Homebrew Panshang Species Details

Always be careful around a panshang—that's my one rule in life. That's not because they're inherently mean, or wicked, or anything like that. No—it's because when you visit a panshang's stall to buy a health potion or two, you instead come out with a cloak, a new set of armor, three new weapons, and a small beachfront property on the other side of the country. And the worst part is, you were nodding along every step of the way.

— Sun Wu, Misadventures of the Red Coast

Few races are so well-traveled in Tsenxi as the panshang, found in every corner of every kingdom. Shrewd and mercantile, they have a knack for business like none other, and delight above all else in a trade signed and made—whether honest or not. Some panshang work independently, while others join far-reaching and influential guilds; but no matter how they choose to operate, each and every panshang can be relied on, above all else, for their love and admiration of coin.

Small and Steady

Panshang are small, furry creatures whose cutesy appearance and charming mannerisms belie a cunning intellect. Their average height of just 3 feet allows them to slip around unnoticed (handy for evading the odd cheated customer),  and they weigh about 30 to 40 pounds.

Panshang can vary greatly in appearance, with fur ranging from orange to blonde and even to black or white. Their fox-like eyes are black or deep brown, and they can grow scraggly beards or messy topknots. The financial success of a panshang can usually be measured in the size of their belly, although the most traveled merchants are kept naturally lean by the demands of their journeys. 

Perfect Provisioners

A panshang prides themselves on having the ware for every occasion—and somehow, this pride is almost always well-placed. If a newcomer to a town isn't sure where to find a specialist store, their first instinct is most often to find the local panshang, who will probably have not just what they're looking for in stock, but also half a dozen cheaper (and apparently better) alternatives.

Moreover, a panshang never reveals exactly where they acquire such a variety of items from, for to do so would to be expose their greatest trading secret. Even torture, magic or death (as some struggling guilds of other races have found in bouts of desperate frustration) will not part a panshang's lips.

Gilded Influence

The panshang guilds are awe-inspiring for their size and more frightening still for their power. Though most guilds are small-scale affairs, with membership ranging anywhere between twenty to eighty trusted members, the largest guild in Tsenxi, the Shi-Sheng, reaches somewhere in the thousands—a business empire involving not just merchants, but strategists, moles, and saboteurs. While technically a neutral organisation, the Shi-Sheng commands considerable political influence in the kingdoms of Fuhai and Zhonghou, to the point of making its rulers and governments slaves to Guildmaster Fan's every whim. A budding guild will not get far in the northern reaches without the Shi-Sheng's express approval—and even then, it may be only a matter of time before the potential threat grows too great to be allowed.

Of course, the Shi-Sheng is not every guild; and further south, panshang guilds engage in more open competition, forming and falling with the passing of every season as the market churns endlessly. Subterfuge, though still fairly common, is not the general way of things, and so the southern guilds place greater emphasis on the value of honest work, forging friendly rivalries with other local guilds that often culminate in public contests. Such rivalries frequently pave the way for partnerships; and indeed, the port city of Shaogong on the Red Coast is governed by a conglomerate body of five guilds, each specializing in different yet complimentary areas to one another. 

A GUILD FOR ONE, A GUILD FOR ALL

Your panshang character, if you so choose, may have come from or even still be the member of a guild. That they would be a member of the Shi-Shang in any significant capacity is unlikely, given the guild's more villainous qualities, but there are still hundreds if not thousands more to choose from. Work with your DM to decide on your guild of origin—create one from scratch if you'd like, picking a name, a brief background, and an area of expertise (likely based on your panshang's chosen artisan tool proficiency). Then consider the details surrounding this membership. Why did your panshang join the guild—was it a personal decision, or driven by a close friend or family member? Do they enjoy the experience, or do they desire more independence? And if they left the guild, why?

World Travelers

Every panshang, independent or not, understands that one can only gain so much by staying in a single place. A panshang's natural drive to explore is as much a product of its entrepreneurial spirit as its curiosity, and few can really call themselves a merchant without having visited at least three different kingdoms or countries. Worldly knowledge comes naturally to them, and some can spend years of their relatively-short lives studying a breadth of different cultures and languages to spread themselves as widely as possible. Heed well the old warning: a small-town panshang is a bankrupt panshang!

Panshang Names

A panshang has a given name and a family name (most often another given name, derived from a revered ancestor), although some panshang—like Guildmaster Fan Shi-Sheng—assume their guild's name in place of a family name, be it for pride or loyalty. 

Male Names: An, Bai, Bolin, Chen, Dai, Feng, Ho, Jin, Liang, Liu, Quan, Tao, Teng, Wei, Xiang, Yi, Zhen

Female Names: Ai, Bo, Chun, Daiyu, Da-Xia, Fang, Hua, Jia, Jun,  Li-Li, Mei, Nuo, Shu, Song, Xia, Yin, Zhu

Panshang Traits

Your panshang character has a number of traits in common with all other panshang.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2 and your Dexterity score increases by 1. 

Age

A panshang lives a relatively short life, maturing at the age of 10 and living to around 35 to 40 years at most. As a result, they develop keen, efficient minds.

Alignment

Panshang hunt for business wherever it can be found, be it within or outside the law, although their desire for economic independence tilts them slightly towards chaotic. A panshang is rarely good or evil: their loyalties lie with the jingling of coin alone, and they couldn't care less for the complex moral quandaries of other races.

Size

Panshang average around 3 feet tall and weigh about 30-40 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Appraisal

Years of business have given you an eye for the remarkable. You have advantage on any Intelligence check made to determine the value of an item, whether buying or selling.

Darkvision

You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Shrewd Negotiator

You have proficiency in the Persuasion and Deception skills. Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed. 

Tool Proficiency

You gain proficiency with your choice of artisan's tool.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Panshang, and one other language of your choice. Panshang is a fast, chipper-sounding language, rarely employed except within and between panshang guilds. A panshang trade deal is often said to be almost always one of two things: a lightning-quick agreement confirmed in seconds, or a heated debate spanning hours of intense, nigh-unintelligible chattering.