How often do you give new weapons to your party? And question about shops in towns.

[HeatCliff]

As thread name says - how often is good to give party new weapon? And what is relation of level of item to level of PC(like +1 is for 1-7, +2 for 8-16 etc.)
And second question is - can magic items appear in town shops? I think other parties can sell their staff to shop so it can be.

[DireSickFish]

I usually give the party a magic weapon for everyone that uses weapons by the time they hit level 5. Being able to overcome damage reduction is a big deal. And I also integrate them into the story and have them be plot relevant items, or rewards for major quests. Magic weapons are often more remembered and focal than other magical gear.

My games tend not to go to high level so I rarely end up giving out more than a magic weapon to each player.

[Sigreid]

1. Depends on what I intend to put them through. I know that's not terribly helpful.

2. It is possible, but items will either be bought quickly by the rich or sold to a caravan heading to where the rich can be found. I like the Xanathar method for finding magic items for sale, actually.

[hex37]

I give magic items all the time, but things that greatly aid in combat are a rarer and tend to only be found after a Boss-encounter is over. I think it allows players to be original with what they DO get. A Decanter of Endless water is the perfect example. It is barely feasible in combat... Until you're facing vampires and spend your turns spraying it on the floor under them.

[Sigreid]

I give magic items all the time, but things that greatly aid in combat are a rarer and tend to only be found after a Boss-encounter is over. I think it allows players to be original with what they DO get. A Decanter of Endless water is the perfect example. It is barely feasible in combat... Until you're facing vampires and spend your turns spraying it on the floor under them.

The decanter is no joke my favorite and most sought magic item when I'm a player.

[DireSickFish]

The decanter is no joke my favorite and most sought magic item when I'm a player.

I'm really stingy with utility items. A folding boat can break a game in half.

[Sigreid]

I'm really stingy with utility items. A folding boat can break a game in half.

It's a fun irony that the combat gear everyone frets after can be much less disruptive than some of the more harmless looking items.

[hex37]

I'm really stingy with utility items. A folding boat can break a game in half.

But think of the possibilities- Toss it folded, then activate it mid-flight to throw a boat at someone! You can say the boat breaks after that is attempted, but that one time it happened would become an awesome highlight the party would remember.

Edit: The only time I'm stingy is with multiple 'objects of holding lots of stuff'. One is invaluable to the party. Two? Two is a one-way ticket to getting your BBEG sent to the astral plane.

[mephnick]

Magic weapons don't even enter my loot tables until level 5 and there's like a 1/20 chance of getting one from a hoard...so not very often. Characters can have them forged for huge cost.

I'm not a fan of handing magic weapons to everyone at or before level 5 because it completely removes the point of physically resistant enemies. You don't run into many of these until 5+ and if everyone just suddenly gets gifted magic weapons those monsters aren't special at all. Fighting something resistant to physical damage at level 6 should make that one guy with a magic sword feel awesome, not make everyone in the party shrug their shoulders because the DM throws out magic weapons like candy.

[GlenSmash!]

I like it when magic items are rare, and feel special. One per player at level 5 isn't bad, but I don't think I'd make them all weapons.

As far as shops go, it will vary vastly by setting. In my setting you wouldn't see magic items for sale it most shops, though you might find the sale of them brokered between the very rich and powerful.

[Unoriginal]

Magic item shops make sense for not-that-rare items and consumable ones, provided the area has enough money to support that kind of things.

For example, Wakanga's shop in Tomb of Annihilation sells spell scrolls up to the 2nd lvl spells, and he knows the formulas for +1 weapons and shields. Might not sound impressive, maybe, but Wakanga is one of the Merchant Princes and in the top 5 richest people in the city, beating even the temple of the goddess of money.

In other places, like a decent-sized town, you might have a shop that sell healing potions, magic focuses and ingredients to fill component pouches, books on occult matters, various curios, some scrolls, and rarely a couple Common or Uncommon magic items. Or maybe the best smith in the region knows how to craft Moon-Touched Swords, or there is a famous instrument maker who knows to make Instrument of the Bard, etc.

[JPicasso]

Outside of potions, some scrolls, material components, and some one-charge misc items (very low powered) I don't have any magic items for sale. Magic items are used as reward for doing deeds in my games. I.e. save the village, receive the treasured dagger or amulet, or map to treasure, or whatnot. If the owner of a magic shoppe had something of value that the PCs wanted, he would rather trade for favors or other magic items, not just gold.

However, I like to award every character an item (or familiar or crazy wildshape shape) early on that can grow with them, and who's powers are realized as they level up.

[Captn_Flounder]

I roll for everything. For dungeons I'll pre-roll 20 hoards and roll for which one the inhabitants have. Then I distribute it accordingly. Potions will be on the Patrol Leaders, ready for use. That Sun Sword is held by the Cult Leader or his faithful bodyguard. Rolled a Cloak of Elvenkind? Good luck spotting that assassin. Gems are either locked away or would be given out, rarely, to their most loyal and competent followers.

For quest rewards I write down 19 appropriate items of proper rarity and that could have reasonable fell into the quest giver's hands and makes sense for the challenge level of the dungeon, etc. 20 is two items. Some of the 19 may be a hoard's worth of scrolls/potions.

Pretty much try to keep Magic Items magical with rarity and they always have an in-game reason to be there, even if the players kill the holder before figuring it out. Not counting Potions/Scrolls, my players are half way to level 5 and all their Magic Items are a Driftglobe, Cap of Water Breathing, and a Folding Boat.

Randomness keeps everything fresh and less formulaic, and makes magic items feel special. Like, this is the village elder's most valued possession, probably the only magic item he has ever come across, and although impractical, he has held onto this Folding Boat for years. He must really need our help to offer it as a reward for finding those children who have been wandering into the woods to that old ruins by the moonlight never to return.

Would never sell magic items unless its a really big deal. Like, another adventuring party comes across something they can't really use so they come to my party's Guildhouse (one of them got gifted a title of Manor Lordling and a sizable plot of land as a quest reward so they oversee about 8 sizable farms and an ever-expanding village in their off-time). Most adventurers wouldn't bother though, unless they were desperate. And then they are probably more likely to offer a quest than sell it outright. Adventurers are extremely greedy, after all.

[jojo]

I usually give the party a magic weapon for everyone that uses weapons by the time they hit level 5. Being able to overcome damage reduction is a big deal. And I also integrate them into the story and have them be plot relevant items, or rewards for major quests. Magic weapons are often more remembered and focal than other magical gear.

My games tend not to go to high level so I rarely end up giving out more than a magic weapon to each player.

In general I tend not to "give" my parties anything. In particular I don't usually make magic items widely available but that is highly dependent on whether the campaign in question is "high" or "low" magic. Even in a high magic campaign the party isn't going to be tripping over magic weapons and enchanted armors but rather things like potions and scrolls will be more widely available alongside utility items such as bags of holding.

Widespread availability of magical weapons in particular discourages creative problem solving by party members. In 5E it's also important keep in mind the wide range of options available to parties from level 5 upward to overcome damage resistance. Monks, several Clerics and Druids for instance get built-in magical attacks while Sorcerers, Wizards, Warlocks and Bards have strong ability to de-buff and/or deal fire/thunder/force damage which isn't resisted anyway. Paladins can lay on the Divine Fury as can, as of Xan's, certain Barbarian builds.

Does the Fighter need a magic sword? Eventually yes. But by the time that this becomes an insurmountable problem far more flavorful and interesting options should be open to said Fighter, such as a Frost Brand, Flame Tongue or similar weapon, which the character is going to be much more attached to and generally will end up enjoying a whole lot more.

Does the Sorcerer need a magic crossbow? Absolutely not. It might be something enjoyable but ultimately it's not going to improve the experience for the player.

Does a Rogue need a magic short sword? Maybe, usually not. They'll certainly enjoy something more unique like a Dagger of Venom or a Sword of Wounding if they earn it.

As far as buying and selling magical items? I like the rules found in Xan's guide for this, as well as the rules for crafting. The latter is something I'm much more willing to encourage on a commission basis because it's more likely than not to create opportunities for adventure and therefore engage the party in the game in a meaningful way than the alternatives. Find an Enchanter for instance, and well they'll probably be more than willing to provide skilled labor... in kind of course. If they could have gotten the materials they'd have already enchanted the item and sold it for profit wouldn't they? If they really needed gold they could have cast a few dozen spells, or opened a laundromat with their mending cantrip couldn't they? A new tome to study, currently in the hands of a salty cultist that's unwilling to deal? Well that's a favor of a different flavor isn't it? Now we can start talking about cooking this turkey my friend...


It's a fun irony that the combat gear everyone frets after can be much less disruptive than some of the more harmless looking items.

I almost never go for the weapons and armor myself. Our last two games, each with half a dozen players, have allowed for a rare and an uncommon item per player. Out of all that (24 total magic items) I've seen exactly 3 magic weapons/armors, one of which was mine because the DM disallowed, in alphabetical order:

Daern's Instant Fortress, Figurine of Wonderous Power (Goats of Terror...), Folding Boat, Horn of Valhalla, Good Luck Stone and so on and so forth until I just took a Flame-Tongue Scimitar so that I'd be able to at least light things on fire at-will with my Sorcadin without having to waste a cantrip on fire bolt. Due to my faction I already had a Silvered Weapon, and therefore the ability to over-come Damage Resistance, so what use did I have for a +1 Magic Sword? None. Given that this character can cast Booming Blade I ended up gifting the silver sword to a two-weapon fighting Ranger rather than hoarding it.

My Rogue's Cloak of Displacement and Good Luck Stones in the other game in question? Good luck, you can take those off of my cold, dead corpse friend.

Contrast this to the party I'm running ToA for, they just managed to acquire an Alchemy Jug - 15 sessions in, at level 3 - and they are absolutely in love with it. They ran a literal gauntlet of pain, misery and attempted betrayal to get to this thing and loved every second. Now that they have it the party uses the thing almost constantly for a variety of creative and comedic relief purposes that I'd never have dreamt of at the slightest excuse. Will one of them find a magic weapon eventually? Probably. Will they enjoy or appreciate it half as much as they love that mostly useless jug? Not a chance in hell.

[Blacky the Blackball]

As thread name says - how often is good to give party new weapon? And what is relation of level of item to level of PC(like +1 is for 1-7, +2 for 8-16 etc.)

I tend to roughly stick to the DMG guidelines:

Uncommon items (e.g. weapon +1) start being found at level 2
Rare items (e.g. armour +1) start being found at level 6
Very Rare items start being found at level 11
Legendary items start being found at level 16

I've actually put together my own set of 4e-style "Treasure Parcels" that I use, and they ensure that parties don't end up with too much or too little treasure. I tie them into milestone experience in that the "milestone" that triggers an increase in level is the acquisition of the final parcel for the party's current level.

My Treasure Parcels follow the guidelines in the DMG for when characters should be finding items in terms of quality of items found, and they're broadly in line with what you find on the DMG random treasure tables in terms of quantity of items found, so I'm confident that the amount of treasure I give out is appropriate.


And second question is - can magic items appear in town shops? I think other parties can sell their staff to shop so it can be.

I don't tend to put them directly in shops, but I have brokers who don't hold inventory but who do know what's on the market and can find you what you want (or find you a buyer if you're selling).

I tend to run a high-magic campaign where most cities have Teleportation Circles, so it's easy for a network of dealers to have the sort of "grapevine" that allows a seller in one city to be put in touch with a buyer from half way across the continent; and the item can be almost instantly transported across a similar distance.

[EvilAnagram]

I usually give the party a magic weapon for everyone that uses weapons by the time they hit level 5. Being able to overcome damage reduction is a big deal. And I also integrate them into the story and have them be plot relevant items, or rewards for major quests. Magic weapons are often more remembered and focal than other magical gear.

My games tend not to go to high level so I rarely end up giving out more than a magic weapon to each player.

I usually hand out only a single magic item by then. I will usually front load a few creatures whose resistances can be overcome using silver, cold iron, or fire so that they have some solid levels of having to scrounge and work to overcome resistance. Around level 5, they get a magic weapon, with a few other magic items in the meantime. By level 8, they get another one or two.

[Darth Ultron]

A new mundane weapon? Well, every time they fight a humanoid foe.

For magic weapons, I have weak ones as uncommon. Once the game gets around 5th level, foes will start to have them. But mostly weak ones, that can do cantrip level magic or less. The good stuff the players must adventure for and find.

I like ''weapons as treasure'' and don't really like the ''dozes of magic weapons pile'', so I often go with the idea of more Unique Weapons. Flame Burn is a +1 battle axe of flaming, that can also shoot flames and burn/destroy items. Often I will tailor a weapon to a foe or a reason for creation.


My world is full of magic shops....but they mostly only sell common items, mostly of no combat value. Still a 'flask of endless water' is a magic item of value. To buy 'real' magic items is more like a private, appointment only and by referral, type business.

In a general sense, I want the characters to adventure for items.

Also, I use my own magic item creation rules where the whole group must adventure together to make an item.

[Arkhios]

I think the level of PC in relation to a level of an item is, purely based on the bonus, as follows:

1st to 4th level: no bonus
5th to 10th level: +1 bonus
11th to 16th level: +2 bonus
17th to 20th level: +3 bonus

Generally, I think that if you want to give a +X weapon to a character at a level below an appropriate "tier", that weapon should have a drawback. Like the Sword of Vengeance, which is a +1 weapon but also Cursed.

Although I tend to roll the loot for my players, if they haven't found at least one magic item each until around level 4, I might choose an appropriate item for each character from the book and drop it at a convenient location. Also, I think a good point to give out +1 to +3 weapons are the encounters that have a distinct meaning for the story and likely serve as the "gateways" from the previous "tier" to the next.

For example, when we had just hit 5th level, the DM gave my paladin Dragonslayer (a +1 sword, that deals +3d6 extra damage against dragons) just moments before we were attacked by a recurring black dragon. (The fight was over very quickly, as I managed to land two critical hits on subsequent turns - which I obviously used as a chance to burn my 2nd level slots for divine smites! xD still ...it was glorious to roll 6d6+8d8+2d4*, twice in two rounds! *I had Divine Favor rolling, as I always do when I'm able)

[EvilAnagram]

A new mundane weapon? Well, every time they fight a humanoid foe.

For magic weapons, I have weak ones as uncommon. Once the game gets around 5th level, foes will start to have them. But mostly weak ones, that can do cantrip level magic or less. The good stuff the players must adventure for and find.

I like ''weapons as treasure'' and don't really like the ''dozes of magic weapons pile'', so I often go with the idea of more Unique Weapons. Flame Burn is a +1 battle axe of flaming, that can also shoot flames and burn/destroy items. Often I will tailor a weapon to a foe or a reason for creation.


My world is full of magic shops....but they mostly only sell common items, mostly of no combat value. Still a 'flask of endless water' is a magic item of value. To buy 'real' magic items is more like a private, appointment only and by referral, type business.

In a general sense, I want the characters to adventure for items.

Also, I use my own magic item creation rules where the whole group must adventure together to make an item.

I like quite a bit of this approach. Typically, I prefer to reward players with a magic weapon after an adventure, then increase its power as the player uses it. I like weapons to grow with the players. Magic item shops should be for wondrous items and potions.

[DireSickFish]

Magic weapons don't even enter my loot tables until level 5 and there's like a 1/20 chance of getting one from a hoard...so not very often. Characters can have them forged for huge cost.

I'm not a fan of handing magic weapons to everyone at or before level 5 because it completely removes the point of physically resistant enemies. You don't run into many of these until 5+ and if everyone just suddenly gets gifted magic weapons those monsters aren't special at all. Fighting something resistant to physical damage at level 6 should make that one guy with a magic sword feel awesome, not make everyone in the party shrug their shoulders because the DM throws out magic weapons like candy.

I ran a low level session with a rotating group (so I didn't know who would be at my table). Wanted to run Wearwolves before the party could overcome their damage resistance. Part of the quest was going to be getting Silvered weapons to overcome it. Problem was that only the Barbarian really cared as the rest all were spellcasters or had ways to innately overcome the DR. So it just felt punishing to the melee character for no reason, so I like to give them an opportunity to earn a magic weapon to keep up with the rest of the group.

In another game the party had to fight some Salamanders and they'd tangled with them before so knew about their resistance. They talked the city into letting them borrow a magic weapon for the Barbarian because without it they didn't think they could take a large amount of Salamanders. At the end of the adventure the Barbarian got a magic hammer that was directly tied to the main plot.

So, I defiantly like them being story focuses. Not just handing out +1 weapons at random. But the party can skew heavily toward spellcasters if you don't let the martial characters get over that hump around level 5-6. And I don't want to discourage martial characters.

[BeefGood]

Idea: non magical weapons with to hit and/or damage bonuses. Exceptionally well made, more expensive, perhaps not available at all stores. The bonuses are because of the superior craftsmanship, materials, etc.
Can anyone see problems with this?

[DireSickFish]

Idea: non magical weapons with to hit and/or damage bonuses. Exceptionally well made, more expensive, perhaps not available at all stores. The bonuses are because of the superior craftsmanship, materials, etc.
Can anyone see problems with this?

You're leaving martial out to dry against creatures with magic damage resistance?

[EvilAnagram]

You're leaving martial out to dry against creatures with magic damage resistance?
Personally, I feel that if you remove the damage resistance too soon, it might as well not exist.

[DireSickFish]

Personally, I feel that if you remove the damage resistance too soon, it might as well not exist.

Sure. It can be cool, but it can also be punishing. And giving the melee guy a +2 sword that won't break DR makes him stronger against things without resistance and the spellcasters will carry the weight against things with resistance. So, I guess that could be alright.

But there isn't much besides Golems and Raksashas that make spellcasters feel inept and the martial shine. Or at least there isn't a element as ubiquitous as damage resistance and immunity to non-magic weapons.

[mephnick]

s Golems and Raksashas that make spellcasters feel inept and the martial shine. Or at least there isn't a element as ubiquitous as damage resistance and immunity to non-magic weapons.

It is a bit unbalanced in 5e considering how ubiquitous magic damage is, given so many subclasses have magical abilities. However, the largest single target damage is by far done by martial characters, so I find it generally evens out (at least in 1st and 2nd tier) in fights with a few tough enemies with DR. In my experience, if the party martials struggle doing their thing, the whole party struggles and valuable resources get flushed down the toilet. Sure the mages can cast control spells, but you have to kill the things at some point and cantrips aren't gonna cut it. If they use their higher spell slots on damage, that's a pretty poor trade over the course of an adventuring day. Someone's always got Magic Weapon at the ready. It may just work out in my specific type of game though and I can definitely see how a single martial character in a group of mages could feel put out.

[EvilAnagram]

Sure. It can be cool, but it can also be punishing. And giving the melee guy a +2 sword that won't break DR makes him stronger against things without resistance and the spellcasters will carry the weight against things with resistance. So, I guess that could be alright.

But there isn't much besides Golems and Raksashas that make spellcasters feel inept and the martial shine. Or at least there isn't a element as ubiquitous as damage resistance and immunity to non-magic weapons.

Any time you deal with a big ol' bag of hit points, the martials become MVP for the encounter. Even if a well-placed disabling spell alters the battlefield, a single lucky turn from a rogue or fighter can wipe out a major enemy. The damage resistance simply moderates this tendency, and in my experience it leads to creative thinking.

[furby076]

There is a saying:
To the victor, go the spoils...
To the powergamers, go everything...
To Ebay, where it all ends up....

In that notion, at the point magic items exist and can be found or made, people who don't want a certain item "What am i gonna do with a pike+1, im a wizard", people will trade or sell. While every dm is welcome to run the game however they like, there are costs listed in the various books. You can certainly deviate from them "+1 sword costs the same as making a castle", but take into consideration what your players want. This is a fantasy game, and if they get their kicks by having cool magic items then pony those puppies up! Have fun with it. Jack up the encounters to account or it (they won't know). It's not that hard to make challenging encounters to players who have serious magic items. Now, that doesn't mean a level 5 paladin should have a holy avenger, but that also doesn't mean the paladin should be running around in leather armor (unless you are running darksun, in which case leather armor is like full plate)

[Tanarii]

I roll on the tables. But my parties don't expect to get exactly 7 hoards in Tier 1. Because they aren't a single party adventuring together, I had to figure out a different way to distribute them

Still, the chances of finding a magic weapon in Tier 1 is small. On average, it's only about 5% chance to find a magic weapon in a Tier 1 hoard. If you hand out 7 hoards as expected, I think that works out to: a party will expect to find 1 magic weapon about 50% of the time, 2+ about 20% of the time (usually just 2).

That means a typical level 5 party probably has one magic weapon between them, with a smaller chance of two.

Tier 2 the chance of finding a magic weapon in a hoard only goes up to like 8% or so. Of course, since you're looking at a whopping 18 hoards over the span of the Tier the odds are a nice 75% chance you'll find one or more (with still good chances of 2-3 or more).

(Note I'm not counting magic staves. Also numbers are very rough, since I'm working off chance of getting a weapon on a suitable times 2.5 on the 1d4 rolls. That's not precise by any means.)

[ZorroGames]

Back in OD&D in 1974-1975 I was called behind my back “Dagger DM” because I tended to give +1 daggger equivalent weapons in low level monster hoards (usually copper pieces and low value gems.)

Laughed when I heard it because I knew junior high aged Monte Haul DMs where you might get 1-3 thousand GPs and a plus 3 sword on a wandering monster pack of plain old rats. Half the fun was donating said items to an impoverished temple at the end game.

[Afrodactyl]

I tend to make mundane weapons quite accessible; any sizable towns will have an armoury/smith, and the party are free to scavenge armour and weapons from the dead.

In terms of magical gear, I tend to make them quite rare and the party have to work for it. I'm happy to dish out very minor magic items a bit more willy-nilly, but they're more things like the common magic items from xanathars guide.

A big city might have a magic shop, but I always present it as more of a "curio and doohickey" shop, and they don't really find out much from the shopkeep about what the items actually do unless it's a spell scroll and the party usually pays through the nose for it. For example, our barbarian went in and asked for "something to make him stronger and tougher", and eventually left the place with three "magical" sausage links, which after some investigation from the party Wizard and ranger established them to be made from troll flesh. So the barbarian had a regenerating food source (as long as he didn't cook the entire thing) that gave him very minor regeneration.

[Roderack]

I use two criteria, one more important early in the campaign, the other governing over the long term.

I run "rich magic" worlds. That means that in major cities there are guilds and churches where, if you have enough coin, you can buy common and uncommon scrolls, potions, and various once use items. There are armorers and weapon smiths who, in cooperation with various races and magic users, produce +1 and +2 items of armor and weapons which you can buy if you have the coin. Large towns also have decent availability and, if I roll really well you just might find a true artisan, wizard, or cleric, who has something pretty interesting to sell you. Assuming of course you have the coin, or can be convinced to do someone a really large favor that just might get you killed.

So in the beginning it is the experience of my players that determines the characters initial access to magical items, especially armor, weapons and rings. When someone has been playing for years and has perfected their style of play, an heirloom item or perhaps two is a good way to enhance their ability to use their creativity.

Once the party is establish and they are entrenched in the world, then the availability of magic is directly proportional to the lethality of the mission upon which they're embarked. After the first 3 or 4, levels are hard earned in my worlds. So after you make level 4, you might play for nine months before you're sniffing at level seven or eight. If your characters are facing a serious possibility of dying, then if you succeed the rewards reflect the risk. The initial injection of magical items sort of pre-preps the group through level 4, and if the dice roll really well they may get a treat or two. Around level five, a successful result which they survive generally awards upgrades to their magical items across the boards. Something for everyone, but the risk always makes the reward seem to fall a bit short.

Unique very powerful magical items, that can bend the worlds reality, are generally the subject of specific missions that may take many runs to achieve. The opportunity doesn't come often, success is uncertain, and the lethality reflects the power of the item they seek.

So lots of magical items, but items of significant power are rare and damned dangerous to acquire. The medieval world was pretty boring. My worlds are worlds of magic and mystery in a medieval time frame, much more fun for all involved. Plus if I want to introduce a magical nemesis, magic is common enough that, while it might cause the party endless challenges, it's not hard to justify.

[Asmotherion]

Any time they are in town, they can basically buy weapons. They can also realistically loot any weapon from their enemies. Weapons get torn over time, and unless they maintain them (either magically with mending or some other spells, or regularlly with aclual blacksmithing), they will eventually be having trouble.

They can also sell looted gear for extra gold, but depending were they get to, they could also get in trouble for it. A fence is their best choice, since selling a massive amound of arms to a blacksmith may make them suspects for smuggling weapons into town (how did they get the weapons into town in the first place?).

I don't give Magic Weapons with enhancments to my players unless they are a Class Feature, or heavily tied to their backstory. If I do, it's going to be the same weapon, that if going to "level up" with them, through the narrative (for example, discovering a gem that, when put into the sword's handle, makes the +1Sword a +2Sword, at level 11).

All in all, anything that is beyond Uncommon magic items, I'd probably include 1 Artifact that would be tied to the Campain, and discuss a single magic items with each player that they really want, to include in the campain, that they may or may not end up having, depending on how they handle their side-quests. Other than that, Consumable Magic items, or McGuffins that they virtually have no chance of actually getting (if they actually do get them, I applauad them, since they actually earned them).

Magic Items you buy at shops, are meant to either give you a single use magical effect (in the form of scrolls, potions etc), enhance your role playing experiance (such as the pipe of smoking monsters), or some minor utility.

At least it's how I DM things on my table, and the feedback I want to provide.