Bargaining (sage ability)

Bargaining is a sage ability related to logistics that permits characters to buy items more cheaply than the listed price. Up to 1 item may be bargained for (or the cost haggled over) per 5 pts. of logistics knowledge. For example, a character with 17 knowledge

Shows a skill at negotiating prices with the seller of goods in order to obtain a better deal on a transaction. There are two ways in which the character can haggle for a deal:

Common Bargaining

When attempting to haggle for a specific item, the character may attempt a charisma check. A success indicates that character can purchase the item with a saving of 10%. A failed bargain has no consequences, except that the character must pay full price.

A common bargaining requires 10 minutes per sale. There is time needed for a character moving from shop to shop in a market town looking for items and characters who perform multiple hagglings will grow exhausted. For these reasons, no more than 9 common bargainings can take place in a given day.

Pressure Bargaining

The character may attempt an even better deal, haggling for 20-50% off, in the following manner. To start, the character should count only half their charisma ~ a demonstration that the haggling is being hard fought. Do not count fractions: a 17 charisma would count as an 8 for the purposes of a charisma check.

The character can then improve their chances of successfully haggling by buying more. The modifier here works upon a logarithmic scale. A purchase of 10-99 g.p. gives a +1 bonus to the ability check. A purchase of 100 to 999 gives a +2 bonus. A purchase of 1000-9999 gold gives a +3 bonus . . . and so on. By buying more, the character improves the chance of a deal.

If the character succeeds in the charisma check, then the character rolls a d4+1, indicating a saving of 20 to 50% of the original price. For example, the character with a 17 charisma haggles over items costing 1,200 g.p., gaining a +3 bonus to their roll. The character rolls an 11 on a d20 and succeeds in the bargaining. A 2 is rolled on a d4, adding one, indicating a saving of 30%. The character therefore receives 1,200 g.p. worth of goods for 840 g.p.

If the bargaining fails, however, then the character is banned from purchasing that sort of good in that sort of store (armorer, blacksmith, cobbler, grocer, etc.) in that market city for a period of one year. The character will need to send someone else to shop there.

For a lone character, the benefit of this is moderate. However, for a large concern such as an army, company or a political entity, which can afford to buy 100,000 g.p. worth of grains, meat, indigo or coconuts, a charismatic buyer with a +5 modifier can substantially help where a profit is concerned.

A pressure bargaining can require up to one hour per sale. Pressure bargainings are extremely exhausting, greatly reducing the potential for a character to act in peak form. For these reasons, no more than 3 pressure bargainings can take place in a given day.

See Logistics