Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Magic Shops - Do You Use Them?
There are times that I think magic shops (and their inclusion or exclusion) are one of the more controversial aspects of a campaign.
If you have one (or more) it makes magic common and no longer as special. If you have none, where do the player's sell off their excess magic (assuming they have any) or spend their gold in bulk?
I have no problem with the apothecary or scrivener adding an occasional permanent magic item to their inventory of wares, but I shudder at the idea of magic shops popping up like used car sales men:
"This here wand of fireballs was just used by the mage Bobulast to clean vermin out of his storage cellars. Hardly been used. Command word? Oh, that's an extra 50 geld."
If I did have a magic shop, I'd want it to be more like an antique shop with perhaps an anti-magic effect over the shop, preventing items from being misused against the proprietor.
"That there is a rare piece. One of a kind even. Look at the patina on that blade, shows it's age and it's heritage it does. You'd want to leave the patina. I wouldn't clean it more than a slight buffing or you'll ruin it's value. Yep, might only be a blade of minor power but it has a history well worth it's weight in gold. Er, careful with that snow globe. Iffin it drops we may find ourselves in the midst of a snow storm, magic protections or not. Remember, you break it, you bought it."
So, do you use magic shops? To what extent?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Tenkar's Tavern is supported by various affiliate programs, including Amazon, RPGNow,
and Humble Bundle as well as Patreon. Your patronage is appreciated and helps keep the
lights on and the taps flowing. Your Humble Bartender, Tenkar
Blogs of Inspiration & Erudition
-
-
Kickstart Your Weekend: Horror and Sci-Fi! - A nice mix today. Let's get to it. *Frightshow Classics* [image: Frightshow Classics] https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/frightshowclassics/frightshow...9 hours ago
-
Friday Fantasy: Asterion - It is difficult to describe what *Asterion* is without being as direct as its author is. So not to beat about the bush, *Asterion* is a sex dungeon. *Ast...9 hours ago
-
Dark Sun Campaign Setting (Expanded and Revised Edition) (1995) - From the back of the box: A decade has passed since the Age of Heroes began. The city of Tyr has broken free of tyranny, though turmoil still holds the w...18 hours ago
-
Deeper & Deeper Into The Station From Hell - The Red Room's Orbital Decay & Night Owl Workshop's Colonial Troopers - Session Report - Tonight's DM Paul's Colonial Troopers/Orbital Decay campaign and tonight's game picks right up where we were in last week's session. Our scientist Pu ar ...1 day ago
-
More thoughts on Only Heroes Get to Resist - I've never implemented this rule, but I keep thinking about running a game that would use it: Only Heroes Get to Resist I have a few more thoughts on it, ...1 day ago
-
QuarHammer - I stumbled, addled, into my local semi-rural game store in search of off-brand Contrast paint to finish up Ionus Cryptborn, and while wandering around, I ...1 day ago
-
More (Mostly Pointless) Messing About - I thought I would try an experiment: I re-scaled one of Bergman's 1:100 Char B-I (bis) models to 1:200 and printed it on my Mars Pro. It's the yellow ...1 day ago
-
-
grodog's Founders & Legends and GaryCon XVI Convention Reports - 14-25 March 2024 - Part 3 - GaryCon XVI – Thank YOUs and SwagContinued from *Part 1 – Arrival through Founders & Legends and Interregnum Tuesday* and from *Part 2 - GaryCon XVI – 20-2...1 day ago
-
Stonehell: Dipping their toes in the sewer - Session 227 was played on 9/24/23 Morgana, Magic User (Rob) Blotto, Goblin Fighter (Lanse) Koltic, Cleric 7 (NPC) Aroon, Fighter 5 (NPC) Jameth, Fighter 5...1 day ago
-
AD&D ability tests, streamlined - As I've mentioned in my Hyperborea review (check it pout!), I really liked how the game tries to streamline AD&D ability checks: This is a simpler versi...1 day ago
-
On preparing adventures for the Ghostbusters RPG - With my mind on a lot of things lately related to West End Games' classic RPG *Ghostbusters*, I was thinking of putting together a blog entry offering so...1 day ago
-
d100 Wasteland Weirdos - Possibly some Charginspire leaked onto our new album. Sampler short https://youtube.com/shorts/Yj7jn40iomM?si=dflfJ10EdYYJqMYr My Gunderholfen solo play...2 days ago
-
Standoff at Sandfell Sea Fort - By MalrexThe Merciless MerchantsOSR/1e/2eLevels 4-7 Eerie lights? Strange noises? Ships are sailing blind into the rough shores of the Bay of Saurvorn. Why...2 days ago
-
A World in a Magazine - Four years ago, I wrote about my history with miniature games and getting back into them during the lockdown. Summer 1995 saw me seduced by the world of ...2 days ago
-
Living Rooms, Beyond the Living Room, and The Open Form Broadside - Living rooms set to liven up your RPG adventures, and a broadside journal set to stimulate those little grey cells... Rob Kuntz's latest releases! *Livin...4 days ago
-
Return to the Known Lands – Session #43 – Beware of Strangers with Magic Swords, Pt. 2 - PCs: - Frakus (Dw FM 3) - Osan (Elf F/MU 4/2) - Omes (Half FM) - Arro (MU 3) NPCs: - Marnes (CL 4) - Burdar (Dw FM 1) -...5 days ago
-
New Printable Scenery Campaign: Ramshackle & Ruin - [image: New Printable Scenery Campaign: Ramshackle & Ruin] I don't know how many of my peeps here are into 3d printing, but I'm always collecting the STL ...1 week ago
-
Play as Sculpture, Play as Prism - Watching my eldest child and friends engaging in imaginative play, I'm often struck by the fact that what seems to excite them is deciding who gets to be...1 week ago
-
OSR: Mirrors, Cubes, Rods, Staves, and the Deck of Motley Things - I've written another 10 pages of the Treasure Overhaul (title pending), a condensed magic item compendium for old-school games. Unlike the first two prev...1 week ago
-
Session #12 & Adventure Sites Compilation - Firstly, I wanted to let everybody know that Adventure Sites I by Coldlight Press is now available as a free download on DriveThruRPG. It includes my own...2 weeks ago
-
The Evolution of Gaming, or Why My Thoughts on Gaming have Changed Drastically Over Time - I have been thinking about this for quite a long time and though I am not an eloquent man, I thought I should put these random and chaotic thoughts down in...2 weeks ago
-
The Release of How to Make a Fantasy Sandbox and the Isle of Pyade - The Release With the successful conclusion and fulfillment of my Kickstarter, I am releasing How to Make a Fantasy Sandbox and The Isle of Pyade to the publ...2 weeks ago
-
Clerics of the Flanaess, Part 2 - Sorry it took so long to get to the next article in this series, but here we are! This continues the details of specialty clerics for the World of Greyhawk...2 weeks ago
-
On the Sector Turn - It's very simple. There are many important things cybertechtronically enhanced secret agents need to do: Buy illegal tanks with railguns. "Convince" the...3 weeks ago
-
Arsenic & Old Lace (a Review)... - The free-kriegsspiel revolution (or FKR; sometimes free-kriegsspiel roleplay) has been getting a lot of attention lately, which seems inevitable given re...3 weeks ago
-
The Light Dawns - THIS!!! Yes, a thousand times, this! Back in the day, I referred to this as “neo-classicalgaming,” which is to say, the sorts of games that came ou...3 weeks ago
-
Improvised Awful Lights Missions - Asking about The Awful Lights, a commenter asks: *I'd love to hear about how this is run - with the Handler determining mission location and objectives ...3 weeks ago
-
Jim Ward's Adventure in Gygax's Wonderland - Last weekend at GaryCon, many of us raised a glass to the memory of Jim Ward, who passed away just days before the convention. Ward was very helpful to m...3 weeks ago
-
It’s Tolkien Reading Day - I recently started rereading *The Silmarillion*. I had last read it over two decades ago. I liked it then but I’m really enjoying it this time! Despite b...4 weeks ago
-
Osr anchorites? - It's been a long time since I listened to any osr podcasts. Anchor was a lot of fun. I'm not sure if the community is still going? I deleted the app ...5 weeks ago
-
Chaos War Dogs - Welcome back to the Vault! My gaming partner and I had a fun day at the Meme Team doubles last weekend, placing mid-table results wise. My eye is now lo...5 weeks ago
-
ShadowDark Magic Items - The next campaign I run will use the ShadowDark RPG. I'm not sure when that'll be (I'm hoping a little later this year), but ShadowDark is my choice. I'v...1 month ago
-
Xandering, Jaquaysing, or Arneson-ing the Dungeon? - Yet another gamer firestorm arose shortly after the passing of Janelle Jaquays when it was noted that Justin Alexander had changed a rather well known p...2 months ago
-
GLOG Class: Bioweapon - I got this idea from mad gods on bear blog. Crab Evo from Kagaku Sentai Dynaman A thousand soldiers were slain. Too many to be tragic--this is just a fact...2 months ago
-
The Economy Engine, v0.2 - I made a thing. For D&D 3rd edition, so it might not be that interesting to a lot of people. But I made it and I think it’s cool. The 3rd edition Dungeon M...2 months ago
-
*'s in SpaaaaaAaaaace - A lot of SF (including a certain 2D6 RPG grandaddy) deal with ancient aliens taking humans from Earth and dropping them, fleas and all, on one or more w...3 months ago
-
[MODULE] The Webs of Past and Present & Cloister of the Frog-God (NOW AVAILABLE!) - Can you have enough frog-themed modules? I am pleased to announce the publication of two adventure modules, *The Webs of Past and Present *and *Cloister of...3 months ago
-
What Else Have I Got in Me? - Brechewold's been done for a little while. Still incredibly pumped to have this labor of love out in the company of LotFP's marvelously creative body of ...3 months ago
-
Housekeeping 2024 - Coactus Illustration © Heather Gwinn. A gift she gave me in 2013 for an edition of Miscreated Creatures which I hope exists someday. Coloring by me. I am a...3 months ago
-
Last move - to self-hosting! - As my vote regarding Substack in the “marketplace of ideas”, I’m moving to self-hosting. I’m now at (and hopefully staying for a long time at) Blog: ht...3 months ago
-
Sex-Crazed Falling Stars, Free Weather Magic, and Adventures: News of the Hill Cantons - *Grandma Gaya, the Rav-Witch of High Kezmarok*, seeks the stout of limb and humble of mind in the *obtaining of fallen stars* from an upcoming prophesied ...3 months ago
-
Time Rolls On - Today is December 31, 2023, in the mid-afternoon. In less than ten hours it will be 2024. 2023 2023 was a good year. But all years are good years. Both goo...3 months ago
-
Play Report: Skull Mountain - At the end of the last Skull Mountain session the PCs had retreated to safety at Owen's redoubt, met with visiting elves, and recovered from injuries ...5 months ago
-
-
Moving On... - So, my D&D 5e experiment has blown up the lab in a puff of green smoke leaving my face blackened like Wile E. Coyote after a failed roadrunner Acme trap...10 months ago
-
How to Keep Megadungeons Fresh - People often consider megadungeons boring. Not because the play style is boring, but because they are in the same locale for a majority of the campaign. If...11 months ago
-
ODIOUS UPLANDS and COMPLETELY UNFATHOMABLE DCC AT LAST - NOW AVAILABLE in PDF and Print on Demand:ODIOUS UPLANDS and COMPLETELY UNFATHOMABLE (DCC)CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW! SO YOU SURVIVED OPERATION UNFATHOMABLE? Od...1 year ago
-
The Blade Itself - I just finished listening to the audiobook of The Blade Itself, volume one in Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law trilogy. This was my first exposure to his wo...1 year ago
-
Master Treasure Seeker: A Dungeon23 MegaDungeon - Introduction - Sean McCoy, author of Mothership, posted an article on his substack titled Dungeon23 and it's taken the indie RPG scene by storm. So, I'm throwing my hat...1 year ago
-
Genteel Magistrate at FenCon XVIII - Victorious author Mike Stewart will be a guest at FenCon XVIII this weekend at the Sheraton DFW Airport hotel, 4440 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Irving, TX, ...1 year ago
-
Osamu Tezuka (1928 - 1989) - [image: Osamu Tezuka - Shonen Magazine Cover, 1970]Shonen Magazine Cover, 1970 [image: Osamu Tezuka - Shonen Magazine Cover Illustration 1970]Shonen Maga...1 year ago
-
Helvéczia: Journal de Campagne, 3 - We resumed play this past week, joining the company still within the farmstead where those that remain of the seven knaves are restrained or incapacitate...1 year ago
-
This is an Important Game Mechanic - *"That's the GM's Regional Map from my AOWG. And it's a damned good regional map. It's not a good map for a Simple Homebrew Campaign. It does some s$&...1 year ago
-
Clean Your Room - Looking back at my little blog here. That last post… wow, I was having fun playing WOW Classic! That was August of 1999 and I was having a blast… it was ...2 years ago
-
-
My RPG Zine Trilogy is on Kickstarter! - I can't believe I didn't post about it here! The Dead are Coming, Screams Amongst the Stars and Running Out of Time are on *Kickstarter right now!* Thes...3 years ago
-
Maximum HP 004, one week to go - Just one week to go for Maximum HP issue #004, the undead. We are pushing through stretch goals and wracking up contributions for the best issue yet. We...3 years ago
-
Steve Jackson Interview - James Maliszewski recently did an interview with Steve Jackson over on his Grognardia blog. Steve chats about the beginnings of The Fantasy Trip and upcomi...3 years ago
-
The Hero’s Journey 2nd Edition, Campbellian roleplaying at its best! - (this review done using the reviewers own purchased copy) I have been a James Michael Spahn fan since he wrote his Swords & Wizardry Companion. His writing...3 years ago
-
Undermountain Map Origins - As documented on the Ruins of Undermountain sales page, "TSR didn't actually use Ed Greenwood's original maps," at least not in their entirety. This post d...3 years ago
-
WB:FMAG Total Print Sales - Hello Folks, The last time I did a quick sales report was in September 2018. I pulled reports from Amazon, Lulu and DrivethruRPG from October to current fo...4 years ago
-
The Minotaur for Old-School Essentials - *Minotaur* *Requirements:* Minimum STR 9, Minimum CON 9 *Prime Requisite:* STR and CON *Hit Dice:* 1d10 *Maximum Level:* 8 *Armor:* Leather, including shield...4 years ago
-
WIZARDS OF POHJOLA - Init +0 Melee Atk • sword or dagger +1 (1d5 or 1d3) Ranged Atk • hot iron sparks +3 (1d4+2 to two targets within 20' but not closer than 5') AC 14 HD 12d...4 years ago
-
The Withered Crag custom print version for sale again - Just re-enabled the direct sales button for the custom print (classic style detached cover) version of F4 The Withered Crag, and also for F3 Many Gates of...4 years ago
-
Dungeons & Dragonmead Fall Schedule - *As you know, I run public classic Dungeons & Dragons games at **The Loaded Die**/Metro Detroit Game Night's Board Game Nigh at **Dragonmead**, in Warren...4 years ago
-
-
D&D Sling Damage vs. Large Targets - In many early editions of D&D, weapons were assigned two damage values: one for small/medium targets (i.e. man-sized) and one for large targets (giants and...4 years ago
-
James A. Smith, Jr. Memorial Video - A beloved father, devoted friend, and D&D Dungeon Master extraordinaire. We miss you! To view video, click here Memorial Video Note - The original video...5 years ago
-
Let's Talk About Pacing! - The idea, I think, is that the RPG is ultimately about the long game. Even rolling back to the early days of Basic & Expert, the goal of the player was...5 years ago
-
Profane and Profound Prep Part 2 - This is part 2 of my work to edit my magic items for a DMsGuild release, along with adding cursed items along the way. Here is part 1. Bone of a Saint 8000...5 years ago
-
SHORT BREAK. - I'm going to take a break for a week or so and will start up again in the New Year. Thanks for reading and we'll start with Level 6 when I get back.5 years ago
-
Iain Lovecraft, 3D Sculptor - Nope, it's got nothing to do with Cthulhu. I just did a video conversation with Iain Lovecraft, who designs 3D miniatures and terrain. If you're not doi...5 years ago
-
New website! - Slowly but surely, all the content here will make its way — in updated form! — to my new website: timbannock.com. For fairly obvious reasons, that site wil...5 years ago
-
Please Update Your Link! - If you're seeing this, it means your link to the Greyhawk Grognard blog is out of date. Please update your link to www.greyhawkgrognard.com (RSS feed is h...5 years ago
-
Mord Mar - Session 6 - We weren't able to play Mord Mar last week, due to a family funeral. This week we played on Monday for the first time, due to kids returning to school and ...5 years ago
-
A Small, Quiet Plea - There has been a great deal of discussing political agendas, social grievances, and personal attacks within the little corner of gaming that is my hobby....5 years ago
-
Don’t Sleep It’s Broken - Expanding/editing my comments from What Makes Something Broken G+ thread: “Broken”, for me, is anything that makes normal character choices, tactics, or ro...6 years ago
-
Swords & Wizardry Light-Themed Birthday Party - Last month, my wife and I helped our oldest to celebrate his birthday in style. Ever since 2013, we have hosted a themed birthday party for our now-15-ye...6 years ago
I do tend to include magic shops in my game, but only the large cities have them (and then only one). If players need to get rid of excess magic items while somewhere else, I tend to let them sell to temples and npc mages.
ReplyDeleteAlchemists only. Magic items are rare and tend to ne posessed ny the bery powerful or bybreligious organizations (who naturally build false muths aroumd the otems over time).
ReplyDeleteAs usual with such things, the answer is "it depends". If the setting is gonzo, over-the-top, making light of the tropes and assumptions of fantasy gaming and fiction, then sure. If not, then the players had better be on the lookout for a collector with a lot of cash if they want to sell - and don't even think about buying!
ReplyDeleteIn my worlds we have "Omar's" which is something like a Bass Pro Shop for adventurers. But if you ask the right questions or grease the right palm you can be allowed to see the "special collections" which include magic items.
ReplyDeleteIn my 3e and 4e games it was more Gonzo. In 5e so far Omar is only rumored to have magic items.
No magic shops whatsoever. Magic is mysterious, weird, and rare.
ReplyDeleteI never use magic shops. Crazy private collectors may buy magic items, but they will NEVER sell them.
ReplyDeleteEvery magic item is placed by me (or rolled randomly and approved by me), and I accept full responsibility for including it in my campaign.
No magic items for sale at Ye Olde Magick Shoppe in most campaigns I''ve ever run.
ReplyDeleteI do have shops where compoenets, magical materials, and inks can be bought but not finished products.
Where do people sell all their junk magic items? They don't. Why would someone rich enough to buy a magic item not simply be powerful.enough to take the magic item?
One concept I've used before is that good-aligned temples in my campaign worlds are somewhat hostile to magic-users and non-clerical magic items, though not to the witch-hunt or Inquisition level. Therefore, they have "magic item buyback programs" (similar to the gun buyback programs in some RW areas) whereby the temples purchase sinful magic items from adventurers and throw them into sacred furnaces. The reason they don't just take them from adventurers is "because that would be wrong". Clerical items are also purchased, for use by the temples.
DeleteI don't, but I have some thoughts on ways to make life more interesting here:
ReplyDeletehttp://initiativeone.blogspot.com/2014/09/on-buying-and-selling-of-magic.html
A firm no.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, but few and far between. The players prefer it that way and it doesn't disrupt the campaign, I can't help but think that such a business would be untenable; the economics would just not work out given the ratio of customers with money to paying the costs of the business.
ReplyDeleteI think such a shop's profits would pale in comparison to the magic shop that sells magic coolers to freeze or keep food fresh or heaters to stay warm without consuming fuel. Heck in a large urban environment, toilets with a permanent disintegrate spell at the bottom to get rid of the sewage would probably sell like hotcakes. I know, I know, I can hear the safety advocates among you saying "What if my kid fell into the loo?" I'm sure grates could be installed or something or maybe a wire mesh?
Practical applications would be far more lucrative than selling swords or wands any day.
The D&D Gazetteer Principalities of Glantri experimented with this idea in very campy ways. I have a fondness for that vision of the magical economy.
DeleteCharmed Black Pudding garbage disposals, Fire Elemental-powered central heat, etc.
Elementals! I hadn't even considered them. Think of the possibilities; a wind-wagon in every barn, self-plowing fields and all your HVAC needs are met with a simple command. Add a skeleton to the household to handle the laundry and most of the drudge work of the ancient world has been taken care of.
DeleteUnseen Servants, golems, etc.
DeleteMagical Moving services (teleport without error for the, ahem, Discerning Prince)
And, of course, with such modern innovations come Bureaucracy, Taxes, and all the other necessaries. :D
No magic shops but the occasional item of power is traded on the black market. PCs that have a good relationship with a dubious vendor may get the occasional offer.
ReplyDeleteMy comments above notwithstanding, I generally don't put "magic shops" into my games.
ReplyDeleteThere are collectors who will pay the PCs for items. But there's nowhere they can go to buy ready-made anything more powerful than a Potion of Healing. But I have very, very generous rules permitting PCs to make magic items and research spells even at low levels.
I fall into the "It Depends" crowd.
ReplyDeleteIn my Mystara campaigns, things were always kind of wacky and wahoo. The BEB Trading Company (as in the Black Eagle Barony, i.e., Bargle) featured prominently into any "magic stores" the player's encountered... so they quickly became wary. Except in Glantri or Alphatia, and Thyatis City, where such things were available from a selection of merchants.
In the Wilderlands, I'd let players find a few lesser magic items at the Sorcerer's Supply. Usually potions and scrolls, now and again a wand or ring or miscellaneous item. They could also find out rumors of the whereabouts of specific items at that store and a few other similar locations...
In almost all cases, +1 and +2 weapons were available via appropriate racial smiths, bowyers, and so forth, such magic being part of the rune-enchantments of the Dwarves and Elves. But even these are few and far between, often must be sought out and found.
+3 and better weapons, now, those had to be found or stolen...
Similarly, healing potions and most of the like were available, usually but not always, at Goodly temples; the gold of the adventuring and noble classes going to subsidize the healing and care of the poor and common folk.
But the outright sale of any and every magic item in the book? Nope. I remember when some players who started out in 4E were playing in LL, and they expected to be able to effectively trade in their lesser magic items for a greater one (I think they had two +1 daggers and wanted to buy a +1 sword) at a normal local general store. Lots of confusion ensued then...
I have used them but they were really rare and were back-alley establishments. You have to know a guy on the inside to go in. I've also made a fake magic shop. They won't buy your stuff but they'll sell. The players don't even try Detect Magic to see if they're getting scammed.
ReplyDeleteLike a good porn star I go both ways.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I run campaign where magic is no even available to the players. It's in the background. A force of nature. Other campaigns I've run magic is a commodity that can be bought and sold, legally and illegally. And all the shades in between.
I remember running a fun AD&D session with one of my players whose magic-user was buying and selling magic items at the Magic-Users Guild in the City of Greyhawk.
ReplyDeleteI do like the idea of a magic shop, but not a Magicks 'R' Us kind of shop, where you can find anything you want, and if they don't have it in stock, they can special order it for you wholesale.
ReplyDeleteTypically, most cities of significant size in my games will have a couple of shops in competition to sell potions and other low powered one shot items. Occasionally, you will find an artisan who is willing to sell a low level magic item, but usually there are so many of those lying around in the dungeons that the characters don't think about buying them. This same artisan may be cultivated into a resource who can help identify magical items that fall in their specialty, and may possibly be willing to accept a commission to manufacture a special item for a character, but it is always costly in one form or another. After all, the process of permanently enchanting an item is physically taxing and time consuming... if the players aren't willing to expend the effort themselves, then they will pay for it.
This is also is how I explain why the economy is not overflowing with magic gear -- part of the expense for the commision is to provide raw materials for the creation process. A sufficiently skilled artisan is capable of reforging the magical essences from magical equipment along with the physical materials. This allows the creation of unique magic items without the master needing to be a wizard.
Only, only, only in Sigil. Even then it's just the Friendly Fiend where magical trinkets are for sale. They're mostly harmless, really.
ReplyDeleteMagical Haberdasheries and such are just way Higher Fantasy than I typically enjoy.
Nope. In large part that's just because a magic shop just doesn't fit the feel of my campaigns: I skew a few centuries older than standard D&D, I think, so there just aren't that many "shops" of any sort. And magic just isn't that common. You can probably buy trinkets and relics from various hedge wizards and scam priests, but at best you'll be looking at a 1-time bonus to a roll.
ReplyDelete