@TheEdVerse Hey my good Sage, a question: As per 5e rules for buying an item as a downtime activity, you actually have to roll to see what items appear(better rolls, rarer items) and if a player seeks a specific one they must roll particularly high depending on rarity.+
— Sanderson Tavares (@Sands_Tavares) April 21, 2019
+There is also a bonus to represent how high/low magic the setting is, from -10 if it’s super low magic to +10 if it’s super high magic. What would be a reasonable bonus(if any) to add for Waterdeep in this step? I’d imagine even post-spellplague we are still+ +dealing with magic items reasonably often in Waterdeep. And what kind of sellers might bring the items? Ships? From where? Faires? Auction Houses? Would love to hear you discuss some of the workings of the magic item economy when possible. Thanks in advance!
— Sanderson Tavares (@Sands_Tavares) April 21, 2019
1)
Any large crossroads trading city in the Realms that attracts a lot of money will be trending towards “super high magic.” As the Realms heads into the 1500s DR, I’d put Waterdeep at a +7 bonus in harsh winter height, up to +9 at end of summer when some folk… 2)
…want to leave and make one last "big sale" to tide them through the winter lean trading times. In the Deep as elsewhere, magic items are held by two sorts of folk: those who have the Art (e.g. wizards) and want to use them/experiment with them/make use of…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 21, 2019
3)
…them in manufacturing processes [and this sort of folk rarely want to part with them, except in trade for a “better” magic item] and investors. (In the same way that some real-world folks sit on paintings they keep in storage instead of looking at, and own… 4)
…houses they don't live in, to eventually resell or auction them for far more than they paid.) It's this second sort of folk that we usually neglect in published game lore, but who are far more "the source" interested adventurers can access. In the Deep, they…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 21, 2019
5)
…are often nobles (who now need funds), guilds (who are heavily into the investment game, meaning they may acquire magic items having little or nothing to do with what the guild “does” daily), rising wealthy merchants (including the “wannabe nobles” who… 6)
…spend splashily), and less often, lower-income families finally parting with a family heirloom (often something dusty, passed down from an adventuring ancestor). Guilds and nobles only resort to "outside" auctions for anonymity; the other sorts usually do so…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 21, 2019
7)
…security fears. (If nobles or guilds don’t care about anonymity, they’ll hold the auctions themselves so as to save on the auctioneer’s take). Auction or private sale alike, the custom is to hire a Watchful Order member (the Order has a set fee for this, a… 8)
…a very reasonable 50 gp) to provide security for the auction/sale and transfer of item (and often involves both spies and "thickneck muscle" bodyguards, a.k.a. "bullyblades" and apprentice wizards, as well as 'the' Order mage). Private sales are usually…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 21, 2019
9)
…secretive, for security reasons.
And remember: the rules are guidelines/suggestions. When I DM, magic items are never determined by dice rolls; I place what I think best fits the campaign (often 'custom' items), and the hunt and the negotiations are roleplayed.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 21, 2019
Thank you very much! As always your words are a font of inspiration and admiration for me and other DMs and worldbuilders. Happy to be of help! We're all wandering our favourite imaginary settings, and long may it gives joy to do so!
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) April 22, 2019