Something I ran across from one of the 2nd Edition option books, Spells and Magic last night. I prefer a low-moderate magic, and lower fantasy setting when running, the sections from the book, fits that style fairly well and probably something I'll look at utilizing for future adventures.
Wise Women and Hedge Wizards
Every village or hamlet has its own resident "witch" or "wizard," or a person who claims command of magical powers and knowledge of herbs, spells, and charms. In a few cases, these characters are actually low-level magic users, but more often they're fakes or charlatans. Most of these wise women or hedge wizards are 0-level characters with the herbalism and healing proficiencies. They can sell spell components from the herb, animal specimen, and common lists, although they often have no idea what a particular herb or item might be good for. Wise women and hedge wizards may be capable of creating healing salves and poultices, as described above. In addition, they can create minor charms or fetishes. These are temporary magical items about as powerful as a typical cantrip.
Good examples would include a "love amulet," that raised the wearer's Charisma (Cha/Appearance) by 1 or 2 points, but only in the eyes of one particular subject whose hair was used in the making of the charm; a charm that discouraged mice or insects from entering a kitchen or pantry; or a small totem that brought the user good luck (a +1 bonus) on his next saving throw against a specific threat, such as fire, poison, or resisting mental spells. A charm costs anywhere from 5 to 50 gold pieces, and retains its enchantment for 1 to 4 days.
This idea of using wise women and hedge wizards as NPCs for character to interact with is one I remember fondly from Anacalgon's game, back in the day. Anyone playing his campaign at the time will remember fondly the <
cough> healing potion <
cough> that had a brown discoloration and contained what appeared to be bits of corn or other such things, floating within. You also had to make a saving throw after consuming it or else, spend quite a bit of time in the ole outhouse while it's "effects" were in full swing.
This sort of interaction and reliance on NPCs creates unforgettable memories at the table.
I remember a few campaigns run by DMs that allowed "shopping" for magic items. That aspect of the game never did sit right with me and the proliferation of buying magic items from "Ye Ole Magic Shoppes" seemed to take off during the 3e era and beyond. I like the route that the 2e option books take in regards to PCs buying magical items; it doesn't outright deny players the opportunity, nor does it afford them the pick of the litter either.
Arcanist NPC
Only the largest cities can support an arcanist, or a shopkeeper who deals solely in magical reagents, components, and the occasional enchanted item. An arcanist can provide spell components from any list, and also a number of other generally useful items for a wizard—paper, vellum, parchment, ink, quills, alchemical supplies and equipment, and other such things.
Because arcanists have a clientele of wizards, they are willing to buy magical items and rare or unusual materials that could be useful as spell components. Player characters may sell components for 30% to 80% or (ld6+2) x 10% of their listed value. Magical items can be sold for whatever price the DM deems fair, although a PC selling a magical item should not be able to make more than twice the item's experience point value from the sale. In fact, it's perfectly reasonable for the DM to rule that the seller must sell by consignment—in other words, the arcanist agrees to display the item and handle any inquiries about it for a 10% share of the asking price, but he won't buy it outright. Until another customer comes along to show an interest in the item, the PC seller makes no money. Note that magical items are rare, and from week to week the arcanist has no idea what may or may not show up in his shop.
Buying, Selling, and Trading Magical Items
In most AD&D campaigns, magical items are rare enough that it is nearly inconceivable that people would buy or sell them like any other commodity. For various reasons, magical items tend to be concentrated in the hands of player characters and their principal enemies. This means that the PCs never really experience the true scarcity of enchanted items and lose the sense of wonder that most people in their world would feel at even seeing a magical sword, a wand, or a nifty item like a carpet of flying.
The effect of this scarcity is simple: Allowing the player characters to purchase or trade magical items is a privilege, and a rare one at that. It's an opportunity that comes along quite infrequently in a campaign, and in many cases it should be an opportunity that the players spent time and adventuring to create. In other words, if a player decides that his character wants to find a ring of fire resistance and purchase it, there should be a lot more involved than a stroll down to the corner store. The character might have to hire a sage and spend weeks running down the chain of possession of the last known ring of fire resistance to appear in the area, and then he may have to locate its current owner and make an extremely generous offer—including trading magical items of his own, or undertaking some quest or service for the prospective seller—to have a chance of purchasing the ring.
If the character is content to check in with the nearest arcanist once in a while, it could take months or years before the arcanist happened to stumble across the item the character was looking for—and even then, someone else might be interested in the same item. A bidding war, threats, or outright assassination attempts could result from two wealthy characters both trying to acquire the same item. Selling items isn't always easy, either. The PCs have to locate a buyer, and then agree on a fair price. Nobody in a small village will have the money required to buy a real magical item, and even a prosperous town may only have two or three individuals who could afford to buy what the PCs are offering for sale. Items such as potions or rings tend to be easier to sell, since anyone can use them, but books, wands, staves, or other items suited for priests or wizards only will be much more difficult to sell. In any event, the PCs are likely to see only 30% to 80% of their asking price for any given item, and they may have to demonstrate that the item works (or pay for an identify spell from a neutral party) in order to clinch the sale.
