Merchant Class

I have wanted to add a merchant class to my game for a while. DH Boggs described a merchant class in Dragons at Dawn but the rules were different enough to be incompatible. I created my own based on what I imagine would be the same basic idea but, compatible with the rules that wound up being published.

Merchant Class

Prime requisite: Charisma

Save and fight as: Cleric

Hd 1d6

	Hit dice	Persuade	Experience
Peddler	1d6	25%	0
Salesman	2d6	30%	1,501
Smuggler	3d6	35%	3,001
Speculator	4d6	40%	6,001
Entrepeneur	5d6	45%	12,001
Trader	6d6	50%	25,000
Distributor	7d6	55%	50,000
Merchant	8d6	65%	100,000
Tycoon	9d6	70%	200,000

Restrictions: Merchants must be of neutral alignment. Merchants can wear any armor but have not spent the time to train how to fight properly with armor and are at -3 to hit when wearing anything heavier than chainmail. They are at -1 to hit when wielding shields. They can use any weapon.

Appraise: Merchants can assess the value of any item they are familiar with. E.g. Once they have seen an opal and found out how much it is worth they can appraise all opals. The dungeon master is free to establish what the categories are and how broad. If the dungeon master wants to treat elven chairs of the Pang Theocracy as categorically different than dwarven chairs of the Late Sleetwind Guild Era as categorically different, deal with it.

When Merchants become Entrepeneurs, they are able to learn the read magic spell if someone will teach it to them. They can only cast the spell directly from a spell book and it takes 2 hours.

Persuade and Reputation: Peddlers start with a base chance of 25% to sell any item for 20% more than it is worth to anyone who can afford it. This increases by 5% per level (you can read the chart). For every point the merchant’s charisma is above the potential buyer’s intelligence add 2%. If the buyer’s intelligence is higher than the merchant’s charisma subtract 2% for each point of difference.

Merchants can try to make more modest offers. If a merchant only seeks 10% profit they double their chances and if they go for a more audacious 40% profit they half their chances. Merchants may make multiple offers.

Merchants can even sell goods for a profit to people that clearly do not need the goods. If a merchant does so however, it can lead to a negative reputation in the community. Subtract 1% from persuasion chance for every unconscionable deal the merchant has made in a town. E.g. Werbin Blerbman decides to make some quick cash he buys a barrel of wine from the Salty Nymph and takes it across the street and sells it to the owner of the Vestigial Toe for a 20% markup. The owner of the Vestigial toe did not need to buy wine when he has a perfectly good wine cellar of his own and he certainly didn’t need to pay an extra 20% for it. Werbin Blerbman will now have -1% on all future persuade rolls in the town of Caladan.

Merchants get 1xp per gp of profit regardless of whether they got the item they are selling from adventuring or not.

Stronghold: I haven’t figured this out yet. I am also working on some complicated rules for holding auctions.