New Merchant Spells
by Aaron NowackLevel One
Misvalue
Range: 10'
Duration: one day
Uses: once per day
This spell allows the merchant to make goods appear to be far more
valuable than they actually are. The items will appear to be of
better quality, superior materials, and imitations will look like
"the real thing".
Obstruct Road
Range: Special
Duration: Special
Uses: Once per day
This spell allows the merchant to set objects across a road in such
a way as to look natural. The objects will require most of a day's
work to remove enough to allow wagons to pass through the road.
Note that suitable large objects are not created by this spell, and
must be found. Additionally, if the terrain allows, affected wagons
might simply go around the obstruction, and so this spell is best
used in mountainous or heavily forested areas.
Suspicions
Range: Touch
Duration: 1 turn
This is a "reversed" version of Trust. For the duration of this
spell, the target will be unable to convince anyone of his or her
trustworthiness. Those already inclined to mistrust the target will
refuse to accept anything the target tries to convince them of,
believing all evidence to have been manufactured.
Undetectable Lie
Range: 0'
Duration: special
Uses: once per day
This spell allows the merchant to tell a single believable lie
without fear of the lie being discovered. People will not recognise
evidence to the contrary, and will not make the connections
necessary to disprove the statement. For instance, the merchant
could say that his caravan's last stop was in Sayr Ulan, and the
gate guards will believe him, even if his papers state he was in
Darokin City... if this spell is used first. This spell would not
make the guards forget the papers if they had already inspected
them, nor would they believe the statement "I am a dwarf." from a
human merchant.
Second Level
Determine Bribe
Range: 10'
Duration: Special
Uses: 3 times per day
This spell allows the merchant to determine the necessary sum to
successfully bribe the target. It will not produce the required
amount of gold, however.
Sabotage Load
Range: touch
Duration: special
Uses: once per day
This spell allows a merchant to arrange a wagon load such that the
load fill shift during travel, possibly damaging the cargo.
Third Level
Check Contract
Range: touch
Duration: Special
Use: Once per week
This spell allows the merchant to check a contract for hidden
loopholes. Note that this spell will reveal magically hidden
writing. It is customary (and smart) to use this spell before
engaging in an Unbreakable Contract (see below).
Fourth Level
Unbreakable Contract
Range: Special
Duration: Special
Use: Once per week
This spell allows the merchant and any number of willing
participants to engage in a binding contract. If any participants
are under any form of compulsion, the spell will fail. The only way
to break the contract short of a wish is to have a mage
successfully cast dispel magic (use the Contract's caster's
merchant or magic-user level, whichever is higher, to determine
difficulty) with the specific intent to break the contract. All
other members of the contract will instantly become aware that the
contract has been broken. There is no way to prevent this short of
a wish (note that using a wish to break the contract and to prevent
this would require two wishes).
For the spell to succeed, the contract must be written and signed
by all participants. A copy of the contract must be prepared for
each participant, as well.