In addition to merchant-flavored variations of the standard NPC stuff (look, demeanor, "spice"), I also added the slightly more nuts and bolts columns of Pricing, Selection, and Quality to this generator. The hope here is that there will be reason to travel across town to the expensive armorer, since they have stuff you just can't get from your neighborhood guy, but you'll also put up with lower quality stuff from this other fella because you like doing business with that guy who gave you a no-interest loan to keep your apartment. Maybe I'm putting too much faith in PC behavior, but it's another level of potentially interesting detail.
With all of the stuff I've created for Fellhold so far, the goal has been to provide the pieces for emergent complexity (and hopefully interest). In other words, knowing that this one merchant is cheap but high quality is not that interesting by itself, but when he's randomly placed in a district controlled by a faction the players pissed off, and he's also involved in an intrigue they found out about through a contact of theirs, you start to get some interesting implications and plenty of fodder for adventure.
Also, I apologize for the even-uglier-than-usual table today, once I get around to actually making this a real thing, the layout will be much better.
Merchants
Merchants conduct business, usually buying and selling a particular good or service, but occasionally branching out into more general business. They might be modest shop keepers or lords of mercantile empires. Their main significance to the PCs is as sources of tools and equipment. Unlike Fences, Merchants will predominantly be interested in selling things to the PCs, but may occasionally need help acquiring rare components, dealing with rivals, or be willing to buy specialist gear or materials. Note that it is not necessary or desirable to generate a merchant for every business transaction the PCs conduct, but in the case of either rare/difficult to find goods, or those the PCs are likely to buy over and over again, they may be desirable. As usual, any subset of this table that is useful in the moment may be used rather than the entire thing (for example, you may only care about pricing, selection, and quality). Roll on the table below to generate - gender may be decided by looking at the die rolled for race (or any other) - odd indicates male, even female.
Roll
|
Business
|
Race
|
Demeanor
|
Look
|
Pricing (Selling)
|
Selection*
|
Quality*
|
Spice
|
1
|
Landlord
|
Human
|
Gruff
|
Good Looking
|
Gouging (2 times sell price)
|
Huge
|
Very High
|
Owes a huge amount of money to a random patron
|
2
|
Butcher
|
Human
|
Salesy
|
Ugly
|
Gouging (2 times sell price)
|
Huge
|
Very High
|
Is owed a huge amount of money by a random NPC
|
3
|
Tattooist
|
Human
|
Suspcious
|
Skinny
|
Pricey (1 1/2 times sell price)
|
Large
|
High
|
Trying to strike up a partnership with a random merchant
|
4
|
Innkeep
|
Human
|
False
|
Fat
|
Pricey (1 1/2 times sell price)
|
Large
|
High
|
Wants to buy the collection of a random sage, but they don’t seem interested in selling
|
5
|
Barkeep
|
Human
|
Greedy
|
Unkempt
|
Pricey (1 1/2 times sell price)
|
Large
|
High
|
A prominent member of their faction recently decried their trade as unacceptable
|
6
|
Shipper
|
Human
|
Aggressive
|
Stylish
|
Pricey (1 1/2 times sell price)
|
Large
|
High
|
Up-and-comer breaking into a tightly controlled market
|
7
|
General Goods
|
Human
|
Pushy
|
Striking
|
Pricey (1 1/2 times sell price)
|
Normal
|
Normal
|
Runs a less legitimate business on the side - is also a fence of a random specialty
|
8
|
Weapons
|
Human
|
Obsequious
|
Exotic
|
Pricey (1 1/2 times sell price)
|
Normal
|
Normal
|
Has acquired significant influence - is also a patron to merchant social circles
|
9
|
Armorer
|
Ratman
|
Nervous
|
Well Groomed
|
Fair (Normal Sell Price)
|
Normal
|
Normal
|
Likes to read quite a bit - is also a sage in a random area of interest
|
10
|
Tobacconist
|
Ratman
|
Tricksy
|
Sloppy
|
Fair (Normal Sell Price)
|
Normal
|
Normal
|
Their shop is more than it seems - it is also a lair. The merchant may or may not be one and the same as the lair’s inhabitant
|
11
|
Coffee Roaster
|
Crabman
|
Cheerful
|
Neat
|
Fair (Normal Sell Price)
|
Normal
|
Normal
|
Keeps an eye out for people that will make good slaves, coordinates with a team of kidnappers and takes part of the cut
|
12
|
Bookseller
|
Crabman
|
Professional
|
Squinty
|
Fair (Normal Sell Price)
|
Normal
|
Normal
|
Is secretly a firebrand of some kind and supports a random conspiracy
|
13
|
Pimp/ Madam
|
Crabman
|
Helpful
|
Bulging Eyes
|
Fair (Normal Sell Price)
|
Normal
|
Normal
|
Is in love with a rival’s spouse - the feelings may or may not be mutual
|
14
|
Loan Shark
|
Crabman
|
Ironical
|
Scarred
|
Fair (Normal Sell Price)
|
Normal
|
Normal
|
Terribly lonely, desperately wants some friends, too proud to admit it
|
15
|
Baker
|
Half Dwarf
|
Distracted
|
Tattooed
|
Fair (Normal Sell Price)
|
Sparse
|
Low
|
Business is booming, and is looking to expand into another field to diversify
|
16
|
Drug Dealer
|
Half Dwarf
|
Intent
|
Missing Limb
|
Cheap (3/4 Sell Price)
|
Sparse
|
Low
|
Convinced that their shop is haunted and wants to make the ghosts go away
|
17
|
Carpenter
|
Half Dwarf
|
Cautious
|
Colorful
|
Cheap (3/4 Sell Price)
|
Sparse
|
Low
|
Trying to break into an upper class social circle, held back by lowly origins
|
18
|
Sawbones
|
Half Dwarf
|
Bored
|
Drab
|
Cheap (3/4 Sell Price)
|
Sparse
|
Low
|
Wants to retire to spend time with spouse and kids and is looking for someone to sell their business to
|
19
|
Brewer
|
Tiefling
|
Talkative
|
Conservative
|
Cheap (3/4 Sell Price)
|
Tiny
|
Terrible
|
Addicted to a rare and exotic variety of coffee
|
20
|
Printmaker
|
Demon
|
Curt
|
Outlandish
|
Cheap (3/4 Sell Price)
|
Tiny
|
Terrible
|
Trying to figure out how to get away with burning down their business and collecting on the insurance from a Soul Bank
|
*Selection refers to how much variety there is in their wares - an huge selection will feature even rare items relevant to the business, while a tiny selection will have only the most basic goods or services available. Quality refers to the general level of quality of the goods or service they sell
District & Faction Relationships
As with other NPCs, a sage should be a member of a faction and should have a district to live and do business in, which can be determined randomly or chosen based on relevant factors (area of interest, faction, and so forth). When generating a sage's contacts, be sure to keep these factors in mind to suggest relationships and locations for these contacts.
Merchant’s Contacts
Merchant's know most people involved in their business.
D3 Merchants of other Businesses
D6-2 Standard NPC Employees (adjust as needed for larger/employee-heavy businesses)
2d6 Thugs/Guards, either on permanent retainer or hired as needed, depending on wealth
Jobs from Merchants
| Roll | Job |
| 1 | A rival is getting too much business - take care of them |
| 2 | Someone - or something - is sneaking around at night. Figure out what it is and keep them safe |
| 3 | Some very valuable merchandise was stolen - track down the thieves and get it back |
| 4 | They’re thinking about setting up another shop in another district - go scout out the location and report back |
| 5 | One of their best customers, a friend really, has gone missing - find out what happened |
| 6 | Their business partner has been acting suspicious recently, find out what they’re up to |
| 7 | They’re making a major shipment to a far district of the city - keep it safe all the way to the destination |
| 8 | An apprentice is trying to set up their own shop without following the appropriate procedures - try to bring them in line |
| 9 | There’s been a string of break-ins at their business or a warehouse. Stake it out and stop the thieves |
| 10 | They are trying to break into politics and need you to dig up dirt on their rivals within their faction |
| 11 | They are hopelessly in love with someone that doesn’t even know they exist - help them court the object of their affection |
| 12 | They have an outlandish theory on how to revolutionize their business - find a sage or a library and do the necessary research to back it up |
| 13 | One of their suppliers has stopped doing business with them - find out why and try to bring them back to the table |
| 14 | A rival has fallen on hard times and seems ready to sell their business, but refuses to sell to them - act as their agent |
| 15 | Another business is quickly becoming a favorite due to some new good or service that is all the rage - find out their secret |
| 16 | A property of theirs has been taken over by a group of particularly vicious rats - take care of them |
| 17 | A property of theirs has been taken over by a group of particularly vicious squatters - take care of them |
| 18 | A property of theirs has been taken over by something really bad - generate a random lair, and take care of it |
| 19 | They are one big transaction away from being able to pay off their creditor - help them buy enough time to make it happen |
| 20 | Wants to open up a business in a hostile district as a potential inroad to better relations - help them secure the location |
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