What does one charge for raw materials? (Ore, metal bars, alchemical ingredients, etc.)

Question

Is there a chart or something with prices you charge for raw materials? Most importantly for blacksmith materials, such as ore or metal bars or what-have-you.

Answer 1

There's no chart in the book for this kind of stuff, though for a point of reference, consider that a throwing dagger only costs 1 coin. For mundane raw materials, I'd expect a similarly low price, since most of the value is presumably due to the skill/time of the craftsman. Acquiring mundane materials isn't especially interesting, so I would tend to respond "sure, you find the basic stuff you need, no problem."

Where things get more interesting is if the material is in short supply in your particular location. In that case, the Supply move comes into play. If they roll a 10+ and can get it for a fair price, maybe ask the character "Given what you know about this material, what is a typical fair price for it?" If they cheekily give it a really low price, you can turn their move back on them (if you're feeling sneaky) or tell them the consequences and ask (let them know what it implies for the material to be cheap if they say it's cheap.) For example:

1. If the material allows forging powerful items, but it's also cheap, then they can expect to find their foes using it as well.

2. Maybe the powerful material is cheap because of rumors that it attracts unsettled spirits. I'm sure those are just rumors, though.

3. Maybe it's cheap because the merchant is offering you a 'special' deal. "You find a guy who will sell it at the price you asked for, but he seems a bit shady. Do you want to buy it from him or do you want to look for a more reputable merchant?"

Basically, if it's boring enough to just be a matter of a few coin, why bother? If it's more interesting, raise the stakes with a move and cultivate opportunities for new complications.