So, when I start running this in a couple weeks, once the wizards have some money they're going to want to buy spells from somebody. They have the following options:
1. Keygan Ghelve. W1. Woo hoo.
2. Maavu. W4. At least he has 2nd level spells.
3. Meerthan. Also W4. And they don't know him. And he's hiding the fact that he's a wizard.
4. Embril. Effectively, W10. But, not too likely to be interested in selling spells to the party.
5. Weer. W10. Probably their best bet.
Is that it? The only other wizards I see are Fetor, Skaven, and Thifirane, and I don't see them selling spells to the PC's. Granted, they'll be able to pry their spellbooks from their cold, dead hands, but still. That's a ways off. Is Weer really supposed to be the go-to guy for selling wizards spells? If so, why isn't he more detailed than "retired adventurer, any potions, elixirs, pastes or goop in the book" and nothing else? Should I assume that previous adventurers have traded a spellbook or two with 3rd-5th level spells for piles of potions?
Also, aside from teleporting to the Big City, once they're past 10th level (note that none of the people who will sell to the party level up as the party does...), are they expected to teleport to a real town?
Colin,
Do not forget that there is Skie's Treasury and the Blue Crater Academy. Both are solid options for having spells available for sale as scrolls. Also, the Church of Wee Jas may, at the start, sell magic items to an adventuring party. Finally, in one of the original Dungeon enhancements for Life’s Bazaar (Issue 97), Coryston Pike was noted to have a wealthy family in Sasserine. The campaign seed stated that if a relationship blossomed between her and a party member, some enchanted items could be obtained at a discount. This could very well be spell books if you were so inclined.
In my own campaign, the group is working on their relationship with Skie so that they might qualify for the adventurer’s discount. In addition, due to their service for the Church of St Cuthbert, clerical spells and minor divine oriented magic items are available through Jenya and her fellow clerics. In addition, I have really pushed the fact that Maavu is a major trader in Cauldron who has well-established clients in Sasserine. In fact, my group ended up selling Maavu the damaged pulverizer for some coin and a highly charged wand of cure serious wounds. This helped cement their relationship with the merchant and has hopefully garnered additional character buy in for the start of Chapter 4.
As for the concern about the npcs not leveling up as the party does, you have a couple of options. First, why not have the npcs level up? After all, several of the campaign’s npcs already have established advancement charts in the appendix of the SCAP hardbound. Go ahead and work one up for Weer if he’s going to be a major player in your campaign.
A second option is to really utilize Skie’s Treasury. Page 21 of the SCAP hardbound offers guidelines on handling her stock as the party advances through the adventure path. If your group develops alternative contacts, I think you could still benefit from the guidelines as presented. You would just have to make adjustments for whomever your group’s contact ends up being based on what sort of business and relationships the npc has to gather enchanted items.
Finally, don’t forget that your group’s wizard will be gaining two new spells with each new level attained. If there is more than one wizard in the group, they should confer to broaden their spell selections. Nothing says that they cannot share each other’s spell books long enough to do some transcribing. My own group has two wizards and this has helped them out immensely.
Anyway, I hope the above is of some help. Good luck with your campaign. My group and I are really enjoying the SCAP and I hope you and yours will as well.
Good gaming,
Mark
Cauldron is a city of 7,500. It's not like the NPCs listed in the SCAP are the only NPCs in town. Feel free to create a few more NPC wizards. In my campaign, I've decided that the Bluecrater Academy also serves as a sort of wizards guild.
Of course, as you said, once the party gets to be a high level, they're going to find it tough to find spells that high. If they don't need it right away, though, Skie can always order a scroll for them from Sasserine. (Or if they've learned teleport, they can just go themselves.)
Cool. That all makes sense. Thanks!
Wee Jas is the is a goddess of death and magic. In my game, almost all of the nonchaotic NPC wizards (and the PC wizard) are worshippers and esteemed members of the church. The church would have strong support for all things wizard. Spells, spell components, spell books, research libraries, magic item creation materials and labratories. The church of Wee Jas functions very much as a wizard's guild for the town.
The church of Wee Jas functions very much as a wizard's guild for the town.
I figured that after a certain point, the Weejian clerics would feel a certain conflict of interest about selling things to the party, say, either around the time the party sacks the temple and kills them all, or once the clerics start getting orders to deal most harshly with the PCs...
"The church of Wee Jas functions very much as a wizard's guild for the town."I figured that after a certain point, the Weejian clerics would feel a certain conflict of interest about selling things to the party, say, either around the time the party sacks the temple and kills them all, or once the clerics start getting orders to deal most harshly with the PCs...
Well, yes. but until then....
After that, they can teleport to the nearest major city for their toys. Even then, the non-corrupt clerics of the church would be trying to rebuild and restore their church. Some Diplomacy could get them to appreciate what the PCs did instead of resent it.
I just like to reinforce the idea that the church of Wee Jas has a legitimate presence in the city. Instead of simply protraying them one-dimentionally like "We are house Slytheryn and we only exist to bug you. Bleh bleh!"
Also, I advise that when you determine something could be a conflict, transform that in your DM mind into "roleplaying opportunity". Conflict = Good for the Game! If the clerics turn cold against the PCs, then the PCs will need to use their minds and abilities to overcome that. "Hey, your easy source of wizarding stuff has been cut off. What 'cha gonna do about it?"