Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ximenes088" data-source="post: 4220388" data-attributes="member: 59899">Traveling merchants exceed heroic-tier PCs the way a lot of important NPCs exceed heroic-tier PCs. Some by a little, some by a lot, and some not at all. It requires no strain whatsoever to imagine One-Eyed Holger, the leathery trader whose heavily-armed caravan has been running the salvage circuit between the ruins of Lost Bahria, the almost-abandoned dwarven mines of Plunderstone, the remnant garrison at the Keep on the Borderlands, and the big city of Ailspire. He buys the relics that young adventurers pull out of Bahria, Plunderstone, and the Borderlands raiders, giving them cash on the barrelhead for the goods and bringing the comforts of Ailspire with him.Sure, the adventurers could try going to Ailspire themselves to sell the goods, but the lords of the city would probably just confiscate them. They don't much care for strange adventurers meddling with their peaceful city and passing around powerful magical objects to gods-know-who. Holger can make deals there because the lords trust him not to sell to problematic people, and because he's got the friends and resources to protect what he buys.  He can sell at the prices he does because people trust his goods; he _needs_ to sell at the prices he does because staying friends with the lords and paying his guards costs big money.The adventurers can set up shop elsewhere, of course, and merely advertise that they have the goods for sale at a lower price. After they've beaten off the first dozen waves of thieves, swindlers, taxmen and cheats and waited eight months for someone who really does want to pay 80% book for that +2 shocking greataxe instead of 140%, they'll have earned all the profit they get. By the time the adventurers get powerful enough to dismiss these problems easily, an extra 60-80% of full market value on a +2 dagger is going to be about as important to them as the change in their couch cushions.</blockquote>

Verification