Merchant

From Dragon Quest Wiki
Merchant3male.png
Merchant3female.png

The Merchant (商人, Shounin), or Dealer in older localizations, is an infrequently occurring vocation in the early games in the Dragon Quest series.

Merchants have the ability to pick up additional gold after a battle, as well as appraise items free of charge. In battle, merchants are only average in attack and defense, slightly better than a Priest. In Dragon Quest III, this is the only vocation required to advance the plot.

Appearances

Dragon Quest III

In addition to being able to find extra gold after battles, a merchant is also needed to progress through the story. An old man in a field on the North America-esque continent requires one to help him build a town, and will take a merchant regardless of their level. The merchant you leave will drop his/her items off at the vault (bag in the Super Famicom and Game Boy Color Version).

While the town develops well, the merchant will eventually be jailed due to pushing the townspeople too hard and succumbing to greed. Prior to being arrested, the merchant obtains a Yellow Orb which he/she will inform The Hero is in his/her house. Warning: the Merchant will not rejoin the party in the nes version. Do not make the mistake of changing another character into a Merchant to complete the event.

In all remakes and subsequent ports, the merchant will be freed from prison after Ramia is hatched. Said merchant will be playable again if approached, and will wait for the player in Aliahan.


Starting equipment and Stats

NES version

Attribute Starting Stats Maximum Stats
Level 1 99
HP 11 286
MP 0 0
Strength 4 126
Agility 3 147
Resilience 4 160
Wisdom 6 138
Luck 4 134


Skills

Dragon Quest III (GBC) 
Spell Level Learned
Dig 12
Service Call 17

Dragon Quest IV

Torneko begins his tale behind the counter in the weapons shop in Lakanaba, and gains several merchant-related skills in the remakes of IV.

Dragon Quest VI

Merchant is one of the prerequisites for the Ranger vocation (along with Monster Master and Thief). Though the vocation reduces most of a character's stats, a merchant will gain additional gold at the end of battle as their rank increases.

Rank Bonus Gold
1 1/15
2 1/14
3 1/13
4 1/12
5 1/11
6 1/10
7 1/9
8 1/4

Stat Changes

Statistics Change
Battles to Master 130
Strength -5%
Agility -40%
Defence -20%
Wisdom +20%
Style -20%
Max MP -50%
Trait Extra gold per battle

Abilities

Level Title Learns Battles Needed Target Info MP
1 Huckster Peep 1 One item Reveals the nature of the treasure in a chest. Also enables item appraisal. 1
2 Peddler Muster Strength 7 Self Save up energy to bolster the next attack. 0
3 Salesclerk Dig 15 Self Dig in the dirt to unearth hidden treasure. 0
4 Pitchman Weird Dance 24 One Enemy Lowers the enemy's MP. 0
5 Trader War Cry 40 All enemies A booming yell to make the enemy recoil in fear. 0
6 Broker Body Slam 65 One enemy Sacrifice the self to slam the enemy senseless. 0
7 Magnate Service Call 95 Self Summons on-the-spot aid with a sonorous shout. 15
8 Tycoon Call to Arms 130 Special Enlist the aid of an army of mercenaries...for a price. Level x50g

Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart

Notable Merchants

Gallery