Classes/Merchant

From AeonRO

From the fast-talking saleswoman to the hard-working delivery boy to the shifty-eyed fence, merchants are professionals in the business of turning stuff and money into other stuff and more money. The more adventurous of them raise trade to an art form, traveling the world in search of new goods to deal in and new people to deal with.

A good merchant, though very useful to have around when venturing to a strange place, is not as geared to fighting as a swordsman might be. They deal with combat mainly by keeping themselves and their friends as well-equipped as possible, generally by maintaining a healthy stock of potions and other helpful items. A merchant has no magical ability to speak of, but they do have a few other tricks up their sleeves, being able to employ heavy weapons ranging from the standard hand-axe to one's own fruit stand and then use their extra cash as a means of increasing this damage further still.

Skills

Enlarge Weight Limit: Pretty much what it says on the tin. This class feature increases the weight limit for carrying items, representing a merchant's propensity for carrying around vast quantities of marketable loot. This skill is required for the other item-related abilities: one needs level 3 in this skill to use Discount or Overcharge, and level 5 to get a Pushcart.

Discount: Allows the merchant to haggle for item prices, which in game terms means reducing the shop prices by about 5% + 2% per level, to a maximum of 24% at level 10. Such reduced item prices are, of course, rounded up. Getting this skill to level three also allows access to the Overcharge skill.

Overcharge: Using their epic salesmanship abilities, merchants can make their loot go further in the marketplace, knowing exactly who to call and when to sell their wares at the highest price. Or rather, as far as game mechanics are concerned, they sell it to the same people at the same time but convince them that the items are worth up to 24% more money. Uses the same percentile progression as the prerequisite Discount skill. The augmented revenue per item is, of course, rounded down.

Pushcart: Lets the merchant use a pushcart. Once one gets this skill, one 'rents' a cart from any Kafra employee for a sizable sum of zeny, at which point the thing will appear to follow the merchant around like a lost puppy until the end of time. They can hold up to 8000 pounds of loot, and are the centerpiece for a number of other merchant skills. Pushcarts are heavy, so this skill requires five levels of Enlarge Weight Limit and a rented cart reduces its user's movement rate. Higher levels in Pushcart reduce the movement penalty until is it completely negated at level 10.

Vending: In conjunction with RP points and a pushcart, this skill allows you to set up an in-game RO-style shop to go with your more appointment-oriented in-character sales. Requires the Pushcart skill at level 3 or higher. As setting up a kiosk in the town square and waiting indefinitely for the zeny to roll in is not much of a business model, this skill is more about role-playing a merchant in an entertaining fashion than it is about selling one's loot efficiently. Given that, levels 2-10 in this skill are sort of pointless unless your character is particularly dedicated to shopkeeping.

Mammonite: A special move that trades money for extra damage on a single, otherwise normal attack. With flat rate of 5 SP per shot, it costs 100 zeny per level and boosts attack power by 50% per level, so at level 10, one can pay 1000z for a strike that deals 600% damage. The rate is adjustable, so you can tune it down to a lower level according to your current price range. The in-game explanation for all of this is that it, "harnesses a merchant's rage over having to waste perfectly good zeny."

Item Appraisal: A minor convenience, this skill lets a merchant reveal the properties of found equipment without using a magnifier. Each use costs SP, but it's kind of silly to be doing this sort of thing in the middle of combat anyway.

Cart Revolution: The Merchant gains the ability to slam her pushcart into her enemies, knocking them backwards and dealing decent damage in the process. This is a special technique taught by some guy by the docks in Alberta, and it requires that one be at level 35 or higher as a merchant and be able to gather all of the requisite quest items. A one-level wonder, it costs 12 SP, affects a 3x3 area, and deals 150% of one's normal attack damage, plus a little more if the pushcart happens to be loaded up with loot at the time - 200% at most.

Change Cart: Another quest skill, taught by another Albertan guru. This skill allows one to change one's cart's appearance, purely for entertainment purposes.

Crazy Uproar: One last quest skill, again learned in Alberta, this time from a guy who is apparently rather fond of pearls. A simple 8 SP buff that gives the user +4 strength for 5 minutes. Reciting the phrase, "MY VOICE GIVES ME SUPER STRENGTH," is not a requirement, though it certainly doesn't hurt.