WELCOME TO

The

Exotic

Marketplace

EVERYTHING YOU DESIRE IS FOR SALE

AS LONG AS YOU CAN PAY THE PRICE

5E Magic Items: What is The Exotic Marketplace?

The Exotic Marketplace is a collection of magical shops that appear at a Dungeon Master’s discretion. It can appear as often or infrequently as you’d like, and only requires a small field in which to apparate. It’s a great way to incorporate 5e magic items and their acquisition (or loss) in Dungeons and Dragons.

The shops in The Exotic Marketplace are held in a series of brightly colored circus tents. Each tent offers something a little different for the curious adventurer. It’s a great way to give fun, low-powered magic items, relieve the players of some of their hard-earned gold, or simply provide a bit of mystery and interest to a play session.

The Exotic Marketplace can be plugged into any fantasy tabletop roleplaying game and is also a great option if several players are missing for a night. Each tent is outlined individually below. Enjoy!

Exotic Marketplace Description

As you make your way towards the magic bazaar, the sound of raucous laughter and clinking coins grows louder. A colorful array of tents, each with its own distinctive pattern and design, are clustered together like a vibrant patchwork quilt. The beginnings of a rainstorm begin to patter around you in the cool air, and the brightly-colored lanterns hanging from tent poles flicker and sputter.

As you approach the bazaar, the smell of exotic spices and strange potions perfume the air around you. Groups of eager spellcasters huddle around the tents and quickly dart between the available shops, discussing their purchases with one another with an air of either excitement or secrecy.

Mysterious Magicks

This red and black tent smells strongly of cloves. To the side you see a small handwritten sign that reads:

“Mysterious Magicks: Unique Magical Services to Persons of All Kinds. Inquire Within.”

Anything and Everything

A yellow and black diamond-patterned tent sits before you. The smell of licorice and a hint of something rotten wafts out of its entryway, which flaps lazily in the evening breeze.

A dull yellow light splashes on the ground in front of you, coming from within the tent.

Over the entrance is a sign that reads: “Anything and Everything” burned into a splintered piece of rotting wood.

The Sorcerer's Satchel

As you approach this white satin tent, you smell a rainstorm.

You notice that tiny beads of water drip down the sides of the tent as though it is raining. Pearlescent beads of magical water glide down the tent’s supporting lines and disappear once they touch the ground.

A bright white light emanates from the entrance, and you hear thunder rumbling in the distance, though the sky is clear.

Curio Shop

You can’t help but reach out to touch the soft ridges of fabric on this teal corduroy tent. A thick satin ribbon in sunshine yellow loosely holds the entrance closed with a simple bow.

You smell rosehip tea and the earthy, dusty familiarity of a musty attic.

Esoteric Alchemy

This shimmering tent smells of sulphur and bubblegum.

Patterned in exclusively black and white with the exception of a bright red pennant flag draped around the exterior, the most interesting part of this tent’s design is the moving smoke illusion that rises from the bottom edge of the material.

The entryway is held open with skeletal hands, which appear to have once belonged to a goblin. In a dense silver embroidery, “Esoteric Alchemy” is embroidered in a wide arc above.

Phantom Fittings

A bright purple tent stands further from the others, and upon approaching, it’s easy to see why.

An intense smell of burning chemicals surrounds this shop. It’s enough to make your eyes sting.

WHEN NIGHT FALLS...

Night falls. As you make your way further into the bazaar, you notice a large open-air gambling facility has been set up in what was a previously empty space near the center of the marketplace.

A large bonfire roars, casting flickering shadows across the faces of the cheering onlookers. A motley collection of gamblers, from all walks of life, cluster around the tables, each hoping to win big.

The dealers, clad in colorful costumes, flick their cards and dice with practiced ease, while a troupe of acrobats and fire-eaters perform for the crowd. The air is electric with excitement, as the gamblers cheer and jeer, each trying to outdo the other. The scene is a vibrant and colorful spectacle, full of strange and wondrous sights and sounds.

A large wheel with a painted image of Asmodeus spins in the center of one group, with eager players cheering alongside. This must be the infamous “Asmodeus’ Wheel” you’ve heard of: a new gambling sensation sweeping the city.