Encumbrance represents the mass and bulk of the items the character is wearing, wielding, or carrying on their person.
Containers like the sack, backpack, or chest hold the listed amount of ENC found in Goods & Services, but halve the total effective value of the ENC contained within them as long as the objects could reasonably fit.
When worn, the ENC of a given piece of Armor is halved (round down). Shields do not benefit from this effect.
Not all prices for one item are going to be the same: regional price variations are to be expected. Some things are simply harder to get a hold of in some places and easier in others. Additionally, item price will vary drastically with the quality of the item itself. We have intentionally left item rarity up to the Game Master for the majority of items in this section. These guidelines should help the GM produce prices that are acceptable for game-play purposes.
A Note on Rounding If an item ever ends up with a fractional price for any reason, simply round up to the nearest whole number.
Availability & Cost Modifiers
In order to locate an item for sale, a character must make a Commerce or Investigate test. The difficulty of the test should be determined by the specific item the character is looking for. The GM should use their judgment and lore knowledge in equal measure when making their decision. The following table can provide some guidelines:
| Item Availability | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Extremely Rare | -40 |
| Rare | -30 |
| Scarce | -20 |
| Uncommon | -10 |
| Average | - |
| Ordinary | +10 |
| Common | +20 |
| Plentiful | +30 |
| Ubiquitous | +40 |
Item Quality Level
Items can also vary drastically in quality based on how well they were made, or some feature inherent to the item. This will modify their price and their availability. There are three quality levels for most items: inferior, common, and superior. Exactly what measurable impact this has on the item (if any) will be explained in the appropriate section.
| Quality | Availability | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Inferior | 2 steps more common | -50% |
| Common | No change | - |
| Superior | 2 steps rarer | +100% |
Location Modifiers
While Tamriel has a flourishing international market, due to the many merchant guilds dotting the continent, certain objects must be imported or accessed through more illegitimate means. The following table can provides some guidelines for any such availability and pricing modifiers:
| Circumstance | Availability Mod | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Illegal ware | Increased 1 step | +25% |
| Stolen goods | Increased 2 steps | -20% |
| Local wares | Decreased 1 step | - |
| Imported from nearby region | Increased 1 step | +25% |
| Rare/limited import | Increased 2 steps | +50% |
Haggling for a Bargain
Bargaining is a part of everyday life and almost expected amongst professional merchants. Should a character wish to bargain with a merchant for the price of their wares, roll an opposed Commerce Test against the merchant. For every Degree of Success the character scores above the merchant, a 5% discount is gained. If the merchant wins the Commerce test, increase the price by 5% per Degree of Success instead.
Unscrupulous Traders
Certain merchants can be particularly unscrupulous in their bargaining, either due to holding a monopoly on a certain ware or being a position that allows them to press their hapless victim for an extra fee like a fence giving less for stolen goods, well knowing that the prospective seller has nowhere else to go. When bargaining with such unscrupulous types, the GM can choose to apply a penalty ranging from -10 to -40 to the characters Commerce Test when bargaining for a better price on their goods.
Appraising an Item
Not knowing the current market value of certain goods has been the bane of many a haggler. If a character wishes to assert the price of an object of inter- est before going for the bargain, roll a Commerce Test with a modifier equal to the items rarity (see ) to see if they can learn the current rates. On a success, the character gains a +10 bonus to their attempt at haggling.
On a failure however, add a -5 penalty per Degrees of Failure to their attempt at haggling, as they have misinterpreted the current trend of the market.