Supplement : The Magic Shoppe

[mTeasdale]

I've been working on this for around 2 weeks, and I like how it is going so far. So mainly, its a supplement for valuing magic items, with some ideas taken from a recent GD thread. I know the tables aren't finished, some numbers are of course going to change, but I want your opinion on the way of how pricing of magic items is handled.

So, I want your comments/critics/congratulations( ), that will help me a lot.

Showcase link : http://www.basicfantasy.org/showcase.cgi?sid=84

[Mint]

Could you put up a pdf version so I can read it? I luv magic shops!

[black1blade]

Yeah same- "urg want me need PDF"

[mTeasdale]

PDF added.

[Mint]

Looks fun so far.

Could you maybe add a section on how a Magic Shop could be run?

Maybe the shop would be hard to find or can be found only by users of magic.

Maybe the shop only has a few items of low level for sale - especially only if they serve a very mundane purpose.

Maybe the shop serves as a broker for items of a bit more power.

Perhaps a magic shop would have items for sale that are trivial or for entertainment that make up the bulk of it's wares and only in a back room are magic items of more use sold...to select clientele.

[mTeasdale]

Looks fun so far.

Could you maybe add a section on how a Magic Shop could be run?

Maybe the shop would be hard to find or can be found only by users of magic.

Maybe the shop only has a few items of low level for sale - especially only if they serve a very mundane purpose.

Maybe the shop serves as a broker for items of a bit more power.

Perhaps a magic shop would have items for sale that are trivial or for entertainment that make up the bulk of it's wares and only in a back room are magic items of more use sold...to select clientele.

To be honest, I wanted something in the line of what Solo wanted for this game. I'm also the type to run low treasure/low magic games, so I would probably not the best to write such sort of stuff.

[Dimirag]

There are too many options as to how a magic shop would be run by its owner that making it part of a supplement could be a never ending task. It would be like putting how a blacksmith's workshop works on the equipment emporium supplement. That is better leaved at a GM's mind.

The shop's location, its contents and effects on the town/kingdom/society are extremely setting specific.

And that's my only quibble with the supplement, no matter what kind of setting one plays the costs will remain the same...

[Mint]

Well to be honest it's something I've wrestled with myself in the past and I gave up on it because I don't have enough math skills (yet) to do a proper analysis on comparative worth vs. value vs. rarity vs. ... the list goes on.

I would almost have to say that if you're insisting on a low magic low treasure world / campaign you're looking at a nearly impossible task trying to impose some sort of value on magical items because, inherently, in that sort of setting the items would be too rare to not be "priceless". Priceless in the sense that they would have too much cultural value to even begin to have a price.

Sort of like trying to put a price on a master made seven torso katana from the 1600's. On the modern battlefield it has limited value but it's value to the world as a cultural artifact is inestimable. At best you could do the equivalent of a Christie's auction and gather the richest private bidders you could find.

The higher the magic plateau of your world the better chance you'd have of being able to guestimate the value of a magic item.

That's my two farthings worth at any rate.

[Koren_nRhys]

I like what you're doing here. There is certainly plenty of guidelines in older systems (1e DMG primarily) to set the "baseline" values of things and give guidance on setting prices for newly imagined items, or things pulled from converted adventures, etc.

To Dimirag's points, sure it's up to the DM how rare and expensive magic will be in his campaign, but I think many people will just run with the book value of things for simplicity's sake.

You could looks at ACKS for inspiration. It has system where costs and available amounts of even standard gear are variable based on the size and economic base of the town/village/city. Uses a system of multipliers, I seem to recall. Might be something to consider adding in once you've finished up your tables.

[dymondy2k]

I love this supplement! I wouldn't sweat the whole 'how would this fit into my campaign' stuff too much.. Just give these guys a multiplier for a low to high fantasy campaign...