Merchants
Heroes will often need to replenish their items and upgrade their equipment, which means that they will need to visit merchants. The following section outlines how to create merchants to add to the game world that players can buy goods and services from, including extensive guides for generating new ones appropriate to the players’ tier. GM</abbr>s are not obligated to follow any of the guidelines here, but making bespoke item arrays for each storekeeper can be very time-consuming, and so it is recommended that they make extensive use of the framework in this section as they create their worlds.
It is advised that the GM not create merchants totally on the fly, but rather do so during preparation for their game. In addition to merchants they place in particular settlements, they can also create a few merchants to have in their back pocket in case players go looking in unexpected places or encounter one on the road. When generating a new merchant with the rules in this section, GMs need to choose their theme, which is the type of vendor they are, and their rating, which is a number from 1-6 that determines how rare their goods are. They should then consult the merchant themes listed in this section and the rules for item generation in the Battle Items section to determine which items the merchant sells. If they would like to add more variety, they may also add a few other items to the merchant’s inventory to create a stronger sense of differentiation in addition to giving players the opportunity to buy items they will need on their quest. In general, merchants ought to stock items that players can afford, although it can often be interesting to deliberately include a few items that players cannot afford yet as a way to pique their interest. In gameplay terms, merchants of rating 1-2 are balanced for characters of tier 1-4, merchants of rating 3-4 are balanced for characters of tier 5-7, and merchants of rating 5-6 are balanced for characters of tier 8-10.
Generating Merchants
GMs who are feeling intrepid can come up with their own themes, but by default there are six varieties of specialized merchant that players will encounter on their journey:
- Blacksmiths are metalworkers and artisans who specialize in creating tools of war.
- Alchemists are chemical specialists, who brew poisons, bombs, and other mixtures.
- Apothecaries sell healing potions, tinctures, and cures for various ailments.
- Machinists work with cutting-edge technology, whether clockwork or digital.
- Sorcerers specialize in hexes and offensive magic, and tend to be reclusive.
- Rangers are practitioners of natural magic and experts in survival.
Blacksmiths
| Rating | Items |
|---|---|
| 1 | At least one Novice piece of every type of armor and weapon, 1d4 Novice pieces of upgraded equipment, 1d4 accessories that are either Lucky or Mystical, 1d4 total Novice Harm items with varying enhancements if desired. |
| 2 | At least one Novice piece of every type of armor and weapon, 1d6 Novice pieces of upgraded equipment, 1d6 accessories that are either Lucky or Mystical, 1d6 total Novice Harm items if desired. |
| 3 | At least one Novice piece and one Standard piece of every type of armor and weapon, 1d4 Novice and 1d4 Standard pieces of upgraded equipment, 1d4 accessories that are either Lucky or Mystical and 1d4 Lucky or Mystical accessories with an upgrade, 2d4 total Standard Harm items with varying enhancements if desired. |
| 4 | At least one Novice piece and one Standard piece of every type of armor and weapon, 1d6 Standard pieces of upgraded equipment, 1d6 Lucky or Mystical accessories with an upgrade, 2d6 total Standard Harm items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d4 Block items. |
| 5 | At least one Novice, one Standard, and one Expert piece of every type of armor and weapon, 1d4 Standard and 1d4 Expert pieces of upgraded equipment, 1d4 Lucky or Mystical accessories with an upgrade and 1d4 unique accessories, 1d12 total Standard Harm items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d6 Block items. |
| 6 | At least one Novice, one Standard, and one Expert piece of every type of armor and weapon, 1d6 Expert pieces of upgraded equipment, 1d6 unique accessories, 1d12 total Standard Harm items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d6 Block items. |
Alchemists
| Rating | Items |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1d4 varieties of Novice Crush items, 1d4 Novice Fortify items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d4 varieties of Novice Strengthen items, 1d4 varieties of Novice Curse items. |
| 2 | 1d6 varieties of Novice Crush items, 1d6 Novice and 1d4 Standard Fortify items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d6 varieties of Novice Strengthen items, 1d6 varieties of Novice Curse items. |
| 3 | 1d4 varieties of Novice and 1d4 varieties of Standard Crush items, 1d8 Novice, 1d6 Standard, and 1d4 Expert Fortify items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d4 varieties of Novice and 1d4 varieties of Standard Strengthen items, 1d4 varieties of Novice and 1d4 varieties of Standard Curse items. |
| 4 | 1d4 varieties of Novice and 1d6 varieties of Standard Crush items, 1d10 Novice, 1d8 Standard, and 1d6 Expert Fortify items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d6 varieties of Standard Strengthen items, 1d4 varieties of Novice and 1d6 varieties of Standard Curse items. |
| 5 | 1d4 varieties of Standard and 1d4 varieties of Expert Crush items, 1d12 Novice, 1d10 Standard, and 1d8 Expert Fortify items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d4 varieties of Standard and 1d4 varieties of Expert Strengthen items, 1d4 varieties of Standard and 1d4 varieties of Expert Curse items. |
| 6 | 1d4 varieties of Standard and 1d6 varieties of Expert Crush items, 1d20 Novice, 1d12 Standard, and 1d10 Expert Fortify items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d4 varieties of Standard and 1d6 varieties of Expert Strengthen items, 1d4 varieties of Standard and 1d6 varieties of Expert Curse items. |
Apothecaries
| Rating | Items |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1d4 Novice Mend items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d4 Novice Defibrillate items with varying enhancements if desired, 5 Exorcise items, 1d4 varieties of Treat items, 1d4 Poultices. |
| 2 | 1d6 Novice and 1d4 Standard Mend items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d6 Novice Defibrillate items with varying enhancements if desired, 10 Exorcise items, 1d4 varieties of Treat items, 1d6 Poultices. |
| 3 | 1d8 Novice, 1d6 Standard, and 1d4 Expert Mend items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d4 Novice and 1d4 Standard Defibrillate items with varying enhancements if desired, 15 Exorcise items, 1d6 varieties of Treat items, 2d4 Poultices. |
| 4 | 1d10 Novice, 1d8 Standard, and 1d6 Expert Mend items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d4 Novice and 1d6 Standard Defibrillate items with varying enhancements if desired, 20 Exorcise items, 1d6 varieties of Treat items, 2d6 Poultices. |
| 5 | 1d12 Novice, 1d10 Standard, and 1d8 Expert Mend items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d4 Standard and 1d4 Expert Defibrillate items with varying enhancements if desired, 25 Exorcise items, 1d8 varieties of Treat items, 1d12 Poultices. |
| 6 | 1d20 Novice, 1d12 Standard, and 1d10 Expert Mend items with varying enhancements if desired, 1d4 Standard and 1d6 Expert Defibrillate items with varying enhancements if desired, 30 Exorcise items, 1d8 varieties of Treat items, 2d12 Poultices. |
Machinists
| Rating | Items |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1d4 Analyze items, all varieties of Novice Cloak, Novice Bags. |
| 2 | 1d6 Analyze items, all varieties of Novice Cloak, Novice Bags. |
| 3 | 2d4 Analyze items, all varieties of Novice and Standard Cloak, Novice and Standard Bags. |
| 4 | 2d6 Analyze items, 1d4 Decelerate items, all varieties of Novice and Standard Cloak, Novice and Standard Bags. |
| 5 | 1d12 Analyze items, 1d6 Decelerate items, all varieties of Novice, Standard, and Expert Cloak, Novice, Standard, and Expert Bags, 1d4 Neutralize items. |
| 6 | 2d12 Analyze items, 1d8 Decelerate items, all varieties of Novice, Standard, and Expert Cloak, Novice, Standard, and Expert Bags, 1d6 Neutralize items. |
Sorcerers
| Rating | Items |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1d4 Novice Fracture items, 1d4 varieties of Novice Charge items, 1d4 Novice varieties of Weaken items. |
| 2 | 1d6 Novice Fracture items, 1d6 varieties of Novice Charge items, 1d6 Novice varieties of Weaken items. |
| 3 | 1d4 Novice and 1d4 Standard Fracture items, 1d4 varieties of Novice and 1d4 varieties of Standard Charge Items, 1d4 varieties of Novice and 1d4 varieties of Standard Weaken items. |
| 4 | 1d6 Standard Fracture items, 1d6 varieties of Standard Charge items, 1d4 varieties of Novice and 1d6 varieties of Standard Weaken items, 1d4 Accelerate items. |
| 5 | 1d4 Standard and 1d4 Expert Fracture items, 1d4 varieties of Standard and 1d4 varieties of Expert Charge items, 1d4 Ward items, 1d4 varieties of Standard and 1d4 varieties of Expert Weaken items, 1d6 Accelerate items. |
| 6 | 1d4 Standard and 1d6 Expert Fracture items, 1d4 varieties of Standard and 1d6 varieties of Expert Charge items, 1d6 Ward items, 1d4 varieties of Standard and 1d6 varieties of Expert Weaken items, 1d8 Accelerate items. |
Rangers
| Rating | Items |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5 Supplies, Novice maps of local paths, 1d4 Shell items. |
| 2 | 10 Supplies, Novice maps of local paths, 1d4 Shell items. |
| 3 | 15 Supplies, Standard and Novice maps of local paths, 1d4 varieties of Scrolls, 1d4 Shell items. |
| 4 | 20 Supplies, Standard and Novice maps of local paths, 1d4 varieties of Scrolls, 1d4 Shell items. |
| 5 | 25 Supplies, Expert, Standard, and Novice maps of local paths, 1d4 Summon Creature items, 1d6 varieties of Scrolls, 1d6 Shell items. |
| 6 | 30 Supplies, Expert, Standard, and Novice maps of local paths, 1d6 Summon Creature items, 1d6 varieties of Scrolls, 1d6 Shell items. |
Other Merchants
The vast majority of merchants will have storefronts where there are potential customers. Most villages will have a blacksmith, an apothecary, and possibly a ranger, while most towns and all cities will have markets in addition to at least one of each type of merchant. To add flavor, GMs can create merchant themes that do not follow the typical types outlined above. Here are some suggestions:
- A merchant that specializes in selling a particular type of rare good, such as Summon Creature battle items.
- A merchant that specializes in selling all elements of a common good, such as a merchant who only sells Fracture or Harm items.
- A merchant whose items all have a particular enhancement, such as Random or All.
- A merchant that sells items for unusually low or high prices, up to an order of magnitude above or below the norm.
- A merchant that sells items that have unknown effects or effects that the merchant lies about. This should be done rarely, both to ensure that players are surprised and also to ensure that they don’t get too paranoid about the goods they are buying.
- A traveling peddler who sells 2d6 totally random items.
Not every item needs to be sold by a specialist. In particular, Supplies are usually sold in taverns and at any rest stations the players encounter on the road. Some towns and most cities and metropoli will also have a local market, where merchants can unload any goods they think the locals might buy. Markets have a broad variety of items whose availability is less restrictive than those sold by shopkeepers. To generate a marketplace, the GM can generate or create by hand 1d20 random items that will be available to players when they stop by. GMs can change the availability of items at the market if they want to create a more realistic and dynamic feel. Finding truly rare or unique items is an appropriate subject for an investigation.
Step-By-Step Creation
To generate a new merchant, the GM should walk through the following steps:
- Choose the merchant’s theme. This can either be one of the listed six themes or a custom theme.
- Set the merchant’s rating. This, together with the theme, determines which goods they have available.
- Decide on an aesthetic theme for the items the merchant is selling. Are they mechanical or magical? What kinds of materials are they made of? Are any of them alive?
- Generate the merchant’s inventory based on their theme and rating, either randomly or by hand.
- Determine where the store is and what it looks like. Is it a first-floor rental unit with glass windows? A ruined tower? A tent on the outskirts of town?
- Name the shopkeeper(s) and write down a few details about their behavior. Are they harried or relaxed? Curt or friendly? How do they treat their employees, if they have any? How do they treat their customers?