Market Specials

I love the feeling of bustling markets filled with strange goods, but players buying from equipment lists without the need for DM adjudication is so utilitarian as to have wholly supplanted any market-related roleplaying in my game. Telecanter made some cool shopping rules which I'll try out, but just for special commissions, since speed is a huge concern for me. Interactions that don't require DM adjudication are lamentably few and far between as it is. As a sort of compromise I've started utilizing "market specials" - the first time in a session the PCs say they're going through the marketplace (a central location in their borough as you might imagine), I tell 'em what freshly unloaded good is causing a buzz. Last session there was a foreigner with five "miniature bears" he was selling as exotic pets. One PC immediately bought one of the adorable critters and proudly walked it around town (leading to an invitation to meet an ennui-burdened noble, but that's another story), so I'd say it's worked out so far.


The left column is the general type. The right column is the specific good, which will be crossed out and replaced when it's rolled.



 Good type Specific good
1 Exotic pet Teacup bears
2 Fine / exotic mount Riding lizards
3 Exotic arms Meteor hammers
4 Exotic armor Beetle carapace cuirasses
5 Elegant clothing Peacock feather cloaks
6 Foodstuff Candied emerald serpent
7 Charms / amulets Nightmare-banishing amulets
8 Fine tobacco, wine, etc Spiced cigars
9 Exotic drugs Opal honey – hallucinate, see spirits
10 Unearthed treasures Dusk oil – evaporates into black mist

Then roll twice on the drawback / benefit table. Pick the closest entry if the roll is contradictory. This section may need to be tweaked or just dropped.


 Drawback Benefit
1 Expensive High quality
2 Cursed / haunted Extra cool
3 Low quality None
4 Reserved Extra useful
5 Requires permit Two-for-one
6 Stolen Provides clue / info
7 Unfashionable Cheap
8 Waiting time In fashion
9 Cult markings Magical / blessed
10 Fake Other side benefit

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