'Buying' Epic magic items.

[5ColouredWalker]

A moment occurred to me while talking about epic magic item crafting. Specifically, I said it was a trap without fast plane/wish and one should just go to a planar metropolis (For reference, +11 armor would take 3 years, 3 months and 3 weeks to make, or 1.2 million gp to buy.)

Then I actually checked the Planar Metropolis GP limits based on the Planar Handbook.
'The' Planar metropolis you think of in dnd, Sigil? Price limit of 200K, no epic items for you.
The City of Brass, the biggest hub of trade? 300K, so enough for some of the wondrous items, but no +11 armor for you.
Noticing the MIC, these then get updated to 600K, so enough as long as you don't want an epic weapon or armor.



This means, epic arms and armor are a purely commissioned exercise, which is fair, until I remembered Devils.
A level non-LE character can sell his soul for up to 60% of his WBL all at once, which can be done in items, which means that those sort of items must be lying around in the 9 hells somewhere, or they're able to create them 'on demand'. (Canonically, those items are 'lying around' having been previously acquired by devils and then given to their superiors... Meaning Asmodeus probably has a vault or two of epic items.)

Assuming level 30 is the maximum a person can get (Because that's the highest WBL available, not because that's the case, gods are level 60+.), this would mean that baator would be willing to offer up a item worth 3 million gp for your epic level 30 paladin soul.
Otherwise known as Just enough for a +17 suit of armor or +12 weapon and some pocket change, while there are rules for +20 weapons and armor.

I just thought it'd be an interesting thing to share.

[Calthropstu]

While the city of brass itself might have such a cap, what it offers is INFORMATION. You won't find an epic level item lying around waiting to be sold ANYWHERE. If it became public knowledge an epic level item was in a shop, guess how quickly that shop would be robbed?

Finding an epic level item to buy would require some serious leg work, probably a series of go betweens with the buyer and seller. Mercanes might be the best bet here, if they can't exactly find it, they will at least know where to get something of that caliber, or at least initiate a dialog with someone who does. They will, of course, work out a finders fee for the service.

As far as epic crafters, that's a serious commodity there. Getting access to one to craft such an item for you is going to be almost as difficult as finding such an item for sale. The easiest way of getting an epic item is actually to take it from someone who has one, and this is a fact everyone knows. Epic items are usually well guarded by epic characters who can use such items to their full potential.

[Khedrac]

If you want to buy epic items you go to Union not Sigil. I don't know its price cap, but seeing as the prestige class for its guards (Union Sentinel) requires a BAB of 21 to enter (difficult, even for epic characters) and an epic feat, it tells you that you are now in the right location...

Oh, also consider demons. Zalatar may have a lower item price cap that Sigil, but it is actually several times as wealthy as a whole!

[Âmesang]

This is why I prefer the DUNGEON MASTER'S Guide's suggestion that Sigil has no gold piece limit.

Personally I'm more worried about how one pays for such items; like, if a character literally dumps 600,000 gold pieces, that character ain't getting his item until the shopkeeper has counted out each and every piece…

…which would take about 7 days from beginning to end, assuming one piece per second. :smalltongue: Of course there are platinum pieces, trade bars, favors, gemstones, art objects, &c., but I've come across too many players who completely ignore the more logical solutions and just think they can carry around hundreds of thousands of gold pieces without consequence because, "…it's just a game!" :smallannoyed: I know the rant makes me an ass, but I just find that kind of attitude to be so lazy and boring. Bleah.

[Calthropstu]

This is why I prefer the DUNGEON MASTER'S Guide's suggestion that Sigil has no gold piece limit.

Personally I'm more worried about how one pays for such items; like, if a character literally dumps 600,000 gold pieces, that character ain't getting his item until the shopkeeper has counted out each and every piece…

…which would take about 7 days from beginning to end, assuming one piece per second. :smalltongue: Of course there are platinum pieces, trade bars, favors, gemstones, art objects, &c., but I've come across too many players who completely ignore the more logical solutions and just think they can carry around hundreds of thousands of gold pieces without consequence because, "…it's just a game!" :smallannoyed: I know the rant makes me an ass, but I just find that kind of attitude to be so lazy and boring. Bleah.

See, that's where the buyer having access to divination spells works. "Does the bag of holdin I am recieving contain 600,000 gold pieces not created spontaneously through magical means?"

[Âmesang]

See, I can go with that! :smallsmile: Or even a zone of truth or similar effect.

…but %&#$ the guy who'd try to buy something with literally 6 tons of gold.

[Deadline]

Personally I'm more worried about how one pays for such items; like, if a character literally dumps 600,000 gold pieces, that character ain't getting his item until the shopkeeper has counted out each and every piece

I'm 99% certain that there is a spell which does this instantly. I can't seem to find it right now, but it's a 0 or 1st level spell along the lines of Scholar's Touch and Amanuensis. Does anyone know what spell it is?