I recently looked over the existing poisons and the rules for making them, and ended up homebrewing a bunch of poisons and rules. And now I want to make use of them! So I was thinking of introducing a shady shop selling poisons. And if the PCs decided the goods were too expensive and instead wanted to come back during the night to get them for free, they would get to experience their effects firsthand.
I created this post because I thought it would be awesome to have a list with not only cool and unique stores, but also encounters that could take place there, without necessarily involving monsters and NPCs, if the PCs come back for a nightly visit. Do you guys have any plug-and-play encounters tied to some of your shops that you feel like sharing? :) (Personally I prefer a simple generic overview, like below, but any on-topic input is appreciated!)
The Cold Cure (Poison shop) The owner poses as an apothecary and only sells small, non-harmful doses to regular customers. Customers knowing the right signal (Thieves' Cant) can buy harmful doses, which is the owner's main stream of income.
While in the shop after closing hours, the following rules apply:
There is no light source in the rooms unless stated otherwise.
All handles are laced with contact poison.
Only a few of the poisons in the shop have labels on them.
If a character falls prone or becomes Incapacitated, it needs to succeed on a DC15 Acrobatics check or fall on/drop the poisons in its possession. Poison containers break upon impact, and if the poison takes effect upon contact, inhalation, or injury, the character is subjected to the poison's effect. If a character fails such an Acrobatics check by 5 or more, the closest ally is also affected by the poison.
Rooms:
Main room This room is full of shelves with vials, bottles, and small clay jars of all colors, shapes and sizes. Besides the small counter in the back of the room there is a single closed door leading to a storage room.
This room contains the less potent poisons.
There are two similar looking vials under the counter. One contains Antitoxin and the other contains poison (ingested).
There is a single gold piece lying in one corner of the counter laced with poison (contact).
Storage room Racks of shelves from floor to ceiling make up the walls of this room. A movable ladder in one corner allows access to the higher shelves. There is a closed trapdoor in the other far corner.
This room contains the more potent poisons.
The characters can spot a vial of interest on the very top shelf.
The ladder is old and will break when a character reaches the top, unless the character deduces this (Investigation) and switches their weight around on the ladder.
The trapdoor is locked with a padlock. A poisoned needle (Injury) is triggered if the characters attempt to open the lock without a key.
Live Supply Room (Basement) A long slimy ladder leads down into a damp cave-like room. The room is dimly lit by blue illuminant particles that seem to come from a glowing mushroom in one corner. The room is full of cages with living animals (poisonous) and boxes of mushrooms. A table and a chair is placed against the wall.
When setting foot on the slimy ground at the bottom of the ladder a character needs to succeed on a DC10 Acrobatics check or fall prone.
Everyone not wearing a mask (or covering their mouth) and breathes in the glowing particles must succeed on a DC13 CON save or become poisoned. While poisoned in this way, a character is hallucinating. One of the cages seem to contain a person the hallucinating individual(s) cares about. The cages are closed, but not locked.
The poisonous spores filling the air will dissipate after a minute if the characters put a container on top of the glowing mushroom (bottomless container standing next to the mushroom).
On the table character's will find a Poisoner's Kit as well as a few poison recipes.
Tell me what you think of this idea for a shop I brainstormed a few days ago!
My potion seller operates out of a small sized office-like space sandwiched in between two larger buildings (think of Bob's burgers restaurant with two adjacent buildings). The shop is very discreet and would more often than not get overlooked by commoners. If you were to venture inside the shop you would find a very handsome and well dressed individual standing in an empty room with one other door in the back. Assuming you knew of the individual and that you could buy some potions, the individual takes your order, walks back to the far door and steps inside momentarily. Eventually returning with your goods (after paying of course). If you were to walk back and enter that room yourself, well, you'd find an empty closet space.
The potion seller is actually a disguised Rakshasa who plane shifts to the Fey world where he has an established and well guarded warehouse of supplies.
P.S. How did you link the condition and equipment?
Interesting concept with storage on another plane. Does the owner also sleep/live in the Feywild? I can imagine that would really confuse a group of thieves scouting out the shop when the owner appears to never leave the tiny building.
To link a condition you write e.g. [ condition]Incapacitated[/condition] without the space in the first bracket. See this link for more specific info.
I haven't thought about whether or not the shop owner stays on the material plane or in the Feywild, but in my games magical items (even potions) are rather difficult items to obtain. So, without spending too much thinking about it, and making a quick ruling I would say he probably traverses back to the Feywild during the "closed" hours of the material plane since time passes differently between the two worlds.
There could also be an entire troupe of Rakshasa that take shifts working as the shop keeper sharing the same "image".
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I recently looked over the existing poisons and the rules for making them, and ended up homebrewing a bunch of poisons and rules. And now I want to make use of them! So I was thinking of introducing a shady shop selling poisons. And if the PCs decided the goods were too expensive and instead wanted to come back during the night to get them for free, they would get to experience their effects firsthand.
I created this post because I thought it would be awesome to have a list with not only cool and unique stores, but also encounters that could take place there, without necessarily involving monsters and NPCs, if the PCs come back for a nightly visit. Do you guys have any plug-and-play encounters tied to some of your shops that you feel like sharing? :)
(Personally I prefer a simple generic overview, like below, but any on-topic input is appreciated!)
The Cold Cure (Poison shop)
The owner poses as an apothecary and only sells small, non-harmful doses to regular customers. Customers knowing the right signal (Thieves' Cant) can buy harmful doses, which is the owner's main stream of income.
While in the shop after closing hours, the following rules apply:
Rooms:
Main room
This room is full of shelves with vials, bottles, and small clay jars of all colors, shapes and sizes. Besides the small counter in the back of the room there is a single closed door leading to a storage room.
Storage room
Racks of shelves from floor to ceiling make up the walls of this room. A movable ladder in one corner allows access to the higher shelves. There is a closed trapdoor in the other far corner.
Live Supply Room (Basement)
A long slimy ladder leads down into a damp cave-like room. The room is dimly lit by blue illuminant particles that seem to come from a glowing mushroom in one corner. The room is full of cages with living animals (poisonous) and boxes of mushrooms. A table and a chair is placed against the wall.
I love your potion shop!
Tell me what you think of this idea for a shop I brainstormed a few days ago!
My potion seller operates out of a small sized office-like space sandwiched in between two larger buildings (think of Bob's burgers restaurant with two adjacent buildings). The shop is very discreet and would more often than not get overlooked by commoners. If you were to venture inside the shop you would find a very handsome and well dressed individual standing in an empty room with one other door in the back. Assuming you knew of the individual and that you could buy some potions, the individual takes your order, walks back to the far door and steps inside momentarily. Eventually returning with your goods (after paying of course). If you were to walk back and enter that room yourself, well, you'd find an empty closet space.
The potion seller is actually a disguised Rakshasa who plane shifts to the Fey world where he has an established and well guarded warehouse of supplies.
P.S. How did you link the condition and equipment?
Thanks!
Interesting concept with storage on another plane. Does the owner also sleep/live in the Feywild? I can imagine that would really confuse a group of thieves scouting out the shop when the owner appears to never leave the tiny building.
To link a condition you write e.g. [ condition]Incapacitated[/condition] without the space in the first bracket. See this link for more specific info.
I haven't thought about whether or not the shop owner stays on the material plane or in the Feywild, but in my games magical items (even potions) are rather difficult items to obtain. So, without spending too much thinking about it, and making a quick ruling I would say he probably traverses back to the Feywild during the "closed" hours of the material plane since time passes differently between the two worlds.
There could also be an entire troupe of Rakshasa that take shifts working as the shop keeper sharing the same "image".