Purchasing magical items?

[Scorus]

Do you have magical items available for purchase in your game? Does Sora Goodsell have matrices or even crystals for sale in her Clearwine shop? How much would a normal broadsword with a Bladesharp 2 matrix cost? How much per point for a power storage crystal?

How about commissioning items? How difficult would it be to find a priest that would make a matrix for a player? Or to create a Binding Enchantment item? Do you charge the 200L per power point used, as per the rules?

[French Desperate WindChild]

8 hours ago, Scorus said:

Do you charge the 200L per power point used, as per the rules

I don't find the reference for that price ?

I consider that a priest (or a chaman or a sorcerer or anyone) will sacrifice a part of his soul to enchant an object for someone else not for money but for a more higher reason. So a pc can get a matrix from the cult but :

1) it must be a reward for a great success or a gift (or lending) to help in a very hard mission

2) the pc may have to pay (I don't know how much) by sacrifice (cows, tools, ...) or to give some needed components

it is not some mp you regain each day it is a part of your soul difficult to get back (and remember that a priest must have 18+ POW )

Edited December 17, 2020 by French Desperate WindChild

[Kloster]

16 minutes ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

I don't find the reference for that price ?

200L is the cost of a One use Rune spell, where you should spent a POW to get back the RP. I also assumed this would be the base cost of a 1 point enchant (Ah, the POW economy).

[tnli]

Gringle's is out of business at the moment, will see if someone restarts it at some point. 

I use the 200 L per POW figure is for cult tithes and such, items sell at different prices. Haven't really gone in to it as Gringle's is out of business at the moment. X) 

[PhilHibbs]

I think it's quite rare. It's something you have to seek out and ask around for, you're not going to find a stall at market selling them, or Ye Olde Crystal Shoppe. Casino Town probably has games and raffles with magical prizes.

[Brootse]

13 hours ago, Scorus said:

Do you have magical items available for purchase in your game? Does Sora Goodsell have matrices or even crystals for sale in her Clearwine shop? How much would a normal broadsword with a Bladesharp 2 matrix cost? How much per point for a power storage crystal?

How about commissioning items? How difficult would it be to find a priest that would make a matrix for a player? Or to create a Binding Enchantment item? Do you charge the 200L per power point used, as per the rules?

Broadsword with a Bladesharp 2 matrix: Sword 50L + Bladesharp 2 150L (half price if from a cult) + Spell matrix POW cost 400L = 600L.

For POW crystals I've used the cost of MP and Spirit binding enchantments. MP enchantment: 200L you get on average 5.5 MPs, so the L/MP would be 36.4L. But since the crystals have the dual use of spirit binding too, and normal spirits have two abilities, a spirit binding enchantment would cost at least 400L. But you can't use a crystal for both purposes at the same time. For smaller crystals that wouldn't be of use for spirits, I've just used the MP enchantment cost, and for larger ones the minimum cost would be 400L.

There are no magic item shops around in my campaigns, except in some strange places like Pavis or Casino Town, but the characters can commission items between scenarios.

Edited December 17, 2020 by Brootse

[Kloster]

9 minutes ago, Brootse said:

Broadsword with a Bladesharp 2 matrix: Sword 50L + Bladesharp 2 150L (half price if from a cult) + Spell matrix POW cost 400L = 600L.

For POW crystals I've used the cost of MP and Spirit binding enchantments. MP enchantment: 200L you get on average 5.5 MPs, so the L/MP would be 36.4L. But since the crystals have the dual use of spirit binding too, and normal spirits have two abilities, a spirit binding enchantment would cost at least 400L. But you can't use a crystal for both purposes at the same time. For smaller crystals that wouldn't be of use for spirits, I've just used the MP enchantment cost, and for larger ones the minimum cost would be 400L.

Same calculations for me.

9 minutes ago, Brootse said:

There are no magic item shops around in my campaigns, except in some strange places like Pavis or Casino Town, but the characters can commission items between scenarios.

Same for me.

[Scorus]

6 hours ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

I don't find the reference for that price ?

20L/point for someone to cast a rune spell for you, 200L/point if it is one-use. So extrapolating that 200L for each point of power expended in construction.

[Godlearner]

My biggest thing about magic items is the fact that they last forever. In RQ3 at least there was a way to limit as to who can use an item by placing conditions on it, and we have always played that a failed enchant roll would loose you the POW of the attempted enchantment.  Having said that, we always had 1pt binding enchantments  commonly available from most rune level merchants and temple for their initiates. In RQG, that would switch to Magic Point Matrices and likely for less than 200L for cult members

[jajagappa]

48 minutes ago, Godlearner said:

In RQ3 at least there was a way to limit as to who can use an item by placing conditions on it

That still exists.  RQG p.250+ - and I'd expect any cult, shaman, or sorcerer is going to use these.

[Godlearner]

5 minutes ago, jajagappa said:

That still exists.  RQG p.250+ - and I'd expect any cult, shaman, or sorcerer is going to use these.

Thanks for that, it was not apparent from just reading the Red Book of Magic.

[Akhôrahil]

12 hours ago, Scorus said:

20L/point for someone to cast a rune spell for you, 200L/point if it is one-use. So extrapolating that 200L for each point of power expended in construction.

One intriguing thing here is that a point of POW is worth as much no matter who it comes from, and 200L can maintain a family at Poor standard of living for well over a decade or Free for more than three years. I’m still completely unsure what POW gain looks like for NPCs, but even if they only receive a point or two per decade, if it could be “sold” for 200 L, that would be a huge chunk of income (and yes, you can contribute the POW to someone else’s enchantment). No-one should ever have to beg in the streets if they have POW to spare.

It’s like selling a kidney, except it’s safe, painless, and it grows back.

[French Desperate WindChild]

5 hours ago, Akhôrahil said:

One intriguing thing here is that a point of POW is worth as much no matter who it comes from, and 200L can maintain a family at Poor standard of living for well over a decade or Free for more than three years. I’m still completely unsure what POW gain looks like for NPCs, but even if they only receive a point or two per decade, if it could be “sold” for 200 L, that would be a huge chunk of income (and yes, you can contribute the POW to someone else’s enchantment). No-one should ever have to beg in the streets if they have POW to spare.

It’s like selling a kidney, except it’s safe, painless, and it grows back.

the few points I see are

- the poor need to be initiate (are every one initiates or just happy few npc and the pc ?) to sacrifice for spell (I m not sure you can sell your pow, you sell the spell cast) 

- I m not sure the one use spell (so great secret and powerfull spell) will be given by the local priest to the poor (will the powerful people help the weak people to be powerful and take their position ?)

and for enchantment, you need to be rune level (so you are not poor anymore).

[Akhôrahil]

27 minutes ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

- the poor need to be initiate (are every one initiates or just happy few npc and the pc ?) to sacrifice for spell (I m not sure you can sell your pow, you sell the spell cast) 

Anyone can contribute POW to an enchantment. This is by far the easiest way to spend your POW for someone else.

[Kloster]

2 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

Anyone can contribute POW to an enchantment. This is by far the easiest way to spend your POW for someone else.

Yes. This point is very important: The enchanter has to provide at least 1 point of POW, but all others can be contributed by anybody. And, as some people are today selling a kidney, I perfectly envision someone requesting a payment in exchange of participating a bit of his self to an enchant, if this allows several years of income for him and his family. I don't think they would be numerous, but they would exist. On the other side, I also find normal for the enchanter to compensate for the help he is receiving in his work.

[French Desperate WindChild]

30 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

Anyone can contribute POW to an enchantment. This is by far the easiest way to spend your POW for someone else.

oh I didn't notice that

well the GM has a big job then to avoid munchkinnery

[Goldennose]

On 12/17/2020 at 2:28 AM, Scorus said:

Do you have magical items available for purchase in your game?

Basicly No. If the story needs it, yes. But not if players just want it. Magical items come only by gaining them from adventure one way or another. This is the way in our game.

[Akhôrahil]

2 minutes ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

oh I didn't notice that

well the GM has a big job then to avoid munchkinnery

That’s one part of it, but another is that If we think that these rules actually describe how the world works, then it stands to reason that selling POW would be something that happens. The large supply (but unclear demand) makes me think you should be able to buy POW spends at well under 200 L per point.

[coffeemancer]

1 hour ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

the few points I see are

- the poor need to be initiate (are every one initiates or just happy few npc and the pc ?) to sacrifice for spell (I m not sure you can sell your pow, you sell the spell cast) 

- I m not sure the one use spell (so great secret and powerfull spell) will be given by the local priest to the poor (will the powerful people help the weak people to be powerful and take their position ?)

and for enchantment, you need to be rune level (so you are not poor anymore).

Shouldnt most people be mere lay members?

even if Sartar is exceptionally high in initiates I still think the majority of the population would be lays.

But I wouldnt KNOW

[Kloster]

11 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

That’s one part of it, but another is that If we think that these rules actually describe how the world works, then it stands to reason that selling POW would be something that happens. The large supply (but unclear demand) makes me think you should be able to buy POW spends at well under 200 L per point.

I don't think the offer would be so high. Between the Rune Points, the gifts to Wyters and some diseases, not counting all the people that would not accept selling part of their POW (like I would not , if given choice, sell a part of my body), the enchanters will not have access to a so high number of sellers. And I can't envision (except for jokes) a POW Stock Exchange.

17 minutes ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

well the GM has a big job then to avoid munchkinnery

Easy: Don't provide too many sellers.

Edited December 18, 2020 by Kloster
typing mistake

[Akhôrahil]

Just now, Kloster said:

 And I can't envision (except for jokes) a POW Stock Exchange.

I could, in the Lunar Empire. Institutionalized POW selling seems like a natural outgrowth of the whole thing.

[Kloster]

Just now, Akhôrahil said:

I could, in the Lunar Empire. Institutionalized POW selling seems like a natural outgrowth of the whole thing.

Not thought about that. In fact, Kralorela could also, after rethinking.

[Akhôrahil]

2 minutes ago, Kloster said:

Not thought about that. In fact, Kralorela could also, after rethinking.

Also, such empires might not make it entirely voluntary whether to provide your POW to the national coffers.

[Kloster]

2 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

Also, such empires might not make it entirely voluntary whether to provide your POW to the national coffers.

In that case, it would not be the PSE (POW stock Exchange), but the PRS (POW Recovery Service).

[Brootse]

1 hour ago, Akhôrahil said:

Anyone can contribute POW to an enchantment. This is by far the easiest way to spend your POW for someone else.

Yeah, this was a big mistake imo. Now any poor person could elevate themselves from poverty by selling some POW. Every point is worth 5 years of a cottar's wage. And if every cottar and stickpicker is selling POW its price would fall.

Here are the slave prices from RQG p. 411:

Human Child 35 L
Human Male, Unskilled 100 L
Human Female, Unskilled 75 L
Human, Educated 300 L
Human, Skilled 200 L

Why is a male slave's price only 100L, if an average male slave has 2000L worth of POW?