Bargaining
In most cases a character can sell an item for half its listed price — a deliberate rule that keeps players from spending every session haggling over 10 gp. This system is for the exceptions: rare items, unusual sellers, or moments where the outcome of a deal matters to the story. Use it sparingly; watching someone else bargain is rarely interesting.
Valuation
The Appraise skill lets a character estimate an object's value — but valuable paintings may be concealed by grime, and rare books bound in tattered covers. Because failure means an inaccurate estimate, the GM should make Appraise checks in secret.
Bargaining Rules
The seller names a price. Two limits apply:
- If the Asking Price exceeds 150% of the item's actual value, the buyer refuses to bargain at all.
- The lowest the seller will accept is 75% of the Asking Price (their Final floor).
The buyer chooses one of two checks to gauge the seller's honesty:
- Appraise check — estimates the item's actual gp value.
- Sense Motive vs. seller's Bluff — determines whether the asking price is fair (failure means the buyer believes the seller).
If the asking price equals the buyer's estimate, no check is needed. A group of items may be sold as a unit; the buyer uses whichever skill they have more ranks in.
The GM may allow a relevant Knowledge skill (e.g., Knowledge (arcana) for a rare magic tome) to substitute for Appraise or Sense Motive, and may assign modifiers for expertise, ignorance, or roleplaying.
The buyer attempts a Bluff check opposed by the seller's Sense Motive check.
Undercut % = 2% + 1% per point the Bluff exceeds Sense Motive (minimum 0%). This percentage is applied in Step 4 to determine how aggressively the buyer counters.
The Initial Offer is the buyer's opening counter; the Final Offer is the most they will pay. Which formula applies depends on Step 2's result:
| Situation | Final Offer | Initial Offer |
|---|---|---|
| Fair (price ≤ buyer's estimate) | Asking Price − Undercut % | Asking Price − 2× Undercut % |
| Unfair via Appraise (price > appraise estimate) | Buyer's estimate − Undercut % | Buyer's estimate − 2× Undercut % |
| Unfair via Sense Motive (price feels inflated) | Asking Price − 2× Undercut % | Asking Price − 4× Undercut % |
The buyer opens with their Initial Offer. The seller counters. Repeat until agreement or breakdown. The seller's next move is resolved by a Diplomacy check whose DC depends on where their counteroffer lands:
| Seller's Counter vs. Final Offer | Diplomacy DC | Success | Failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below Final Offer | 15 + buyer's Cha mod | Buyer accepts the counter | Buyer holds at Initial Offer |
| Equals Final Offer | 20 + buyer's Cha mod | Buyer accepts the counter | Buyer counters between Initial and Final |
| Exceeds Final Offer | 25 + buyer's Cha mod | Buyer counters between Initial and Final | Buyer holds at Initial; fail by 5+ = buyer lowers offer or walks |
Each time the seller repeats a counter without lowering their price, the Diplomacy DC increases by 5.
Example 1 — Art Collector (deal falls through)
Orshok has a jeweled idol worth 1,800 gp that he mistakenly appraised at 2,000 gp. He sets his Asking Price at 2,200 gp. The collector succeeds at Appraise and recognises the true value. Her Bluff exceeds Orshok's Sense Motive by 1 — Undercut % = 3%. Since the asking price exceeds her estimate (Unfair via Appraise): Final Offer = 1,800 × 0.97 = 1,746 gp; Initial Offer = 1,800 × 0.94 = 1,692 gp. Orshok counters at 2,000 gp (above the Final Offer), attempts DC 25 + Cha Diplomacy, succeeds — the buyer counters at 1,740 gp. Orshok decides to find a different buyer.
Example 2 — Spice Merchant (deal succeeds)
Orshok again asks 2,200 gp for the idol. The spice merchant's Sense Motive beats his Bluff (she knows he's inflating the price). Her Bluff beats his Sense Motive by 4 — Undercut % = 6%. Since she used Sense Motive to detect the unfair price: Final Offer = 2,200 × 0.94 = 2,068 gp; Initial Offer = 2,200 × 0.88 = 1,936 gp. Orshok counters at 2,000 gp — below her Final Offer — and attempts DC 15 + Cha Diplomacy. He succeeds; the merchant accepts 2,000 gp.
Additional Rules
GMs can designate a few NPCs as collectors, traders, or antiquarians with an ongoing interest in adventurers' hauls. An amiable long-term relationship can reduce the base Undercut % to 1% or 0%. Bad blood can raise it to 5% or higher — or cause the NPC to refuse to deal at all.
When PCs try to sell multiples of the same durable good, the GM may reduce Initial and Final Offers by 10% or more to reflect saturation. A border town can use all the +1 bolts it can get, but has little use for a dozen masterwork spiked chains.
Trade goods (grain, cloth, livestock, and similar commodities) are exempt from bargaining even in unusual circumstances — their value is fixed by the market.
Charm person can shift Diplomacy and Sense Motive DCs by 5 for an entire negotiation; a targeted suggestion can shift a single roll by 10. If the buyer later discovers magical interference, she may seek a refund, refuse future dealings, or report the spellcaster to the authorities.