The Following Article Is a Presentation of Various Options for Trader Characters. These

Tradecraft

The following article is a presentation of various options for trader characters. These rules are intended to add depth and flavour to playing a trader, whether allied to one of the major merchant house or working independently.

Included are a selection of feats that enhance a trader’s repertoire. Any character may take these feats, so long as she meets the requirements listed under Prerequisites.

Also included is a prestige class, the Trader Agent. As part of their training by their patron house, Trader Agents receive bonus feats, selected from those presented below. As these feats are part of their special training, a Trader Agent does not need to meet the prerequisites for these feats (though often will anyway) but is limited in her selection, depending upon her patron house. When choosing bonus house feats, the Agent may only select those that have her patron house listed under House.

Trader Feats

Tradecraft – Article. Relevant portions © Mark Hope 2003

Braveheart [General]

You are seen as a leader by the other members of your trading house and are respected for your courage and unwavering determination. You inspire your fellows by your very presence.

Prerequisites: Trader, Leadership, Cha 13, Base Attack Bonus +5

House: Stel, Tomblador, Rees, Vordon

Benefit: All other house employees receive a +1 morale bonus to all attack rolls, so long as you or your personal standard are in sight.

Special: The benefit granted by this feat stacks with the benefit granted by the Blood Brother class feature (see below). The benefit granted by this feat does not stack with itself, should more than one individual in a group possess the feat. Should you ever lose your membership in your patron house, you lose the benefits of this feat. You may regain the benefits if you later swear allegiance to another house.

Buried Secrets [General]

Either through the hidden lore of your house or through discoveries that you have made yourself while roaming the athasian wastes, you have learned arcane secrets better left hidden.

Requirements: Trader, Int 13, Knowledge (arcana) 5 ranks

House: Shom

Benefit: You can prepare and cast a single 0-level arcane spell once per day. You must choose whether you cast this spell as a defiler or a preserver – you cannot change the method once you have chosen this feat. You must abide by the rules for wearing armour while casting arcane spells.

Special: This feat can be taken more than once. Each time it is taken you either learn a different 0-level arcane spell or gain an additional daily casting of the same spell.

Caravaneer [General]

You are an accomplished caravaneer, with many months of experience running cargoes between the various city-states and outposts of the Tablelands.

Prerequisites: Trader, Leadership, Ride 4 ranks

House: All

Benefit: When you accompany a caravan, all members of the caravan receive a +2 competence bonus to all Animal Handling, Ride and Wilderness Lore checks, thanks to your constant support, and expert encouragement. The benefit granted by this feat does not stack with itself, should more than one individual in a group possess the feat.

Contraband [General]

You are an expert at running contraband, and know how best to conceal illicit goods as well as how to divert unwelcome eyes away from your misdemeanours.

Prerequisites: Trader, Cha 12, Bluff 4 ranks

House: M’ke, Stel, Tsalaxa

Benefit: You gain a +2 competence bonus to all Disguise, Hide and Pick Pocket checks, when these skills are used to conceal contraband or your involvement with it.

Cross Trader [General]

Through regular interaction with spies, bards and other unsavoury characters, you have learned some of the tricks of spycraft.

Prerequisites: Trader, Gather Information 4 ranks

House: Inika, Tsalaxa

Benefit: You receive a +2 competence bonus to all Bluff and Sense Motive checks.

Forced March [General]

You follow a harsh regime of discipline and are able to pass your insights on to your fellows, if they allow it. Under your guidance, caravans move faster and men can work longer before succumbing to exhaustion.

Prerequisites: Endurance, Leadership, Trader, Con 12

House: Inika, Stel, Tomblador

Benefit: For the purposes of overland movement only, your base move is increased by 10. This bonus extends to all others who travel with you under your supervision, up to a number of individuals equal to your Leadership score x 10. Those you supervise also receive the benefits of the Endurance feat (a +4 bonus to all Constitution checks for physical action over an extended period of time) when making checks related to overland movement.

Special: The movement bonus granted by this feat stacks with the benefit granted by the Dune Wanderer class feature (see below). The benefit granted by this feat does not stack with itself, should more than one individual in a group possess the feat.

Free Trade [General]

You and your house have a reputation for not using slave labour during house operations. This makes you more welcome in locations where liberty is valued.

Prerequisites: Trader, citizenship of Tyr, Raam, Balic, Salt View or other free settlement, Cha 12.

House: M’ke, Rees, Tomblador, Vordon, Wavir

Benefit: When visiting free locations where liberty is a thing of meaning, you and all other employees of your house who travel with you always receive the most favourable initial reactions from locals. You are always able to find lodgings and stabling, always receive enough food and water to cater to your needs and receive a +2 situational bonus to all Charisma-related checks for the duration of your stay.

Special: It should be clear that ungracious behaviour (or worse) can rapidly erode the benefits granted by this feat. Free traders who abuse their reputation swiftly acquire a reputation of an altogether different kind. Should you ever lose your membership in your patron house, you lose the benefits of this feat. You may regain the benefits if you later swear allegiance to another house.

Home Ground [General]

You are dedicated to your house and are able to face many threats in its name.

Prerequisites: Trader

House: M’ke, Tomblador, Wavir

Benefit: You receive a +1 morale bonus to your AC when defending your house or its interests.

Special: Should you ever lose your membership in your patron house, you lose the benefits of this feat. You may regain the benefits if you later swear allegiance to another house.

Market Predator [General]

You are so familiar with the economics of a particular city-state that you are able to ply its markets to your wishes.

Prerequisites: Trader, Bluff 6 ranks, Sense Motive 6 ranks

House: Rees, Stel, Tsalaxa, Wavir

Benefit: All deals that you strike in your chosen city-state are cast in your favour by a percentage equal to your Wisdom modifier x 5. For example, if you have a Wisdom of 14 (+2 modifier), all sales that you make are 10% more profitable, all items that you buy are 10% cheaper etc.

Pack Rat [General]

You have learned how to make the most out of scant resources, gathering together just enough for you and your fellows to eke a living in the athasian wilderness when times are lean.

Prerequisites: Trader, Leadership, Wilderness Lore 8 ranks

House: Inika, M’ke, Rees

Benefit: When travelling the wilderness, if you make a successful Wilderness Lore check (DC 20), you and all who travel with you are able to scavenge just enough food and water to sustain yourselves for one day. This does not cover the needs of any mounts or other beasts that you may have with you.

Shadow Trade [General]

You have learned how to satisfy the market for forbidden goods and can manufacture illegal products for your customers.

Prerequisites: Trader, Craft skill, Gather Information 7 ranks, Wis 14

House: Shom, Tsalaxa

Benefit: You may now take the Alchemy skill as a class skill. You gain a +2 competence bonus to all Alchemy or Craft skill checks when you make black market items.

Normal: In the Dark Sun setting, the Alchemy skill is exclusive to the Bard class.

Steel Resolve [General]

Whether through loyalty to the principles of your house, or through fear of your vengeful masters, you are able to call upon reserves of great willpower at times of need.

Prerequisites: Trader

House: Inika, Shom, Vordon, Wavir

Benefit: You gain a +2 morale bonus to all Will saves when acting in the interests of your patron house.

Special: Should you ever lose your membership in your patron house, you lose the benefits of this feat. You may regain the benefits if you later swear allegiance to another house.

Trader’s Tongue [General]

Through the cosmopolitan opportunities offered you by your house, or perhaps through your access to lore forbidden elsewhere, you have developed a mastery of languages.

Prerequisites: Trader, Int 13, Gather Information 4 ranks

House: Shom, Vordon

Benefit: You learn three bonus languages.

Trader Agent

The merchant houses of the Tablelands attract all manner of folks to their fold. Besides the salesmen themselves, bards, warriors, psions, rogues and wizards all find homes with the merchant dynasties, forging bonds and alliances of varying strengths. There are those, however, who choose to dedicate their entire lives to a single merchant house, becoming living extensions of the wills of the masters of the dynastic house that they serve.

These individuals are known as Trader Agents (TrAg). They are invaluable to their patron houses due to the links that they forge with their various clients across the Tablelands. Trader Agents possess a variety of specialised skills that are taught them by their patrons, as well as a number of cultural insights gained from their travels and subsequent encounters with the major races of Athas.

Hit die: d6

Requirements

To become a Trader Agent, a character must fulfil all the following criteria.

Diplomacy: 8 ranks

Gather Information: 4 ranks

Wilderness Lore: 5 ranks

Feats: Fast Talk, Trader, Wastelander

Other: Must swear allegiance to a merchant house.

Class Skills:

The Trader Agent’s class skills (and key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intuit Direction (Wis), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Literacy (none), Profession (Wis), Ride (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis) and Wilderness Lore (Wis).

Skill points at Each Level: 4 + Int mod

Class Features

Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: Trader Agents are proficient with all simple weapons, light armours and shields.

Allegiance: Your allegiance to your patron house becomes ever more binding when you swear the oaths that mark you as a favoured agent. Many houses are loathe to allow their agents to leave service with their lives and prospective agents must bear this in mind when signing up. This allegiance provides you with food, water, lodgings and basic personal goods whenever you are in the holdings of your patron house. It also provides you with access to the special training required to acquire trader feats without first meeting the prerequisites.

Cipher (Ex): Your patron house has developed a method of accounting as part of natural business practices. However, with a little modification, this cipher can be used to communicate virtually anything – it effectively becomes its own language. Once you have learned the house tongue, you can issue verbal and written communications that can only be understood by those who have taken a language slot in that particular cipher (or who also possess this ability and learn the cipher). Otherwise, the cipher is mistaken for largely unintelligible jargon relating to the price of kank honey, the market prospects of hemp crop and similar topics.

House Feat (Ex): Through the specialised training regimes offered to their favoured agents, the dynastic merchant houses can make considerable resources available. At 2nd, 5th and 9th levels, the Trader Agent may select a feat from the list of trader feats (see Table 1-2), provided that her employer is listed under House for that feat. She does not need to meet any of the other prerequisites for the feat.

Trade Wisdom: Through your extensive travels and interaction with the various cultures of the Tablelands, you have learned much scattered wisdom. At 3rd, 6th and 10th levels, you can select one ability from the following list:

Blessing from Beyond (Sp): Somehow, through dealings with patrons who may have been more (or less) than they initially appeared, you have developed contacts with a creature of the planes. This Outsider does not reside on Athas, but it has taught you mysterious rituals that can be used to contact it, if desired. Once per week, you can cast contact other plane as a wizard of your level. The first time you use this ability, you must choose a plane and continue to use that same plane for all future uses of this ability (unless you take Blessing from Beyond a second time, of course).
Blood Brother (Ex): Through fire and danger you have earned yourself the respect of one of Athas’ raiding tribes and have seen the power of freedom and the strength of inspired leadership. Whenever you lead your men in battle, they receive a +1 morale bonus to all attacks, saving throws and damage rolls. You or your standard must be visible for this bonus to have effect.
Clutch-mate of the Kreen (Ex): You have gained the friendship of a tribe of thri-kreen and may acquire items made of dasl at a reduced cost. Each month you can spend your Charisma modifier x 20 cp on dasl items. You only pay 75% of the base cost for these items.
Dune Wanderer (Ex): You are held in high esteem by a nomadic elven tribe and have learned from them how to move swiftly across the wastes. For the purposes of overland movement only you increase your base move by 10. All who travel with you under your supervision also receive this bonus, but they lose it when separated from you as it takes your constant supervision and encouragement to maintain this pace.
Forest Child (Ex): In your travels you have won the trust of the strange and reclusive halflings of the Forest Ridge. Through their teachings you know how to harness the bounty of the world around you. You gain the Brew Potion Fruit item creation feat, with the following restrictions: you can only create potion fruit of 0-level druid orisons and you must pay double the normal cost for creating such fruit, both in cp and in XP.
Serpent’s Kiss (Ex): Through any number of strange events, you have won the favour of a sorcerer king. Whenever you are in the domain of that monarch, you may approach his templars and arcanamachs for aid. The costs associated with paying for spellcasting by these NPCs are halved due to their respect of your bond with their dread master.
Stonekindred (Ex): You have earned the grudging respect of a dwarven community and they have shared some of their personal insights with you, teaching you the ways of the dwarven focus. You gain a +1 morale bonus to all saving throws and skill checks made in pursuit of your house’s interests.

Cadre (Ex): You become so valuable to your house that you are assigned a personal bodyguard. You gain the Leadership feat, if you did not already have it. If you already have Leadership, you receive a +3 bonus to your Leadership score.

Table 1-1: The Trader Agent

Class Level / Base Attack Bonus / Fort Save / Ref Save / Will Save / Special
1st / +0 / +0 / +2 / +2 / Allegiance, Cipher
2nd / +1 / +0 / +3 / +3 / House Feat
3rd / +2 / +1 / +3 / +3 / Trade Wisdom
4th / +3 / +1 / +4 / +4
5th / +3 / +1 / +4 / +4 / House Feat
6th / +4 / +2 / +5 / +5 / Trade Wisdom
7th / +5 / +2 / +5 / +5
8th / +6 / +2 / +6 / +6 / Cadre
9th / +6 / +3 / +6 / +6 / House Feat
10th / +7 / +3 / +7 / +7 / Trade Wisdom

Table 1-2: House Feats

House / Feats Taught

Inika

/ Caravaneer, Cross Trader, Forced March, Pack Rat, Steel Resolve
M’ke / Caravaneer, Contraband, Free Trade, Home Ground, Pack Rat
Rees / Braveheart, Caravaneer, Free Trade, Market Predator, Pack Rat
Shom / Buried Secrets, Caravaneer, Shadow Trade, Steel Resolve, Trader’s Tongue
Stel / Braveheart, Caravaneer, Contraband, Forced March, Market Predator
Tomblador / Braveheart, Caravaneer, Forced March, Free Trade, Home Ground
Tsalaxa / Caravaneer, Contraband, Cross Trader, Market Predator, Shadow Trade,
Vordon / Braveheart, Caravaneer, Free Trade, Steel Resolve, Trader’s Tongue
Wavir / Caravaneer, Free Trade, Home Ground, Market Predator, Steel Resolve