The average merchant—whether they are of the artisanal, agricultural, services, or general-goods persuasion—is a stationary creature by rule. Living in a world with untold dangers and lands so alien that they may as well be separate realities, a cost-benefit analysis of trying the unknown versus deepening your roots in familiar territory makes such a decision laughably obvious. Even traveling merchants strictly limit themselves to the handful of routes and regions where they have a firm grasp on the flow of power, people, and coin.

Skill Proficiencies: Survival, Persuasion

Tool Proficiencies: None

Languages: One from each locale you know very well

Equipment: A set of traveler's clothes, a notebook containing the sigil sequences of one teleportation circle in each of the locales you know very well, and an Explorer's Pack or a Diplomat's Pack (your choice).

The average merchant—whether they are of the artisanal, agricultural, services, or general-goods persuasion—is a stationary creature by rule. Living in a world with untold dangers and lands so alien that they may as well be separate realities, a cost-benefit analysis of trying the unknown versus deepening your roots in familiar territory makes such a decision laughably obvious. Even traveling merchants strictly limit themselves to the handful of routes and regions where they have a firm grasp on the flow of power, people, and coin. Not you. You are a different breed of merchant, one who thinks not of trade between towns or nations but between entire planes. You've explored cities of breathing metal, watched souls auctioned off like jewelry, talked politics with genies, haggled with devils, and sold equipment to spirits fighting in eternal wars. While others bask in awe at the wonders beyond the material plane, you take notes on geographies, markets, natural resources, power structures, cultures and more, searching for untapped markets. Gems in the City of Jewels can be bought by the pound in silver and sold in Kuo Te' Lung by the ounce in gold. Countless weapons, dark magics, and exotic slaves circulate in the Abyss. Herbs, charms, and potions in the Feywild are practically unbeatable in price and quality. Intrigue from the Lower Planes can hold a good price in the Upper Planes, and vice versa. You've survived long enough to become adept at this unusual trade, perhaps to the

Personality Traits (d8)

1	I write meticulous notes about every place I visit.
2	I regularly check my surroundings to see if anything's changed.
3	It's common sense to follow the etiquette and expectations of the society you're in.
4	I love to meet exotic creatures.
5	I do business less for the money and more for the enjoyment of it.
6	I think I'm very interesting.
7	Money can absolutely buy happiness.
8	I entertain myself by puzzling through legal codes to find exploits and loopholes

Ideals (d6)

1	Wealth. Money and property come first. (Neutral)
2	Power. Go to the places no one goes and you'll find gear that no one can beat. (Evil)
3	Knowledge. I just want to know how it all works. (Lawful)
4	Adventure. The best feeling in the world is arriving somewhere completely new. (Chaotic)
5	Company. As a rule, I don't leave until I've made two new friends. (Good)
6	The Bigger Picture. If it isn't at least kingdom-scale, it's inconsequential. (Neutral)

Bonds (d6)

1	I seek a particular set of magic items.
2	I owe a large debt to a powerful being in the Inner Planes.
3	The only constant in my life is my connection to my god.
4	I'm part of a small group of plane-traveling merchants, and they're the closest thing to family I've ever had.
5	I work for an organization with branches and connections all across the cosmos.
6	I'm accustomed to being treated like the spokesperson for my race.

Flaws (d6)

1	I'm hesitant to break societal rules and norms, to say nothing of trying to change them.
2	If my life is in serious danger, I'm out. No exceptions.
3	I look down on anyone who spends their whole life in the same place.
4	My gut is never wrong, even if there's evidence that suggests otherwise.
5	I long for close companionship, but push away anyone who gets too intimate.
6	I grew up in a place with no other members of my race, so I don't know how to act when I meet one.