Merchant is one of 22 playable character classes in ADOM. It is widely considered to be one of the weakest classes and therefore one of the hardest to play. This is due to the fact that shop transactions (in which the class specializes) are of relatively low importance in the game compared to combat or magical prowess. Merchants start with large amounts of gold but normally very poor equipment. This, combined with a lack of combat-oriented skills, makes them hard to play in the early game, while their trading-related class powers typically provide little to no advantage in the mid and late game. However, merchants do have several interesting features which may satisfy a demand for a challenge or simply a change of play style, possibly with attractive scumming prospects.
Basic information[]
Manual information[]
Merchants are masters of trade and bartering. They almost all are very wealthy, charming and experts in communication. Each merchant specializes in trading with a certain type of magical items during their apprenticeship. At the beginning of their career, they are equipped with a sample of items to trade with (or use). Merchants are neither well-armed nor well-armored and have to be careful in fights. Should they encounter one of the rare dungeon shops, they will probably make some great deals.
Base Stats[]
Statistically average stats for each race are listed below. Male merchants can be expected to have an extra point in Strength, female merchants an extra point in Dexterity.
Race | St | Le | Wi | Dx | To | Ch | Ap | Ma | Pe |
Human | 12 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Troll | 23 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 23 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
High Elf | 12 | 16 | 12 | 20 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 17 |
Gray Elf | 11 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 9 | 11 | 21 | 18 | 17 |
Dark Elf | 11 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 16 |
Dwarf | 15 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 17 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 13 |
Gnome | 11 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 16 | 13 |
Hurthling | 7 | 12 | 13 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 12 |
Orc | 16 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 10 |
Drakeling | 15 | 12 | 16 | 12 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 11 |
Mist Elf | 11 | 20 | 12 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 26 | 23 | 19 |
Ratling | 12 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 18 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 16 |
Starting Skills[]
Skill | Typical value | Typical modifier | Available in-game? |
---|---|---|---|
Alchemy | 5 | 4d5 | No |
Appraising | 45 | 4d5 | No |
Detect item status | 15 | 3d4 | No |
Gemology | 44 | 4d4 | No |
Haggling | 43 | 4d5 | No |
Herbalism | 14 | 4d5 | Yes |
Literacy | Depends on Learning and specialization | Depends on Learning and specialization | Yes |
Metallurgy | 29 | 4d5 | No |
Pick pockets | 29 | 4d5 | Yes |
Survival | 29 | 3d5 | No |
Crowning Gifts[]
- Boots of the divine messenger
- Crown of leadership
- Iron Crown of Havlor
- Shezestriakis
- Staff of the Wanderer
- Trusted One
Merchants' crowning gifts are relatively good with the exception of the questionable auto-cursing gauntlets Shezetriakis. Staff of the Wanderer and Trusted One provide respectable defensive capabilities, but seriously lack in the offense, which makes their desirability highly dependent on play style. Boots of the divine messenger and both crowns are top-quality items for their corresponding equipment slots.
HP, PP, To-hit Growth by Level[]
HP: Very low
PP: None
Melee to-hit: Medium
Ranged to-hit: Very low
Special Abilities[]
Class Abilities[]
- Every merchant specializes in one of four types of items (potions, wands, rings or scrolls) which allows them to automatically identify items of the corresponding type. A number of specialty items are added to the starting equipment.
- Merchants gain an extra talent during character creation.
- Restocking a shop does not cause prices to go up if the PC is a Merchant. Especially of note if Gold Scumming with Survival Skill
- Merchants are able to use gold pieces as missiles. As with any item used for improvised throwing, this attack uses 1200 energy points. Doppelgangers are not able to deflect thrown coins. Merchants get a (level-1) to-hit bonus with thrown coins and a (2 + level / 2) damage bonus. Their range with thrown coins improves by 2 at every tenth level.
- Merchants seem to find randomly-generated shops more often than other classes.
- Heir gift: beautiful leather armor (thick furs for Trolls) of carrying with typical stats of [+0, +5]. Dwarves receive a chain mail with typical stats of [-3, +8].
Class Powers[]
- Level 6: Shop prices are lowered by 20%.
- Level 12: Carrying capacity is doubled.
- Level 18: Shop prices are lowered by 40% (overrides level 6 power).
- Level 25: Immunity to weather effects.
- Level 32: Shop prices are lowered by 60% (overrides level 18 power).
- Level 40: Ability to pacify monsters by giving them items.
- Level 50: Carrying capacity is tripled; one-time gain of spell knowledge in Create Item.
Starting Gear[]
All merchants start with a number of specialty items (see above).