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Silk Road stone

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I need help building a magic item. What I want is a magic item to do is allow a person to summon a merchant anywhere, anytime whose inventory is based on what items the owner of the stone has seen. For example if character A has seen a longsword, a flaming burst throwing axe, and a +2 dagger, he can buy a +2 flaming burst longsword assuming he has the money to do so.

I'd like hear peoples thoughts on this idea and any ideas to help me finish this item. Oh and big internets to you if you can figure out where this idea came from.

Summon one of these. No clue about how to do the other part.

The world of warcraft mammoth that has a merchant on the back.

Summoning spells don't normally summon someone from the prime material plane, much less a nonmagical person like a merchant, nor is there any mechanism for said merchant knowing , much less HAVING FOR SALE anything someone has ever seen.

Think about it, a 16th level living legend has a parade and walks in on his custom made 1 of a kind adamantite mechanical dragon. All of a sudden your merchant somehow gains access to a 800,000 gold piece adamantite mechanical dragon?
BigNorseWolf wrote:

The world of warcraft mammoth that has a merchant on the back.

Summoning spells don't normally summon someone from the prime material plane, much less a nonmagical person like a merchant, nor is there any mechanism for said merchant knowing , much less HAVING FOR SALE anything someone has ever seen.

Think about it, a 16th level living legend has a parade and walks in on his custom made 1 of a kind adamantite mechanical dragon. All of a sudden your merchant somehow gains access to a 800,000 gold piece adamantite mechanical dragon?

No it's not from world of warcraft. Never played that game and never will. To answer your second question as worded yes you could. Keep in mind this is just a rough idea, very rough at that, I want lots of community input to help shape and balance this item.

Just trying to point out that the effective "it can get anything" ability puts it up in artifact level territory.
BigNorseWolf wrote:
Just trying to point out that the effective "it can get anything" ability puts it up in artifact level territory.

Well screw teh big internets handout. I got the idea from Final Fantasy's "Call Shop" ability. And as it's name implies you can "visit" any shop you've been to anytime, anywhere. That's what I want to mimic but I want to make it a little more "user friendly". And yes I agree that the "it can get anything" ability makes it an artifact, hell I say that makes it a major artifact.

A spell of wish.
Cheapy wrote:
A spell of wish.

This item is intended to help a party at early levels on. Besides wish is way too costly for something like this.

This doesn't seem like a craft mechanic is needed. Just go with your description and "make it so."

Unless you are looking for some descriptive suggestions? In one of the Neverwinter Nights Mods, there was a genie lamp that summoned a merchant genie. Or perhaps you just have a folding door that opens into a multidimensional shop.

Really, this just seems like a "plot device" to your gameworld. Just say it exists.

DM FIAT FTW!!!

Greg
andromada369 wrote:
Cheapy wrote:
A spell of wish.
This item is intended to help a party at early levels on. Besides wish is way too costly for something like this.

You want your low level guys to have a major artifact?

Then just make it so.

I wouldn't say the craft mechanic isn't needed because it would be cheaper to craft an item than to buy it outright. And no an item like this shouldn't be a plot device just an item make things a little easier or to save. Or if it is going to be a plot item just make it a small side plot.

And Greg you just gave me a great idea.

Instead of a stone or a rock how about this:

It's a small golden disk like object with 6 gems inlaid in a horseshoe pattern. When the command phrase is spoken this item opens a portal to a pocket dimension containing a "shopping mall" of sorts. Each gem represents which of the fallowing merchants will be present: general goods merchant, non magical arms and armor merchant, potions and scrolls vendor, rods and staffs vendor, magic arms and armor merchant, and finally a wondrous items vendor. It's rare to find one with all six gems there and intact and thus obtained, the GM can determine how hard or how easy it is to come across and as a rule of thumb I would say they only have the general goods and non magical arms and armor merchant gems intact when the party finds one. When starting out the merchants do not have an inventory of any kind. The two ways you can increase the merchants' inventory are: 1. buying and selling items or 2. passing a dc 10 (is this appropriate?) gather information check on items you know about. Up to six people can be keyed to this item to allow entrance to the mall. If not in the possession of the owner or a keyed ally for 48 hours it completely resets and it's current or next possessor becomes the new owner.

so how is this?

Sounds fine to me, but is this an artifact or an item anyone can purchase? Personally, I would continue with the artifact idea and make the base item part of treasure...with hints about additional gems. As the characters progress in levels/experience they come across different stones as part of treasure.

I came up from first edition. I disregard alot of "how it works" and just make it work. (especially for arti's) It may be handwaving, but it is about the story and having fun.

As for a low level cost effective device like this... I got nuttin'. This does seem like a scaled wish spell/planar travel thing to me.

But maybe others have better ideas on the "build".

Greg

Again this is just an idea. If enough people give me enough valid reasons I just might drop it all together. Hell I'm sure a general goods merchant you can summon is probably good enough.
andromada369 wrote:
Again this is just an idea. If enough people give me enough valid reasons I just might drop it all together. Hell I'm sure a general goods merchant you can summon is probably good enough.

I'm not saying the idea is not good at all. I am saying if it is fun for your group, do it.

Greg
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