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From: js2j@mhuxt.UUCP (sonntag)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: WISHES, and the economics of making magic objects
Message-ID: <373@mhuxt.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 26-Nov-84 09:13:25 EST
Article-I.D.: mhuxt.373
Posted: Mon Nov 26 09:13:25 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 27-Nov-84 04:01:11 EST
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Tobias Robinson writes:
> One thing that has troubled me about AD+D is the remarkable difficulty
> of creating magic objects, relative to their value.  Many of the really
> expensive items seem well-priced, but the low-priced objects,
> particularly potions, make no sense at all.

Yes, potions and many other items are ridiculously underpriced.  Whenever I   
have had a character capable of making potions, I NEVER sold any potions for
less than 3 times book value.  (it costs the potion maker book value to
make the darn things.)

> For example, it makes no sense to me that potions of healing should
> be more common than wands of healing, which would have many more
> charges and would be easier to carry.  I would also expect potions to
> be made in enormous quantities (for economy of scale), but they never
> seem to OCCUR in large quantities.

First of all, ecomomies of scale do NOT apply to potion making.  Any DM worth
his/her salt could easily come up with 3 or 4 good reasons why this is so.
Secondly, a character must reach name level (11th or 12th) before they can
create wands.  There are a lot more characters of 7th or higher level, which
is all that is required for potion creation.

Jeff Sonntag
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