Creating Magic Items in 4e

[Vorastrix]

can someone explain to me why they remade creating magic items so that you can't make a profit at it? I mean, i kinda like that they got rid of the EXP cost, but it's still really annoying that you make an item for full price, then can only sell it for half.  

[SporkMaster5000]

Vorastrix

can someone explain to me why they remade creating magic items so that you can't make a profit at it? I mean, i kinda like that they got rid of the EXP cost, but it's still really annoying that you make an item for full price, then can only sell it for half.

because if you came make a magic item at full price and sell it for the same price you can just pick and choose your equipment at will, as you can cash out an item to get another item of the same level. that's not a horrible state of affairs, but when the treasure system as presented suggests giving items of up to four levels higher than the party, the barter system becomes strictly better than the enchant magic item ritual. if you could sell items for profit, then the enchant magic item ritual becomes "Take a month off adventuring, buy epic level equipment, win game," which is stupid.  

[Arc Vembris]

Because the game's Dungeons & Dragons, not Manufacturing & Bookkeeping. If you need money, the game should be encouraging you to commit adventurous deeds of discovery, heroism, and/or larceny. The game should not encourage you to start a small business in the public sector.

Can you imagine the market for high level magic items? You'd need Contact Other Plane rituals just to find buyers.  

[SporkMaster5000]

Arc Vembris

Because the game's Dungeons & Dragons, not Manufacturing & Bookkeeping. If you need money, the game should be encouraging you to commit adventurous deeds of discovery, heroism, and/or larceny. The game should not encourage you to start a small business in the public sector.

Can you imagine the market for high level magic items? You'd need Contact Other Plane rituals just to find buyers.

or to find residence in another plane.

that sure sounds like a fund campaign, petition the government of the city of brass for citizenship and permits to open a stall in the grand market. good times.  

[Wrong Angles]

SporkMaster5000

Arc Vembris

Because the game's Dungeons & Dragons, not Manufacturing & Bookkeeping. If you need money, the game should be encouraging you to commit adventurous deeds of discovery, heroism, and/or larceny. The game should not encourage you to start a small business in the public sector.

Can you imagine the market for high level magic items? You'd need Contact Other Plane rituals just to find buyers.

or to find residence in another plane.

that sure sounds like a fund campaign, petition the government of the city of brass for citizenship and permits to open a stall in the grand market. good times.

Actually, not to be a downer on this whole convo, but that'd be an interesting idea for a group of adventurers! They get asked to make, find, design, or otherwise provide specific magic items to their customers, and they have to go on adventures to procure said items, the materials, or the specific thing that a person wants! A little bland at first, yeah, but think about how much fun designing the shop would be! Where it's placed, what town its in, what sort of customers you get as you progress through the levels and the shop reaches new levels of prestige...

That said, your dudes are adventurers, not shopkeeps, so it's probably assumed you're selling your items to a shop that would re-sell them back to other customers. Even if the assumed issue of quick and easy buyer access to epic items really quickly didn't exist, no merchant worth his salt is going to buy an item at the average sell price if he intends to make a profit. It makes Enchanting useful, keeps marketplace economies realisting enough to suspend disbelief, gives you a chance to use your Diplomacy skills, and makes the Artificer - one of my pet classes - all the more useful. 3nodding  

[Arc Vembris]

In fact, it diminishes reasons not to be an artificer  

[Wrong Angles]

Arc Vembris

In fact, it diminishes reasons not to be an artificer

True fact. One of my favorite 4.0 classes. Can't wait for them to add to it.  

[SporkMaster5000]

CrazySopher

Arc Vembris

In fact, it diminishes reasons not to be an artificer

True fact. One of my favorite 4.0 classes. Can't wait for them to add to it.

do you have DDI? they gave it a third build in a recent dragon article, in the fashion of the power source books: the warrior forge artificer.