Adventuring Trader

While the main bulk of the mercantile populace is best represented by experts, commoners, sometimes even aristocrats or maybe individuals with a few ranks in PC classes such as rogue, bard or wizard, there is always those who have no special talents in the field of spellcasting or thieving, yet still stand out from the common shopkeeper, merchant or pedlar in that they could join an adventuring party and be competitive. While it is entirely okay giving NPC levels in expert to such characters, DMs might crave a true PC class for such a character. Adventuring traders are merchants or artisans who move from place to place, trading their goods and honing their talents, but along their often perilous travels, they picked up some skills that help them defend themselves and even meet some adventurous challenges they might encounter at some point.

Adventures: While most adventuring traders will either retire from adventuring life at some point and start running a shop (becoming experts) or dedicate themselves entirely to a new life of heroism, abandoning their profession, they represent a flock of non-adventurous people who join an adventuring party just for the sheer thrill of being on the road and collecting experience in unusual circumstances. Some of them might start adventuring because there is something precious to be gained which they need for their trade (like a lost caravan, a famous halfling-cook’s book of recipes or a mysterious flower from which a new and unique dye can be destilled). Others have spent half of their life travelling. Whatever the reason, adventuring traders tend to attract fellows and followers which they hire or join to travel in safe company. Most commonly this would be other traders, rangers, scouts or fighters. They fit into almost any party, though it is rarely the glory or the fame that lures them into an adventuring life – it is the personal enjoyment, a personal quest or simply the money.

Characteristics: The main field of adventuring traders is skills. They put similar emphasis on similar skills as a rogue or bard would do, but with different intentions. They generally lack the special abilities of spellcasting or thieving classes, though they know enough exotic stuff to operate magic items effectively. The trade-off of their versatility is their poor fighting skills. When it comes to combat, a trader better watches for herself.

Alignment: Traders follow opportunities and chances. As their business demands a certain degree of empathy and social behaviour, they are rarely evil, but in general an adventuring trader may pick any alignment.

Religion: In a generic campaign, most adventuring traders will worship Fharlanghn (god of travel). Depending on their business, traders might worship other gods or none at all. In a Midlands campaign, traders are likely to pay their reverence to either Ogdal (god of trade in the duchy of Nuremburg) or any other god that fits their cultural and operational background.

Background: As most city-dwelling craftsmen and artisans are organized in local guilds called “zunft”, travelling representatives of their business will face problems moving freely around between cities. Thy have to pay high taxes set by local authorities. Merchants face similar problems. Membership in one of the many merchant guilds makes trade easier in towns where the guild holds an office, but blocks trade for those towns where it doesn’t, or where another guild holds sway. Though most adventuring traders originally belonged to a guild, they tend to neglect or even cut such bonds in favour of an independent life. There are even some loose guilds of travelling merchants and craftsmen entirely composed of such folk, running way-stations and booths-for-rent along main trading lines and in major cities. Generally, traders don’t see each other as fellows unless they share a personal or guild-based relationship.

Races: Most races have merchants or craftsmen, though not all produce characters that qualify for this class. A blacksmith that goes for an adventuring career will likely be a fighter himself, while some races instantly relate craft with spellcraft, because it comes naturally to them, like gnomes or elves. Most adventuring traders will be human, but half-elves and gnomes also make ideal traders.

Other classes: All sentient beings are potential customers. This being said, an adventuring trader will most likely treat all classes with the same courteous friendliness. While they generally enjoy the company of aristocrats, wizards and bards, they have a professional dislike for rogues. On the other hand, keeping one’s enemies close and turning them into friends might result in a safe pouch and undisturbed sleep, wouldn’t it?

Role: A trader’s role in a group varies dramatically based on her selection of skills. She generally will find herself in a support role, busy with logistics and social interaction with NPCs. On the other hand, there’s little to gain for her in combat. This is not necessarily bad, as a trader can substitute for a bard or even a rogue in some parties, generally has a good overview over the situation and makes for an ideal leader.

Game Rule Information

Adventuring traders have the following game statistics.

Abilities: Charisma is perhaps the most useful ability score for a trader. It allows her to interact with other people, and it helps her pick up bard levels later in her career, if she wants to. A high Intelligence score provides for a vast amount of skill points, while both wisdom and dexterity are useful for many class skills that a trader might be specialized in.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die:d6

Class Skills

The adventuring trader’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually, Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (n/a), Spot (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill points at 1st level: (8 + Int modifier) × 4.

Skill points per additional level: 8 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the adventuring trader.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Adventuring traders are proficient with all simple weapons plus the rapier, short sword, and whip. Adventuring Traders are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

Bonus Feat: At 1st level, an adventuring trader gets a bonus feat in addition to the feat that any 1st-level character gets and the bonus feat granted to a human character. She gets an additional bonus feat at second level and every 5th level beyond the 1st (i.e. upon reaching 6th, 11th and 16th level). These bonus feats must come from the following list: Deceitful, Diligent, Investigator, Negotiator, Persuasive, Skill focus.

Trader’s Trivia: A travelling merchant picks up a lot of stray knowledge while wandering the land and learning stories from other traders. She knows where to get stuff and where to sell goods it with the best profit. She may make a special trader’s trivia check with a bonus equal to her adventuring trader level + her Intelligence modifier to see whether she knows some relevant information about local notable people, legendary items, economic oddities, or noteworthy places. (If the adventuring trader has 5 or more ranks in the relevant Knowledge skill, she gains a +2 bonus on this check.)

A successful trader’s trivia check will not reveal the powers of items or people, nor exact prices for trading-goods but may give a hint how things generally work. An adventuring trader may not take 10 or 20 on this check; this sort of knowledge is essentially random and strongly depends on the business of the trader. The DM can determine the DC of the check by referring to the table above.

Skill Expert: When reaching 5th, 9th and 13th level, an adventuring trader may pick an additional skill that is not already one of his class skills for this class, to be an additional class skill for this class. This includes skills that cannot be used untrained, like sleight of hands or spellcraft.

Running Business: Starting at 3rd level, an adventuring trader usually has accumulated enough reputation to set up her own network of trades that allow her to pursue her adventurous habits relatively undisturbed. This includes a small trading post or shop – which the character should create in concordance with the DM – run by a loyal underling the character pays from the profits she draws from the business.

The player should pick one field of trades or craft, e.g. wine and beer, textiles and cloth, adventuring equipment, field tools. This is her main business. The character must have a corresponding Profession skill for this type of trade and must have bought at least 3 ranks in it. She receives a +2 circumstance bonus on all checks related to her business, e.g. Appraise checks, Knowledge checks (including trader’s trivia in this field) or checks made when negotiating with other traders, dedicated customers or supplicants of goods that fall into this category. This doesn’t mean a beer trader gets her beer cheaper in a tavern, but her special knowledge in beer trade would enable her to easily identify a bad or watered-down brew and thus enable her to put pressure on the innkeeper.

In addition to this, she may spend time on her business to establish new trades, trade goods and make profit. This works exactly like regular use of the Profession skill, as used for other professions the character might have that do not match her main business, but the character may apply her +2 running business bonus to the check.

At 7th, 11th, 15th and 19th level, an adventuring trader may either pick an additional running business or add +2 to the bonus received for an existing running business. She must meet the prerequisites for picking a running business each time.

Even if an adventuring trader does not engage in her business actively, she may try a roll in one of the professions that match a running business once per month. The earnings match those usually earned per week of professional activity and are stored at one of her shops or trading posts, representing excess goods or monetary profit. She can collect this profit once she is able to reasonably do so. If a 1 is rolled in this check, something went awfully wrong with the business, and all profit not collected so far is lost – in this business and all others.

This class feature does not replace other means of trading and making profit through roleplay the character might pursue otherwise, it it simply an additional source of income. A smart trader can really earn a fortune!

Sense for Wealth: It is essential for a trader to know and correctly judge not only her goods, but also her potential customers. An adventuring trader receives a +1 bonus on all checks to determine how wealthy a person might be, linked to such minor observations as the person’s gait, dressing habits or the way a customer looks at a certain item. This includes the possibility to see through a disguise if e.g. a thief dresses up as a noble to check a shop’s interior. An adventuring trader is entitled to make such a check whenever someone interacts with him in a business-like demeanor.

Tools of Trade: An adventuring trader is supposed to own a supply of goods and tools he needs to earn his living. This includes tools, gear and materials he needs to practice his craft or profession, but not necessarily the means to move them around when adventuring! Upon gaining a running business, an adventuring trader is automatically supposed to own the means to run this business and to equip his underlings.

Starting Gear

6d4 × 10 gp (sp in modified campaigns) worth of equipment; plus tools and gear appropriate for his Craft and Profession skills, as described in the class features (tools of trade, see above).

© Welf "Curundil" Mattern