This random table offers a vibrant cast of traveling merchants your adventurers can meet on their journeys. Each entry provides a unique description, wares, and personality to spark your imagination and guide your roleplaying. Simply roll a d6 to see which traveling merchant your adventurers encounter. Use the table to inspire your descriptions and roleplaying, and let the fun begin!
| Roll | Merchant | Wares | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spice Trader | Exotic spices, herbs, and teas | A flamboyant figure with colorful clothes and a booming voice, their wagon overflowing with fragrant aromas. |
| 2 | Traveling Tinker | Pots, pans, tools, and trinkets | A gruff but kind dwarf with a blackened beard and a cart laden with useful odds and ends. |
| 3 | Bookseller | Scrolls, maps, and rare books | A scholarly gnome with thick spectacles and a love for sharing knowledge. Their wagon is a mobile library filled with leather-bound tomes. |
| 4 | Gemstone Dealer | Sparkling jewels and precious stones | A sly halfling with a twinkle in their eye and a pouch full of glittering treasures. |
| 5 | Animal Handler | Exotic birds, curious pets, and trained mounts | A gentle giant with a calm demeanor and a knack for calming even the most skittish creatures. |
| 6 | Traveling Blacksmith | Weapons, armor, and tools for adventurers | A burly human with a booming laugh and a forge built into their wagon, constantly ringing with the clang of hammer and anvil. |
Each archetype brings a unique flavor and can be integrated into various narratives and ability checks to enhance the role-playing experience. Below is a breakdown of each character archetype with suggestions for ability checks, encounters, and plot hooks:
1. Spice Trader
- Archetype Features: Flamboyant, colorful, and charismatic, this trader deals in exotic spices, herbs, and teas, with their wagon overflowing with fragrant aromas.
- Ability Checks:
- Persuasion (to negotiate prices): Moderate (DC 15)
- Insight (to gauge the quality of goods): Moderate (DC 15)
- Nature or Survival (to identify rare herbs): Hard (DC 20)
- Encounters: Players could be tasked with securing a rare spice from a dangerous location or protecting the trader from thieves enticed by the valuable cargo.
- Adventure Plot Hooks: The spice trader could need help sourcing a mythical spice rumored to possess magical properties.
- Challenge Rating: CR 1/2 (for thieves) or environmental hazards.
- Boxed Text: “As you approach the vibrant marketplace, your senses are overwhelmed by the rich, spicy aromas wafting from a flamboyantly adorned wagon. Colorful banners flutter in the breeze above a charismatic trader, who calls out over the crowd, ‘Rare spices and exotic teas from the farthest corners of the world! Discover flavors you’ve never imagined!’ The wagon is a trove of fragrant herbs and vividly colored spices, piled in neat, overflowing sacks.”
- NPC Quotes: “These spices are not only rare but carry the essence of magic. Handle them with care, and the rewards will be beyond your imagination.“
- Environment: Bustling market square, filled with sounds and smells that are overwhelming yet intriguing.
2. Traveling Tinker
- Archetype Features: A gruff but kind dwarf, equipped with a variety of tools, pots, pans, and trinkets necessary for any adventure.
- Ability Checks:
- Investigation (to find specific items in his cart): Moderate (DC 15)
- Persuasion (to get a better deal): Moderate (DC 15)
- Tool Proficiency Check (to fix or craft something on the spot): Hard (DC 20) depending on the complexity of the item
- Encounters: Players might need a special tool or item that only this tinker can provide, leading to a unique crafting quest or repair challenge.
- Adventure Plot Hooks: The tinker’s tools are stolen, and he needs the party’s help to retrieve them, leading to a larger plot involving a thieves’ guild.
- Challenge Rating: CR 1 (for recovering stolen tools from low-level thieves).
- Boxed Text: “You encounter a sturdy cart cluttered with all manner of tools, pots, and curious trinkets at the edge of the bustling town square. A gruff dwarf, wiping his hands on a greasy cloth, greets you with a warm smile and a nod. ‘Need something fixed or looking for a gadget? You’ve come to the right place,’ he chuckles, gesturing to the organized chaos of his mobile workshop.”
- NPC Quotes: “Ah, my tools aren’t just metal and wood, friend. They’re pieces of my heart. Help me recover them, and I’m in your debt.“
- Environment: A busy town where the tinker’s cart stands out amidst the mundane.
3. Bookseller
- Archetype Features: A scholarly gnome who operates a mobile library filled with scrolls, maps, and rare books, eager to share knowledge.
- Ability Checks:
- Arcana or History (to glean information from rare tomes): Hard (DC 20) for obscure or magical texts
- Investigation (to find specific books): Moderate (DC 15)
- Encounters: A rare book in the gnome’s collection could be the key to solving an ancient mystery or breaking a curse.
- Adventure Plot Hooks: The bookseller could be on the hunt for a legendary book and need the adventurers’ help to locate and retrieve it from a perilous dungeon.
- Challenge Rating: CR 3 (for guarding the bookseller or the dungeon containing the legendary book).
- Boxed Text: “In a quiet corner of the market, a quaint wagon brimming with scrolls, maps, and leather-bound tomes catches your eye. Behind round spectacles, a scholarly gnome flips through a large, ancient book, mumbling to himself. As you approach, he looks up and beams, ‘Ah, adventurers! Perhaps you’re in search of knowledge or the magic hidden within these pages? Come, browse my collection!'”
- NPC Quotes: “Every book is a door to another world. Help me find the key to this very special door, and who knows what we’ll discover together?“
- Environment: A scholarly enclave or an ancient library that has seen better days.
4. Gemstone Dealer
- Archetype Features: A sly halfling with a keen eye for value, dealing in sparkling jewels and precious stones.
- Ability Checks:
- Appraisal with Investigation or Insight (to assess value): Moderate (DC 15)
- Persuasion or Deception (for haggling): Moderate (DC 15)
- Encounters: The players might be hired as guards during a high-stakes deal or need to track down a specific gemstone with magical properties.
- Adventure Plot Hooks: A precious stone sold by the dealer is discovered to be a key component in a dark ritual, pulling the party into a web of intrigue.
- Challenge Rating: CR 2 (for the guard job) or CR 4 (if the gem is central to a dark ritual).
- Boxed Text: “Under the dim light of a lantern, a halfling with a sly grin showcases a velvet-lined tray sparkling with jewels and gemstones. ‘These are not mere adornments,’ the halfling whispers conspiratorially, ‘each stone holds a secret waiting to be unlocked.’ Around you, the alley fades into a hushed silence, focusing your attention on the glittering display.”
- NPC Quotes: “These gems? They’re not just stones, they’re stories. And some stories, let me tell you, are worth more than gold.“
- Environment: An opulent yet shadowy tent at a high-end auction or a secret meeting place in the city.
5. Animal Handler
- Archetype Features: A gentle giant who excels in calming skittish creatures, surrounded by exotic birds, pets, and trained mounts.
- Ability Checks:
- Animal Handling (to assist or train animals): Moderate (DC 15) for common animals, Hard (DC 20) for exotic or mythical creatures
- Insight (to understand animal behavior): Moderate (DC 15)
- Encounters: The handler could need assistance rescuing animals from an illegal trader or reintroducing a mythical beast into its natural habitat.
- Adventure Plot Hooks: A rare creature in the handler’s collection is the last of its kind, and the party is enlisted to protect it from poachers.
- Challenge Rating: CR 2 (for rescuing animals) or CR 5 (if dealing with a mythical beast).
- Boxed Text: “As you traverse a serene clearing, you’re greeted by the sight of a gentle giant surrounded by a menagerie of creatures. Exotic birds flutter above, while curious pets and trained mounts roam freely. The giant, speaking softly, seems to commune with the animals, their calm a stark contrast to the wilds beyond. ‘Welcome, travelers,’ he says, ‘to a sanctuary where all beasts find peace.'”
- NPC Quotes: “To speak to an animal, you don’t use words, but your heart. Let’s see if yours can whisper.“
- Environment: A lush forest or a protected grove that serves as a sanctuary.
6. Traveling Blacksmith
- Archetype Features: A burly human with a booming laugh, crafting weapons, armor, and tools in his wagon forge.
- Ability Checks:
- Strength (to assist in the forge): Moderate (DC 15)
- Investigation or Perception (to appraise or identify weapons and armor): Moderate (DC 15)
- Encounters: The blacksmith could forge a special weapon the party needs to defeat a formidable enemy.
- Adventure Plot Hooks: The blacksmith discovers plans for a legendary weapon but needs rare materials the party must help him acquire.
- Challenge Rating: CR 3 (to assist in the forge) or special challenges in acquiring rare materials.
- Boxed Text: “The rhythmic ringing of a hammer striking an anvil leads you to a burly human, his muscles glistening with sweat as he forges a blade by the roadside. Sparks fly with each pound, illuminating the forge built into his wagon. ‘Need a blade or maybe some armor? I forge it strong and true,’ he laughs heartily, setting aside his hammer to greet you.”
- NPC Quotes: “Steel sings a song, you know. Listen close enough, and you’ll hear the secrets of making something truly legendary.“
- Environment: A fortified camp or a makeshift forge set up at a strategic crossroads.
Each archetype offers distinct possibilities for integrating into your D&D sessions, providing both functional and narrative depth to your adventures. These characters can serve as allies, quest givers, or even pivotal figures in your campaign’s storyline.
