20 Shopkeeper Personalities

20 Shopkeeper Personalities

The Material Plane is a jumble of kingdoms, civilisations, tribes, lands, oceans, creatures and magic. In the midst of mighty struggles, the passing of ages, the birth and death of empires, the common people endure. And while the common people endure, they continue to trade and live out their days in settlements, supplied with their daily goods by merchants and tradespeople. So too, mighty adventuring heroes roam across the land, besting foes and seeking treasure, yet they still require the services and goods these merchants provide.

In a world full of ferocious villains, vivacious heroes and dazzling cities, it can be hard for a DM to fully flesh out every nook and cranny a party might want to explore. To deepen players' immersion, DMs will rarely allow that they can find every item in the PHB in a small provincial town. There are many guides that help a DM generate stores, create their stock and simulate the commerce a world needs, even how to trade in magic items.

This list aims to help DMs inject some more flavour into the stores you might find in a small town or village. 20 Shopkeeper Personalities gives you a list of 20 creatures, human and non-human, that you might find running a store in the D&D multiverse. Included in this PDF for each shopkeeper is:

• Their name, alignment, gender and race;
• A suggested NPC stat block, drawn from the Monster Manual or Volo's Guide to Monsters;
• A list of stores that the character would be most likely to run;
• Some biographical information, if useful for a DM to roleplay that character;
• A rough guide to how that shopkeeper would treat an assortment of parties.

Also included are a set of roll tables for various settings where the shopkeepers might be more likely to set up shop; a dragonborn is a rare occurrence in a rural village, even in times like these. The shopkeepers are largely "cosmetic", and shouldn't affect the price of items and (usually) the ability of the adventurers to purchase goods. Occasionally, if approached in the right way, a merchant may be able to provide a minor benefit or some useful information, however.

I've tried to include a range of races, alignments, quirks and stories, and all feedback is welcome! All art included is public domain, no credit required. Made using the Homebrewery. Thanks for checking this little project out!