Morleans Mages Emporium

[only1doug]

An Idea I've had floating about for a while; Inspired to post because of this thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192767).

Morleans Mages Emporium: An exclusive spell component shop.

To become a member you must have the eschew materials feat and pay a membership fee each year. (for which fee you will be given a order book)

all purchases can be rushed to your location, transport price included in cost of purchase.

All components without a price specified by the spell are available for 9sp, you must buy exactly 2 of these each year, no more and no less.

All material components for spells with a price in excess of 1 gp are available at standard cost but for your convenience will only be 1/10th of the normal volume associated.

simply write your order into your order book and when you have acheived the minimum order quantity your order will be sent (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/teleportObject.htm) to you. (order book is the target for the teleport spell).


Thoughts?

[TroubleBrewing]

I don't understand why eschew materials is a prerequisite for membership. If you have the feat, you don't need their services.

[only1doug]

not necessarily, spell components without a published cost can cost anything, including prices over 1 gp making them un-eschewable. Members of MME can therefore guarantee that these items do cost less than 1 gp and therefore they don't need to buy them.

Example:
Mnemonic Enhancer (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mnemonicEnhancer.htm)
Material Component
A piece of string, and ink consisting of squid secretion with black dragon’s blood.
Cost: 9sp at MME

Black Tentacles (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/blackTentacles.htm)
Material Component
A piece of tentacle from a giant octopus or a giant squid.
Cost: 9sp at MME

cost of these components elsewhere: up to GM, very likely to be more than 1 gp due to component rarity / risk in obtaining.

[Feytalist]

I like this idea, if simply for the fluff possibilities, and possible plot hooks (imagine the "retrieval specialists" tasked with finding said piece of tentacle).

I imagine the teleport cost is where the Emporium makes its profits? Surely the shop wouldn't cast hundreds of teleport objects for free?

[only1doug]

I like this idea, if simply for the fluff possibilities, and possible plot hooks (imagine the "retrieval specialists" tasked with finding said piece of tentacle).

I imagine the teleport cost is where the Emporium makes its profits? Surely the shop wouldn't cast hundreds of teleport objects for free?

The shop makes its profits on the difference between its purchace of the items vs its selling price. As far as the adventurer (and the spell) is concerned the item is valued at what the adventurer purchased it for.... 1 grain of silver powder costs 25gp? Oh yes sir, thats the finest quality of grinding, hand ground by beautiful women upon their naked thighs.... special sale price: 25gp.

That tiny flake of diamond is worth 1000gp? Oh no sir, its worth 1300 gp, the 1000gp is our special sale price to you as a repeat customer...

Minimum order cost will cover the cost of teleport object and a handsome profit.

This shop plays with the same concept as the idea that bargaining down the cost of material components is counterproductive.

[Feytalist]

Ah, I was assuming the shop got its components at standard prices as well. Silly me.

This idea could also work quite well with the special components variant in UA. (exotic components to boost spell DC's, etc.) With the price scaled up to match, of course. Heh.

[only1doug]

Ah, I was assuming the shop got its components at standard prices as well. Silly me.

This idea could also work quite well with the special components variant in UA. (exotic components to boost spell DC's, etc.) With the price scaled up to match, of course. Heh.

yup, its an interesting idea. Their buisness plan is sell anything that has no listed price for less than 1 gp (and thus almost never actually "sell" any) and anything with a listed price is price gouged horrifically (1000+ % markup) as the customer doesn't care what he gets as long as it is an item of that broad description that cost him a specific price to buy.

[Douglas]

cost of these components elsewhere: up to GM, very likely to be more than 1 gp due to component rarity / risk in obtaining.
Nope. Unless a cost is given for a material component, the cost is negligible. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/spellDescriptions.htm#components)

[Epsilon Rose]

A question and a suggestion:
1 why do they need to buy exactly 2 components with a list price of 9sp a year?

Perhaps there could be a premium membership (or maybe just part of the standard) that comes with a spell or magic item that lets you instantly place and order and get the components within 1d6(?) rounds?

[only1doug]

Nope. Unless a cost is given for a material component, the cost is negligible. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicOverview/spellDescriptions.htm#components)

would 2 gp be considered a negligable price to a 9th level character? some might argue that it would be.

Not really a problem either way, irrelevent to the true purpose of the shop.


A question and a suggestion:
1 why do they need to buy exactly 2 components with a list price of 9sp a year?

it reinforces the value by ensuring an occasional purchase without requiring large amounts of stock to be maintained


Perhaps there could be a premium membership (or maybe just part of the standard) that comes with a spell or magic item that lets you instantly place and order and get the components within 1d6(?) rounds?

yup thats standard, the order book is a magic item that transfers the order and acts as a focus for the return. Being on the Urgent delivery list could be a surcharge, it does make sense to do so.

I'd go with marking an order as urgent results in your order being sent within 4-10 rounds. (minimum 3 rounds + some quible time even if the staff are fully alert for the order)
standard action to read order, move action to find correct handy haversack.
move action to remove component from haversack. standard action to wrap for transport.
standard action to cast.