[3.5] Merchant

[jagadaishio]

I'm going to be playing something of a merchant in one of my upcoming games, the Legacy of Fire adventure path from Paizo. I'm taking the Mercantile Background feat as well as the Duskwalker Agent trait (from Player's Guide to Faerun and the Legacy of Fire Companion, respectively). Mercantile Background allows me to sell items at 75% of their value instead of 50%, allows me to purchase a single item at a 25% discount once per month, and gives me an extra 300 starting gold. Duskwalker Agent gives me a 10% bonus and 10% discount when I'm selling or buying in a specific market in the central city of the game, as well as doubling the amount of gold I get at first level.

I want my character to be the best merchant he can be. Sure, selling items for 82.5% of their actual value is much better than a character normally gets. But are there any other feats or abilities that you guys know of that could net me a higher profit, get me a lower cost, and just generally make me a better merchant?

[Claudius Maximus]

I imagine a good merchant would have to do a lot of interaction, so go for a more skill oriented class and max out all the social skills, especially Sense Motive, and Appraise and Perform (Pitch). Diplomacy can be used to Haggle, if I remember correctly, so try to get it as high as possible.

Edit: and don't forget Forgery for those tax forms! :smallwink:

[Zaq]

Well, if you want to be a source of magic items, Artificer really is the way to go.

Depending on what level you are, spells like Fabricate might be an excellent idea. Shapers actually do that pretty well at higher levels.

[Reaper_Monkey]

1. Put lost of skill point into various Craft
2. Make mundane items at 33% of their base cost
3. Sell them at 82.5% (not even with your own shop)
4. PROFIT!!!

Or, if you don't mind losing a little xp and actually value your sanity and time...

1. Take levels in artificer
2. Make magic items at 50% of their base cost (with deductions from feats such as Extrodinary Artisan which lowers the base cost by 25% first)
3. Sell them at 82.5% (not even with your own shop)
4. PROFIT!!! (and the added extra of any item you want even if its not on sale as you just make it)

Once every month you can also buy the most expensive item you can find (with all the profit from doing the above) and then simply sell it on right away, buying an item at 75% of its cost and selling it at 82.5% is a nice monthly bonus when you get your profit margin high enough.

Of cause you'd have to go out and adventure every so often for xp and because your playing, but thats not really an issue as your gear will be way higher than WBL guidlines when you do so. But remember that when you do go out side of the city (or even within it) your DM will make every single square you walk onto a trap and kill you off as quickly as they can. Because no DM likes a player who buggers up the economy and makes infinite money in their downtime :smalltongue:.

[Claudius Maximus]

If economics are going to play a major part in the game, there should either be houserules preventing infinite gold schemes and other such insanity, or the economy should be built around the notion that such methods exist. For example, iron would be dirt cheap since wizards can just make walls of it and sell it, and certain spellcasters/psionic types run "factories" based on Unseen Servant labor and Fabricate.

[Gaiyamato]

Once every month you can also buy the most expensive item you can find (with all the profit from doing the above) and then simply sell it on right away, buying an item at 75% of its cost and selling it at 82.5% is a nice.

Actually he has another 10% discount on that as well.
So he purchases for 67.5% and then sells for 82.5% giving a very ncie profit margin.

My question here.. is the Mercantile Bakcground gold doubled as well?
If so he has a good packet of cash at level 1.

[jagadaishio]

Actually he has another 10% discount on that as well.
So he purchases for 67.5% and then sells for 82.5% giving a very ncie profit margin.

My question here.. is the Mercantile Bakcground gold doubled as well?
If so he has a good packet of cash at level 1.

Indeed I do. Does anyone have any suggestions on other feats that could get the ratio even wider?

[bosssmiley]

Buy xxxxxx as a raw material for crafting at 33% retail cost; sell it straight away as a trade good at 50%. Break the economy. :smallamused:

Trade in D&D is totally b0rked and makes Adam Smith cry. Use the old WFRP trading rules from Death on the Reik instead.

[Zeta Kai]

You should do the same thing any character should do: spam Diplomacy. It's brokenness has already been proven (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/jFppYwv7OUkegKhONNF.html), so just max your ranks & abuse it for all that it's worth. With the right DM, you can basically get anything you want.

[jagadaishio]

Nothing that could push the percent up to or above 100%, though?