Dune Adventures in the Imperium
Compendium
Type to search for a spell, item, class — anything!
Merchant
Traits: Broker, Wealthy
- Driven: After they spend Threat to gain a point of Determination, roll 1d20. If the roll is equal to or under their Discipline rating (by itself), they immediately regain that spent Threat.
Assets: Information Network, Ornithopter, Warehouse
The swish of their exquisite clothing whispers of wealth. Expensive perfumes waft in their wake. They glide from place to place in their groundcars, avoiding the hot sun of Arrakis. With a tight stranglehold on legitimate trade, Arrakis’ merchants handle most of the goods that enter the cities. From luxury imports to precious water, these cunning individuals work hard and will do almost anything, to make solaris on every transaction.
Many merchants, especially those with the fewest morals, are wealthy individuals with unsavory connections. Some deal with CHOAM, others with smugglers. Most act as brokers, buying and selling in bulk, and are rarely the ones braving the scorching sun to peddle their goods to the population. They leave that to the water sellers and small shop proprietors.
One area that the merchants can’t seem to touch are the Fremen-manufactured wares, like their high Quality stillsuits. That doesn’t mean the merchants don’t try, however.
Example Merchants
- Flair runs a hefty percentage of the water trade in Carthag and Arrakeen, taking advantage of her water sellers whenever she can. She treasures her vast collection of antique weapons.
- Joash primarily brokers imports with CHOAM and spends resources trying to crush the local smugglers. He has a weakness for adding exotic animals to his personal menagerie.
- Druce Focuses their Merchant empire on weapons and vehicles. They outfit many of the guards and soldiers of Arrakis’ Houses Minor. Their passion is collecting fine wines.
Scenario Hook
A Merchant who claims to want to expand their business is looking for an introduction to a group of technology smugglers. But it’s also possible that this Merchant, instead, wants to identify and eliminate the smugglers who they see as competition.