Let's Populate the Merchant's Row

And what if one of those houses just seems to be empty? But in fact holds a secret passage to an illegal casino? Could involve some quests too, with all those shady characters.

 

A really high-end weapon/armor merchant. Including things that would normally be only available through crafting. Maybe nothing as crazy as multiple types of elemental bursting but +3 weapons and armor with one or more attribute. Something for non-crafters to use to bulk up before some of the harder end-game fights if they are having a lot of trouble with them. The prices for them would be very high, as much as 50-100K so it would be difficult to gather the money for more than a few of them per playthrough unless you are ridiculous about looting and selling everything.

@Kilraven: I still have a bunch of Dragon anthologies from the 80's. Off the top of my head I remember a better monk, a better ninja, witch, mariner, charlatan, sumo wrestler, anti-paladin, archer, there were a few issues every year with a new class back then. The barbarian, cavalier, and thief-acrobat that appeared in the Unearthed Arcan book all came from dragon magazine issues. I let my players take the NPC only classes if they wanted.

 

A magic shop in case you kill Senshock.

 

I remember an issue of Dragon Magazine that featured a new class called the merlane(sp?). It was the class responsible for creating monsters like owlbears and what not. I used it as a template to create one of the chief villains in one of the adventures/dungeons in my friend's D&D world- they loved (to hate) him...:thumbsup:

 

Some really great ideas up there! I LOVE the secret Casino and "normal shop like buthcher" ideas.

You could even combine those two, fruit vendor that is a front for a casino, for instance. (So you want the Cartesian Starfruit, do you? Wink, Wink. Well it is out of season, but I may have some left in the back here...) Gambling is set up with Furnok, so it has be expandable, right?

My personal idea would be a Buying Broker. One shop that gives you the BEST price, regardless of merchandise type, minus a small percentage, like 5-10% (or 10-20%) based upon your appraisal skill.

That way you don't have to run around everywhere to get the full selling price for wooden shields at the shieldmaker or cabinet maker, or the full selling price for magic items at places like the Temple of St. Cuthbert or Burne's Castle.

Not one-stop shopping, but instead, one-stop selling. I know I'D pay a percentage for that. Expecially if there was one also located in Homlett (Nulb would be too crooked to have one)!! You could call them One-Stop's or something like that. The coding should be doable, I think.

 

I'd love to know how many people recognise the shop that tom proposes... as if by magic, a shopkeeper appeared...

 

I don't understand, wouldn't he be just like any other shop owner in that district?

I walk in, (because I have to see every inch of a map) and I see a guy with a fez.

To me, a guy with a fez means magic, or he's just really cool.

We all know fezs are IT, right?

 

A bardic/music shop with ALL the musical instruments, and a chance to get one of the magical ones (or make them all available but VERY expensive!)

it could also carry magical adventuring equipment like the bag of wonder, the chime, some magical jewelry ... stuff an old adventuring and possibly 'retired' bard would have plenty of from his travels

i sure would not mind if it was possible to script any new magical instruments! or have the owner craft them to order ... but while everyone is having some VERY creative and wonderful ideas here, i realize Gaear was probably intending more to just use the existing content to fill in the merchants row.

Exciting stuff!

My vote? a bard shop, called "UlDragos Adventuring Goods & Fine Musical Instruments" managed by the proprietor and bard extraordinaire J'allan UlDragos himself, with his lovely assistant the retired fighter/paladin Jaana Flamehair to help run the shop. you don't have to keep those exact names... just provided my character names if people like them.

As with the previous population project, do we need to provide a script file, artwork... or voice files? Let me know!

:thumbsup: or :thumbsdow ???

 

I also always liked the idea of having a "Training Hall" ... where one could earn XP, levels, possibly feats..

I really like the suggestion above where you could have a "portrait" painted for an extravagant sum to stroke the party ego to place in the Castle of Lords, and/or the Employment center where you could hire liveried servants, etc to add to the castle. Neat.

and having additional shops selling magical weapons is always nice! we could have several, and the dialogues could indicate they are very competitive with each other ... so even if they have the same or similar equipment, each proprietor seeks to get the party to shop there.

the butcher shop is a cool idea. not very useful items, but it certainly adds flavor and realism to the market!

like the idea for thieves guild/special shop and the casino - though each would probably entail alot of additional scripting. but as someone mentioned, maybe Furnok could finally find his happy place! that would be a neat addendum to his character if possible...

 

Also ... how about a shop specializing in only ranged weapons? a very experienced Bowyer who crafts the finest bows, crossbows and fletched bolts and arrows, including magical ones.

Run by a ranger of peerless skill. "Dragonsbane Bows and Fletchings"

"Need to slay a dragon? Aerate an Ettin? Perforate a Bugbear horde before they close to melee range? Keep those ugly monsters at bay, or make them dead with my fine bows and arrows! Buy one today!" LOL

 

How about a swap shop?

it contains all the magical items, arms and Armour, in the game. Any item can be swapped for any other item of equal value or less for a 10% fee.

 

You could create a merchant that sells Adamantium only weapons and armor. Then the same thing for Mithril.
I think that would be a good thing.
I also like the idea of a merchant that will enchant the weapon for you, in case you can't create a certain enchantment for a weapon. You give him a blank masterwork weapon, tell him what you want, and he spits out something with those specs.
However, it should cost a TON for this, like big time money, that way it makes up for the normal XP cost to the crafter.
I also think like soemone mentioned a specialized seller, who will do your legwork for you, would be a good idea in Verbobonc.
The idea of expanding on a criminal underground network is an awesome idea for the city as well, adding to side quests that don't have any real major impact but are there for flavor and to get specific items (like armors that add the invisibility special rule, or have haste, or weapons that ignore a set amount of damage reduction, or automatically poison, etc, etc).
I would also like more, much more to do via bounty hunter quests. They give you a name, and you search for the bastard on the world map, and then bam, random encounter. As you continue along, the fights scale up, getting harder and harder, maybe eventually getting horde-like or taking on full raiding parties.
Underground casinos would be fun, as someone pointed out, and maybe working with the law to either shut them down or force them to make a few charitable donations to the Widows and Orphans fund would be a fun thing. Could be expanded upon to root out corruption wihtin the city guards, adding an additional reputation.

 

Tom- a multicoloured swap-shop, run by a guy in a beard and a terrible sweater?

 

Reading through, there are some excellent ideas. I like the idea of Furnock heading up the Thieves Guild, it could be fronted by a "Speakeasy", a prohibition style bar selling alcohol in tea cups, which would add to the underhand/underworld feel.
The Butcher shop would need an extra twist. You could hire all the most annoying npc's in the game and take them here.....to be butchered, for a small fee of course.
The dream merchant could just be a cyclops working as a private eye

What about being able to invest in the shops as a sleeping partner/shareholder

 

I would LOVE it if you could code it to set Fruella up as the butcher! She already has the cleaver

The ranged weapons shop is a great idea too! Again, I think this will wet many people's appetites for similar (if not quite as well stocked) shops in Homlett...