3.5/PF Merchants, Slavery and Guilds! Oh my!

[Gwazi Magnum]

Basically how would you make a character with D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder materials that was meant for one (or more) of the following?

1) Being a merchant, wandering and selling things for more Gold. While buying things for less.
2) Running a Business/Guild, where they can gain additional resource, insight, support etc.
3) Running a Slaving business. Why kill people when you can in slave them?

Note: For the more dark and twisted souls out there, any book that applies to evil characters as well as the Book of Erotic Fantasy are also available.

Edit: Note this is the build for who is meant to be the head honcho, the guy in charge of it all, calling all the shots etc.
Not one of the lower people, they don't need to possess all of the skills that lower ranking people might posses.

[Troacctid]

Look into the Merchant Prince prestige class from Power of Faerun. It gives you a selection of spells that are very useful for a salesman, and it cuts your costs and boosts your profits when using the rules for running a business in Dungeon Master's Guide II.

[Coidzor]

Have Mercantile Background (Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting or Player's Guide to Faerûn, also Dragon 315?) as a feat on your main seller and on as many of your procurement agents as possible.

Optimize Diplomacy for those who are going to haggle using Complete Adventurer rules unless there are rules that supercede that for Pathfinder you're using instead.

Have your main crafters have the relevant cost reducers (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=1000.0) in place. Notably Apprentice(craftsman) along with Magic(al?) Artisan, and Extraordinary Artisan if you're doing magic items.. If you're using 3.5 crafting rules, then set up a scheme to get liquid pain/ambrosia/distilled joy in spades to cover the XP costs of your crafters when making magic items.

Use a recursive loop of Solar, etc. Simulacrums to make more Solar, etc. Simulacrums who work for you to comb the multiverse for potential customers and act as muscle.

[Gwazi Magnum]

So mainly mercantile background + crafting feats atm build wise?

I'm personally trying to avoid cheap infinite tricks.
The DM already offers some OP options anyways.
So stuff like XP farming I'll probably limit to stuff like using obtained hostages for dark craft XP.


1. Gestalt
2. Free Third Level advancement on top of Gestalt, but restricted to templates, racial progression and LA races
3. Max HP at level ups
4. Ability Score array: 18, 16, 16, 14, 14, 12, 10 (Remember Appearance from BoEF is in place).
5. Typical houserules like no Multi-Class XP penalty
6. Skill Groupings from Pathfinder


Though I'm also wondering, for stuff like slavery would it be smart to focus on stuff like nonlethal sneak attacks?
Specifically speaking, using the sap adapt and sap master feats?

[Coidzor]

So mainly mercantile background + crafting feats atm build wise?

Well, there's also having reliable access to psychic reformation for switching up crafting feats and the focus of feats like magic artisan(magical artisan?), that might be of interest.

Mercantile Background + reducing costs for crafting is the most straightforward and direct form of optimization, though, yeah.


I'm personally trying to avoid cheap infinite tricks.
The DM already offers some OP options anyways.
So stuff like XP farming I'll probably limit to stuff like using obtained hostages for dark craft XP.

Mostly depends on your level and whether you want to become your setting's magic mart or whatever. There's more detailed plans about how to become Magic Mart in a setting that doesn't have one out there though.

I suppose you could look into specifically enslaving/employing Midgard Dwarves to work for you to get a breeding population of magic item crafters that don't require levels in casting classes or a bunch of feats to make things. There might also be some interesting potential interactions between some of the crafting feats in PF and Midgard Dwarves.

There's also the Neogi slavers from Lords of Madness and some stuff there that'll be potentially useful for the slave-trading end of things.


Though I'm also wondering, for stuff like slavery would it be smart to focus on stuff like nonlethal sneak attacks?
Specifically speaking, using the sap adapt and sap master feats?

Direct damage? That's more something for your underlings, really. I'd suggest something like uberchargers wielding Valorous(Unapproachable East?) Truncheons(BoED) or mounted/tauric uberchargers wielding Merciful Valorous lances.

Just consistently putting out a bunch of nonlethal damage so there's a buffer between what'll drop 'em and what'll kill them should be enough. There's some metamagic or another that makes blasting spells become nonlethal, too, I suppose, though I think you have to use metamagic reduction shenanigans to make it worthwhile.

Another thing to consider is poison use. Use a sufficient amount of non-Constitution damaging poison and an enemy is either unconscious, asleep, or paralyzed until they heal naturally or receive magical aid. Psionic Minor Creation, for instance, will get you all of the plant-based poison you could want, which is pretty nifty even if the most powerful poisons are those of monstrous vermin of tremendous size, IIRC. Minions who are immune to poison have no drawbacks to not having the poison use ability, too, so a bunch of warforged or undead archers with poisoned arrows in a volley or otherwise acting as poison-delivery systems en masse can be fun.

[atemu1234]

Is this supposed to be a PC? Because if not, I once made a Vampire Bard that specialized into sneaking into warzones, kidnapping (usually via dominate) the displaced citizens, and taking them to "Blood Harems" (a nicer phrase for brothel/unwilling blood donation place).

[Gwazi Magnum]

So mainly what I'm seeing is avoiding combat, and focus on crafting?

I'll admit that's the easiest approach.
But I don't want to go all steam sale on the magic items and break the game.
I want to enhance profits mainly from loot and quests that'd already be obtained by the party.
Not invent anything new and sell in some infinite loop.


Is this supposed to be a PC?

It's intended to be for PCs

[LoyalPaladin]

Someone recommended to me the Landlord feat from the Stronghold Builder's Guide. That will give you lots of extra gold to build with.

[Coidzor]

So mainly what I'm seeing is avoiding combat, and focus on crafting?

Not much merchanting to do on the battlefield, so, yes, naturally if you ask about how to be a ruddy merchant in 3.P, you'll get stuff about increasing revenue and decreasing costs. :smalltongue:


I want to enhance profits mainly from loot and quests that'd already be obtained by the party.

Then you want a cohort or henchman with the Mercantile Background feat to handle selling your stuff and then play whatever character you actually want to play. :smalltongue:

The only way to haggle over quest rewards is using Diplomacy or, y'know, applying leverage, and while there's some general suggestions, a lot of that is playing your DM by ear.