d100 Marketplace Finds

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

  1. Treated leather waterproof slipcover sized perfectly for a spellbook
  2. Set of leg chains with a standard lock, missing the key
  3. Bag of clean, crushed clamshells
  4. Wooden statuette of a beautiful elf maid holding a harp
  5. Bottle of liquid soap with a slightly leaky stopper
  6. An oddly polished and fancy looking orc battle helm
  7. 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
  8. Map of the local area written in the language of the Underworld
  9. Commemorative plate with a well-known wizard’s face on it
  10. 1 lb. bag of roasted coffee beans (or tea leaves)
  11. Rat-on-a-stick (cooked)
  12. Heavy chain leash ending in three large, spiked dog collars
  13. Tuning fork
  14. Yo-yo with small, razor-sharp blades along the edge
  15. Blacksmith’s hammer with the word “Momma” stamped on the side
  16. Small grooming kit suitable for dwarven beards or furry halfling feet
  17. Antique compass
  18. Box full of empty wooden spools
  19. Pair of floral knickers made for a storm giant
  20. Preserved orc head in a jar
  21. Small cauldron
  22. Envelope containing a dozen tangle-vine seeds
  23. Large, exotic butterfly mounted on cork and displayed in a glass-topped box.
  24. Doll family consisting of two adults and three children
  25. Portable sewing kit, the case made of sturdy; water-resistant canvas reinforced with steel bands.
  26. Decorative shield with an unknown family crest featuring a purple worm on a field of orange
  27. Used silverware set for a service of six but missing all the knives
  28. Teapot fashioned to look like a goblin’s head
  29. Large tapestry featuring the hunting and slaying of a red dragon by a pair of elf warrior maidens
  30. Five barrels each a little smaller than the previous so they can all fit nested into one barrel
  31. Bandolier equipped with five throwing knives
  32. Bottle of Samwell’s Miracle Hair Tonic
  33. Pouch of 20 cat’s eye marbles
  34. Necklace with a dozen dried orc ears dangling from it
  35. Bolt of colorful plaid fabric (40 sq. yards)
  36. Small pots of paint: red, blue, green, white, and black
  37. Set of old navigation tools
  38. Pair of dice with dwarvish numbers on the sides
  39. A pair of brand-new children’s shoes
  40. Collapsible magnifying glass
  41. Thirty-foot spool of wire
  42. Stuffed owl dressed as a wizard
  43. 20 sheets of lambskin parchment
  44. An unused sharpening stone
  45. A hand-written collection of poetry from the local abbey, beautifully illustrated
  46. Three tiny bear traps measuring three inches across when open
  47. Fresh gingerbread cookies in the shape of centaurs
  48. Polishing mixtures and rags suitable for plate armor
  49. Facsimile replica of a wand of fireballs
  50. A dozen purple carrots
  51. 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.
  52. Violin and bow. Roll 1d6 for quality and cost, 1 is poor and cheap, 6 is exquisite and expensive.
  53. Set of five carved wooden figurines depicting different types of dragons
  54. Riding saddle designed to be worn on a pegasus
  55. Simple and complete chess set that has passed through a hundred different owners
  56. Sealed bottle of 1,000-year-old wine. Guaranteed drinkable. Very rare.
  57. Old guest ledger from an ancient inn far away
  58. Bundle of exotic feathers of various bird species
  59. Uncut diamond sitting at the bottom of a box of chunks of quartz
  60. Large bag of charcoal
  61. Pair of fingerless, calf-skin scribe’s gloves, new
  62. Candelabra featuring a sneering medusa’s head of which seven snakes branch out to hold the candles
  63. Taxidermist kit with enough supplies to preserve and pose a mammalian creature the size of a wolf
  64. Large pewter drinking mug with a glass bottom
  65. Collapsible campfire grill
  66. Modern grammar for the orcish tongue
  67. Long-stemmed clay pipe meant for a large-sized humanoid
  68. Set of four small souvenir spoons from a far-away land
  69. Saucy novel featuring the exploits of a halfling bard
  70. Wagon with a false bottom
  71. Bottle of highly effective laxative
  72. Pouch of finely ground graphite
  73. Insulated flask guaranteed to maintain the temperature of a liquid for 12 hours
  74. Written history of a small, local temple devoted to a god of light and justice
  75. Two pounds of iron roofing nails
  76. Severed monkey’s paw. Rumored to grant wishes to the right person. (It doesn’t.)
  77. Colorful mask intended for use at fancy balls
  78. Two dozen strange foreign coins made of steel and with holes punched through the centers
  79. Coiled beeswax candle (100 hours) with holder.
  80. Hand-carved wooden fork and spoon suitable as a modest wedding or baptismal present
  81. Ship’s anchor weighing 10,000 pounds
  82. Mounted head of a young red dragon
  83. Three-foot square piece of rolled up parchment with a 1-inch grid laid over its entire surface
  84. Bottle of black ink that claims to be waterproof
  85. Crude lantern made out of a large, hollowed-out turnip with a candle stuck inside
  86. Finely made rug
  87. Sealed glass bottle of a clear, carbonated liquid
  88. Silver runcible spoon
  89. Bundle of surprisingly absorbent rags
  90. Large jar of dried apples, figs, and nuts
  91. A very fancy, but heavily reinforced metal cage about three feet on all sides
  92. Exquisitely painted and gold-trimmed chamber pot
  93. Highly detailed drawing of a waterfall at the edge of a deep canyon
  94. Set of very heavy manacles designed for use on a humanoid of gigantic proportions.
  95. Large pair of sharp steel shears
  96. 25-foot roll of sturdy chicken wire
  97. Fresh, but fully tanned, deerskin
  98. Three marble spheres, perfectly smooth and polished, about five inches in diameter
  99. Sealed bottle of very rare elvish wine
  100. Coonskin cap

 

What are some of your favorite marketplace finds? Share in the comments.

d100 Mountain Finds

d100 Forest Finds

d100 Swamp Finds

 

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