Effective/Humorous Ways to get a Discount from a Vendor?

[silvertree]

I have a Clr 1/Ftr 3 that would like to obtain some mithril armor from the dwarven town our party has been aiding. As of yet, I haven't acquired any items of uncommon rarity (or better), so between sessions I asked by DM about it (as possibly a quest reward or something) and he said I could ask around the town for anyone that works with the metal.

My expectation is next session I'll be able to find a vendor, but the price will be exorbitant (duergar town, drow in our party). So I was hoping to come up with a few creative ideas for haggling the vendor down. It's possible my reputation in the town will be sufficient to secure a good price, but I'd like to have a backup plan.

I have a 10 in Cha, and I'm not proficient in Deception, Persuasion, or Intimidation. My char is CG human, and wouldn't like to rely on intimidation tactics. The DM has allowed half-orc in our party to use Intimidate with a weapons vendor (on 2 separate occasions) to great effect - with high rolls contributing to the attempts' effectiveness. But that vendor threatened to call the guard if the half-orc showed his face again, so I expect our DM was hinting that the tactic ought to be curbed (so no using the half-orc as a negotiator).

I've got Guidance, so I can get an extra 1d4 on a roll. Ideas?

Humorous anecdotes are also welcome!

[RickAllison]

My monklock LOVED to haggle. He was a follower of Amaunator who believed in strict enforcement of agreements (though he didn't actually care about any laws that he hadn't agreed to follow, he would viciously enforce it on anyone who agreed to the social contract by living in a place. He was the kind of person who would steal from one shop, but would capture and deliver to the guards (anonymously) any residents of the kingdom he caught stealing). So he would always haggle at magic item shops, especially for potions, and those were the safe items. Whenever he agreed to pay a certain amount for an item, he refused to obtain that item from that shop without paying that price. So if he agreed to a 20% discount on some Greater Potions of Healing, he would not steal them, though he would happily steal any items that he had not agreed on a price for.

So that is one strategy. Steal anything they won't put a discount on :smallbiggrin: My monk never did get caught for thievery, too good at covering his tracks...

[Reaver25]

You could always do the old "I'll help you out if you help me out!" Gig. Blacksmiths always need stuff done for em.
Or you could try these:
-Roll it anyway, you might get lucky.
-Use another member of your party who IS proficient in all of those areas and have them buy it for you.
-Steal it.
-Kill the blacksmith for it.
-Frame him for murder (then take it)
-Help him/his family in some way that gets you into their good graces

Hope you have some good ideas otherwise. :)

[Goodberry]

- Sneeze on it and say, "Well nobody else wants it now.

- Have yourself fitted for the armour then after it's made, say you don't want it anymore. Then have another party member (pretending not to know you) say he'll take it, but only at a discount since it doesn't quite fit him right.

- Slip and fall on a dagger in the smith's shop and demand a discount in compensation for your pain and suffering.

- Offer to spread word of the armour's quality to your hundreds of dragon-slaying buddies(which you may or may not actually have.

- Order a bunch of very specific customizations and then claim that they're all wrong and you absolutely refuse to pay full price.

[gfishfunk]

Spells:
- Friends spell + Disguise Appearance. Step outside, change back appearances after stashing the stuff in the back of a wagon. "The guy that just came out of there? That way."
- Threaten to make a Magic Mouth ritual outside the shop that repeatedly yes "This shop has low quality items!" ad infinitum, or for the next 1,000 years.

Other ideas:
- Rob from several other stores, deposit the items in the store that you want something from, and put some of your own gear there too. Alert the town guard that you found the culprit -- and claim a few extra items were yours.

[Temperjoke]

How much pride does your character have? Offer to advertise for the duergar outside his shop, in a hilarious or scandalous costume of the blacksmith's choosing for an entire day. If the blacksmith doesn't have an apprentice, offer to take the place for the day in exchange for a discount. If you have any viable skills that the blacksmith might be lacking, offer the as a trade for a discount, like repair work on his home or shop, cleaning services, etc.

[Merik ofGarland]

If the vendor is religious, you could offer to bless them. If they have a sick child, you could try healing the child in exchange for it.

[silvertree]

I'm leaning towards asking one of the NPCs who I've helped for the referral to the proper smith, and see if dropping that NPC's name when dealing with the smith (combined with Guidance) gets me a good Persuasion role. Although...


- Sneeze on it and say, "Well nobody else wants it now.

A tried and true method. We'll call it plan B.

[RickAllison]

If the vendor is religious, you could offer to bless them. If they have a sick child, you could try healing the child in exchange for it.

If they have a wife, daughter, or sister who either loves pretty things or has never gotten to wear them, a properly skilled PC can make those things or obtain them.

I'm already seeing my wizard making a merchant's daughter a beautiful and elegant dress. And what do you know, just before a ball where numerous ladies will be seeing the dress, just as if it was free advertising...

[NecessaryWeevil]

How much pride does your character have? Offer to advertise for the duergar outside his shop, in a hilarious or scandalous costume of the blacksmith's choosing for an entire day.

"I'm Thurgar Trueheart, and this is my favourite store in the Cit- er, Village."

[Hrugner]

Run into him for the first time outside of his shop and befriend him. See if you can meet him at some place that's important to him.

[BW022]

Humorous anecdotes are also welcome!

There may be things you can offer him other than money... knowledge, services, a favor, something from the surface, etc.

You might be able to borrow the item offer payments over time. Millennium Falcon type deals.

If you are evil... you could consider stealing it. Conning him with a worthless item might also be possible. Both are typically pretty risky. For example, have your friends attack him on the street and come to his rescue. Chase your friends off. Maybe he'll give you some discount for it.

Since it might take time for him to craft it... see if you can find work while he is doing so which might pay for it. Then ask him to start with only a partial payment -- he can sell it if you get killed and keep the deposit.