I disagree with some of the opinions in this thread about magic shops. If nothing else, it gives me a wonderful excuse to grab The Bazaar of the Bizarre from Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. A magic shop doesn't have to be a list of items for a set gold value. It could be a tricky devil who amassed all sorts of wonders, and willing to part for them for a steep price of gold and/or blood. And I see that similar things have been mentioned earlier as well.

That's not even getting into settings like Eberron, which really moved away from Medieval Europe and more Post World War I Europe. In this case, the magic itself is fairly mundane and monetized, where everyone has access to magical conveniences and magical flaming longswords are turned down an assembly line. I realize that this may not be to the liking of some, but I personally feel that it's a really interesting take on how magic can work in things like D&D. And, at least in comparison to games like Warhammer Fantasy or Call of Cthulu, magic in D&D was always much more safe and tame. I'd definitely look askance at a magic shop in Warhammer Fantasy, but then again, most likely you'd be looking askance at pretty much any magic item.

Quote from: TristramEvans;593360It'd be interesting to have a setting where magic items are incredibly common, but non-magical items are precious and rare. Maybe eevery magic item is inhabited by its own daemon, so it has its own personality, foibles, etc. So actually getting a hold of a sword or a plow that does what its supposed to all the time and doesnt talk back or throw tantrums is a relief.

Have you read the Discworld books? It's a running joke that one of the characters has a Perfectly Ordinary Sword, making it strange and exotic to everyone else.

Quote from: Melan;593278And this is how I also handle it. A ''magic shop'' is a curio store: a place with a stuffed crocodile, a dusty crystal ball, herbs and spices, an ugly-looking idol, dusty books, old carpets with embroidered stars, and--
-- did you say special merchandise? Here is a pouchful of black lotus: harvested by blind slaves in the deepest jungles. That brass box was recovered from one of the ruined cities on the Plain of Glass, and five men have died to bring it here safely. What does it contain? A mystery; the seals are still unbroken. This here is a magical scimitar: it cuts through sinew and bone like butter. I would not brave the wilderness without it. And I also have a box with these three flasks - one of the drinks restores health and vigour; the second provides a tremendous boost of strength; and the third is an antidote to any poison or disease. Mind that statue, Sir: it kills without notice if bothered. Nasty thing, but useful against thieves. Very good. Which of the above interests you? Or do you wish to sell something? The usurers at the temple will pay within three days if we strike a bargain.

Perfect!

I view 'mundane' magic items like expensive camping gear from REI or something.  Expensive propane stove that fits in a pack, fancy GPS, camp tools from a German cutler that no one ever heard of...  But getting an H&K MP5?  Full SWAT armour? Mortars?  Not in this part of town.

It is my personal preference to never use them. I permit people to build their own devices, be they technology, mystic or psychic in nature, but there is no magical Wal-Mart in my stories, save for very powerful areas, such as the Empire of Sorcery, where it is possible to commission items for the right price (and that is never money).

What few items are available are very common and weak, such as basic elixirs of health, minor restorative items, and similar goods. Part of the wonder of the more powerful items is their rarity, and the story (and possibly curse) that follows them.

If you deprive your players of those aspects, then all mystical items slowly become cheap gimmicks; besides, finding such items, or questing after the materials with which to construct them is part of the adventure.

So, What do you guys who don't have magic shops do with items that are unwanted? Like, a +2 trident or gnomish platemail that you find and you have no gnomes? The stuff I have in my magic shops are never the prime items. If I roll a staff of the magi, a ring of regeneration or a vorpal sword, I'd never actually place it in there. Who the heck would actually sell that?

Quote from: Doctor Doom;593593So, What do you guys who don't have magic shops do with items that are unwanted? Like, a +2 trident or gnomish platemail that you find and you have no gnomes? The stuff I have in my magic shops are never the prime items. If I roll a staff of the magi, a ring of regeneration or a vorpal sword, I'd never actually place it in there. Who the heck would actually sell that?

If you're stingy enough, and I am, unwanted magic items aren't a thing.

Quote from: Doctor Doom;593593So, What do you guys who don't have magic shops do with items that are unwanted? Like, a +2 trident or gnomish platemail that you find and you have no gnomes? The stuff I have in my magic shops are never the prime items. If I roll a staff of the magi, a ring of regeneration or a vorpal sword, I'd never actually place it in there. Who the heck would actually sell that?

You hand it to your henchman. If you don't have a henchman, you hand it to the duke and explain how much you want to be his good friend, because sometimes you find marvelous things that really ought to go to a good friend's home. Hopefully he eventually gives you land and an estate somewhere, because there aren't a whole lot of banks in faux-feudal-Eurolandia, and coins are heavy. You either keep your stash in a well-guarded domicile or you simply cannot carry half the hoards you find. Gems and jewelry? Great. Just try to get them converted to and from cash without losing 50% of the value each time, since quick-selling enormously valuable objects always takes a loss even in the best cases.

For Spears of the Dawn, there are no magic shops. A particular crafter, whether a nganga, marabout, or superlatively skilled normal crafter, can only ever fashion five permanent magic items in their lifetime, and most of them never get good enough to even try. Moreover, every permanent magic item is that way by virtue of a spirit imbuing it, and those spirits expect to be treated respectfully. Buying one for a sack of gold is a great way to suddenly get a cursed weapon. They expect to be given as rewards to mighty heroes, gifted to loyal friends, offered as tribute to lords, used as tokens marking important alliances, or otherwise used as markers of significance

If you want to have one made to order, you need to find a nganga powerful enough to do it, willing to expend his limited spiritual energy, and provided with a heroic-enough reason for needing the object that the newly-fashioned item isn't going to become cursed the minute the nganga hands it over.

Limited-use magic items such as potions, spirit tokens, or fetish sticks can be made somewhat more freely, and every nganga worth his salt knows how to make a fairly large collection of subtly-effective amulets and extracts, but again, the people who can make anything but basic adventuring staples tend to avoid towns, dislike interruptions, and demand enormous amounts of cash to do anything at all.

A magic shop might make some sense in certain settings, but I tend to not use them. In a low magic setting I just let the roleplay determine what makes sense. An npc mage might be willing to barter or sell an item, or a shopkeeper might have a magic item he aqquired.

But I am not ovely fond of actual magic shops.

Quote from: Melan;593278And this is how I also handle it. A ''magic shop'' is a curio store: a place with a stuffed crocodile, a dusty crystal ball, herbs and spices, an ugly-looking idol, dusty books, old carpets with embroidered stars, and--

I take it a step further. Magic shops, such as they are, are the kinds of places that you never noticed were there, and when you go back for a refund the entire premises is no longer at that address. They usually have a sinister subtext, and a lot of what you can pick up there has a double edge. The kinds of places that can't be found unless they want to be found. And the kinds of places you won't be able to loot without stepping outside to find you're actually in a hell dimension.

Alternatively I have secret magical auctions like on Angel or Supernatural, invitation only, it's possible that the PCs might never be invited, but rather buy and sell through trusted agents or fences. Security likewise would be very tight. Magical items are rare and valued, and so might "normally" only otherwise be found in a royal vault or similarly well protected area.

Quote from: Gib;593602If you're stingy enough, and I am, unwanted magic items aren't a thing.

Aye.

Quote from: Melan;593278And this is how I also handle it. A ''magic shop'' is a curio store: a place with a stuffed crocodile, a dusty crystal ball, herbs and spices, an ugly-looking idol, dusty books, old carpets with embroidered stars, and--
-- did you say special merchandise? Here is a pouchful of black lotus: harvested by blind slaves in the deepest jungles. That brass box was recovered from one of the ruined cities on the Plain of Glass, and five men have died to bring it here safely. What does it contain? A mystery; the seals are still unbroken. This here is a magical scimitar: it cuts through sinew and bone like butter. I would not brave the wilderness without it. And I also have a box with these three flasks - one of the drinks restores health and vigour; the second provides a tremendous boost of strength; and the third is an antidote to any poison or disease. Mind that statue, Sir: it kills without notice if bothered. Nasty thing, but useful against thieves. Very good. Which of the above interests you? Or do you wish to sell something? The usurers at the temple will pay within three days if we strike a bargain.

You have expressed the Platonic ideal of how magic shops should be handled. I can only quote you and say "I agree."

Quote from: Paper Monkey;593538Have you read the Discworld books? It's a running joke that one of the characters has a Perfectly Ordinary Sword, making it strange and exotic to everyone else.

I've read some of them a while ago. I don't recall the POS, but I do recall at one point Rincewind coming across a "camera", and being rather excited that it was some form of advanced technology, but then opened it up to be rather disappointed to find that it was just a tiny imp with an easel and paintbrush inside.

I'm currently running a "semi-hard" science fiction campaign, with alien technology being the stand-in for magic. In the setting I've created, the Powers That Be have made most alien tech illegal (with good reason) with the result that Magic Shop = Black Market. Every piece of alien tech that falls into criminal hands requires a specialist to move safely and find the highest bidder without getting caught; it's extremely hazardous. And the government agencies charged with regulating the alien tech trade have almost cornered the market, working hand in glove with the aliens and a certain Terran shipping company.

My opinion? Magic should be rare, valuable, difficult to acquire, and make the one who possesses it a tempting target for thieves and tyrants. And it should be just powerful enough to make all this worth the trouble. This makes the owner of the "magic shop" a Major Player in the campaign world, and also an oddity. He's rich and powerful enough to acquire a lot of magic, but more interesting in buying and selling than using magic to advance his own agenda. (Or is he?)

Quote from: The Traveller;593650I take it a step further. Magic shops, such as they are, are the kinds of places that you never noticed were there, and when you go back for a refund the entire premises is no longer at that address. They usually have a sinister subtext, and a lot of what you can pick up there has a double edge. The kinds of places that can't be found unless they want to be found. And the kinds of places you won't be able to loot without stepping outside to find you're actually in a hell dimension.

Aka, The Little Shop That Wasn't There.

Aside from some alchemists and magical scribes dealing in potions and scrolls respectively and an occasional visit by a Little Shop that wasn't There, there are no 'magic shops' in my setting.

That's the one. Actually now I think of it, it could be a fun adventure for a group to try a Mission Impossible style raid on one of those, substituting arcane invocations, six dimensional maps, and eerie places for high tech CIA security.

Yes, something playing on the little store that wasn't there yesterday and the bazaar of the bizarre is what I'd go for, besides sages and alchemists, the local temple and the like.