D&D 3E/3.5 merchants in 3.5 ed.

[Abraxus]

Hi,
Just looking for ideas on making convincing merchants within a fantasy setting that can actually trade without getting mugged and having all their jink nicked. At the moment I use a blend of the Expert class and the Merchant class from Darkness and Dread (legends and Lairs supp.)
So far I am finding such characters rather weak at successfully trading in magic items with PCs. Looting merchants is very much in character of the game. Despite this, I do expect my characters to actually have to pay for equipment from time to time.

So what do you consider to be realistic character builds for trading in high value items without having rogues and wizards just nicking what they want and legging it? Which spells and magic items work most sensibly as security measures to hide/protect items? I am looking for abilities sensibly employed between the lvls of around 8-12.

any suggestions appreciated

 

[Jack Simth]

Hi,
Just looking for ideas on making convincing merchants within a fantasy setting that can actually trade without getting mugged and having all their jink nicked. At the moment I use a blend of the Expert class and the Merchant class from Darkness and Dread (legends and Lairs supp.)
So far I am finding such characters rather weak at successfully trading in magic items with PCs. Looting merchants is very much in character of the game. Despite this, I do expect my characters to actually have to pay for equipment from time to time.

So what do you consider to be realistic character builds for trading in high value items without having rogues and wizards just nicking what they want and legging it? Which spells and magic items work most sensibly as security measures to hide/protect items? I am looking for abilities sensibly employed between the lvls of around 8-12.

any suggestions appreciated

OK.

The guy who is nominally the merchant is a front-man. The magical items on display? Those are just the items that are so cursed as to be non-saleable - to anybody.

How the shop actually works: Ring gates.

The front-man takes your order from a catalog, writes it down, puts the order and your payment into a cursed Portable Hole - which spits everything out a minute after it's closed. He then tosses it through his Ring gate.

The other end of the Ring gate is heavily trapped (Symbol spells, mostly, of all varieites, plus several other things. Mostly one-shot traps, as they aren't going to go off often). The ring gate on the other end is mounted on a wall, facing away from the guy who actually runs all this. The guy who actually runs all this casts Analyze Dweomer (possibly from a custom item) on the junk that pops out of the portable hole. He then has a Greater Stone Golem pick everything up, hand him the order, and fetch the items from stock... which are then put back into the cursed portable hole, and the golem tosses them through the ring gate (note: In the case of Portable Holes, Bags of Holding, and similar, those items are simply tossed through the gate directly).

The front man at the visible store then takes the items out of the cursed portable hole, and hands them to you.

If you try to mug the front-man, you get... nothing, really. One half of a ring gate, and a portable hole that can't be used for storage. Maybe a bit of stuff he purchased with his commission.

If you try to bypass the front-man and hop through the Ring Gate, you're blasted in the face by twenty save-or-lose traps going off at once. And then the Wizard that built them blasts you while he has a Greater Stone Golem beat your face in.

 

[Dandu]

Hi,
Just looking for ideas on making convincing merchants within a fantasy setting that can actually trade without getting mugged and having all their jink nicked. At the moment I use a blend of the Expert class and the Merchant class from Darkness and Dread (legends and Lairs supp.)
So far I am finding such characters rather weak at successfully trading in magic items with PCs. Looting merchants is very much in character of the game. Despite this, I do expect my characters to actually have to pay for equipment from time to time.

So what do you consider to be realistic character builds for trading in high value items without having rogues and wizards just nicking what they want and legging it? Which spells and magic items work most sensibly as security measures to hide/protect items? I am looking for abilities sensibly employed between the lvls of around 8-12.

any suggestions appreciated

Well, the mage's guild or Temple of Boccob which crafted those items will probably be a little miffed at the robbery.

 

[Jack Simth]

Well, the mage's guild or Temple of Boccob which crafted those items will probably be a little miffed at the robbery.

Ah, yes; the Consequences deterrent.

Mug a shopkeeper... and get a bounty on your head. That is a fairly traditional method.

Oh yes, and they know where you are - the person that crafted that item has touched it, and so can cast Discern Location on it without issues once it's noted as stolen.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Now, if I were selling magical items, and this is just me, mind you, I'd want to know how to use most of them.

And so, regardless of my class, but I'd most likely be Expert, I'd invest in max ranks UMD.

I'd keep a Wand of Quickened Hold Person in my sleeve. I'd keep a wand of Maximized Magic Missile under the counter, I'd have a Healing Belt around my waist, and I'd have a contingent spell cast upon my person to Raise Dead in the event I should be killed.

How about a contingent Geas/Quest spell on your store, triggered to go off on anyone who steals from you? Ordering them to first cluck like a chicken, punch themselves in the head, than take off all of thier clothing and turn every stitch of magical and mundane gear they own over to you, then beg for your forgiveness while crawling thru glass. Ok, it might not exactly work like this, but you get my point.

Seriously, this is like saying someone would walk into a gun and ammo store, that sells tanks and rocket launchers the size of your palm, and saying they might rob you.

You Are Surrounded By Powerful Magical Items. Use Them To Defend Yourself.

 

[Dandu]

Actually, in real life, thieves tend not to target gun stores (at least not during business hours) due to the fact that doing so is really, really stupid.

 

[Dross]

Why must the person selling the items be powerful enough to protect himself?

If they are selling costly magical items then they are likely to be able to afford guards.

If even this is problematic then the magical/mundane equivalent of surveillance cameras should be employed.

Example: a spyhole used by someone to watch the room. Then when something happens the spy informs the appropriate people.

 

[Aldarad]

First of does he realy have a stockpile of items or is he just a middleman for the wizards, owners etc?
If he do ahve to have a stockpile... actualy this has been already been cowered.

 

[was]

bodyguards or paying protection to the local thieves guild

 

[Greenfield]

In my games, when someone goes looking for a "magic shop", they're either dealing directly at a Guild Hall, or with a broker.

Nobody in their right mind tries to rob the Guild Hall directly.

The broker/dealer is the little shop that sells Alchemist's Mercy (, Everburning Torches and similar minor magics. They sell components and odd materials to the local spell casters.

Magic swords? Magic bags? Wands? Stuff like that isn't just sitting around on a shelf. It's in the field, being used.

You want to buy a +3 Bohemian Ear Spoon (Left handed, of course)? Well, he might know a guy who knows a guy...

Long story short, you'll pay him a small fee to locate the item you want, or someone who can make it. Then he'll broker the deal, and take his percentage out of the middle. Come back in a few days and he'll let you know what he can find.

Does he have it sitting in a hole in his back yard? Maybe. But he isn't going to tell you that.

He is also never going to admit that he has enough cash around to buy magical loot from PCs. He'll have your money in the morning...