Unknowable Archive

d6 Dungeon Merchants

by Julienne Bertrand
Posted --/--/----

I like dungeon merchants. Here's six of them.

Chance, The Dice Merchant

A small bald man may be found in the dungeons in the world. He'll tell you his name is Chance, and that he is a travelling merchant. He wears a wide brimmed hat, and carries a lantern with blue glass hanging from the end of his staff. His eyes are white cubes, with small black dots. He'll have one item to sell you at any given encounter. It's perfect for you, he'll say. If you don't want to buy, he may offer a discount of up to 25%.

  1. Cheater's Dice: At the owners discretion, they can make this pair of six sided dice come up however they like, whether they're the one throwing them or not.
  2. Cube of Force: A small metal cube, each face marked with a number of gemstones. When a face is pressed, the cube emits a barrier in a cube 10' to a side centered on it. The precise effect of the barrier depends on the face pressed. The cube has 1d20 charges when found, and each face uses a certain number of charges as noted below. Every day at noon, the cube regains 1d10 charges, to a maximum of 20. The barrier lasts until you press the '6' face, run out of charges, or 1d6 turns have elapsed. When a different button is pressed and the barrier is active, the duration is reset, and the previous effect is replaced with the new effect.
    1. The barrier is airtight. (uses 1 charge)
    2. The barrier is opaque, and spells can not penetrate it. (uses 3 charges)
    3. The barrier is unpassable by living things. (uses 5 charges)
    4. The barrier is unpassable by objects, though it can pass through walls, floors and such at the holders discretion. (uses 7 charges)
    5. All of the above. (uses 15 charges)
    6. The barrier deactivates. (uses 0 charges)
  3. Octarine Prism: This octohedral crystal seems to shimmer with different shifting colors on every face, in any lighting. When thrown on the ground, the crystal explodes into a burst of randomly colored smoke. The cloud lasts for 1d6 rounds in still air. The color of the smoke and their effect is described below.
    1. Red - The red smoke clouds the mind with rage. Each creature effected must make a save or enter a rage akin to that of a Berzerk. Use any rage dice they have, plus 1. They can't tell friend from foe in this rage, and will ruthlessly attack the nearest creature for the duration of their rage.
    2. Orange - The orange smoke covers everything with a flammable, greasy coating. Creatures effected must make a MOVE check to move anywhere, falling prone on a failure, and are vulnerable to fire based attacks.
    3. Yellow - The yellow smoke clouds the mind with terror.
    4. Green - The green smoke is acidic. Creatures in its area take 1d6 acid damage, and must save, or be wracked with coughing fits for the next round, unable to take other actions.
    5. Blue -
    6. Indigo - The indigo smoke clouds the senses, blinding, deafening, and throwing off the proprioception (granting disadvantage on all rolls) of those within it. This effect lasts for as long as they're in the smoke, and for 1d6 rounds afterward, if they fail a save.
    7. Purple -
    8. Octarine - This smoke glows with the alien, magical color, octarine. Creatures caught in it must make a save. Spellcasters have advantage on this save. On a success they take 1d8 nonlethal damage, on a failure, they spend the next 1d4 rounds curled in a ball gibbering madly.
  4. A perfectly normal, though exquisitely carved, set of polyedral dice, made from pure jade, with ivory inlaid dwarven numerals. Not magical, but certainly worth a good bit of scratch to the right buyer. (*small*)

The Dungeon Dentist

The tooth merchant is a hunched old woman with a wheezy voice and dressed all in thick layers of tattered white rags. She sells teeth. It's a minor surgery to install them, but quick. Takes 1 turn, deals 1 damage, uses up 1 scar slot, and costs according to the tooth chosen. She also accepts teeth as payment, and can install monster teeth you collect from your foes.

  1. Dog Tooth: This canine tooth grants one the ability to talk to and understand dogs and other canines. No promise that they'll be helpful though.
  2. Stone Tooth: This molar carved from grey stone has a powerful protective charm. You gain a +4 bonus to SAVE against posession or mind control effects.
  3. Silver Tooth: This perfectly molded silvery tooth will immediately endear you to those impressed by wealth.
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  6. Regular Teeth: The tooth merchant can replace missing teeth with regular teeth from assorted humanoids. You may not have the prettiest smile afterwards, but you'll have no issues chewing. Replacing regular teeth does not use up a scar slot.