Magic Item Economy

Synopsis
In modern-day Materi, magic items are very rare. Though artificers and other creators of magic items were commonplace during the Age of Arcana, they all but disappeared in the Age of Rest, and have only recently begun a renaissance of sorts. As such, creators of magic items are an extreme rarity in Materi. In the imperial capitol of Ossidia, the most magically-advanced city in Materi, there are a handful of small "traditional" magic item shops, where artificers sell their wares. But there are virtually no such shops anywhere else in the world, and even these shops only deal in very basic items: bags of holding, common potions, +1 weapons and armor, and the like.

More exotic and powerful magic items are generally not created by artificers; rather, they are found in the wilderness, amongst the vast swaths of untamed outland that contain vestiges of the bygone Age of Arcana. These items, as a result, are not typically the purview of "magic item shops," per se. Instead, trade in such items typically takes place amongst adventurers - in the form of adventuring guilds - or with extremely wealthy collectors.

Adventuring guilds are by far the largest markets for the magic item trade in Materi. The guilds typically only deal in magic items that are registered with the Weavers Conclave, as the trade of unregistered items is prohibited by imperial law.

It is also occasionally possible to find a market for magic items in underground, criminal circles. In these settings, magic items are more likely to be unregistered. Prices in such markets can vary considerably; generally speaking, however, unregistered magic items are slightly cheaper than registered ones. This price difference is typically offset by the less competitive prices of the smaller, less accessible market.

Magic Item Values
In most markets, magic item prices fall into tiers based on an item's rarity, and sub-tiers based on the power level of the item relative to other items of the same rarity. There are some exceptions, such as for items that are disproportionately weak or strong for their rarity. But the following prices serve as a baseline from which to estimate a magic item's value.

Legendary / Artifact
Without exception, these items are not for sale - at least in the traditional sense. An individual in possession of an item of this rarity might be willing to part with it in exchange for some sort of quest or the like, but such an item is too valuable to place a meaningful price on.