Rules for Shopping in Amistad
Amistad is a peaceful frontier town, whose supply of wares and equipment fluctuates wildly with the coming and going of individual traders. When shopping for a specific item, you must first make an "availability" percentile roll—if you succeed, then you have found someone in town willing to trade for the item at the price given. A failed roll means that you have spent the whole day searching for the item in vain and must try again next Friday when new trade comes in.
The availability rolls are across all characters, so once someone has failed an availability check then no one will be able to find that item until the next Friday.
A single character can make 1d6 availability rolls per day.
It is also possible to commission the production of an item, regardless of whether an availability roll has been made.
Notable Places and Personages Trading Post: where you can buy whatever brickabrack comes their way. Owned by Swansy Akshay, a portly old man with a nasty wheeze and scabby skin, though he leaves most of the running to his widowed son Gaw Akshay, just as rotund by quite handsome in the face. Orders can be placed for items available elsewhere, with a markup based on distance and difficulty, and will arrive "when they get here."
Candlemaker and Brewer: Mary Akshay, the plump and rosy young daughter of Swansy Akshay, makes most of the town's candles and ale in the family home.
Blacksmith: Tall Aldwin is a young smith striking out on his own. He will sell goods that come to him and also makes his own.
Ostler, Cartwright: The one-handed, one-eyed Fothergill is a stoic and hard man who once led wagon trains, but no one can break a wild horse faster or get a pair of oxen to travel longer than he can. He is helped by Trick, a hapless local lad who never seems to do anything right in Fothergill's eyes.
Boatmaker, Bowyer, Trapper: The halflings Otts and Mathilde the Upwind are a pair of river rats and hunters. They can make and repair any boat that runs the river with alacrity and skill, and they provide the town with arrows, clubs, slings, traps, and so on for hunting and trapping.
Amistad Equipment List
All items below are found on Labyrinth Lord pp. 15-16.
Amistad hands his design for a birchbark canoe to the halflings Ott and Mathilde to create in time for his next expedition. It is about 30ft long and three wide and capable of carrying 1800lbs of equipment / treasure along with half a dozen people. (or a dozen halflings). A Sea-Lion raising an axe above its' head adorns the front and rear canvas.
If you are amenable, I'll cut the availability chance of the canoe in half since you want something specific and larger than typical: Canoe availability (15%): [1d100] = 88 (none available, must commission)
Otts and Mathilde take Amistad over to a beached canoe of theirs and scratch their heads when he tells them it's too small. "Too small? How big do you want this thing, anyway? Thirty feet?! What are you going to do, live in it? Well, we'll have to make sure the thickness of the bark is still sturdy enough to keep the thing from collapsing on itself… but I think we can pull it off." Otts begins to hammer out a pattern of pegs onto his wood shaper, while Mathilde toys around with a pile of birch sheets of different thicknesses, testing them for pliancy and durability.
Later, Mathilde finds Amistad and gives him an update. "It'll work. We even have half a frame ready for a large rabaska, and if we cut the width in half we can fit your needs and then some, maybe a dozen full folks. The bulk will be a little heavier than usual for the size, 250 pounds or so. You'll definitely need three people to carry it, otherwise you'll risk warping the middle section. Like I said, this thing will be thin. Don't go raking it up against any rocks, for Beith's sake.
"Anyway, we can have the frame tapered and ready in a week, plus one week for the adornments. How does 90 gold sound? Special price, just for Pinewood's favorite logger?"
Okay, Amistad will commission the first canoe, (River Lion Mk1), and blueprint the prototype version for the next should this lighter version prove unsuitable.
Ten mounted Knights of Baudhil enter through the wooden gates, paying the gate tax. They are accompanied by Father Clauson who quickly locates Blackjack Amistadwith a seal, indicating that he bargains with the authority of Lord Commander Bremen. The Lord Commander intends to erect a barn and stables and is interested in purchasing the lumber from your mill. He lays out the plans, indicating they are building two sets of stables and require:
220' of 10' high wooden walls
1450 sq ft of wood roof (1500gp per the rules)
1800' Stall walls (at 8'high)
Several barn doors and lockable double doors
We have heard you offer discounts for bulk orders of this sort.
Not looking to have here, just looking for the best price you'll offer. But if you need to have, we can do that, too.
Ostler, Cartwright: The one-handed, one-eyed Fothergill is a stoic and hard man who once led wagon trains, but no one can break a wild horse faster or get a pair of oxen to travel longer than he can. He is helped by Trick, a hapless local lad who never seems to do anything right in Fothergill's eyes.
Visits Fothergill the cartwright. He asks him regarding upgrading his wagon with a canopy and extra storage facilities, a lockable strongbox under the drivers seat, spare wheels, axles, toolbox.
He watches him break horses in and asks about purchasing one for his forthcoming expedition to the orcs as none seem available in town this week.
He sees him harassing his apprentice 'Trick'. An idea comes to mind.
"Perhaps a little adventure will help the boy become a man. How about you releasing young Trick here and making him graduate under me. He can apply all his skills to keep the wagon in order and assist the quatermaster of stores.
How about it Tricky'? Fancy trying your hand at an expedition into the wild blue yonder? You could bring a trolls head back to stick on a pike and parade around town. Half share of stuff (xp/trove) and I'll kit you out in yard leathers in keep you safe." (leather armour).
Seeing some interest and wonderment in the lads eyes but some hesitation. Amistad imagines Fothergill would let him go if he could have dibs on some stuff he brought back so he adds an incentive. "Or a full share if you succeed in bringing the wagon and horses safely back?"
