Category: Profession

Description: A fence is someone who buys stolen goods and/or contraband and sells them. Fences are typically found in cities, where there are large numbers of thieves to buy stolen goods from as well as customers to sell the goods to.

A fence will sell some stolen goods locally but smuggle others away to be sold elsewhere. Goods that are too well-known (e.g. the crown jewels of the local royalty) must be smuggled away. In some areas, people may actually buy their own goods back from fences. This is only a likely situation in areas with powerful thieves' guilds and weak legal authorities.

It is not unusual for fences to also sell information. Some fences are well-respected merchants who have criminal connections that they've managed to keep hidden.

Fences typically work with Smugglers.

Combat Technique: Usually none. Fences can afford to hire bodyguards.

Preferred Skills: Appraising, bartering, haggling, and persuasion.

Benefit: Fences know most of the thieves in the city and thus are the natural source of information for locating and hiring thieves and smugglers. Also, fences are valuable to the criminal community and thus command alot of respect from the criminals. This affords fences a certain amount of protection from thieves.

Disadvantage: Fences need to have a stable area where they can ply their trade. This means that the local authorities may discover the identity of the fence. Once a merchant is known to be a fence, she may be forced to pay bribes or provide information. Or she may be arrested and jailed.

Fictional Examples:

Real World Examples: Pawn shop owners.

Appropriate For: Minor npcs and villains.