Common Prices

Ivory tokens are the most common currency of the land, and prices are usually given in ivory. Petty purchases like a loaf of bread or mug of ale are transacted in horn pennies, but we consider such purchases to be trivial and don’t bother tracking them. Significant purchases are transacted in gold, often by the likes of merchants and nobles.

A few ivory pieces (no more than 3 coins):

• Basic tools and equipment (i.e. 1 supply).
• Provisions and camping supplies.
• A simple weapon, like a staff or a hatchet.
• A sling or a set of throwing knives.
• A quiver of ammunition.
• Room and board at a shabby inn for a few nights.
• A good wholesome meal with meat and alcohol.
• Treasure like a copper ring, a glass bauble, or a bundle of odds and ends.

A handful of ivory (no more than 10 coins):

• A martial weapon, like a sword or a spear.
• A bow or a crossbow.
• Light armor, like a leather jerkin.
• Specialist equipment, like a grappling hook or a healer’s kit.
• The services of an unskilled hireling or a common thug for an expedition.
• A pack goat to carry your saddlebags.
• Room and board at a good inn for a few nights.
• Treasure like a silver ring, a petty gemstone, or a bundle of common trade goods.
• Passage for a voyage of a few days.

A full purse of ivory (no more than 50 coins):

• A heavy weapon, like a polearm or greatsword.
• Modest armor, like a chain shirt.
• The services of an expert or a small band of mercenaries for an expedition.
• A trained riding deer (combat-trained costs more).
• A draft tortoise to pull a wagon or bear a burden.
• An evening of feasting, drinking and cavorting for several people.
• Room and board at a luxurious hotel for a few nights.
• Treasure like a golden ring, a precious gemstone, or a bundle of exotic spices.
• Passage for a voyage of a few weeks.

A small coffer of ivory (no more than 500 coins):

• Heavy armor, like a suit of plate mail.
• The services of a master or a mercenary company for an expedition.
• A swift racing deer or a powerful war elk.
• A tiny sailing canoe, only big enough to hold one or two people.
• Treasure like a bar of solid gold, a brilliant jewel, or a bundle of exotic magical reagants.
• Passage for a voyage of many months.

A chest full of ivory (no more than 5000 coins):

• The deed to a modest property.
• A modest sailing ship like a twinpaw or windgrasp.
• Treasure like a golden crown, a precious heirloom, or a rare artwork.

A chest full of gold (no more than 50 000 coins):

• The deed to a desirable property.
• A large sailing ship like a turtle or seaviper.

Bartering

Many of the merchants and trading partners you’ll encounter on the Archipelago, especially upon the waves or on smaller islands, won’t be interested in transacting in ivory. To trade with such folk, we use a modified version of the bartering procedure described by this blog post.

Bartering is always imprecise, and the value of a given item in a given trade is highly variable. For each merchant, come up with two lists:

• In Demand. These are items the merchant needs or wants. Give each item or category a dice value that represents how in demand it is: 1d6 for something they can take or leave, 2d6 for something they want, 3d6 for something they need, and so on.
• In Stock. These are items the merchant is willing to part with. Give each item or category a dice value that represents how much the merchant thinks it’s worth: 1d6 for something they want to get rid of, 2d6 for something they won’t miss, 3d6 for something they consider valuable, and so on.

You can put anything on these lists, including abstract things like a service the merchant offers or a job they need done. You should adjust them as the fiction develops or the player characters conduct trades. For example, a merchant that was hungry and desperate for food is likely to adjust their demand once you’ve given them enough meals to last them a week. An alchemist who was happy to part with healing draughts yesterday might hesitate to give up their last couple of potions.

To conduct a trade, roll dice for all of the in-demand items the player characters are offering and add up the total. Then roll dice for the in-stock items the player characters want in return. If the player characters roll equal to or higher than the merchant, then the merchant is willing to accept the trade. Otherwise, they’ll need to sweeten the deal.

Player characters can barter to improve their negotiating position in various ways:

• Convince the merchant they need something more than they thought. If successful, you can increase the demand of an item, or add something new to the list of in-demand items. The more convincing you are, the more dice you’ll add to the value (to a maximum of 6d6).
• Convince the merchant their stock isn’t what they believed. If successful, you’ll reduce the value of an in-stock item. The more convincing you are, the more dice you’ll remove from the value (to a minimum of 1d6).
• Convince the merchant to trade something they weren’t willing to part with. If successful, you’ll add the item you want to the list of things the merchant is willing to trade with you. As usual, the GM sets the value of the newly available item based on the merchant’s opinion of its worth.

When negotiating with a merchant, you usually roll at the risk of exhausting their patience (a progress clock is a good way to represent this). Alternatively, you might roll at the risk of overplaying your hand - perhaps they realise that the thing you’re trying to convince them is worthless is actually something you desperately need!