d20 Clockwork Golem Workshop Magic Merchants 1 - House of the Transformed Toad.pdf - Clockwork Golem Workshop - R5700

H OUSE OF THE

T RANSFORMED T OAD

P ART O NE : I NTRODCUTING THE T RANSFORMED T OAD

The House of the Transformed Toad is a small store devoted to the trade and sale of magic, particularly

potions and alchemical items. It’s well suited for inclusion in a small or large town, although it could ﬁ t

nicely into a smaller settlement within your campaign if the village sits on a major trade route. It is de-

signed to cater to low-level characters, who will get the most use out of the items and potential adventure

hooks included herein, but can also serve as a ﬂ avor encounter that reinforces a town’s rustic nature to

higher-level PCs. The Transformed Toad focuses its wares towards adventurers, and the store is designed

to appeal to a wide variety of character classes. It is an ideal starting point when introducing the concept

of buying and selling magic items to new players.

The necessity of balancing the mechanics of magic item trade against the mystery that surrounds

magic in fantasy ﬁ ction and ﬁ lm is one of the most difﬁ cult aspects of running a d20 fantasy game. While

it is easy to simply hand the players a list of items and their prices, or to disallow the sale of magic items

altogether, the Magic Merchants series is designed to help you tread that middle ground. Each product

within the series details a single store, with a stock of items and characters that can make trading for magic

items an encounter as interesting any other.

Like all books in the Magic Merchants series, the Transformed Toad is designed to give depth to your

world and add an extra level of engagement to the process of trading magic items. Among the items taken

from the core rules that are on sale in the small store there are several signature items that introduce new

magic and serve as a hook by which the House of the Transformed Toad can be distinguished from other

sources of magical trade.

How you use this book is entirely up to you. We’ve included a wealth of detail about the store, its

owner, and several of the items within it. Whether you choose to keep these details as presented, or simply

re-use the new items and brief histories in your own game to give the next hoard the players ﬁ nd some

extra character is something only you can decide. While every effort has been made to create a product

that will slide easily into your campaign, the ﬁ nal details of where and how the House of the Transformed

Toad and its contents will serve you and your players is a decision best made by the gamesmaster.

Written By Peter M. Ball

Editing by Adam Windsor and Cherelle Slater

Some artwork from Fantasy Filler Art copyright Rick Hershey, All Rights

Reserved.

Requires the use of the Dungeons and Dragons Third Edition Core Books, published by

Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Dungeons and Dragons and Wizards of the Coast are registered

trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc, in the United States and are used with Permission.

‘d20 System ’ and the ‘d20 System ’ logo are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.and are

used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 6.0.A copy of this License can

be found at www.wizards.com/d20.

All text in this Product is designated as open game content.

- 1 -

The House of the TRansformed Toad

H ISTORY AND L OCATION

F IRST I MPRESSIONS OF THE

T RANSFORMED T OAD

Telgen Mythander has been running the House of

the Transformed Toad for nearly a hundred and

thirty years, buying and selling magical wares to

three generations of human adventurers. Telgen

himself is just shy of a hundred and seventy winters,

a plump owl of a gnome with ink-stained ﬁ ngertips

and a potbelly that jiggles when he laughs.

From a young age Telgen has been driven by

two things; a love of travel and a desire to study and

create magical items. When it became apparent that

the necessities of one usually prevented the other,

Telgen turned brieﬂ y to adventuring. In a short but

successful career, Telgen earned enough money

to build the Transformed Toad, and promptly set

about building a reputation as a reliable artiﬁ cer

and merchant that caters to the novice adventurer.

Although the need to maintain his laboratory keeps

him from traveling much these days, the sheer

number of adventurers that pass through his doors

tell enough stories to assuage his wanderlust.

Rather than compete with the powerful

spellcasters that ﬂ ock to the larger cities, Telgen

chose a small town as the location for his store.

Located in the middle of a major trade route, the

village is little more than a rest stop for merchant

caravans, but this is more than enough to ensure

a variety of customers ﬁ nd their way to Telgen’s

store.

Located in a quiet street, The House of the

Transformed Toad is immediately recognized by

the magically animated sign that hangs over the

doorway. Small children are often seen crowded

around the store during the day, watching the

illusory battle between a gnomish wizard and an

orcish warrior that takes place on the sign. Almost

inevitably the gnome is the victor, with the orc

being transformed into a somewhat surprised toad

to the cheers of the gathered children.

Although the building that holds the shop is

huge, the shop itself is barely more than a dozen

feet wide. Short shelves line the wall, holding magic

potions and scrolls that are carefully placed to avoid

the appearance of crowding. A few wands sit in a

wooden case on the counter, locked with a golden

padlock, while other items of interest are displayed

on black velvet inside a glass cabinet.

Anyone detecting magic inside the store notices

a variety of auras, primarily the dim radiance of

minor magic items. Taking the time to study the

auras quickly reveals an absence of necromancy and

enchantment magic, with most of the prominent

stock radiating transmutation, evocation and

illusion.

A door to the rear of the store is locked, with

a sign noting that it leads to a private residence.

Good locks (DC 30) are used on all doors.

THE TOAD, THEFT AND YOUR PCS

Astute readers will notice that the Transformed Toad is woefully ill-equipped to stop determined thieves,

with only mundane locks protecting the magical equipment contained on the store shelves. This choice

was primarily made for stylistic reasons - powerful arcane wards and exotic traps send players a very

different message to a stout lock and the watchful eye of the storekeeper.

Furthermore, we wanted to keep theft within the range of petty thugs and low-level NPC rogues; a

burglary at the Toad can be an easy adventure hook once the players have befriended Telgen, and the

low-level focus of the Toad’s wares mean that theft should be within the reach of foes low-level PC’s

are capable of defeating.

This approach can become problematic, however, in groups where a larcenous PC has his heart set

on ransacking Telgen’s establishment. A successful heist against the Toad can quickly net the character

far more wealth and magic than you’d prefer for such an easy job. GM’s placed in this situation are

encouraged to bolster the Toad’s defenses, with ﬁ re traps on shelves and the most valuable items sccured

elsewhere while the store is closed.

- 2 -

The House of the TRansformed Toad

P ART T WO : I TEMS FOR S ALE

to point out their advantages to customers, both

as diversions (particularly the boar, the warrior,

the bear and the half-orc), or as a quick form of

concealment and cover when necessary (the statue

and the wall have proven particularly popular in this

regard). Custom images that take up space greater

than 10 cubic feet are beyond the power of the

liquid images, and actions are limited to relatively

simple tasks.

Telgen normally has two vials of each image in

stock, with a 20% chance of a new image being

included among his wares every week. If one of

the images is sold, it is replaced within two days

unless Telgen and his apprentices have been

commissioned to make a powerful item.

Telgen’s standard liquid images cost 45 gp per

vial, a slight reduction on the potions market value

due to the users inability to control the actions of the

illusion. Custom images that can be programmed

to perform according to the purchaser’s wishes

cost 50 gp per vial, and take a day to prepare.

Faint illusion; CL 1st; Prerequisites: Brew

potion, silent image ; Price: 50 gp; Cost: 25 gp + 2

XP.

L IQUID I MAGES

Each of these small glass vials contains a swirling

liquid rainbow. Anything more than a cursory look

reveals a moving image trapped in the heart of

the container. By uncapping the vial and pouring

the liquid out, the user frees a silent illusion that

follows a single preprogrammed action.

Telgen typically keeps six kinds of images on

hand:

• A human warrior wearing chainmail and

wielding a greatsword, standing guard with

the blade pointed towards the ground.

• A half-orc warrior that runs screaming in

the direction opposite the user, a gleaming

falchion held high over his head.

• A brown bear that stands nearly seven

and a half feet in height, standing on its

hind legs and pawing the air in a threatening

gesture of warning.

• A wild boar with sharp tusks and frothing

saliva. Like the half-orc, the boar charges

in the direction opposite the user when

freed.

• A decaying statue of Lord Gelfrey

Porphory, a nobleman who insulted the

young Telgen before he completed his

studies. One out of every ﬁ ve potions that

Telgen brews with this image has a short

mustache and goatee stenciled onto the

statue.

• A ten-foot square block of stone wall.

Liquid illusions make no sound, and last for

one minute before they fade into nothingness.

Creatures that interact with the illusions get a Will

save (DC 11) to disbelieve their existence. Moving

images travel 40 ft. per round in a single direction

once unleashed.

Telgen is willing to make custom images on

commission, and occasionally tries a new liquid

image as a speculative venture, but he sticks with

the solid sellers as much as possible. He is quick

T ELGEN ’ S E LIXIR OF F IRE

B REATH

There are only two of these vials kept in Telgen’s

store, and he faces the prospect of their sale with

some trepidation. He has only recently perfected

the crafting of these elixirs, a process that required

many weeks of scorched eyebrows and ﬁ re-beetle

glands. Should anyone look at the amber bottles,

the plump gnome starts regaling them with stories

about the creation and perfection of the formula

needed.

Each elixir allows the drinker to spit up to three

gouts of ﬂ ame. Each gout deals 4d6 points of ﬁ re

damage to a single target within 25 feet, although

the target can make a Reﬂ ex save (DC 13) for

- 3 -

The House of the TRansformed Toad

half damage. Gouts of ﬂ ame that haven’t been

used within 1 hour of drinking the elixir dissipate

harmlessly, although the drinker may be wracked

with a series of smoking hiccups if he fails a

Fortitude save (DC 10). The hiccups are harmless,

but if mentioned to Telgen at a later date he will

ﬂ ush and mutter something about a few kinks left

before he’s truly perfecting the formula.

Telgen’s Elixirs of Fire Breath cost a little less than

the standard price due to their imperfect formula.

He will replace purchased vials at a rate of one vial

every two days, although after he ﬁ nishes crafting

the seventh vial he will have exhausted his store of

the necessary ingredients. The ingredients, primarily

ﬁ re beetle glands and the roots of a particularly

spicy plant, take three weeks to re-order, although

Telgen is happy to discount his price by 10% should

the customer bring him a fresh supply.

Moderate evocation; CL 11th; Craft Wondrous

Item, scorching ray ; Price 1,050 gp.

There is also a 20% chance that Telgen will have

a wand holding one of the other spells on his list in

stock. All wands are sold for the standard market

prices.

S CROLLS

Telgen typically keeps a small vareity of scrolls in

his store, either scribed from his own collection or

commisioned from nearby clerics and druids who

see the continued presence of the Transformed

Toad as a useful source of magic lore and spell

components.

The following scrolls can usually be found in

Telgen’s inventory:

Scroll

Quantity

Price

Cure Light

Wounds

1st

25 gp each

Silent Image, Ghost

Sound*

1st

38 gp each

Erase, Enlarge

Person*

W ANDS

1st

50 gp each

Shillelagh, Magic

Fang

Telgen has learned the secret of crafting wands only

recently, so he is still tentative about their creation.

Customers who purchase one of his arcane wands

are badgered with questions about its effectiveness

the next time they return.

In addition to the wands he crafts himself, Telgen

stocks a wand of cure light wounds he commisioned at

a temple three days to the south. If the wand is

sold, he immediately sends one of his apprentices

to commision another, replacing the sold stock

within a week.

Wands crafted by Telgen are replaced within

four days of being sold.

Telgen stocks the following wands, all fully

charged:

1st

50 gp each

Shillelagh, Magic

Fang, Cure Light

Wounds

3rd

75 gp each

Flaming Sphere

3rd

150 gp each

Minor Image*

3rd

150 gp each

Scrolls marked with an asterix are replenished

within one day of purchase by Telgen or his

apprentices. Divine scrolls are replenished at the

end of every second week.

In addition to his normal supplies Telgen is

constantly trading with customers to get copies of

new spells or scrolls he doesn’t have the skill or

inclination to scribe. At any given time he has 1-

3 scrolls in stock, determined

randomly on the minor

scroll treasure table. All

scrolls in the House of

the Transformed Toad

are for sale at the

usual prices.

Wand

Quantity

Price

Detect Magic

375 gp

Cure light wounds

750 gp

Mage armor

750 gp

Invisibility

4,500 gp

- 4 -

d20 Clockwork Golem Workshop Magic Merchants 1 - House of the Transformed Toad.pdf

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