I know I'm a bit late to the trading thread but I thought I'd toss in my two cents. Also, since it was brought up I thought I'd discuss the other red-headed step child of skills, pick pockets. Both skills have a lot of potential. Trading certainly has more current value but it could do more. With that said the ideas:

Trading:
- Merchanting tasks at the adventurers guild.
- Additional rare items sometimes available from shops
- additional daily bounty task waivers since you know how to haggle
- Change town locksmiths to take a percentage of the approximate box contents value after they open it. Reduce their take with trading.

Pick Pockets:
- Steal from mobs to get a part of their treasure without killings them and some exp
- Theft adventurers guild tasks
- Steal items from the pawnshop and alchemy tables
- RP sleight of hand tricks

Additionally I think both of these skills could be tied in well to the shop system. Assuming it ever gets the totsl rewrite it needs:

- Require trading for a shop permit and more for bigger shops/prime locations
- Experiemce gain through shop sales somehow
- Reduced taxes on sales from shop
- Better advertising opprtunities.
- Restrict item categories and use "trading points" to buy the right to sell them
- Allow theft from playershols via skills including pick pockets, pick locks, disarm traps, etc
- Add various theft deterrent methods with the best requiring high trading, including annunstaabkr option at a premium

Keith/Brinret/Shiun

Keith is correct

Wyrom, APM

http://forums.play.net/forums/GemStone%20IV/Help%20for%20Players/Policy%20Discussions/view/246

annunstaabkr -- The Egyptian God of Theft Prevention. See also, my phone is possessed, auto-correct, and fat fingers.

<Actually, I prefer having the 'secret handshake' acknowledged by the town NPC, where as a professional courtesy he charges you less... based on Pick Pockets, not Trading.>

If it's as a professional courtesy, shouldn't it be based on Picking Locks and/or Disarming Traps?

Starchitin

A severed gnomish hand crawls in on its fingertips and makes a rude gesture before quickly decaying and rotting into dust. A gust of wind quickly scatters the dust.

I'm late jumping on this thread, but I wanted to +1 most of Kithus' post about both skills.

I would love for highly skilled traders to occasionally get the option of a trade instead of silvers from shop npcs.

For example I bring Kilron an enhancive faenor scimitar, he might tell me he doesn't have that much silver, but he does have a faenor pilum he'd be willing to trade.
Or the alchemist consignment might trade finished goods like bronze squares, or granite triangles for bringing a bag of reagents in to sell.

I would also love if highly skilled pick pockets could plant small items on others, even if it only works on critters I'd be happy. I would also love to be able to steal from more town npc's and critters, the way you can steal from other people's escort travellers/dignitaries/etc.

I think it would be neat if pickpockets who sell off their goods before being arrested get off for lack of evidence, they could sell their stolen goods behind the cabinet in the pawnshop or some other unassuming spot for a fence, for a reduced price. Perhaps trading skill could help get you more for your "hot" merchandise?

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