Dippletopp’s Tinkery

Bargaining

Ernart wants nothing more than to see his merchandise be put to good use, so he’s often eager to make a sale. His prices tend to be fair, but he won’t give his stuff away too cheaply, as he needs every coin he can scrape together to fund his next big project. Ernart is also willing to trade the characters for rare metals and substances, such as adamantine, mithral, and quicksilver, or even other magic items, if something interesting or ingenious enough is presented. When one of his creations is rejected, Dippletopp’s shoulders slump and his cheery smile turns into a melancholy frown, as he laments that “maybe it’s not as useful as I thought.” This isn’t a salesman’s tactic; Ernart becomes genuinely depressed when a sale goes awry. Luckily this sudden bout of sadness lasts only for a few moments before he continues on to excitedly present the next revolutionary magical invention he has for sale. Characters who show a genuine interest in Ernart’s inventions, or who seem to share his passion for tinkering, is likely to have an easier time bargaining for his wares.

Biases

Dippletopp is generally a welcoming sort and doesn’t hold inherent grudges toward any races or professions (in truth, he barely notices such things). Even so, Dippletopp shows slight favoritism toward other gnomes, tinkers, artificers, and – in the rare event that he meets one – customers who are partly or wholly constructs or automatons.

Valuables

	Item Name	Type	Rarity	Value
1	Bead of Force	wonderous item	rare	$500
2	Chime of Opening	wonderous item	rare	$500
3	Eversmoking Bottle	wonderous item	uncommon	$500
4	Brooch of Shielding	wonderous	uncommon	$800
5	Decanter of Endless Water	wonderous item	uncommon	$1,000
6	Deck of Illusions	wonderous item	uncommon	$1,000
7	Dimensional Shackles	wonderous	rare	$3,000
8	Figurine of Wondrous Power (Obsidian Steed)	wonderous item	very rare	$4,000
9	Folding Boat	wonderous item	rare	$5,000
10	Broom of Flying	wonderous item	uncommon	$8,000
11	Staff of Swarming Insects	staff	rare	$10,000
12	Mirror of Life Trapping	wonderous item	very rare	$10,000
13	Horn of Valhalla (Silver)	wonderous item	rare	$10,000
14	Carpet of Flying (4 ft. x 6 ft.)	wonderous item	very rare	$12,000
15	Staff of Thunder and Lightning	staff	very rare	$12,000
16	Marvelous Pigments (3 pots)	wonderous item	very rare	$15,000
17	Cube of Force	wonderous item	rare	$15,000
18	Apparatus of the Crab	wonderous item	legendary	$20,000
19	Efreeti Bottle	wonderous item	very rare	$25,000
20	Instant Fortress	wonderous item	rare	$30,000

Defenses

Ernart Dippletopp is a decently competent spellcaster, who is backed up by a fearsome clockwork worm.

Clockwork Worm

While Ernart is no push-over, he isn’t nearly powerful enough to dissuade all aggressors on his own. Luckily, you don’t need to be, when you can create magicallypowered machines to guard you. Most prominent of these creations is his sentient and gargantuan clockwork worm which always lingers close to the tinker, either towering far above the customers or burrowed under the ground nearby. At the slightest hint of violent conflict, the worm makes its presence known, acting swiftly to protect Dippletopp and his wares.

Burrowing Escape

If a fight breaks out, Dippletopp’s main concern is to get himself and his creations to safety. He will usually direct his worm to swallow him and his shop and burrow itself deep into the ground, putting as much distance as possible between himself and whoever is after his valuables.

History

Even among the prolific rock gnomes, Ernart Dippletopp always stood out as an exceptionally gifted tinker. With an equal passion for machines and magic, Ernart began creating ingenious inventions at a remarkably young age. Rarely pausing to consider the ramifications of his creations, Ernart’s inventions quickly grew from simply curious to deeply concerning for the other gnomes in his hillside village. After a malfunctioning invention blew up half the hillside – leaving Ernart and a score other gnomes badly injured – the village elders strongly urged the tinker to leave the village. Suggesting that he could be inspired by the wonders of the wide world and put his creations to good use, they managed to convince the young gnome. Ernart offered to leave a farewell gift (“...which my elders refused – for some reason they weren’t interested in a magically-powered firework cannon, if you would believe it!”), before setting out to sell his many inventions – and take his craft to even greater (and more explosive) heights.