Component Hunters

Written by Mels

Career

Qualifications

Not many special qualifications are needed to start as a component hunter, but the ability to protect oneself is necessary when looking to gather items from more dangerous creatures and live to sell the retrieved treasures.

Career Progression

Those looking to eventually own their a component distribution shop location will usually start as a component hunter until they save up enough coin to purchase a storefront.

Payment & Reimbursement

Despite the often dangerous nature of component hunting, this profession is generally overlooked and forgotten as it is commonly assumed that gathering spell components is easy work due to the mundanity of some items. For these reasons, component hunters are significantly underpaid, often receiving compensation equaling half the price the components retail for.

Other Benefits

Being a component hunter grants the ability to travel and experience many different dangerous and exciting situations, however the trade does not offer much more benefit than having an interesting story to share in the tavern.

Perception

Purpose

Mages, wizards and other related magic users are always in need of components necessary for casting their spells. From items as simple as nutshells, incense or dirt to more perilously acquired items like Rok feathers, Umber Hulk blood or the scale of a Red Dragon.

Social Status

Generally overlooked, this occupation is not commonly sought after, despite its necessity.

History

When arcane magic users began to become more of a common occurrence it was initially expected that spellcasters would harvest their own spell components, contributing to the already hazardous nature of being a magic using adventurer. Seeing the increases in market demand, shopkeepers began to gather materials to offer at a premium price in their storefronts. Shop proprietors quickly realized that the risk of venturing out was not worth the reward of the price individuals were willing to pay for the products, not to mention the time that is lost while they were out searching for the rarer components. For this reason, shops began to outsource the risky labor to persons who eventually became known as component hunters.

Operations

Dangers & Hazards

Exposure to dangerous environments and creatures.

Alternative Names

Dirt Bagger

Type

Raw Materials Gathering

Demand

Moderate

Legality

It is legal to be a component hunter.