Renting Magic Items

[kitep]

I'm thinking about adding the ability to rent magic items to my game world.  It works like this:

1) You put down a depost equal to 110% of the cost of the item.  So if you take the item and run (or get yourself killed and never return), the item is paid for.

2) Rental cost is 100 gp, plus 1% per day or 5% per week, plus a prorated cost for any charges you used.  Taken from the deposit.

3) If you haven't returned the item within 30 days of when you said you would, the item is yours, the deposit belongs to the shop.

4) You can pick up the remainder of your deposit 24 hours after you return the item.  This gives the shop time to magically check the returned item to make sure you're not scamming them.  It's also where the 100gp set cost comes in. (Taken from the cost of an Identify, though the shop would have cheaper means to check the item)

5) If you decide to buy the item, you get credit for 1/2 the rental costs you've paid on the item.

Thoughts?

[brainpiercing]

An interesting idea.

How is number 5) still necessary? You can just keep the item and have only paid 100gp extra.

[sirpercival]

1) You put down a depost equal to 110% of the cost of the item.

You'd save yourself paying an extra 10%, minus half the rental cost.

[dipolartech]

After thinking about it for awhile I'm just not feeling the love for the idea. It is workable and does flavor/extra thought to your game but since you brought to a rules/minmax forum lets look at its optimization leverage.

Posit 1) I have more than enough money from my WBL to buy a shiny new item to make me better at Action X

Posit 2) For some reason I believe that shiny new item might not be the absolute best item for me in all situations

Posit 3) There's  a mechanic that lets me rent certain shiny new magic items, one of which, might be absolutely perfect for my next altercation

My issue is Wealth By Level progressions means that in maybe three or four days I'll have doubled my money, (based on how much activity I have), so if I get income that fast why aren't I invested in the best long term item? I just keep adding bonuses/effects with enchantments or get a n even better base item to work with.

My other issue is Available Gold to use to prepare for my specific needs of the next fight just took a full magic item cost hit (+10%) in fact, which from what I know of the MiC is way less efficient short term than Wands and Scrolls etc that just cast a buff spell or deal damage or whatever.

Efficiency/optimization wise I just don't feel it but I do like it flavor wise.

[CaptRory]

If it were Rent to Own, like the magical equivalent of a Rent-A-Center, it might work better.

Renting out magic items like you suggested might work better for smaller items. Like, the put upon dad trying to keep his teenager from sneaking out might rent an item that casts Alarm for a week. And since you're dealing in smaller cheaper items (from the view of PCs) the threat of having a summoned bear dropped on your head would probably be enough deterrent to keep people from just walking away with them since the business could probably scry the hell out of their rented out items and find out where it went.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Real Life economics is probably a really bad way to think about this ... but

In poor rural 3rd world areas, there's a fairly standard Food arrangement.
You borrow 1 "sack" of rice = You owe 2 "sacks" of rice next year.
It's a killer interest rate / usury the real bad kind.
Easy way to generate Debt Bondage (euphemism for you know what).


D&D has some specifics that screw with this idea.
Services of magic spells cost abcd.
Single Use magic items cost efgh.
The convenience of not having to have your local magic mart follow you around = priceless.

Savage Species has some borrow money for rituals, rules.
In the ~ballpark for this. Larger cities only though.

So a "rented" item should absolutely cost more than abcd or efgh.
I'd stick some Intimidation / Diplomacy in there.
Local gendarmes want you to know they're watching you.
Middle Manager of Magic Mart has a little extra adventure you hafta do.
Commoner 6 might have a Lurk cohort. He puts a Tag on you.

minigame rules can happen like:
Powerstone of X with 7 charges. You can use 5 of them for a "normal" cost.
If you use the last 2, they have to work harder to recharge it, so those cost more.

[altpersona]

i think the base formula is off,

renting should cost at least +100% of base cost.

imagine the reverse pawn shop. if you have a 100$ new item they will offer your 30% maybe. if you walk from your loan, they profit about 70% (+/-)

the provider needs to be +++ to the good for either out come.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Yeah a 2 / 1 ratio pops up a lot in pawn shops.
Make magic items yourself, has a 2/1 ratio.
4e buying and selling items, is a 2/1 ratio.
Seems to be a theme.

SS rituals have a payment plan on (iirc) page 150 or so.
Something like you pay 1/6th of what you owe,
when you level up; each time you level up.
Who knows how long that takes?

I wonder if the fluff text around the Mercantile Feat, or
whatever that stuff was called the Walmart build, can apply?

[awaken_D_M_golem]

How 'bout this ...

Buying on payment :
You owe 33% on receipt of item,
and owe 33% due on obtaining your next level,
for the next five levels.
Seems to be in the spirit of 2/1 and the six levels payback rule
except a little more aggressive (like any good proto-capitalist).


Then figuring out how the 50% buy-back price
has to get factored into the payment plan, and
whatever money the Seller had expected to make.
Maybe the seller should get a 1/2 cut of the PCs treasure ? (!!)