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Torkwaret
Seeker
Poland
82 Posts |
 Posted - 25 Jun 2014 : 21:32:49
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I've been wondering for some time now about this, and decided that I should ask other players and game masters about their experiences.
- How "ye olde magic shoppes" operate in your campaigns ?
- How interested people learn about them ?
- What meets your eye inside such places ?
- Are the wares kept on wooden shelves or maybe suspended magically in midair ?
- How do you steal things from such store and what measures owners take to prevent theft ?
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...Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin... |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4685 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jun 2014 : 21:53:52
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Well in part it depends on the game, so answers are it depends.
Sale of common potions and scrolls of protection all low cost items might be offered by merchants in towns and small communities.Learning about such types of places tend to be word of mouth, certain places can become well known for buying from and selling to other adventurers. In such a place of business one would see many things including mundane things, holy water, chapbooks (spelling) and so on. Even the best magic shop would not waste magic on levitation spells, wooded shelves (lead boxes for higher valued items to prevent magical detection) would be the normal. Stealing is successful if only you can beat the traps, wards and guards, I clearly will not tell you how I defend my products.
For higher priced items a more upscale store, finding becomes harder and items could be stored on another plane to reduce theft.
There is no simple answer. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jun 2014 : 22:28:19
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I, personally, would expect more magical supplies than anything else: various components, reagents, and tools for use in magic item creation. I'd also expect various items that were suitable for receiving enchantment, like finely carved wooden sticks and staves, fine daggers, expensive rings, and the like.
Lesser magic items like scrolls and potions would be more common than anything else, though there may be wands or less-powerful items like a dagger +1. Anything much more powerful than that would likely be one-offs, prolly purchased from adventurers, and well-protected indeed.
Otherwise, I'll echo Kentinal. |
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hobbitfan
Learned Scribe
USA
164 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jun 2014 : 02:47:59
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I think the answer to this largely depends on the feel of your campaign, it's assumptions towards the prevalence of magic and availability and then also, your players.
FR is by default much open with its magic than say Middle-earth. Magic is in some ways, normal, and woven into the fabric of everyday life.
I run things where magic shops show up where it makes sense for them to be. Is it a large metropolitan area like Waterdeep? They would have magic shops. If you live somewhere where magic is more regulated, then you might see more sales through travelling itinerant salepeople like gypsies or the like. There are going to be shops, as a matter of course, near places where there are alot of adventurers, the gold flows and adventuring sites are nearby. i.e. access to supply and demand, basically.
Temples are another way of managing access to magic, especially magical healing.
In terms of ptotecting things I remind players that the people running these shops are probably ex-adventurers or have at least hired e-adventurers for security so messing with them is a bad idea. And I re-inforce community. If they pick on the much-loved magic-shop owner, they are going to have trouble with the people in town as well. Same thing with the temple. You act badly and you might not just lose visiting rights but you earn the ire of the high priest and all his "flock".
edit: I also like to use the people running magic shops as the source of adventure seeds and rumors possible leading to further adevntures. |
Edited by - hobbitfan on 26 Jun 2014 03:19:19 |
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TBeholder
Great Reader
2382 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jun 2014 : 05:32:36
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quote:
Originally posted by Torkwaret
- How interested people learn about them ?
Word-of-mouth (especially via professional contacts, whether wizards guilds or on the user's end), city guides (as a part of their service), asking a random passer-by, seeing a shop's sign. Generally IMHO probability is in this order.
quote:
- What meets your eye inside such places ?
Dead alligator on the strings!  Or some other taxidermy/statue/whatever.
Mostly, a few shiny items, some showy, but pointless enchantment (likely to be the resident light source) and perhaps pages with full written lists of available (immediately or ordered) wares on the counter.
quote:
- Are the wares kept on wooden shelves or maybe suspended magically in midair ?
Look-from-all-sides illusory replicas are an option. Items capable of making a trouble or with limited charges would probably be in a safebox until requested.
quote:
- How do you steal things from such store and what measures owners take to prevent theft ?
"Very, very carefully", as the anecdote says. 
Wards, golems and other constructs, guards with magic, items on display being illusory.
IIRC some Waterdhavian shop had an iron golem used as a candelabra and a small wand-armed guard hidden inside the "stuffed" beholder corpse (which is a dubious practice... especially given that they are raise-able too - imagine this fellow when he notices that the mouth in which he's hiding began to move).
Either way, depends on exactly where. Waterdeep? Calimport? Halarahh? Huzuz? Sshamath? Ravens Bluff? |
People never wonder How the world goes round -Helloween
And even I make no pretense Of having more than common sense -R.W.Wood
It's not good, Eric. It's a gazebo. -Ed Whitchurch |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jun 2014 : 21:36:43
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They're like the Old Xoblob Shop in Waterdeep (see Ruins of Undermountain, Volo's Guide to Waterdeep) -- strange curio shops that might perhaps have something magical here or there.
As for protection, anything known to be worth stealing would either not be what it was rumoured to be or would not be kept where people thought it was. But one thing Realmslore is not short of is ward-spells and other defensive precautions. |
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Torkwaret
Seeker
Poland
82 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jul 2014 : 19:18:34
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Wonderful. Really wonderful.
Thank you all for the generous input. I only briefly glanced on most replies and yet everything I saw was either very insipiring or educating. |
...Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin... |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11690 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jul 2014 : 01:56:47
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| Just a note on the stealing from the store thing. My take on this has been that if a magic shop owner is stolen from, then he can't afford to pay adventurers for the things they acquire. Thus, adventurers will be inclined to help magic shop owners hunt down perpetrators, possibly just to earn the good will of the magic shop owner. If the owner lets them keep a stolen item or two in return, that makes it even better. If they specifically make it well known what happens to those who steal from said magic shop owner (for instance, killing them slowly and painfully and following up with spells to prevent resurrection), then the magic shop owner may actually hook up the adventurers with his contacts to actually make a specific requested item. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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savedbygrace
Acolyte
USA
9 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2014 : 05:10:42
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I feel Wooly Rupert was on point here. Magic shops are no more than ingredient shops to the average bystander. That includes wands and various jewelry/weapon types as they too are nothing more than a tool for the magic. Until the enchantment is placed on them, they are just blank vessels. In fact, the owner sells the wares to fellow practitioners who usually have no need for pre-enchanted items. Like-minded professionals typically respect each others space and are too familiar with the consequences of insult.
Non practitioners (or practitioners who are not skilled enough yet)enter with the intent to purchase enchanted items and thus they are purchasing the skill of the shop owner to do the actual enchantment. In such cases, it would not be out of the question to place an order and have the owner(mage) enchant an item overnight or even contract work out to fellow professionals if business is heavy or they need the work.
I would even venture to say that shop owners (especially magic users who are renown for attention to detail) are very familiar with their inventory and great at reading body language/expression. Nothing of dangerous magical value would ever be readily available but anything pocketed would take nothing more than a simple door lock utterance to prevent escape, while the owner/mage playfully but politely scares the sense out of the thief who literally has no idea what sort of power she/he is faced against.
As the others have stated, anything enchanted would only be accessibly by the owner/mage, since injuries/fatalities even if accidental, could prove detrimental to business reputation.
Store fronts could also be in the form of unique wares, book shops, scroll shops, fast travel(teleport) shops or even exotic spice/ingredient shops with only the knowledgeable understanding the true nature of the business.
I would think that a shop such as this would display glass casements of tools(similar to gun/jewelry cases), sturdily secured wall shelving with hundreds of glass containers with seal-able lids(similar to a candy store), display easels presenting beautifully crafted books of blank parchments(potential spell books or ledgers to non practitioners) bound with great care, perhaps even with a selection of colors to choose from or customizable engravings to personalize any occasion or user. Maybe a bucket of standard wooden staves or a wall rack of more decorative staves. Some mannequin displays for brooches, necklaces, hats. Racks for robes, capes and cloaks shelving for boots, scrying spheres(yard art for nobles), cooking kettles and utensils, scroll cases, special travel bags for books and fragile wares. Perhaps some pets for companions or more sinister intent.
Just try and think beyond the components and enchantments to present items that are practical not only for practitioners but for non practitioners should they stumble into the shop unaware. You don't want to have such a shallow pool of customers.
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Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. |
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The Masked Mage
Great Reader
USA
2420 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2014 : 09:11:14
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| There have been a couple (very rare) instances of shops that carry and procure enchanted items. The vast majority would be items that are enchanted with minor magics... say cantrip effects that make lives easier for those who cannot cast such things. Potions and scrolls are usually available on a limited basis. More complex magical items would be EXPENSIVE and would be in short supply, indeed. One could make an amazing living as a procurer of such items, though. 'You need a wand of paralyzation?... we can arrange that for a fee :D' |
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You enter the "Magic Shoppe" and inside you see...
