New Background: Merchant!

[ajon]

Zealot of Gozag. Probably won't happen but how cool would it be?
The mechanics are different from all the other gods, could even be lumped in with wanderer and artificer possibly.

[xentronium]

This background had better start with a bunch of extra permafood...

[Pollen_Golem]

Nah, just enough gold to call a shop on turn 1.

[bcadren]

I actually had a serious proposal for Merchant background a long time ago (before Gozag existed)...though that was just; no start skills, 500 gold, start in a bazaar. [Weird start that could give great items, but has 0 skill]

[Blobbo]

Special ability: Sometimes you randomly turn into a shop. Various uniques will come by and buy your best stuff off you. Later, you get to face said uniques with the gear that you were forced to sell to them.

[archaeo]

At XL14, you get the ability to challenge other shopkeepers to one-on-one combat. They're built like randlords, but once they leave the shop, everything's free. Of course, if you fail to kill them, they'll chase you through the dungeon.

[Pollen_Golem]

No, all hostile shopkeepers are to be the same: permanently hasted and wielding an iron rod they can spam indefinitely, because they can evoke it without touching its MP pool. They drop some gold when they die. Seeing them die makes Gozag sad.

[tasonir]

No, all hostile shopkeepers are to be the same: permanently hasted and wielding an iron rod they can spam indefinitely, because they can evoke it without touching its MP pool. They drop some gold when they die. Seeing them die makes Gozag sad.

So much untapped potential here. They have a reflavored iron rod called "golden rod" which shoots gold, and reduces the amount of gold the shopkeeper has. They can fire it for a long time, but eventually exhaust their gold supply and can't shoot anymore. Then they start emoting "Hey, who wants some shields? Anyone need a potion?" frequently and you can walk up to them and buy items from any of the 8 tiles around them. You get the item, they get the gold, and start zapping you with the golden rod again. They have no melee attack.

[dynast]

shouldnt it be called megalomaniac instead?

[Rast]

They have a reflavored iron rod called "golden rod" which shoots gold,

Would it shower down around the target? Maybe do some acid damage?

[Pollen_Golem]

They have a reflavored iron rod called "golden rod" which shoots gold,

Would it shower down around the target? Maybe do some acid damage?

Is this supposed to be a golden shower joke? Because it sure seems like it.

[Blobbo]

Hostile shopkeepers are artificers on steroids. They have 27HD, 500HP, and a full set of rods and wands and all of the misc evocables, that they will zap at the appropriate times with 27 evocations.

[Rast]

They have a reflavored iron rod called "golden rod" which shoots gold,

Would it shower down around the target? Maybe do some acid damage?

Is this supposed to be a golden shower joke? Because it sure seems like it.

[jejorda2]

It couldn't be a plant joke? Goldenrod is a common wildflower in North America that has been cultivated for rubber.

[Igxfl]

Yeah, get your mind out of the gutter, Pollen.

[tedric]

They have a reflavored iron rod called "golden rod" which shoots gold,

Would it shower down around the target? Maybe do some acid damage?

Is this supposed to be a golden shower joke? Because it sure seems like it.

It couldn't be a plant joke? Goldenrod is a common wildflower in North America that has been cultivated for rubber.

Yeah, get your mind out of the gutter, Pollen.

it all comes together