The Merchant-Prince
In the warm waters of the Sea of Dread lie a group of islands claimed by the Minrothad Guilds. These isles have attracted a rich assortment of peoples over the centuries - humans, dwarves, halflings and elves all live in Minrothad. The oldest residents of the islands are the Alfasser elves. Long ago, these sea-faring elves mastered the seas, both with their nautical prowess and their knowledge of magic.
Eventually, Minrothad found its niche in the world as traders, transporting exotic cargoes from one far port to another. Alfasser magic, combined with Alphatian sea spells learned in distant lands, proved quite useful in these ventures. Soon, a new breed of merchant was setting itself apart from those merchants of other nations.
Now, Minrothad’s Merchant Princes are known in every port of call in the Known World. Their formidable reputation alone is often enough to deter all but the most foolhardy pirates. These spellcasting sea captains are now synonymous with the Minrothad Guilds.
This information has been updated from GAZ9: The Minrothad Guilds, and more information may be found in that product.
Hit Die: d6
Requirements
To become a merchant-prince, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
- Race:
- Elf, half-elf or human
- Ability score:
- Intelligence 12
- Ability score:
- Dexterity 9
- Skills:
- Bargain or Appraisal 5 ranks, Craft or Profession (relevant to your Guild) 10 ranks
- Special:
- Must show a personal income from trading ventures of at least 20,000 gp per year over the last 4 years. Must be a member of one of Minrothad’s Guilds.
Class Skills
The class skills for the merchant-prince (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Innuendo (Wis), Intuit Direction (Wis), Knowledge (Int), Profession (Wis), Scry (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language, Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex). See Chapter 4: Skills of the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Merchant princes gain no additional proficiency in any weapon or armor
Bonus Language: At 1st level and each odd-numbered level merchant prince level thereafter, the character gains one bonus language of choice.
Spells Per Day: Merchant princes receive training in arcane spellcasting as wizards or sorcerors. When a new merchant prince level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class (either wizard or sorceror). He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained, except for an increased effective level in spellcasting. If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a merchant prince, he must decide which class he adds the new level to for purposes of determining spells per day.
If the merchant prince did not previously belong to either the wizard or sorceror classes, he learns spells as a wizard equal to his merchant prince level.
Wind at Your Back: At 2nd level, the merchant prince has become a master of eking every bit of propulsion out of the prevailing winds. Any ship he captains moves 1 mile per hour faster than normal.
Shifting Deck: As a free action, a merchant prince of 6th level or higher can attempt a Balance check (DC 15). Success negates any penalties for uneven ground, such as a ship’s deck in rolling seas, and any higher-ground bonuses that opponents might otherwise have. The DM may set a higher DC for checks involving particularly uneven or dangerous ground.
Come About: The merchant prince’s ability to maneuver a vessel is legendary. At 8th level he gains a +4 insight bonus on Profession (sailor) checks.
Bonus Metamagic Feat: The merchant prince’s training in arcane arts allows him to select a bonus metamagic feat at 4th and 10th level.
| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort. Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Spells per Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Bonus language | +1 sorceror/wizard level |
| 2 | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Wind at your back | +1 sorceror/wizard level |
| 3 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Bonus language | +1 sorceror/wizard level |
| 4 | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Bonus metamagic feat | +1 sorceror/wizard level |
| 5 | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Bonus language | +1 sorceror/wizard level |
| 6 | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Shifting deck | +1 sorceror/wizard level |
| 7 | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Bonus language | +1 sorceror/wizard level |
| 8 | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Come about | +1 sorceror/wizard level |
| 9 | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Bonus language | +1 sorceror/wizard level |
| 10 | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Bonus metamagic feat | +1 sorceror/wizard level |
