Ascension - Merchant's Guild

Game Master bbangerter

The Mageocracy has failed to protect the trade routes among the roads of its kingdom. Taxes have been increased, purportedly to increase the number of patrols on the road, yet brigands, pirates, highway men and much worse things are a growing threat.

Crime is on the rise and no part of the streets are safe at night.

Terrible rumors circulate among the populace of the terrible and secret experiments the mages are engaged in.

The merchant's guild has to trust to its own devices to protect its interests.

Current Rumors:

The old watch tower ruins south of the city are haunted. Long ago the guards took a witch prisoner and tortured her to death. With her dying words she cursed the entire tower. The spirits of both the witch and her captures still inhabit it.

Be careful around the sewers drains and grates around the city, the sewers are inhabited by giant rats.

Some crazed wizard caused an oak tree to grow overnight in the western slums the other night. The wizard destroyed a home when she did it.

Radgar the Butcher has returned. He murdered two dozen people the other night. Best not to be out at night or he will find you.

Travel to the Ioso islands is no longer safe. Pirates sail the seas and are taking captive all those they run into and selling them into slavery.

Map of the south western part of the kingdom

Players Roll:

Attack Rolls
Damage Rolls
Saving Throws
Skills which have a obvious success or failure condition - which are:
Acrobatics
Bluff (diplomacy, intimidate) when used in combat, these have a obvious success/failure in combat
Climb
Craft
Disable Device
Escape Artist
Fly
Heal
Knowledge Skills (but in some cases I will roll these for you - if you encounter an unknown creature I will roll the appropriate knowledge roll and provide what that reveals as part of the physical description I give of the creature).
Perform
Profession
Ride
Sleight of Hand
Spellcraft (I will roll these for you if an opponent is casting a spell though just so the game doesn't need to pause to know what the spell is)
Survival (sometimes - like if you were trying to forage for food, other times I will roll it for something like tracking)
Swim
Use Magic Device

GM Rolls:

Rolls I will make because these can have varying degrees of success or failure but the players wouldn't really know how well they did or failed by.
Appraise
Bluff (diplomacy, intimidate) when used out of combat, these have varying degrees of success out of combat and a opposing player/NPC might choose to play along even though they were unaffected.
Disguise
Handle Animal
Linguistics
Perception
Sense Motive
Stealth
Survival (sometimes - see section on player rolls)

[spoiler=Trade Good Negotiations]
I'll allow a bluff (diplomacy) roll to knock the price down further.
1-10, no change in price.
Each 5 (or fraction thereof) over 10 take off another 5% at a max of 40% additional off.
Selling it on the other end will allow some markup based off also on bluff (diplomacy) roll.
1-10 normal market price.
Each 5 (or fraction thereof) over 10 add an additional 5%, at a max of 50% increase.
That gives a theoretical maximum ROI of around 300%.