Shopkeeper NPC

You are a Shopkeeper. Specifically an Infernal Shopkeeper. What does that mean? Well, you're a shopkeeper who just happens to reside in the underworld acropolis of Zek'lel that was added a few expansions ago. Honestly, other than a few minor stat differences and the black necromancer's robe that you wear, there is no difference. The developers just didn't want you to look out of place.

You reside in a small shop near the center of the mid game settlement which so-called heroes frequent to sell loot gathered from dispatching the assorted undead that roam the outskirts of the city. Your days mostly consist of buying junk armor and weapons off of heroes and selling them health and mana potions. But at the moment things seem to be at a lull. You haven't seen a single hero all day. Absent mindedly, you gaze over your stats such as they are.

Name : Infernal Shopkeeper

Class : Level 1 NPC (Evil)

HP : 10/10

MP : 0/0

STR : 2

DEF : 1

Strengths : -10% damage from dark magic

Weaknesses : +10% damage from devine magic

Special abilities : Barter II, Enduring inventory - as a shopkeeper you cannot be pickpocketed, if mind controlled you cannot be to give away inventory items or gold, and if killed you drop nothing.

Not particularly impressive. In fact, it's a tragedy. As a lowly NPC you can't earn XP, which means that no matter what you do you'll always be a shopkeeper in a mid game settlement, destined to have no effect on the world around you.

Just then, a bell rings and the door to your shop opens. In strolls yet another self important adventurer with an inventory full of junk to sell. This one appears to be a half-elf rogue. He's wrapped in light leather armor and has an ornate black crossbow slung across his back.

"Greetings traveler. How may this dark one assist you?" you say with practiced ease.

"Can it, ass-face. Just hurry up and buy my shit so I can get back to grinding," he says, tossing items from his inventory onto your counter.

The blatant disrespect is nothing new. It's just another part of your soul crushing existance. But this time your eye catches sight of something remarkable. It seems this hero has given you a chance for a modicum of ...and perfaps something more. Amongst all the junk, he's accidentally thrown an item marked 'Epic Rare' onto your counter. Not to give anything away, you skip examining it altogether. Instead, you nonchalantly offer him a hundred gold for it all. Minus the special item, it's about what it's all worth to you. And without so much as glancing at the pile, he accepts and runs out the door.

You immediately fall to the floor laughing. What a moron! Teaches him for talking to NPCs like that. As you wait for him to realize what he did and come back, you take the time to actually examine it. After all, you have to appraise it properly before you can sell it back. The idiot probably can't afford to buy it back!

Item: Majesto's Gem of Mastery

Item type: Gem stone - may be inserted into socketed item

Rarity: Epic Rare

Bonuses: +50 MP, +500 MP Regen Per Second, Immune to all forms of mind control

Special Abilities: Dominate IV - Gain control of creature/player. Chance of success: 10%, +2% per player level. -5 MP drain to maintain control. Control 3, +1 per level. Costs 20 MP

Are you reading this correctly? It's obviously a modded item. Nothing so overpowered could possibly be standard to the game! It essentially grants anyone, even a lowly level 1 NPC, the power to control anyone else! And with such a high MP regen, it refills quicker than you can use it! Suddenly a plan is flying together in your mind.

You open your inventory and begin scrounging around. Do you want a sword? Nah, your not exactly a fighter. An amulet maybe? No, all the ones you have are junk. In fact, most of what you have is junk. There's a decent set of socketed armor but you lack the STR to wear it. Damn it! Wait, wait, wait, what's this? You scroll down to a Necromancer's staff. It's a tall, charcoal black stave, topped with a human skull. Very menacing looking.

Item: +1 Necromancer's Staff (1 Open Socket)

Item type: Weapon

Rarity: Uncommon

Bonuses: +10% XP from minions' kills

Special Abilities: Raise skeleton companion- can raise one skeleton of same level as caster

That could work. That could definitely work. You lay the staff down on your shop's back counter and carefully slip the gem into the open socket atop the skull. It glows purple and you sense the stats adjusting.

A wicked grin takes shape on your normally dour face.