The Griffon's Saddlebag
Bards of the College of Mercantile are well versed in the artistry of cutting deals and enemies alike in order to come out ahead. Talented merchants, smugglers, and tradesmen alike all learn from this college in some form or another, using both silvered words and sharp cunning to inspire their allies and subvert competition. These calculated risk-takers travel the world to make their mark—and their fortune—by navigating treacherous landscapes, economies, and people. With even just a copper to their name, these bards are always worth their weight in gold.
Level 3: Coin Flip
Starting when you join the College of Mercantile at 3rd level, a creature that uses a Bardic Inspiration die from you can choose to forgo rolling the die to flip a coin instead. If it’s heads, the creature treats the Bardic Inspiration die as if it rolled its maximum number. If it’s tails, the GM takes the Bardic Inspiration die and can use it when another creature of the GM’s choice makes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw instead. The GM can have multiple Bardic Inspiration dice at a time in this way, but can still only add one of them to a roll at a time. When you finish a long rest, the GM loses any of these taken Bardic Inspiration dice.
Level 3: Magic Coin
Also at 3rd level, you know that coins can be just as powerful as the most enthralling rhetoric. Whereas other bards may use words and song as their means for conjuring spells, you instead use a simple coin. You can use any coin worth at least 1 cp as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.
In addition, you can use an action to magically fling a coin from your hand at a target within 60 feet of you. Make a ranged spell attack with the coin, using your Charisma modifier for the attack roll. On a hit, the target takes 1 bludgeoning damage plus 1d12 thunder damage. Immediately after the attack, the coin returns to your hand. If you roll a 20 on the attack roll against a hostile creature using a nonmagical copper, silver, electrum, or gold piece, the coin is magically duplicated when it returns to your hand. The new coin can appear in your hand, at your feet, or in a coin pouch on your person (your choice).
The coin’s thunder damage increases by 1d12 when you reach 6th level (2d12) and 14th level (3d12).
Level 6: Money Talks
By 6th level, you’ve learned how to briefly enchant a coin with divination magic. You can enchant a mundane copper, silver, electrum, gold, or platinum piece that you’re holding in this way using an action. A creature holding the coin that knows at least one language can understand the meaning of any word you speak, and when it speaks, you understand what it says. In addition, you have advantage on the first Charisma (Persuasion) check you make when negotiating the value of a good or service with a creature that’s holding or carrying the enchanted coin.
Alternatively, you can use an action to see and hear through the enchanted coin until the start of your next turn as if you were in the coin’s space. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.
The coin remains enchanted for 10 minutes or until you end the effect early (no action required). You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Level 14: Shrewd Consumer
Starting at 14th level, whenever you cast a spell that consumes a material component, drink a potion, or use a spell scroll that’s worth no more than 500 gp, there is a 50 percent chance that the component, potion, or scroll isn’t consumed. In addition, you can use a bonus action to take the Utilize action or drink a potion.
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The heft of gold in her pocket felt good, and the jingle it made reminded her of what a good day’s work sounded like. It was a day well earned.
Well, mostly earned. She was in a hurry, and some corners are too easy to cut for a merchant of her caliber.
Her haversack of goods had been taken, so she needed to start over with what she had on hand. Her old traveling companions, mercenaries and gamblers alike, had grown so tired of losing their money to her that they had parted ways—unexpectedly—in the middle of the night. So here she remained, forced to barter and sell as quickly as possible to not only reclaim her former wealth, but gather enough surplus coin to afford her a magical teleportation scroll.
Her departed friends had, in leaving her behind, cut her out of a rather sizable deal in Antronec that she fully intended to collect on in full. The guild would be sure to hear about how valiantly her fellows had fought, but ultimately fell to the drake they’d been sent to slay. She would, of course, have just barely managed to bring down the beast in a heroic display of vengeance.
Oh, how she’d miss them terribly, she’d say.
That teleportation scroll would cut her travel time back to Antronec in, well, entirety. She would reach the guild’s door with a single step, collect her bounty, and leave the city again before the rest of her former party could even arrive. Damn the haversack; she’d buy ten more.
Even if she could get the scroll, she knew her time was limited. She had always worked hard, even before her bag was taken, but now that she was motivated by the most powerful force there is—spite—there was nothing that could keep her from reaching her goal.
Over the week she had already amassed two and half hundred platinum and a favor from the local lord. Pretty good, but she’d need to pick up the pace to make it.
She wasn’t worried, though. The jingle of coins was music to her ears, and she could play with the best of them.