To capture the essence of a trader who bargains with multi-dimensional horrors, extra-planar syndicates, and corporate technocrats across the Skull Tower World Gates, we use the ACKS II Class Construction Rules. This blog entry picks right up from
Integrating Adventurer Conqueror King System II (ACKS II) with the legendary, chaotic, and maximum-gonzo DNA of Dave Hargrave's Arduin Grimoires - Converting Welcome to Skull Tower over to ACKS II
The Planar Merchant relies heavily on market navigation, planar survival skills, and silver-tongued diplomatic negotiation. They are custom-built using the 4 Build Point framework to ensure they fit perfectly into the strict math of the ACKS II campaign engine.
1. Class Construction Formula
Fighting 0 (0 BP): Attacks and saves as an ACKS II Mage. Restricted to leather armor, daggers, staves, and light concealable ranged weapons (like holdout blasters or hand crossbows).
Thievery 2 (2 BP - 120,000 XP to Level 8): Their thievery point allocation is entirely reallocated into a specialized Planar Commerce and Subterfuge skill matrix.
Arcane 1 (1 BP): Gains access to limited Arcane spellcasting (or equivalent Techno-Schematics) focused primarily on translation, warding, and detection.
Race 1 (1 BP - Human): Grants the standard human bonus proficiency at level 1 and the +5% XP earning bonus.
Class Core Stats
Prime Requisite: Charisma and Intelligence (Requires 13+ in both for a +5% XP bonus; 16+ in both for a +10% bonus).
Hit Dice: 1d4 per level (plus any Constitution modifier) up to 9th level, then +1 hit point per level thereafter.
Weapon Allowances: Dagger, Club, Staff, Blowgun, Crossbow, Dart, and Technic Pistol.
Armor Allowances: Leather armor, padded armor, or concealable sub-dermal mesh vests. No shields.
2. Specialized Planar Thievery Skills
Instead of traditional dungeon-delving skills like Climb Walls or Pick Pockets, the Planar Merchant uses their thief percentage matrix for the following multi-dimensional mercantile skills:
Planar Market Navigation (Replaces Find Traps): The ability to read cross-dimensional market shifts, avoid hostile trade syndicates, and safely navigate the shifting, crowded bazaars of planar free-ports like Skull Tower or the City of Brass.
Gate Negotiation (Replaces Pick Locks): The percentile chance to bypass planar customs, talk down high tariff rates, or convince extra-planar gate-guards to allow restricted cargo through a World Gate without an inspection manifest.
Sense Deception / Contraband (Replaces Hear Noise): Used to detect if an extra-planar trader is passing off fake, volatile, or cursed tech/magic goods, or to spot hidden inspection fields before walking into them.
Planar Slippage (Replaces Hide in Shadows): The ability to blend seamlessly into alien crowds or slip into extra-dimensional blind spots, making the merchant completely unnoticeable to hostile planar entities.
3. Class Progression Table (Levels 1–14)
| Level | Experience | Hit Dice | Attacks As | Saving Throws | Spell / Schematic Slots (1st / 2nd / 3rd) | Planar Skill Base % |
| 1 | 0 | 1d4 | Mage 1 | Mage 1 | 1 / — / — | 20% |
| 2 | 2,500 | 2d4 | Mage 2 | Mage 2 | 2 / — / — | 25% |
| 3 | 5,000 | 3d4 | Mage 3 | Mage 3 | 2 / 1 / — | 30% |
| 4 | 10,000 | 4d4 | Mage 4 | Mage 4 | 3 / 2 / — | 37% |
| 5 | 20,000 | 5d4 | Mage 5 | Mage 5 | 3 / 2 / 1 | 45% |
| 6 | 40,000 | 6d4 | Mage 6 | Mage 6 | 4 / 3 / 2 | 54% |
| 7 | 80,000 | 7d4 | Mage 7 | Mage 7 | 4 / 3 / 2+1 | 63% |
| 8 | 160,000 | 8d4 | Mage 8 | Mage 8 | 4 / 4 / 3 | 72% |
| 9 | 280,000 | 9d4 | Mage 9 | Mage 9 | 5 / 4 / 3 | 80% |
| 10 | 400,000 | +1 HP | Mage 10 | Mage 10 | 5 / 4 / 4 | 85% |
| 11 | 520,000 | +2 HP | Mage 11 | Mage 11 | 5 / 5 / 4 | 89% |
| 12 | 640,000 | +3 HP | Mage 12 | Mage 12 | 5 / 5 / 4+1 | 93% |
| 13 | 760,000 | +4 HP | Mage 13 | Mage 13 | 6 / 5 / 5 | 96% |
| 14 | 880,000 | +5 HP | Mage 14 | Mage 14 | 6 / 6 / 5 | 99% |
4. Custom Class Abilities
Cross-Dimensional Sourcing
Whenever the Planar Merchant is operating within a domain that controls a stable World Gate (such as Skull Tower), they artificially treat the local market as one Class higher than it actually is for the purpose of checking item availability, sourcing rare materials, or purchasing tech salvage. (A Class III market functions as a Class II market in their hands).
Silver Tongue / Planar Diplomacy
The merchant receives a permanent +2 bonus to all Reaction Rolls when interacting with intelligent extra-planar entities, alien races, and planar trade syndicates. Furthermore, they can use this ability to negotiate a 10% discount on bulk wholesale imports or gain a 10% premium when exporting terrestrial luxury goods through a gate.
Planar Ward (Passive)
Due to constant exposure to trans-dimensional flux, the Planar Merchant receives a +2 bonus to all Saving Throws vs. Spells or Tech-Effects that cause teleportation, spatial distortion, petrification, or sudden planar displacement.
5. Domain Play: The Planar Trading Post (Level 9+)
Upon reaching 9th level, the Planar Merchant does not build a traditional keeps or stone castles. Instead, they establish a Planar Emporium, Monopolistic Trade Compound, or Gateway Bazaar.
The Emporium Stronghold: Built directly adjacent to or inside a World Gate hex. The construction costs are tracked through standard ACKS II building budgets, but it functions structurally to anchor a merchant syndicate.
Attracting Followers: Instead of standard men-at-arms, the Planar Merchant automatically attracts a specialized retinue consisting of 1d4 3rd-level Planar Caravaneers, 2d6 multi-species bodyguards (such as Phraint or human mercenaries), and 1d3 expert Appraisers/Alchemists.
The Syndicate Engine: The Planar Merchant can run a Planar Merchant Syndicate venture as a domain-level investment. This operates under the standard ACKS II mercantile venture rules, but their Planar Market Navigation skill can be rolled once per month to completely negate a disastrous "Market Crash" or "Loss at Sea/Void" venture result, transforming a potential bankruptcy into a break-even event.
To reflect their dual nature as master negotiators and cosmic survivalists, the Planar Merchant's daily slot allocation balances communicative magical knacks with rapid-response spatial defenses. They do not prepare flashy combat evocations; every choice is selected to secure a contract, verify the authenticity of extra-dimensional cargo, or escape an ambush when a deal goes south.
Here is the specialized spell and schematic loadout for the Planar Merchant class.
1st Level: Operational Security & Translation
Babel-Chip Calibration
ACKS II Equivalent: Read Languages / Tongues (Partial)
Range: Self
Duration: 3 turns (30 minutes)
Description: The merchant activates a sub-dermal linguistic chip or utilizes a minor arcana to instantly decipher, read, and fluently speak the native tongue, trade dialects, or machine codes of any planar entity or alien species within range.
The Mercantile Edge: Grants a +1 bonus to reaction rolls during negotiations if the merchant addresses the target faction in their native tongue.
X-Ray Appraisal Scan
ACKS II Equivalent: Detect Magic / Analyze (Partial)
Range: 60 ft
Duration: 2 turns (20 minutes)
Description: Shifting their vision into a multi-spectrum or magically enhanced wavelength, the merchant scans an item to read its structural integrity, detect hidden enchantment matrices, or identify structural flaws.
The Mercantile Edge: Automatically reveals if an item or currency lot is counterfeit, forged, or under a concealment illusion. It provides an inline breakdown of an object's exact material composition (e.g., pure Mithril vs. silver-plated iron).
Pocket-Dimension Concealment
ACKS II Equivalent: Ventriloquism / Unseen Servant (Bespoke Utility)
Range: Touch
Duration: 6 turns (1 hour)
Description: The merchant touches a small container, briefcase, or hidden pouch, folding its internal geometry into a minute, localized pocket dimension.
The Mercantile Edge: Allows the merchant to completely hide up to 2 stone of highly illegal contrabands, high-value tech salvage, or sensitive trade treaties from physical and magical customs inspections at World Gates.
2nd Level: Leverage & Border Control
Psychological Price-Fixing
ACKS II Equivalent: Charm Person
Range: 30 ft
Duration: Special (See ACKS II Charm rules)
Description: A subtle wave of neuro-linguistic programming or localized telepathic suggestion softens the target’s economic defenses, causing them to view the merchant as a lifelong, trusted trade partner.
The Mercantile Edge: The target must make a Save vs. Spells. Failure means they agree to trade at baseline cost values without demanding a luxury markup, and will actively hide the merchant from rival syndicates.
Spatial Lockout Field
ACKS II Equivalent: Web (Reflavored as Gravity/Spatial Warping)
Range: 10 ft to 60 ft
Area of Effect: 40-ft diameter sphere
Duration: 2 turns (20 minutes)
Description: The merchant tosses a pocket-sized gravitic disruption bead or releases a burst of localized anchor magic, multiplying the atmospheric pressure and folding the space within the target zone.
The Mercantile Edge: Creatures caught in the field are anchored in place and heavily restricted, matching the Web spell mechanics exactly. This is used predominantly as a non-lethal crowd-control buffer to stall hostile enforcers while the merchant team retreats back through a World Gate.
Dimensional Slip-Step
ACKS II Equivalent: Invisibility
Range: Self or Touch
Duration: Special
Description: The merchant steps laterally into a minute, interstitial phase-state between the current plane and the ethereal void, completely vanishing from sight, thermal scanners, and standard infravision.
The Mercantile Edge: Follows standard Invisibility constraints. The moment the merchant initiates an attack or offensive action, the phase-state snaps back to reality. It is the ultimate asset protection tool.
3rd Level: Corporate Sovereignty & Evacuation
Non-Disclosure Enforcement Zone
ACKS II Equivalent: Dispel Magic / Zone of Truth Hybrid
Range: 120 ft
Area of Effect: 30-ft cube
Duration: 1 turn (10 minutes)
Description: The merchant anchors a heavy iron boundary rod or runs an encryption program that blankets the immediate negotiation room in a severe magical and electronic dampening field.
The Mercantile Edge: Functions identically to Dispel Magic against any outside magical espionage, active scrying sensors, or listening bugs targeting the meeting. Furthermore, any entity within the zone who actively speaks a deliberate, falsified lie regarding a trade manifest or pricing agreement must succeed on a Save vs. Spells or suffer immediate, severe neural feedback dealing 1d6 damage per level of the merchant.
Emergency Phase-Evacuation
ACKS II Equivalent: Blink
Range: Self
Duration: 1 turn (10 minutes)
Description: The merchant sets their personal displacement unit to variable-cycle mode. For the duration of the combat, they constantly flash back and forth between reality and a localized dimensional rift.
The Mercantile Edge: Mechanically matches the ACKS II Blink spell. At the start of each round, the merchant's initiative and positioning are highly erratic. If targeted by an attack, there is a distinct percentile chance they are physically non-existent on the plane at the moment of impact, protecting their person while their bodyguards neutralize the threat.
This d20 table handles the hazards of long-distance planar logistics. In ACKS II, running a commercial venture or moving a caravan across a dangerous borderland hex requires rolling for encounters and logistical mishaps.
When your players or their mercantile syndicates launch a Planar Caravan through the Skull Tower World Gates, roll on this table once per week of transit, or whenever they cross a volatile dimensional threshold.
The Cross-Dimensional Caravan Encounters & Obstacles Table
| d20 | Encounter / Obstacle Type | Logistical & Mechanical Impact (ACKS II Chassis) | | :---: | :| :| | 1 | Planar Customs Extortion | A squad of 2d4 Extra-Planar Enforcers blocks the gate terminus. They demand a corrupt "manifest validation fee" equal to 10% of the caravan’s total cargo value in gold pieces or high-grade salvage. Refusing to pay forces a Reaction Roll at a -4 penalty or triggers immediate tactical combat. | | 2 | Atmospheric Depressurization | The caravan slips into a pocket vacuum or a toxic-gas rift. Unless the caravan is equipped with sealed environmental tarps or the merchant uses a protective schematic, 1d6 draft animals or labor-droids are permanently lost, reducing the caravan's total transport capacity by 20 stone per lost unit. | | 3 | Phraint Chitin-Raiders | An ambush by 2d6 Phraint Marauders looking for high-density metal alloys. They target the lead cargo wagons first. If they successfully breach a wagon, they flee into the shifting terrain with 1d4 cargo lots before regional law enforcement or bodyguards can deploy. | | 4 | Chronal Dilation Trap | The caravan accidentally passes through a slow-time rift. The journey takes 1d3 weeks longer than anticipated. The merchant must immediately pay an extra week's wages to all hirelings, guards, and specialists, or face an immediate Morale Check (-2 penalty) across the entire retinue. | | 5 | Dimensional Shambler Pack | 1d3 Dimensional Shamblers scent the concentrated life-force of the caravan team. They phase directly into the center of the camp or wagon train during a rest turn. They ignore cargo entirely, seeking only to grapple guards or pack animals and drag them into the void. | | 6 | The Cargo Begins to Hatch | A hidden lot of Stasis-Preserved Alien Seeds or Exotic Bio-Eggs suffers a containment failure due to planar friction. The merchant must make a Saving Throw vs. Poison/Radiation for the cargo lot; failure means the cargo is ruined, transforming into a swarm of aggressive venomous larvae that attacks the handlers. | | 7 | Magnetic Alignment Collapse | A sudden surge of planar static causes all magnetic tethers, gravity soles, and technomantic containment seals to fail simultaneously. The caravan is halted for 48 hours while the crew recalibrates. Technos or characters with Engineering can reduce this delay to 12 hours with a successful proficiency check. | | 8 | Astral Piracy Fleet | A light skiff manned by 1d4+2 Astral Privateers descends upon the caravan. They don't want a long fight; they demand the merchant hand over a single high-value lot of luxury goods or Lotus-Dust as a toll. Handing it over grants safe passage; fighting them risks damage to the wagons. | | 9 | Gravity Inversion Shear | The caravan crosses a boundary where gravity shifts 90 degrees sideways. All team members must make a Save vs. Paralysis to anchor themselves. Wagons and beasts that fail take 2d6 structural damage, spilling cargo out into a shifting spatial gorge. | | 10 | Deodand Scavenger Ambush | 2d4 Deodands stalk the caravan from the dimensional shadows, launching a night assault. They target lone guards using their surprise advantage. If they kill any hirelings, they will attempt to drag the corpses away to feed, causing a severe blow to remaining crew morale. | | 11 | The Phantom Market | The caravan stumbles into a transient, mirage-like bazaar that exists only for a few hours. The merchant can use their Planar Market Navigation skill to instantly buy 1d3 cargo lots at a 30% discount, or sell a terrestrial lot for an immediate 20% premium. | | 12 | Rogue Defense Grid Activation | An ancient, automated security beacon turns on, locking its targeting array onto the caravan. The path ahead is swept by automated laser fire. Advancing forces every member and vehicle to suffer a Level 3 Ordnance attack (3d6 fire damage) unless a Techno can successfully pick the lock/deactivate the system. | | 13 | Planar Labor Strike | Tensions boil over among the multi-species caravan crew. The Alien Laborers or Hireling Guards demand hazard pay due to recent planar anomalies. The merchant must succeed on a Charisma-based Reaction Roll or pay a flat 500gp bonus to prevent half the crew from abandoning the wagons at the next checkpoint. | | 14 | Void-Rot Outbreak | A strange, multi-dimensional spore infests the livestock or organic cargo. Within 3 days, 20% of the caravan's organic value decays into useless black ash. A character with Herbalism or a Medicine Man can halt the rot by expending 200gp worth of chemical cleansers. | | 15 | Spatial Fold Detour | The planar trade route twists dynamically, folding back on itself. The caravan safely bypasses a highly dangerous monster-infested hex, shortening the remaining transit time by 1 full week and saving the merchant significant upkeep costs. | | 16 | Technic Salvage Drift | The caravan passes through the wreckage of a massive, extra-dimensional shipping vessel that exploded weeks ago. The merchant can halt the train for 1 day to harvest the field, automatically gaining 1d6 × 200gp worth of Technic Salvage Value (SV). | | 17 | The Memory-Bleed Fog | The caravan enters a shimmering, neon-pink mist that causes short-term amnesia. The lead navigator loses their bearings. The caravan is lost in the wilderness for 1d4 days, forcing an immediate roll on the standard ACKS II Wilderness Wandering Monster table. | | 18 | Corrupt Corporate Auditor | An official from an interstellar trade syndicate arrives via a teleportation portal, claiming the merchant's cargo infringes on planar patent laws or corporate monopolies. Bribing them costs 1,000gp, but failing to pay means the caravan will face a -2 penalty to market checks at its final destination. | | 19 | Void-Stalker Migration | A massive herd of non-hostile, colossal extra-dimensional entities crosses the trade route. The caravan must pull over and wait for 3 days for the migration to pass. The crew gains a +1 to morale rolls for the next week due to the awe-inspiring, cosmic sight. | | 20 | Perfect Gate Alignment | The cosmic frequencies align perfectly, flattening spatial resistance. The World Gates function with absolute efficiency. The caravan arrives at its destination market instantly, experiencing zero upkeep costs for the transit phase, and the merchant receives a +2 bonus to their final Market Venture Roll. |
Running the Caravan Phase
When resolving these events during your campaign's monthly domain scale, use the Planar Merchant's or Venture Leader's Planar Market Navigation percentile skill as an active defense.
Once per journey, when an obstacle is rolled (such as numbers 1, 2, 7, or 9), the merchant may attempt a skill check. A success indicates they anticipated the flux or hazard, mitigating the financial or structural damage by half through smart routing and proper cargo tethering.
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