|
|
Post by preehofthetrees on Mar 18, 2016 15:25:33 GMT
When playing through a campaign, who doesn't think; "You know what would be awesome for my PC? A bag of holding!" I have a high fantasy campaign running where I want my PCs happy and if they want to be buffed out that's cool. I want to give my players the items they want to an extent too, my question is how to go about this and still surprise them? I don't want them to walk into a shop and feel like they are talking to Amazon and can obtain everything if they have the gold but I also want them to get the things they want because I want this to be a high reward campaign. So far my solution to this is having the shop keep say "I can order it for you but it will take time."
Any other ideas?
|
|
|
|
Post by Vulash on Mar 18, 2016 18:01:31 GMT
My initial response would be to be wary of making this too easy for the PCs. In my experience (both as a player and DM in this situation), when it's too easy the players quickly get bored. They achieve their goals and are ready to move on. I'm not a fan of letting the real powerful things be purchased, even in a high level campaign.
As an alternative, I would say have them research the item they are interested in. Make it so they can be successful with a little work, and they track down the trail of the item. In order to reach it they may have to fight the creature that slew the previous owner, trick a no'er do well into parting with it, etc. But each item could be it's own adventure that the players fight for. They'll feel more strongly about that Staff of Fire if they had to defeat a small tribe of Ogre's led by a powerful (thanks to the staff) Ogre shaman than if they just bought it from Bob The Staff dealer.
|
|
|
|
Post by ino on Mar 19, 2016 1:35:51 GMT
In my worlds, magic items are rarely commissioned. What crafter would burn valuable experiences and life force for a random PC he may not have met before? And how many commoners have the income to buy up and sell magic items? Most magic items are made for specifically the crafter, or a big event, like a holy avenger being created for a sudden and massive demon uprising. For characters to get specific magic items (u usually roll randomly), they have to either research historical events or meet a "magic broker". In my worlds, especially powerful creatures, outsiders, and dragons have lived long enough to stockpile magic items. The group has to brave meeting one in order to request or sell an item.
|
|
|
|
Post by dmsam on Mar 19, 2016 2:14:17 GMT
I find that a "shopping" scenario very counter productive in most cases. It takes a long time and is rarely rewarding. I always try to make it challenging in some way.
"You walk into the magic item store. The store owner is slumped behind the counter, unconscious. You hear a crash and the shattering of glass in the storeroom behind him. All the valuable items are missing."
"You drive off the assassins and the noble woman is impressed by your work. She offers you a magic item that will be delivered at your door. Tell me in private what you would like to have, and I'll accommodate your requests to the best of my abilities."
If they want a bag of holding, be creative and give them a portable hole. If they want a new weapon, give them something with sass. Everyone likes a pleasant surprise, right?
|
|
|
|
Post by joatmoniac on Mar 19, 2016 7:06:41 GMT
To play off of Vulash's idea planting clues to the items they really want in a hoard, or on a boss, could be a great way to go. A journal that talks about the item that the bad guy lost, and who took it from them. Trading with other groups of adventurers could be an interesting way to go as well. It is intriguing that someone would have such valuable items, but then no way to truly defend them is a hard pill to swallow at times. A magic item broker is of course a great idea as well, having leads on things that the players might want. The Magic-R-Us approach usually doesn't work quite as well, but it is an easy hand wave way to get the magic items if the players have a ton of money.
|
|
|
|
Post by frohtastic on Mar 19, 2016 7:57:18 GMT
In my worlds, magic items are rarely commissioned. What crafter would burn valuable experiences and life force for a random PC he may not have met before? And how many commoners have the income to buy up and sell magic items? Most magic items are made for specifically the crafter, or a big event, like a holy avenger being created for a sudden and massive demon uprising. For characters to get specific magic items (u usually roll randomly), they have to either research historical events or meet a "magic broker". In my worlds, especially powerful creatures, outsiders, and dragons have lived long enough to stockpile magic items. The group has to brave meeting one in order to request or sell an item. You could put a sinister spin on this and make magic items more or less banned by civilized society. Magic items made from sacrificing lots and lots of people. Why did the dark lord decimate that nice little farming village? Because he wanted enough essence vitae, or life energy, to craft a bag of holding! This will also make the magic items themselves pretty rare as well. |
|
|
|
Post by preehofthetrees on Mar 22, 2016 20:38:22 GMT
These are all really great ideas guys, thanks! I like to think my DM style is linear loose so I could definitely pop a small side quest into the campaign to obtain items. That being said there are 5 PCs in my group and I wouldn't want to favor one over the other so all would need to gain something worthwhile. My goal is to allow them to be super geared out if they want it because I have never gotten to play beyond lvl 10 myself and never with items beyond +1 and I am itching to see players with a LOT of options. (Think +3 flaming ghost touch dancing handaxe and then apply the same kind of ridiculous abilities to all of their gear) They could then go up against monstrosities that should be near impossible to kill. It's something I want for myself so why not my players?
Also worth saying; I have enough notes prepped for story events that I have encounters/plot threads to carry my group from their now lvl 8 through level 15 which will likely take all of this year. They have multiple recurring villains, political conflict between different kingdoms, and long term construction projects to check in on not to mention all that they will encounter coming forward.
|
|
|
|
Post by dmsam on Mar 22, 2016 20:51:18 GMT
To keep things fair, if I give one person a weapon, I give everyone a weapon. They don't have to be as strong as each other, but they need to be as "cool" as each other. I just have to tweak the monsters at the tail end to make challenges harder. Loot makes everyone happy, especially well deserved loot.
|
|
|
|
Post by onyxangel24 on Mar 25, 2016 14:55:48 GMT
When i was running Ravenloft (2e) I remember one of my players kept insisting she needed a better ring! Well, she didnt know that I already rolled one up for her and placed it in a room in Ravenloft, so when she checked the general store at a town in....I think Barovia? My minds a little clouded....That store sold rings, but I made sure they were either Low quality or too much for her character (50,000 Gold pieces) type deal....Maybe not that much, but it was more then she could afford. The store keeper refused to trade it for anything else she offered. She left disappointed, but after they made it to Ravednloft, a couple hours later (game time), she was in a room ruffling through things and the ring was sitting there, she got someone else to use Identify. In the end, she got what she was requesting...a better ring, But I got what I wanted to, which was to give her a ring I already decided would be hers. I guess my whole point is....Maybe in your mind you could come with a compromise without actually tellinf the person. Like, if you want them to have it...biut have a certain way you want to do it, fo it that way. In the end...Your happy and your player is happy.
|
|
