to obtain magic items that were more powerful than that.

Anyone know where there might be a chart for this sort of thing?

It's assumed that they have it in stock or can make it easily. Tradesmen and spellcasters have quite a profit incentive for selling these high ticket items, so they could probably find a way (teleportation, courier, selling it from a local owner with a promise to replace it, etc.)
VirgilCaine
11-22-05, 07:11 PM The 'standard' D&D method is assigning each town a maximum item value based on it's population size. Players can then generally freely purchase any magic items that are below this value there.

Example: a medium town might have a 5,000 gp cap, which means PC's would have to go to larger population center (city, capital, etc.) to obtain magic items that were more powerful than that.

Anyone know where there might be a chart for this sort of thing?

:confused: Why do people not read their DMGs? :weep: :rolleyes:

Check the adventures chapter, IIRC it's in there.
Bloodtide_the_Red
11-22-05, 07:40 PM I do it like this.....

The only stuff that is on the self at magic shops are the overy common items of weak power. Things that do simple, mostly harmless effects of levels 0 to 2nd. So it's easy to find something like a Wand of Message or weapons of +1. After that the chance they have much is slim. The idea is a magic shop has most 'apprentice level' items.

The next slot up is very useful items. Things like protective items and such. A ring of protection is highly gone after, so it woun't be on the shelf. You only chance to get something like that is(asuming one is at hand) 1.Pay through the nose or 2.know someone important.

A slot up from there are combat items. Wands of fireball, and other things that can blow up the city are simply not sold to customers off the shelf. The same way you can't buy C-4 at Wal Mart. You have to know someone to get this stuff and even then you must somehow prove you won't use it against the city(kinda like that paper they make you sign at fireworks stores where you promise not to set them off in the USA).

Naturaly very evil and very good items are not for sale. Same for things like lesser artifacts.

It's possible to get around theas blocks with role playing on the players part, but it woun't be easy. After all the easy way is to simply keep killing things to get what you want. It's not unknown for a shop keep to secertly sell something harmful or damagerous...it happens.

BT
mvincent
11-22-05, 07:42 PM confused: Why do people not read their DMGs? Usually because we only have access to the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/) while at work (and unfortunately the SRD doesn't seem to have this material). I was hoping for a page number to provide to the original poster.
Rauric
11-22-05, 08:34 PM If my players kill a guy or humanoid with a powerfully magic but evil weapon I make it very hard to sell that weapon to many "honest" vendors. Especially if it has an insignia of an evil god or evil fiend.

Very powerful items are found on foes or in tombs and ruins or given to folks as gifts or rewards by powerful people. I usually give them something nice and fitting the player if I can. I do not use random tables. I have given folk an item more powerful than their current level might normally allow. It allows them to "grow" into it an become attached so they just don't ditch it for the next random drop that comes along. Having weapons "level" up is good to alleviate this problem.
simon_tage
11-22-05, 09:12 PM Usually because we only have access to the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/) while at work (and unfortunately the SRD doesn't seem to have this material). I was hoping for a page number to provide to the original poster.

I think what you want is on page 137 of the DMG.
VirgilCaine
11-22-05, 09:24 PM Usually because we only have access to the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/) while at work (and unfortunately the SRD doesn't seem to have this material). I was hoping for a page number to provide to the original poster.

mvincent was questioning whether there was such a chart, not wondering where in the DMG it is.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
bmagleby 11-22-05, 06:25 PM	I got a few good ideas from the thread "Players reselling items" I was just looking for a bit more perhaps. Does anyone have rules or ideas for buying and selling magic items in a campaign. for example what kind of items you can buy in a magic shop or how often things are avail.. etc... any help or ideas would be appreciated
Marius_Khushrenada 11-22-05, 06:41 PM	The best way is to establish friendly ties to a magic oriented organization. (Such as the Red Wizards) Sure any given store might not have the specific thing your looking for, or may not have enough cash on hand to buy all your excess, but you will eventually be able to buy or sell pretty well anything. Plus, it gives you the ability to use plot hooks, such as, get as this artifact, We'll give you a permanent 1% discount/1%markup. That does'nt seem sizable, but added up over a campaign...
Surgo 11-22-05, 06:53 PM	There usually isn't a "magic shop", but rather an abstraction over an otherwise boring and repetitive part of the game. Think of it as buying a tank or an airplane. Most people can't do so, but there are many suppliers and retailers and it's fairly easy to get one if you have the money for it.
Edymnion 11-22-05, 07:01 PM	Yes, buying and selling magic items does not mean there has to be a Magics 'R Us in the setting. In a big city, somebody is going to have magical gear, thats just a given. The local lord may collect armor, some of which is magical. He would pay for magical armor the party finds to add to his collection, or he could be down on his luck and needing to sell off parts of his collection to get debtors off his back. There's lots of roleplaying that can go into buying/selling magical items, and a magic item shop need never come into the picture.
mvincent 11-22-05, 07:02 PM	Does anyone have rules or ideas for buying and selling magic items in a campaign. for example what kind of items you can buy in a magic shop or how often things are avail.. etc...The 'standard' D&D method is assigning each town a maximum item value based on it's population size. Players can then generally freely purchase any magic items that are below this value there. Example: a medium town might have a 5,000 gp cap, which means PC's would have to go to larger population center (city, capital, etc.) to obtain magic items that were more powerful than that. Anyone know where there might be a chart for this sort of thing? It's assumed that they have it in stock or can make it easily. Tradesmen and spellcasters have quite a profit incentive for selling these high ticket items, so they could probably find a way (teleportation, courier, selling it from a local owner with a promise to replace it, etc.)
VirgilCaine 11-22-05, 07:11 PM	The 'standard' D&D method is assigning each town a maximum item value based on it's population size. Players can then generally freely purchase any magic items that are below this value there. Example: a medium town might have a 5,000 gp cap, which means PC's would have to go to larger population center (city, capital, etc.) to obtain magic items that were more powerful than that. Anyone know where there might be a chart for this sort of thing? :confused: Why do people not read their DMGs? :weep: :rolleyes: Check the adventures chapter, IIRC it's in there.
Bloodtide_the_Red 11-22-05, 07:40 PM	I do it like this..... The only stuff that is on the self at magic shops are the overy common items of weak power. Things that do simple, mostly harmless effects of levels 0 to 2nd. So it's easy to find something like a Wand of Message or weapons of +1. After that the chance they have much is slim. The idea is a magic shop has most 'apprentice level' items. The next slot up is very useful items. Things like protective items and such. A ring of protection is highly gone after, so it woun't be on the shelf. You only chance to get something like that is(asuming one is at hand) 1.Pay through the nose or 2.know someone important. A slot up from there are combat items. Wands of fireball, and other things that can blow up the city are simply not sold to customers off the shelf. The same way you can't buy C-4 at Wal Mart. You have to know someone to get this stuff and even then you must somehow prove you won't use it against the city(kinda like that paper they make you sign at fireworks stores where you promise not to set them off in the USA). Naturaly very evil and very good items are not for sale. Same for things like lesser artifacts. It's possible to get around theas blocks with role playing on the players part, but it woun't be easy. After all the easy way is to simply keep killing things to get what you want. It's not unknown for a shop keep to secertly sell something harmful or damagerous...it happens. BT
mvincent 11-22-05, 07:42 PM	confused: Why do people not read their DMGs? Usually because we only have access to the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/) while at work (and unfortunately the SRD doesn't seem to have this material). I was hoping for a page number to provide to the original poster.
Rauric 11-22-05, 08:34 PM	If my players kill a guy or humanoid with a powerfully magic but evil weapon I make it very hard to sell that weapon to many "honest" vendors. Especially if it has an insignia of an evil god or evil fiend. Very powerful items are found on foes or in tombs and ruins or given to folks as gifts or rewards by powerful people. I usually give them something nice and fitting the player if I can. I do not use random tables. I have given folk an item more powerful than their current level might normally allow. It allows them to "grow" into it an become attached so they just don't ditch it for the next random drop that comes along. Having weapons "level" up is good to alleviate this problem.
simon_tage 11-22-05, 09:12 PM	Usually because we only have access to the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/) while at work (and unfortunately the SRD doesn't seem to have this material). I was hoping for a page number to provide to the original poster. I think what you want is on page 137 of the DMG.
VirgilCaine 11-22-05, 09:24 PM	Usually because we only have access to the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/) while at work (and unfortunately the SRD doesn't seem to have this material). I was hoping for a page number to provide to the original poster. mvincent was questioning whether there was such a chart, not wondering where in the DMG it is.