Who’s ready to go shopping?
Your player characters might. When not delving dungeons or defeating dragons, many players engage in a little downtime and enjoy doing some roleplaying in town. And because you can’t (or maybe shouldn’t) spend all of that downtime in the tavern, the marketplace is a great place to let your characters explore.
It could be the central marketplace in a large city with its colorful awnings and open storefronts. It could be an open-air market in the middle of a field just outside a city, or perhaps at the crossroads of two major trading routes. It could be a market at a busy oasis in the middle of a desert.
Wherever your marketplace, you need to have some items for the players to stumble across to give your market some flavor and depth. Presented here is a list of 100 possible items for your players to discover among the various roots and vegetables. Use some dice, or just peruse the list and pick out what intrigues you.
For the most part, the items listed are not magical or enchanted… but they could be if you want them to be. Some items are fairly mundane. Others are exotic and mysterious. A couple might even be amusing. You’d be surprised by what your player characters may decide to do with some of these items should they purchase them. You can set your prices to match your local economy.
And because not every marketplace is a sprawling marketplace with vendors from far-off lands, I’ve tailored this list so that every fifth item is something one might find in a small village market. Simply roll 1d20 and multiply by 5 to pick something at random.
A future list may include a table of magical or enchanted items, but this list presented here will make a great start for you to find a variety of marketplace finds to add flavor and character to your setting or even form the basis for a whole new adventure hook.
d100 Marketplace
- Treated leather waterproof slipcover sized perfectly for a spellbook
- Set of leg chains with a standard lock, missing the key
- Bag of clean, crushed clamshells
- Wooden statuette of a beautiful elf maid holding a harp
- Bottle of liquid soap with a slightly leaky stopper
- An oddly polished and fancy looking orc battle helm
- Large wooden chair with ornate carvings and ivory trim, but so poorly constructed that it won’t hold the weight of anyone heavier than a male halfling
- Map of the local area written in the language of the Underworld
- Commemorative plate with a well-known wizard’s face on it
- 1 lb. bag of roasted coffee beans (or tea leaves)
- Rat-on-a-stick (cooked)
- Heavy chain leash ending in three large, spiked dog collars
- Tuning fork
- Yo-yo with small, razor-sharp blades along the edge
- Blacksmith’s hammer with the word “Momma” stamped on the side
- Small grooming kit suitable for dwarven beards or furry halfling feet
- Antique compass
- Box full of empty wooden spools
- Pair of floral knickers made for a storm giant
- Preserved orc head in a jar
- Small cauldron
- Envelope containing a dozen tangle-vine seeds
- Large, exotic butterfly mounted on cork and displayed in a glass-topped box.
- Doll family consisting of two adults and three children
- Portable sewing kit, the case made of sturdy; water-resistant canvas reinforced with steel bands.
- Decorative shield with an unknown family crest featuring a purple worm on a field of orange
- Used silverware set for a service of six but missing all the knives
- Teapot fashioned to look like a goblin’s head
- Large tapestry featuring the hunting and slaying of a red dragon by a pair of elf warrior maidens
- Five barrels each a little smaller than the previous so they can all fit nested into one barrel
- Bandolier equipped with five throwing knives
- Bottle of Samwell’s Miracle Hair Tonic
- Pouch of 20 cat’s eye marbles
- Necklace with a dozen dried orc ears dangling from it
- Bolt of colorful plaid fabric (40 sq. yards)
- Small pots of paint: red, blue, green, white, and black
- Set of old navigation tools
- Pair of dice with dwarvish numbers on the sides
- A pair of brand-new children’s shoes
- Collapsible magnifying glass
- Thirty-foot spool of wire
- Stuffed owl dressed as a wizard
- 20 sheets of lambskin parchment
- An unused sharpening stone
- A hand-written collection of poetry from the local abbey, beautifully illustrated
- Three tiny bear traps measuring three inches across when open
- Fresh gingerbread cookies in the shape of centaurs
- Polishing mixtures and rags suitable for plate armor
- Facsimile replica of a wand of fireballs
- A dozen purple carrots
- Complete set of glassware for an alchemy lab. All pieces are individually wrapped in soft paper and straw and carefully placed into a wooden box designed for it. Extremely fragile and expensive.
- Violin and bow. Roll 1d6 for quality and cost, 1 is poor and cheap, 6 is exquisite and expensive.
- Set of five carved wooden figurines depicting different types of dragons
- Riding saddle designed to be worn on a pegasus
- Simple and complete chess set that has passed through a hundred different owners
- Sealed bottle of 1,000-year-old wine. Guaranteed drinkable. Very rare.
- Old guest ledger from an ancient inn far away
- Bundle of exotic feathers of various bird species
- Uncut diamond sitting at the bottom of a box of chunks of quartz
- Large bag of charcoal
- Pair of fingerless, calf-skin scribe’s gloves, new
- Candelabra featuring a sneering medusa’s head of which seven snakes branch out to hold the candles
- Taxidermist kit with enough supplies to preserve and pose a mammalian creature the size of a wolf
- Large pewter drinking mug with a glass bottom
- Collapsible campfire grill
- Modern grammar for the orcish tongue
- Long-stemmed clay pipe meant for a large-sized humanoid
- Set of four small souvenir spoons from a far-away land
- Saucy novel featuring the exploits of a halfling bard
- Wagon with a false bottom
- Bottle of highly effective laxative
- Pouch of finely ground graphite
- Insulated flask guaranteed to maintain the temperature of a liquid for 12 hours
- Written history of a small, local temple devoted to a god of light and justice
- Two pounds of iron roofing nails
- Severed monkey’s paw. Rumored to grant wishes to the right person. (It doesn’t.)
- Colorful mask intended for use at fancy balls
- Two dozen strange foreign coins made of steel and with holes punched through the centers
- Coiled beeswax candle (100 hours) with holder.
- Hand-carved wooden fork and spoon suitable as a modest wedding or baptismal present
- Ship’s anchor weighing 10,000 pounds
- Mounted head of a young red dragon
- Three-foot square piece of rolled up parchment with a 1-inch grid laid over its entire surface
- Bottle of black ink that claims to be waterproof
- Crude lantern made out of a large, hollowed-out turnip with a candle stuck inside
- Finely made rug
- Sealed glass bottle of a clear, carbonated liquid
- Silver runcible spoon
- Bundle of surprisingly absorbent rags
- Large jar of dried apples, figs, and nuts
- A very fancy, but heavily reinforced metal cage about three feet on all sides
- Exquisitely painted and gold-trimmed chamber pot
- Highly detailed drawing of a waterfall at the edge of a deep canyon
- Set of very heavy manacles designed for use on a humanoid of gigantic proportions.
- Large pair of sharp steel shears
- 25-foot roll of sturdy chicken wire
- Fresh, but fully tanned, deerskin
- Three marble spheres, perfectly smooth and polished, about five inches in diameter
- Sealed bottle of very rare elvish wine
- Coonskin cap
What are some of your favorite marketplace finds? Share in the comments.