Help me fill a theives shop

[hanez]

Hi, my campaigns usually have lots of shops, its an easy way for my players to get what they want without me having to stay up all night worrying about what present to give them next. Plus its a great way to force my players to roleplay.

Anyways, the local magic item shop is closed in my town (see one of my earlier threads)

Two of my players are Drow (a rogue and an archer), so I wanted to allow them to be able to "discover" an underground theives type shop. You know the kind that not everyone knows about it. My players are level 11, and I think they might be "contacted" by the shop owner/guild.

But I am looking for ideas to make this shop real.

• Who runs the shop? Anyone have an applicable NPC?

• What items does this shop have? (Im thinking daggers, drow crossbows, poisons, theives tools, one time consumable type stuff, the whetstones... anything else?) Anything specific and cool?

• Where are all the poisons anyways? (in 4e) I have the DMG and adventurers vault and I cant find them.

• How should the initial contact come? How do these theives find out about these kind of places?

Anyways your ideas are appreciated! They do not have to be 4e specific, I threw out most of the rules long time ago

Hanez

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

How realistic is your game?

If it's highly realistic, you'll be looking at stuff like cloaks (and other garments) with secret pockets, lockpicks, rope, bags, etc. In 3E, the +2 skill versions of every sort of tool a thief would conceivably want would likely fit in here as well.

The higher the fantasy, the more magical it gets, up to whatever price level you're comfortable with.

The 2E The Complete Thief's Handbook had a really good list of equipment, as I recall, ranging from the highly esoteric to the "why didn't I think of that?" obvious-in-retrospect stuff. The PDF is available at the usual places, and likely someone around here has the book and might offer a few gems from it.

I would be wary of making it too open-ended, though: First, it takes a lot of control of the game away from you once the players realize they can ask for almost anything in a price range -- they will think of something genius that could be game-breaking, depending on your players' concerns for such issues. Secondly, it limits your ability to make treasure special; if a treasure's only value is that it's a free version of something they could have just bought, a dragon's hoard quickly becomes little more than a really good garage sale.

 

[Cardboard Carnage]

I am picturing this secret shop to be run by a retired thief, maybe back in 'his day' he was one of the most wanted in the areas, perhaps he is still wanted and thus the reason for the shop being a secret, only known the the secret society of thieves in the area. Maybe to role play him a bit, he could be a bitter old man who lost a leg on his last great caper, and although he makes a fine living running the shop, he misses the adventure and always has a little bit of a problem with younger adventurers who are still in their prime.

As for how the party can find him, maybe he finds them, maybe he is in need of someone to do something for him, or to settle a score or some such thing.

D.

 

[hanez]

How realistic is your game?

If it's highly realistic, you'll be looking at stuff like cloaks (and other garments) with secret pockets, lockpicks, rope, bags, etc. In 3E, the +2 skill versions of every sort of tool a thief would conceivably want would likely fit in here as well.

The higher the fantasy, the more magical it gets, up to whatever price level you're comfortable with.

The 2E The Complete Thief's Handbook had a really good list of equipment, as I recall, ranging from the highly esoteric to the "why didn't I think of that?" obvious-in-retrospect stuff. The PDF is available at the usual places, and likely someone around here has the book and might offer a few gems from it.

I would be wary of making it too open-ended, though: First, it takes a lot of control of the game away from you once the players realize they can ask for almost anything in a price range -- they will think of something genius that could be game-breaking, depending on your players' concerns for such issues. Secondly, it limits your ability to make treasure special; if a treasure's only value is that it's a free version of something they could have just bought, a dragon's hoard quickly becomes little more than a really good garage sale.

I think my game might be a bit more powerfull then normal.. I also like to have item shops in town, so that I can truly randomize treasure and don't have to worry about making sure their is an item for each of my players the adventures. If the player uses an odd weapon, he might never see a magic version in a dungeon, but if he looks hard enough, he can probably buy it for a price. I also like to screw them by giving them half the gp for any treasure they want to sell, this way if they ever find something they like in a dungeon, its a bonus.

 

[fba827]

Two of my players are Drow (a rogue and an archer), so I wanted to allow them to be able to "discover" an underground theives type shop.

How literal are you when you say "underground" ?
If actually underground - a possible race to run it would be derro (sp? - that drow equivalent for dwarves) or maybe a shadar-kai or a drow... or you can get more mundane with a standard dwarf, elf, halfling, gnome, human -- after all, it need not be that exotic of a race.. and instead give him/her more personality/flare.

[*]Who runs the shop? Anyone have an applicable NPC?

I'd say make it a Doppleganger Assassin (straight out of the Monster Manual). Though it always has a single form when playing the part of the store owner (a tough nononsense elf female), uses different shapechange forms if going out for "assignments"

[*]What items does this shop have? (Im thinking daggers, drow crossbows, poisons, theives tools, one time consumable type stuff, the whetstones... anything else?) Anything specific and cool?

Ah, whatever you think would "fit" for your campaign in that location. If it's a big city the shop will have access to lots of variety. If it's a small town the shop will have access to less exotic things.

[*]Where are all the poisons anyways? (in 4e) I have the DMG and adventurers vault and I cant find them.

DMG p 50 (or 51?.. ish)

[*]How should the initial contact come? How do these theives find out about these kind of places?

For something underground, it's word of mouth. So in 4e, if the PCs are actively trying to find out about it by going around town making subtle references, it's a streetwise check (to find someone who knows someone who thinks he heard about where to find this shop)- give it a hard DC for their level. Other possibilities would be diplomacy if they have to get the info from law enforcers who have rumors about something, or intimidate if they have to force the info out of someone specific who they know is connected to this shop.

If the PCs are not actively searching for it but you want to have someone approach them, then the next time they are in town sipping drinks at the tavern, they are approached and someone starts a casual conversation about something else (maybe about some deed they did in the past) and then steers it to "how do you keep up all that equipment you use" and so on. At that point, the person says they know a store owner that might be willing to trade some goods for a service if they're up for the task.

Maybe the shopkeeper has a shipment coming in (though without telling the PCs what it is) and wants the PCs to guard it here. Or maybe the PCs are hired to guard someone that the shopkeeper knows is about to be assassinated by other store goers. By having the PCs openly guard said person, the shopkeeper can convince that other store patron that he needs better gear to get to the target since "he hears the person has hired mercs to guard him now" (thus, increasing the purchases from the assassin himself and playing both sides of that assassination attempt).

 

[Ed_Laprade]

In most of the groups I've been in such a shop would have a legitimate front, with the 'special items' in the back room. Usually a locksmith's shop. (Who better?) If your world has one big thieves guild, or they belong to the local, they shouldn't have any problem finding someone who knows where it is. Otherwise you're looking at a skill challenge or straight roleplaying.