[Scholar] NPCs - The Arcane Merchant (Patreon)

"I've been wanting rid of this trinket for a good decade now. It's brought me so much misery... oh, you think I'll give it to you for free? Hells no! BUahHahaHAHA" - Gillian Gortorbash

Hiya everyone,

Welcome back to another NPC release with DM-ing advice and a general overview attached! This one was a lot of fun to make and I believe can be used in almost any circumstance to spruce up an encounter with a shopkeep... especially if you're a cruller DM and love dishing out cursed items hehehe.

Enjoy!

~ Matthew.W

OVERVIEW:

Gillian Gortorbash is a dishevelled man whose past is mostly lost to time. Few know his true origins and often, those who think they know, have just been told another lie of his.

Always on the go, always on the prowl for more trinkets to sell to passersby, he can't help but have great deals for those unknowing as to what they purchase. Whether it be a staff of great healing with... less than ideal drawbacks, or a sword that screams with the voices of a thousand suffering creatures but is really good at making icecream, he'll likely have it in stock.

Across the lands he roams with his stock stowed away in Bags of Holding. In his earlier days, he was a passionate fencer turned Mage turned Merchant. A true Jack of All-Trades and Master of None, he is a man of ambition and won't hesitate to use people to reach his lofty goals. Often, he is easily beloved and wins trust as simply as a goblin falls over its own feet, there are few that Gillian can't win over.

DM-ING ADVICE:

Gillian can be an entertaining character for your party to stumble across. Due to his travelling nature, he can be encounter out in the wild, tucked away in a goblin camp or somewhere amongst a city. You should always keep in mind though, rarely, does he ever stay in one place for more than a couple of days. Even if he has a shop named after him, it's all temporary in his eyes. The man simply cannot commit to one place.

Personally, I created Gillian when I realised my party of 6 players were lacking any form of support. So, I had him win over their trust with fun banter and a deal too good to not take for a healing staff with... not-great consequences.

In your world, Gillian could be exclusively a cursed items vendor. He could be this charismatic guy with an easy-going demeanour yet, all the while, he is playing them.

Gillian has a history in magic and martial fighting. With an Intelligence of 18, he is an extremely sharp fellow and he is always playing the long-game. From time-to-time, he will take a bad deal if he knows he will still benefit further ahead. Alongside this, his hefty 16 Dexterity, all earnt from his youth as a fencer, means that he can manoeuvre away from combat or at least make distance so he can pelt enemies with his spells - of which he has many!

When it comes to combat, Gillian is very aware that he can fall easily. He is no tank and the best defensive option he has is with his Mage Armor (which will be the first spell he casts when he wakes up in the morning). To help with his shortcomings, you will notice that many of his spells are related to mobility or becoming untargetable. Otherwise, the remainder of his spells are simple damage spells or tools for learning more about magic.

STATBLOCK:

Attached below!