Merchant - Underdark (Character Kit)

Class Information 	Class Information
Class Requirements 	Thief
Racial Requirements 	Elf (drow), half-elf (drow), dwarf (gold, shield, gray), gnome (rock, deep), halfling (stout)
Ability Requirements 	Charisma 11, Dexterity 9, Intelligence 11, Wisdom 9
Prime Requisite 	Charisma, Intelligence
Aligments 	Any (most NG, LN, N, CN, NE)
Social Rank 	Middle class
Hit Die Type 	d6
Attack as 	Rogue
Save as 	Rogue
Advance as 	Thief
Spell Ability? 	No
Exceptional Strength? 	No
Exceptional Constitution?	No
Starting Cash (x10 gp) 	2d6 (see below)
Proficiencies 	Proficiencies
Weapon Slots 	1
Initial Weapons 	Standard thief
Additional WP Slot 	4
Additional Weapons 	Standard thief
Nonproficiency Penalty 	-3
Nonweapon Slots 	4
Additional NWP Slot 	4
Available Categories 	General, Rogue
Bonus Proficiencies 	Appraising, languages (modern), mountaineering, reading/writing
Recommended Proficiencies	Animal handling, armorer, artistic ability, blacksmithing, bowyer/fletcher, cartography (CRH), direction sense, fast-talking (CTH), gem cutting, hunting (CTH), leatherworking, local history, mining, seamstress/tailor, set snares, stonemasonry, weaponsmithing, weather sense, weaving
Secondary Skills 	Armorer, bowyer/fletcher, groom, hunter, jeweler, leather worker, limner/painter, mason, miner, scribe, tailor/weaver, teamster/freighter, trader/barterer, trapper/furrier, weaponsmith
__TOC__
==Overview==
Shield and gold dwarves are active traders in the Underdark, with deep gnomes not far behind. Gray dwarves and drow are often seen as traders, too, though they are not trusted. Very few rock gnomes and stout halflings also trade in the Underdark. Trade goods include special varieties of fungi or Underdark delicacies; rare minerals, metals, and gems; magical potions and scrolls; antidotes to various poisons; bones and hides of rare monsters; and fine weapons.
Underdark merchants of nearly every race are found in Waterdeep. Shield and gold dwarves send trading missions into the Underdark from within their holdings across the Realms. This is the case in Glen in Mistledale, a shield dwarf agricultural and trade community that has an underground elevator disguised as a mine called the Deep Mine. Dwarf merchants from Glen travel an underground passage called the Long Road that eventually reaches the Great Rift of the gold dwarves, passing under the Sea of Fallen Stars. (For details, see Volo's Guide to the Dalelands.) Of course, drow, deep gnomes, and gray dwarves trade from their many buried cities, though the locations of these are not certain.
==Description==
Underdark merchants of any race avoid displays of jewelry or valuables to avoid attracting impulsive thieves. Armor and weapons are worn openly, as the lack of trust among peoples and common dangers facing all in the Underdark make an unarmed, unarmored merchant appear foolish, weak, and virtually begging for trouble. Strange pack animals such as giant lizards may be used, and medallions, papers, or magical effects may be utilized as passports to allow travel through normally dangerous but patrolled areas. Clothing (especially footwear) should be durable and comfortable for rough travel; bright colors and smart styles are discouraged in favor of a dull, practical, combat-ready appearance.
==Roleplaying==
Underdark merchants are nearly always members of long-established mercantile guilds or groups. They rarely set out over unexplored territory; instead, they travel long-established routes in the Underdark with heavily armed caravans that wind their way over hundreds of miles of Underdark "wilderness." Caravans often take on independent merchants willing to arm and armor themselves and defend the caravan as a whole. These merchants come from the surface and Underdark worlds alike, from good and evil realms, but all are pledged to neutrality for the duration of the journey. Trade, and the wealth it brings, would never survive without this pledge.
The DM is responsible for designing the details on such caravans and their routes, but the player should determine what trade goods (excluding perishables) his Underdark merchant sells. The Underdark merchant's business is to take orders for goods made by his people, nation, or company; the goods are delivered on the next caravan passing through after the merchant reaches the surface (The merchant must accompany the goods he delivers, a usual trade condition Underdark communities make. Underdark people hate to be cheated and won't deal with anyone who won't back up his goods with his own life.) The Underdark merchant must have fine samples of all his goods and his own armor and weapons, or else the caravan does not accept him. A large up-front payment must be made to the caravan organizers, who provide armed guards and food for the long journey; the payment is made by the backers of the Underdark merchant, who also gives the merchant a flat fee for successful returns and bonuses for big orders. (The DM must determine the amounts involved, but they should be substantial.)
An Underdark merchant's main goal is to stay alive as his caravan is assaulted by nightmarish monsters all across the Underdark. He is threatened with death by enraged clients (mind flayers, beholders, duergar, drow, etc.) who think the merchant cheated them or has goods so shoddy that he must think they are stupid. He is also occasionally (unlawfully) attacked by one faction or the other of other merchants on the trip who think he is going to run them out of business. The DM can devise other problems as necessary.
==Special Advantages==
Practically the only benefit of being an Underdark merchant is that his status as a merchant (usually) keeps him from immediately being assaulted, kidnapped, tortured, slain, and/or eaten by most Underdark inhabitants. A merchant is given several special items to indicate that he is to receive safe passage through the Underdark; these are items recognized by most major underground civilizations and communities. These items include glowing arm bands, colored helmets with runes on them, tabards with yellow circles on them (for gold coins), etc. Luminescent items work best to prevent attacks from a distance.
The large payment for completing a trip is also a benefit, and the merchant gets to keep whatever items he purchases for himself or loots from those who attacked him or the caravan.
==Special Disadvantages==
The Underdark is an extremely dangerous area for a wealthy merchant to journey across. As important and respected as the position of merchant is, Underdark merchants are killed every year by natural disasters, monster attacks, and overeager soldiers mistaking merchant groups for attacking war parties. Outlaws, renegades, thieves, and other criminals have no concerns about attacking merchants, and even "trustworthy" evil beings are known to disregard their promises of safe passage if an overriding concern is present. For instance, a drow government might knowingly allow an Underdark merchant to wander into an ambush by wererats just to give them an excuse to destroy and loot a wererat colony with whom they have a peace treaty; they can always blame the attack on the wererats and perhaps even gain the support of other merchants eager to see their comrade avenged.
An Underdark merchant who appears unarmed and unarmored provokes a +6 modifier (toward hostility) to NPC reaction rolls. NPCs seem very friendly but attack at the first opportunity. Anyone in the Underdark who openly displays wealth in the form of jewelry or rich clothing is also felt to be begging for numerous visits by thieves and killers.
A certain amount of cheating is expected and accepted in Underdark dealings; complete honesty is cause for suspicion. A merchant known to cheat (just a little) some or all of his customers is regarded with no modifier to NPC reaction rolls in the Underdark. The merchant can cut a shipment's promised weight by 10%, or deliver 98 bars of silver instead of 100, and still get off scot-free. But a major scam, such as taking all the money and delivering nothing, is as bad as treason.
If the merchant is caught by those he grossly cheated, he is held for ransom, which is expected to be paid by other local traveling merchants who wish to also avoid being held for ransom or imprisoned on suspicion of cheating the injured party, too. The captive merchant might be tortured or starved a little in the meanwhile, just to make the point clearer. Once the ransomed Underdark merchant has been freed, however, the ransoming merchants might wish to speak with him personally about their own losses, thanks to his behavior, and the Underdark merchant's fate is certain to be far worse than it was while he was merely a prisoner of the drow.