The example of the Nierite-themed flamberge is a good example - perfect should be because of the character and what he's about, be it a Nierite holy-champion to an Altherian Shining Patrol member. The gray area is when the mechanics of an item may be 'perfect' for a bunch of people, which overall the bonus varies greatly depending on circumstances, which is not what the campaign guide is speaking about, I believe. I can think of a few items that had several people interested in them, because of their mechanics, but there are items that likely have been themed in such a way that they fit a certain character greatly, or were passed up because of the item's description or workings. I know I passed on one particular item because of it's visible effect, even though the effect of the item may have been a great boon.

Also, if you played through the First Arc, and were successful at the right times, most characters should have a few items that count as magic already, IIRC. Considering you are limited in the amount of magic you can wear and use, grabbing everything will not work out in the end - you are capped by the mechanics/rules.

My two cents.

I totally agree with this. Finding interesting and unique stuff and being able to capitalize on it is the coolest to me. Of course, in many cases you still might need a lot of money and/or access to do so, since after you have his horns if you want to make a "horn of fear" out of the one you took you might need a craftsman and some enchanting. But talk about a bad ass story to the item...

Plus, of course, this takes an order of magnitude more effort from the campaign staff as people come to them and say, "I did this..." I would think that may not be workable because of those issue, but boy it would be cool...

As for the "perfect item" idea, the question comes with what is the perfect item? IF there are two sorcerers at a table and a wand with a sorcery rune comes up, is that a perfect item? I know it is certainly desirable, and in that case if I had a sorcerer and I didn't manage to get it, I'd walk away from the table a little disappointed. But I'd also hope there will be options for more down the road, so I certainly wouldn't make a fuss if I didn't get it.

That is about exactly my 'special mundane ' item from the Kickstarter!!!

So, the sum total of options:

1/table of each magic item.
Multiple copies. Everyone can get a copy of everything if they want it.

That's our initial binary option. Within those options, we have sub-options:

1/Table (Roll off) - Random chance determines who gets an item. Either select group of players who can use it or all players. Everyone at the mercy of Larissa. Not ideal.
1/Table (Purchase) - Character who wants it either doesn't get a cash share, or has to pay the 'sale' value of the item. Sometimes unfeasible due to priceless, unique, etc... items, or because the player simply hasn't accumulated sufficient capital. Not ideal.
1/Table (In Character Discussion) - Ideal, most realistic situation. Requires communication, common sense, and maturity. Works best at tables where players know and are comfortable with each other. Can (theoretically) work at other times. Dismissed as an ultimately unfeasible option in the long run based on observational experience of human behaviour.

Multiple Copies (Can be sold) - Everyone ends up very rich. Not sustainable.
Multiple Copies (Worth no money) - Everyone ends up with a whole bunch of essentially worthless items. Not sustainable either.

Potentially Multiple Copies (First one free) - The first copy of a magic item is provided free of cost. Any duplicates must be paid for in a similar manner to Purchase above.
Potentially Multiple Copies (Status Quo) - The first copy of a magic item is provided free of cost. Any duplicates are adjudicated by the GM.

Does that about sum it up?

At the end of the day, every option has its ups and downs. I just wanted to post this so everyone is clear on what the options are.

A good thread. And one that has touched on many topics over 24 hours. A few things I want to comment on:



For some items not a bad thought. However many magic items do not come with relic pages. Trading magic items, without a piece of paper with "X" on it also changing hands is potentially trouble in a shared campaign. If we want to be able to trade these items (and we don't necessarily have to) then I think we need to see more relic pages. Not sure how much of a pain in the butt that is for campaign staff. Then again I love the graphics that go with them.



I am against a Marketplace that happens online. Like others I have *some* issues with the trope of "Ye Olde Magik Shoppe." And running it online promises to be a real chore. Maybe worse that what is suggested above. But Cody's post has gotten me thinking. I wouldn't object to a (mini?) Marketplace that that took place within the context of a module ... most Likely at The Marketplace outside of Solonos Mor. Or some other appropriate location. That could be a great encounter within a mod. I don't know how much one should sell/charge a "generic" permanent Tier 1 Magic Item. (Perhaps in the 15-25 gc range?) But that could be worked out. There could also be a few regionally appropriate bargains. This set up would require both a blank relic cert to be filled in, and perhaps a few individual relic pages. I would suggest that no one can buy more than one item. And such an opportunity in a mod should be few and far between!



I prefer to use the term "Priceless" - but otherwise I promise, no furor from me if this happen!

These are my preferred methods in order of priority. I think module writers and campaign staff/reviewers need to ensure that there are a variety and frequency of items coming into modules. Any module offering a magic item (that isn't a 'story piece') need to find a way to offer at least 2-3 options so that the availability is there for everyone in the long run.

John

The only issue with the in-mod Marketplace is the same issue with OTHER Marketplaces: Making it campaign legal. I tried to do a mini-market in LMDC, but as of last I heard the prices for the items still haven't been assigned by the staff and I haven't had time to really discuss prices with them.

I agree with John, but ultimately its the the decision of the table that decides that



these on the other hand are the parts the campaign staff can change

My thoughts on the matter:

As with most things this is not just a black and white situation, The simplest solution is "Just one of each item per table" and that matches a model of play that would happen in home games.

but we have to adapt to being a campaign, and the ephemeral nature of players grouping differently from adventure to adventure. This is a complex problem, and the surplus of gold (for many characters) feeds into, and the completely unavailability of magic items is something else.

One solution to the gold / items availability problem is to allow players to spend gold to get magic items. There are multiple ways to do this:

Marketplace - but that's a whole different discussion.
Allowing people to buy additional copies of items from mods - they are items already going out into the campaign why not give more than one person a chance to get them?
other ideas?

I like the 1 free, others cost money, but it really does take away from the rarity in my opinion which is bad

Hello,

Something to consider:

Is loot really that important to make an adventure an enjoyable play experience?

Does getting some sort of reward somehow validate the time spent playing for you?

If you were playing Call of Cthulhu or Star Wars instead of a fantasy game, would you feel cheated at the end of the game because you didn't get that copy of Libris de Ghoules or a thermal detenator.

Since we've already established that magic items are not necessary to continue to play in the game, aren't the experience points garnered and the enjoyment of the adventure enough?