Making Money Useful Past Plate with 'Fake' Magic Items

[TigerT20]

Pretty much what it says on the tin

Now, past the fighter buying plate at about level 3, money does not tend to see much use. A way people try to solve this is giving players the option to buy magic items, but this can open up more problems - like why the super-rich big bad isnt loaded in all the latest rare items.

And I kind of thought of a way around this.
The magic items in the DMG and XGtE are largely not for sale. Potions and spell scrolls may be crafted and bought, but asides from healing potions this isnt very common.

However, blacksmiths - like most people - enjoy making money for little to no effort. So what some do is etch some runes in their latest sword or set of armour, pay a wizard to wave his hands about and give it a stamp of authenticity, and then increase the price tenfold because it's a 'magical weapon'.

Now, to adventurers, this is actually useful because the weapon now bypasses resistance to non-magical weapons.
However, you could go further and say sometimes this actually creates something worth using.
So, using the DMG you could make some 'magic items' that a city blacksmith might have a couple of.

Say, 10x the price for a purely magic item, 50x for a minor property, 100x for two, etc.

This keeps magic items special while still making something akin to purchasable magic items. Thoughts?

[Vogie]

One of the things I'm experimenting with is a Path-of-Exile type of loot system.

All +1/+2, etc., armor or weapon items are now "slotted" with that many open slots - a +1 sword is a magic sword with an open gem slot.

Then, you can add gems of additional niche attacks, situational damage or niche spells, minor healing/THP effects, provide ritual castings of a certain spell, et cetera. Each time you insert or remove a gem, it requires a visit to a gemcutter or jeweler for a fee, or a PC can use long periods of downtime (and a large amount of gold) to become a gemcutter or jeweler themselves.

If the characters are literally swimming in gold, look up the Pathfinder Ioun Stone tables for ideas. Paying 1000gp for a Cracked Orange Prism that gives you a cantrip of your choice is a whole lot cheaper than waiting for an ASI to grab magic initiate, even with a 100gp setting fee.

Link to Official Path of Exile Skill Gem Wiki (https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Skill_gem)
Link to Official Pathfinder list of Ioun Stones (https://aonprd.com/MagicWondrous.aspx?FinalSlot=Ioun)

[Segev]

Potions and scrolls are theoretically purchaseable, though way overpriced in my opinion.

Mounts and gear for them, hirelings and gear for them, food and supplies for the same all can cost money.

Higher-level spells have some expensive material components. (Stoneskin really irks me; it's pricey component was somewhat justified in earlier editions when it was a monstrous increase to toughness, but in 5e it's bypassed by "magic" and overlaps with some of the most common tanks' class features.)

You can work money into your campaign plot, too. Buy information from people. Buy expensive housing and set up connections. Maybe higher-quality food or hiring a personal chef to adventure with you gets you starting each day with Inspiration.

And if money really is just exploding out the PCs' ears, the DMG prices on magic items will certainly be a place to sink it.

[col_impact]

Potions and scrolls are theoretically purchaseable, though way overpriced in my opinion.

Mounts and gear for them, hirelings and gear for them, food and supplies for the same all can cost money.

Higher-level spells have some expensive material components. (Stoneskin really irks me; it's pricey component was somewhat justified in earlier editions when it was a monstrous increase to toughness, but in 5e it's bypassed by "magic" and overlaps with some of the most common tanks' class features.)

You can work money into your campaign plot, too. Buy information from people. Buy expensive housing and set up connections. Maybe higher-quality food or hiring a personal chef to adventure with you gets you starting each day with Inspiration.

And if money really is just exploding out the PCs' ears, the DMG prices on magic items will certainly be a place to sink it.

Magic Mouth is a good money sink.

[Tanarii]

If your players really can't think of a way to spend gold other than magic items, there are downtime rules for purchasing magic items in Xanathars.

[HappyDaze]

Just because you bought a suit of plate doesn't mean it lasts forever, particularly not when worn by an adventurer regularly putting it through hellish conditions. It's not unreasonable to require mundane items to be replaced from time to time even if they get a regular casting of mending.

[Bubzors]

Some people put a lot of thought into this and came up with this:

https://amp.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/3dzvsq/sane_magical_item_prices_now_in_convenient_pdf/&ved=2ahUKEwj1ibe6pdLoAhUhmHIEHe9WAcsQFjAAegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw3DDcHfRdleofRcQMd1mOjL

Honestly does a pretty good job on the pricing. Then as DM basically just tell them that in major cities they can find potions and scrolls, but any other magic item has to be run past the DM. That way you can stop then from getting +2 armor if you want, while still allowing purchase of magical items.

Honestly I've used it for like 2 years now and it works way better than just denying the purchase of items or some random makeshift thing you come up with at the last minute

[Renvir]

I've been using the Strongholds and Followers book as a money sink for my players. It may not work for all settings but if you don't mind the players building strongholds it'll give them something to spend their money on. The nice thing is they get rp and mechanical benefits for doing so. That bit of motivation can help keep gold valuable after armor and spells are accounted for.

[Zetakya]

It depends on the setting, but higher-level adventurers who are needing to interact with important people will probably have to spend some of their gold on means to gain the access they need. Are they doing that by bribery, or by seeking to become nobility, or by temple donations?

Also, Diamonds don't grow on trees.

Failing all that, hit them with a dread enemy that they have never seen before: A level 1 Human with the job "Royal Tax Official". :smallannoyed:

[HappyDaze]

Also, Diamonds don't grow on trees.

I'm sure there is at least one planar location that would prove that statement to be factually incorrect.

[SpawnOfMorbo]

In the white room combat = encounter gotta have the highest DPS at every turn type games... I guess money has no value past level 3.

But in a campaign where you give your players a reason to need money, then money suddenly becomes valuable.

A murderhobo may not need money, but a party raising funds to pay off a foreign leader so that their rogue's father can go free certainly would need additional funds. (Hint: Haley)

A group that is trying to use money to manipulate the government, would need to keep the cash flowing.

A party that has a base of operations and people working for them will need to make sure not only that those people stay safe, but they get their paycheck.

Party burns down the store? Insurance agent is coming to collect from them.

Get too many parking tickets and fail to appear to court?

Money is a social abstract, it's no wonder why it doesn't work very well with the murderhobo mentality.

[trtl]

Maybe I'm just slow, but isn't this just purchasable magic items? Sure, your emphasizing that the are magic items with relatively weak affects, but it's still just purchasing magic items.

Not that I have a problem with that, all but the most powerful magic items are available, for a price, in my current game.

I just don't understand what you are trying to say.