NPC Plug-ins: Warehouse Club

Every now and then I start thinking about quirky characters or elements that I could add into a game that could change the dynamic of a setting a little bit. Today on my way to work, I thought up a shop idea that would be an interesting concept to incorporate. I got to thinking about how Blacksmiths would normally need time to forge a weapon for someone and they won't always have something ready for the players to buy meaning they could place an order and come back to get it. But what if there was a place where they had a ton of items that you could get at a cheaper rate by paying a yearly tax?

The catch? Any items you want you have to buy in bulk meaning you'll save a little, but you'll still have to buy more than you need. Of course for potions, wands, and food this could be really useful, however if your party needs armor or weapons, it's hardly useful to have to buy a pack of 6 longswords and hope you can sell them. A little bit of fun could be that the vendors locally know the weapons when they see them and won't buy the equipment because it's taking away their business.

A precaution that this could make your party a little overpowered if they're buying bulk items at a lower cost so there needs to be some sort of element that balances this out, whether you choose to have ill consequences from the town, possibly the items are a little poorer quality, or maybe the items themselves cause problems for a character's ability to move. For example, a 50-gallon drum of drinking water might seem great, but how are the party going to manage a 400-500 lbs keg of water?