How to create an interesting magic shop in D&D 5e

Do your players feel uninspired when they go into your magic shops? There are lots of ways to learn how to create a unique and memorable magic item shop for your D&D campaign. In this post we will explore what makes a memorable magic item shop and how to fill it.

Choose a unique theme

If you want to have a memorable magic item shop it could really use a unique theme. When designing your magic shop you can take a look at popular themes in the same space as your campaign and lean into that. An example of this would be that in the Ghost of Saltmarsh campaign, you can make a store where the gruff elf lady behind the counter only sells items she found at the bottom of the ocean.

Or if you follow a more traditional fantasy setting you can make the shop an explosion of stuff from an overworked enchanter who really needs a break but cannot find the time to do so.

By thinking of the theme or vibe of your shop, you can make a cohesive experience for your players that they won’t forget.

Exterior

A nice way to introduce the shop to the players is by describing its unique exterior. There are multiple things that can catch the eye of your players.

You can make the building stand out from the rest of the street. For example if your theme is woodland you could make it so that the shop is actually a giant hollowed out tree that greets everyone who is interested in the store.

Or if you are in a doom and gloom town but the magic shop just started out and is a bit too optimistic you can make lanterns float on the outside and a magically spinning board invites the players in.

Maybe when you are a bit more sneaky the shop looks super normal but when you know it’s there for example when someone hints the players about the back alley potion dealer, it reveals itself to be a giant witches head!

Interior 

You can also go completely wild with the interior. Think about all the magical shops you have seen in the media and try to take some inspiration from those. You can think about making it more like a magical armoury with walking armour striking poses to show off the goods. Maybe when you walk inside, the shop is three times as big as the outside and there are floor to ceiling bookcases filled to the brim with magical nicknacks. 

You can also do the complete opposite and make an empty store with just a shopkeep, who might even just be an illusion. Then when the party investigates you can give them a quest saying the shop just got robbed and now they have to retrieve the items for a lifetime discount on all potions.

One more idea is to play into the needs of your party. You can always just tailor a shop to what the players need at that moment in the campaign. If they are about to go on an adventure you might want to stock a couple more potions and scrolls.

Shopkeeper

The shopkeeper of the store can really tie your theme, exterior and interior together with a compelling and fitting personality. 

Using a shopkeeper’s personality can really set the tone and vibe of the shopping encounter. If you make a really quirky shopkeeper you can make them go invisible when the players try to lowball an item price. Or if you want a more gloomy shop you can make the shopkeeper more of a hag character that makes items crawl towards the players when they ask what it’s about.

When you need some inspiration for an NPC after really thinking hard about the theme, exterior and interior of your shop, head over to our NPC generator to take a look at all the possibilities you can generate!

Inventory

The inventory of the store can be based on the size of the store since magic items take a really long time to create, so if the store is in a small village and the shopkeeper has to enchant every item by hand they might not sell 10 different types of items. If the shop is in your capital, and the shopkeeper also trades in magic items they might have some unique pieces laying around.

I think you should really match your inventory to the shopkeeper and store theme you chose. I think it can really take away from the experience if the small town gnome tinkerer suddenly has fifteen health potions and no magical devices.

If you need help coming up with a starting set of stock for your shop check out our magic shop generator to get started! Just choose the size of your shop and generate inventory until you feel inspired.