What Would A Fey Market Sell?

[Palanan]

Looking for unique and flavorful ideas for what fey might sell or trade at a market.

They’ll be asking for tears, memories, sighs of regret, but I’m not sure what they would offer in return.

[Buufreak]

82 kilitonnes of salt!

[Nousos]

Sounds like a market made to trade with non fey, so they would sell things they know mortals want that they can make or get. Feycraft gear, bizarre animals (depending on how these fey view keeping pets), rare spell components, maybe even access to the nymph kissed feat.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Nousos
Sounds like a market made to trade with non fey, so they would sell things they know mortals want that they can make or get. Feycraft gear, bizarre animals (depending on how these fey view keeping pets), rare spell components, maybe even access to the nymph kissed feat.

This is very helpful, thanks. Any suggestions for strange animals or items of feycraft gear?

[Bucky]

Giant insect mounts, definitely.

[afroakuma]

• A year of life
• A whisper that calls foxes to serve you
• The sound of moonlight
• Cloth woven from fog
• A paste for the mending of broken oaths
• The sight from the corner of your eye
• A soundless bell of acorn
• The friendship of the wind
• A face
• A name
• A voice
• A hand made of soil
• A stroke of luck
• Stray notions
• A one-sided coin
• A sack that holds nothing
• Merriment
• Nostalgia
• A blade that draws no blood
• Invisible thread
• A stone that is still
• A breath of fresh air
• Distractions
• Intuition
• The music of crickets
• Beauty
• A comb that combs the stars out of water
• The direction of East
• A stumble
• An extra finger
• The taste of anger
• An eggshell
• Paint the color of desire
• A shadow
• A key that opens no door
• Silk spun from moonlight
• Sleep
• Talent
• A moment of hope
• A stick that finds water
• A path
• Chalk to draw a bath
• A torch which will not light
• Dice without faces
• An inch of height
• Blindness to beauty
• Deafness to lies
• Cover from rain
• Fur
• The ears of a rabbit
• The nose of a hound
• The silk of a spider
• The seed of a forest
• A tree that has forgotten how old it is
• Water of thirst
• Bread of hunger
• A dream
• A nightmare
• An unwashable mark
• A stone hidden on your person
• A wish that will never come true
• Stolen luck

Beauty
"Such coarse and charmless features, mortal, unfit to be seen by the genteel and graceful... but there are remedies for that..."

The creature gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Charisma-based checks made to interact with others of its kind who can see it.

Blade that draws no blood
"How crass the tools of mortal man that chop and hew and spatter. To cut, to sever, is a subtle art, best practiced with such a thing as this..."

A blade that draws no blood is a +2 keen bane ghost touch dagger whose bane property matches its wielder's type and subtype. Attacks with this dagger ignore natural armor bonus to the target's AC and deal damage normally; however, the blade leaves no wounds. Effects which trigger on receiving slashing or piercing damage do not apply, the blade cannot cause bleeding or wounds, cannot deliver injury poison (contact poison still applies normally), and cannot benefit from any effect, ability, spell etc. whether temporary or permanent that would cause it to open or exacerbate wounds on its target. Any such spell cast on the blade causes it to warp for the duration instead, imposing a -4 penalty to attack and damage rolls.

When used to damage an organic object (such as one made of wood), the blade ignores that object's hardness.

Blindness to beauty
"So easily dazzled and distracted are mortals, who are innocent of the wondrous and wonder at the innocent. To see beauty is to be deceived. Would you wish a harder eye?"

The creature becomes immune to effects reliant on the beauty of the originator, and any bonuses to Charisma-based checks based on attractiveness or aesthetic quality are negated when the check is made against the creature blind to beauty. The creature takes a -2 penalty to Charisma-based checks involving attractive or beautiful beings and a -8 penalty to Appraise checks to evaluate something of aesthetic worth (such as a piece of art).

Bread of hunger
"Mortals value their bread, but bread alone ever fails to satisfy. Behold the king among its kind, a loaf of which you will never have your fill."

Creatures that eat from this bread become famished unless they succeed on a Will save (DC 25), requiring a starvation check each hour unless they consume three times their normal daily requirement of food during that hour. A creature attempting this for more than two hours in a row becomes sickened (Fort DC 20 negates) the first additional hour and sickened and nauseated (Fort DC 20 negates) each hour beyond that. While so affected, the creature gains a +4 bonus to Strength and must make a Will save (DC 20) to resist offered food or attacking a creature it sees as prey. The effects of the bread last for 12 hours.

Breath of fresh air
"The most precious treasure is that which one takes for granted, for what is free in endless supply may grow dear indeed when none is at hand. One learns to keep some held aside in case such things should come to pass..."

The creature apparently receives nothing, but in a circumstance where the creature would need to hold its breath, the breath of fresh air can be activated as a swift action to provide exactly what it says, resetting the number of rounds the creature can hold its breath and any scaling DCs for Constitution checks to do so. The breath of fresh air will automatically trigger on the third round of drowning, bringing the creature back to consciousness. It can also be activated with a kiss to pass the breath to another. Once the breath of fresh air has activated, it is expended.

Chalk to draw a bath
"One tries to keep clean, but mortals are such filthy creatures, aren't you? They say the richest among you have their baths drawn for them, but with this chalk, you could do it yourself."

Chalk to draw a bath functions similarly to Nolzur's marvelous pigments, though it must draw on a horizontal surface and creates a smooth porcelain basin filled with water instead of solid objects. The user can employ the chalk to draw little details that determine the depth of the water and its temperature (anywhere from just above freezing up to the boiling point). The depth of the bath is extradimensional and has consequences when interacting with other extradimensional spaces in the manner of a bag of holding. The bathwater always comes into existence clean and pure, though any contamination introduced after its creation will cloud it as normal. The holder of the chalk can elect to dismiss the bath as a standard action, causing the bottom to rise up over the course of 1 round as the water drains out, displacing anything within back up to the surface. If not dismissed, the bath is permanent, though it can be dispelled and the water can be physically or magically removed from it. It is in all other ways a normal bath that just happens to exist in a particularly strange place.

Cloth woven from fog
"Clothing is worn to conceal, is it not? Therefore, that which conceals, clothes..."

Cloth woven from fog, when made into a garment, confers an additional 20% miss chance when enemies attempt to attack the creature while it is already partially or totally concealed. It cannot enter water and any attempt to force it to do so will separate it from the wearer. Garments made from cloth woven from fog are of masterwork quality.

• comb that combs the stars out of water

Cover from rain
"I have seen mortals cringe when the sky gives water; ever do you fear what is overhead. If it would not touch you, would it bother you so?"

Rain does not enter within a 5 ft. radius of the creature. Other sources of water and other forms of precipitation can enter this area as normal.

Deafness to lies
"It is reliance on the senses that tricks you mortals so. You are asking to be deceived each time you look with your eyes or hear with your ears. One must be deaf to falsehood if one is to avoid it..."

The creature cannot hear deliberate falsehoods spoken in its presence. The entire utterance of an intentionally spoken statement which asserts a falsehood as truth, or denies a thing which is true, is inaudible to the creature. Note that the repetition of the phrase by another who is unaware of its falsehood may be audible, as would a statement such as "he said the King has abdicated the throne," wherein the statement being made is true (he did say those words) but conveys the false information (the King has not abdicated). The creature is thus immune to effects that rely on providing it with deliberately false information (for instance, while the creature might be enchanted with suggestion, it would be unable to hear a direction that a pool of lava is actually just a glamered pool of water, and thus would not act on it).

Dice without faces
"There is a joy to be had in gambling, but to trust in Luck can turn on one so quickly..."

Dice without faces are glamered such that others see the result the roller wishes. Casual inspection of the dice will not reveal the glamer immediately, but after 1 minute of not being rolled, the glamer fades until such time as they roll again. A sharp-eyed observer (Spot DC 30) might notice while the dice tumble and bounce that the faces are blank.

Direction of East
"It is the Sun that determines the course of your day, is it? Whatever would a poor mortal do when it hides its light?"

The creature can cast know direction at will as a spell-like ability, though it provides East rather than North (for the rare occasions where this might be relevant).

Distractions
"You spend so much of your short little lives chasing distractions... surely you could you use a few more?"

Once per distraction purchased, as a swift action, the creature may use buzzing beeSC, distractSC, distract assailantSC, or phantom threatSC as a spell-like ability (CL 5th, Will DC 20 as appropriate). This version of distract may be used on creatures with more than 6 HD, but lasts for only 1 round on such creatures.

Dream
"Your lives, mortals, an endless sea of questions be; to seek beyond the veil, one slips beyond the veil, where what is sought may be unveiled..."

The creature receives a veil of transparent purple silk, which can be used on the self or cast into the wind while thinking of a target. In the latter mode, it acts as a dream spell. In the former, the user falls asleep and a creature they think of while using it appears in their dreams, as per the dream spell; the user may ask a question of the dream-image summoned, which must respond truthfully, though it may be vague or riddling in its answer if it succeeds on a Will save (DC 20). Unlike the normal usage of dream, in neither use does the messenger enter a trance.

Ears of a rabbit
"O! To hear like the rabbit, ever attentive..."

The creature's ears become those of a rabbit, sized appropriately, providing a +4 bonus to Listen checks and a +1 bonus to Initiative rolls when a threat can be heard. The ears resist transformation and will persist through polymorph effects and other shape-altering effects.

• eggshell
• extra finger

Face
"How sad, to wear but one face throughout your life, and wear it out beside! What could one do with another?"

The creature receives a thin translucent cloth with holes for eyes and mouth. When placed over a face, it acts as disguise self at caster level 20th, with unlimited duration. Each face corresponds to a single specific disguise, and will always produce that same appearance when worn. Faces can be worn over one another, with the topmost the only one that applies, but for each additional face worn, the wearer takes a cumulative -2 penalty to Disguise checks.

• friendship of the wind

Fur
"How fragile and ignoble, your skin, how unprotected. Fine fur would offer more comfort, no?"

The creature grows a thick pelt of fur, increasing their natural armor bonus by 3 (a creature without a natural armor bonus has an effective natural armor bonus of +0).

• hand made of soil
• inch of height
• intuition
• invisible thread
• key that opens no door
• merriment
• moment of hope
• music of crickets
• name
• nightmare
• nose of a hound
• nostalgia
• one-sided coin
• paint the color of desire
• paste for the mending of broken oaths
• path
• sack that holds nothing
• seed of a forest
• shadow
• sight from the corner of your eye
• silk of a spider
• silk spun from moonlight
• sleep
• sound of moonlight
• soundless bell of acorn
• stick that finds water
• stolen luck
• stone hidden on your person
• stone that is still
• stray notions
• stroke of luck
• stumble
• talent
• taste of anger
• torch which will not light

Tree that has forgotten how old it is
"Age is the mark of memory, and that which forgets can lose it until it is reminded..."

This acorn functions as a Quaal's feather token (tree). For any relevant purpose, the resultant tree is (1d4 x 100) + 1d100 years old.

Unwashable Mark
"Such impermanent beings, yet so obsessed with permanence. If you wish to leave your mark, it can be so..."

An unwashable mark may be placed on the creature or one of its possessions, or provided as a stain the creature may choose to transfer to a touched item or creature as a swift action. Once it has reached its final destination, the mark is permanent; it cannot be removed, painted over, tattooed around, or cut away. Should an item or creature so marked be destroyed in such a way that no surface remains on which the mark could be displayed, it will linger on the nearest surface or in midair. If the item or creature is later reconstituted or raised, the mark returns to its original position. No force short of a wish or miracle will expunge an unwashable mark. The design of the mark is at the discretion of the buyer, to a maximum size of 12 square inches.

When the bearer of an unwashable mark is affected by faerie fire, the mark itself glows with the same light.

• voice

Water of Thirst
"To taste of this water is to slake fear of drinking that which might do you ill. You will forevermore imbibe without concern for that which might contaminate thy drink."

Creatures that drink of this bread become parched unless they succeed on a Will save (DC 25), requiring a thirst check each hour unless they consume three times their normal daily requirement of water during that hour. A creature attempting this for more than two hours in a row becomes sickened (Fort DC 20 negates) the first additional hour and sickened and nauseated (Fort DC 20 negates) each hour beyond that. While so affected, the creature takes a -4 penalty to Intelligence and Wisdom as they grow delirious and must make a Will save (DC 20) to resist offered water or drinking any fluid at hand, even obviously contaminated sources. The effects of the water last for 12 hours.

• whisper that calls foxes to serve you
• wish that will never come true
• year of life

[Psyren]

Others have touched on the more flavorful stuff, but here are some more concrete mechanical items that could be a thematic fit for a fey market:

Consumables: There are rules for refluffing Potions and Elixirs as magic fruit, nuts, berries, mushrooms and the like, so that gives you a metric ton of potential options. Wands and Scrolls can be there too - you don't have to do much with those, because they can already be made out of wood and bark and large leaves, which should be plentiful in wilderness areas.

Woodsy weapons and armor: Some materials, like Ironwood, Obsidian and even possibly Mithral, should be accessible to fey crafters. There may even be Starmetal or Adamantine if the fey got their hands on a meteorite at some point. (For obvious reasons, Cold Iron probably isn't present, and they might frown on leather.)

Wondrous Items and Rods: A lot of these can take a variety of forms that fit with fey craftsmanship. A Figurine of Wondrous Power or Rod of Cancellation for instance could easily be carved (or sung!) out of wood or stone. Amulets and headbands can be made out magically reinforced beads, vines, gems or bone.

[Calthropstu]

A while ago, I played in a game where we encountered a fey market. We had to purchase something there.

They didn't use gold as currency, but instead wanted things like memories, luck, memorized spells etc.

I traded a memory for the greatest food I'd ever had. I then traded the memory of the greatest food I'd ever had for a magic item. For some reason I was longing for a pastry I never remembered eating. A vague hunger that could never be satisfied because I had no idea what it was or where. It was quite fun.

[Malphegor]

Cold Iron. “We hate this stuff, people keep leaving it in our land, we can’t dispose of it because most fey creatures are fey, and we just want someone to take it far away. It’s free even, just take it”

[Maat Mons]

I'm going to second the fruits that duplicate potions idea. Remove disease fruits would probably be very popular, as long as people in this setting routinely die of things that are easily curable via magic.

I'd also like to add tea leaves that produce brews with wondrous properties, and seeds for bizarre and dangerous plants.

If this market really is meant to trade with non-fey, they fey should be selling things they think are completely worthless, like gold, jewels, and elixirs of immortality. I imagine the fey laughing with eachother about about how they're bilking these stupid mortals. "I just had a guy give me, get this, all of his unhappy memories! And I only had to give him an emerald the size of a fist! What's he even think he's going to do with some big shiny rock?"

If the market's meant to trade with other fey... then yeah, just weird stuff.

[Thurbane]

I posted this list in another thread recently, seems like a lot of these would be apt:


BoED p. 37

Ambrosia (distilled joy)
Angel radiance
Blink dog tooth
Celestial blood
Couatl feather
Couatl scale
Lammasu claw
Lillend scale
Pegasus feather
Phoenix feather
Unicorn blood
Unicorn horn (sliver)
Unicorn tail hair

BoVD p.45

Agony (liquid pain)
Beast brain fluid
Bit of lycanthrope fur or skin
Bit of ochre jelly or gray ooze
Chromatic dragon heart
Demon flesh
Demon heart
Devil’s heart
Feather of an intelligent creature
Humanoid bone
Humanoid brain
Humanoid eye
Humanoid finger
Humanoid hand
Humanoid heart
Metallic dragon heart
Soul in larval form
Soul in receptacle
Tongue of creature capable of speech
Vial of humanoid blood
Vrock feather
Yugoloth’s brain


CC p.131

Angel’s Blood
Ashes of Power
Aurial Sapphire
Crypt Powder
Doppelganger Bile
Dragon Ruby
Essence of Order
Feather of the Far Reaches
Game of Fate
Guardinal Feather
Hero’s Tears
Horn of Gorgon
Kiss of Discord
Obaddis Leaf
Pearl of the Waves
Scholar’s Dreams
Soil of Stone
Sunflower of Pelor
Talon of Ehlonna
True Warrior’s Blade
Twilight Green
Unicorn Horn

CM p.135

Angel down
Devil's eye
Dragon's tear
Fairy button
Fairy dust
Golden desert honey
Possibility dust
Primal essence
Serpents' tongue
Singing shell

ECS p91

Cathier spleen
Covadish leaves
Dragonseye acorn
Hathil root
Irian crystal
Kieros leaves
Laskin horn
Mabar crystal
Masthin shoots
Narstone
Reath leaves

[CIDE]

Cold Iron. “We hate this stuff, people keep leaving it in our land, we can’t dispose of it because most fey creatures are fey, and we just want someone to take it far away. It’s free even, just take it”

Or they stockpile it somewhere safe and secure so that, at least in the local area, it can't be used to hurt them. ASsuming they don't have the means to simply destroy the stuff.

[Palanan]

Rarely has the Playground come through so solidly on such short notice. Thanks to everyone for the contributions—these are excellent, and I used a number of them in my session last night.

I wrote up some whimsical, rhyming dialogue for the fey to use, and my players were both perplexed and deeply engaged in working out what and how to trade. One of my players was deeply suspicious of the whole affair, and downright paranoid about trading memories, fears or snippets of hair; but eventually his character threw caution to the wind and made some interesting trades.

It was the best session we’ve had in a while, so my thanks to all who contributed here.

[Bucky]

What did your players end up trading for?