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<blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 5859563" data-attributes="member: 6669384">Whether to use Appraise (for goods) or Handle Animal or Knowledge-Natre (for horses or other livestock) is situational.&nbsp; Some goods, such as foodstuffs, have a pretty steady price and it's well known.I use one of the above though to establish the base price, generally ranging no more than 10% above or below common market price.That sets the stage.&nbsp; Haggling is Diplomacy based, but please recall that a good Bluff skill gives a synergy bonus to Diplomacy.&nbsp; I also give &quot;professional&quot; bonuses if you are a craftsperson who can/does make such items, or if you're a merchant for whom the item(s) in question are part of your normal stock and trade.And, just like the haggling rules in the books, there's a flat maximum you can move the price by, and it's not that wide a range.Barter is often used in our games, either in pure item for item exchange, or as a way to spice up a deal.For example, we were looking for some items from a guild hall.&nbsp; It was known that there were spell casters in town who &quot;dabbled&quot; in Necromancy.&nbsp; For research purposes only, of course.&nbsp; Prices were quite high.&nbsp; My character (when he was being run by someone else) was at one point on the night side of the Nile, where it entered the Land of the Dead, and had collected a few pounds of the black sand from that spot.I offered the merchant an ounce of that sand, &quot;In case some of your research clients might be interested.&quot;&nbsp; Once he understood what it was, and verified that I was telling the truth, we suddenly found our bargaining a lot easier.&nbsp; I let him know that there was more available, if his customers showed an interest.To the point, I used a plot-hook oddity that had no known special properties and that hadn't cost me anything as a bargaining chip because it was something this particular merchant had a known market for.&nbsp; And it worked because it made good story.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Greenfield, post: 5859563, member: 6669384"] Whether to use Appraise (for goods) or Handle Animal or Knowledge-Natre (for horses or other livestock) is situational. Some goods, such as foodstuffs, have a pretty steady price and it's well known. I use one of the above though to establish the base price, generally ranging no more than 10% above or below common market price. That sets the stage. Haggling is Diplomacy based, but please recall that a good Bluff skill gives a synergy bonus to Diplomacy. I also give "professional" bonuses if you are a craftsperson who can/does make such items, or if you're a merchant for whom the item(s) in question are part of your normal stock and trade. And, just like the haggling rules in the books, there's a flat maximum you can move the price by, and it's not that wide a range. Barter is often used in our games, either in pure item for item exchange, or as a way to spice up a deal. For example, we were looking for some items from a guild hall. It was known that there were spell casters in town who "dabbled" in Necromancy. For research purposes only, of course. Prices were quite high. My character (when he was being run by someone else) was at one point on the night side of the Nile, where it entered the Land of the Dead, and had collected a few pounds of the black sand from that spot. I offered the merchant an ounce of that sand, "In case some of your research clients might be interested." Once he understood what it was, and verified that I was telling the truth, we suddenly found our bargaining a lot easier. I let him know that there was more available, if his customers showed an interest. To the point, I used a plot-hook oddity that had no known special properties and that hadn't cost me anything as a bargaining chip because it was something this particular merchant had a known market for. And it worked because it made good story. [/QUOTE]

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