Entry in the SJ Business Challenge.
Strateverian's Cabinetry is a small shop on the Rock of Bral that seems somehow larger on the inside than it appears on the outside. The shop is literally crammed with all types of cabinetry, boxes, trunks, and chests, each in an advanced state of repair or restoration. Near the back of the shop labors Strateverian, a halfling craftsman of exceptional skill.
Strateverian, or Strat to his friends, is a consumate master of storage. He designs cunning cabinets and other storage devices to fit any space, customized to contain any sort of object. Though he is not a mage, and indeed possesses no magical skills whatsoever, his storage devices have the exceptional ability to store 10% more material than the amount of space that the material would normally require due to his skill at crafting.
Every single one of his storage devices has secret compartments, and these are generally considered to be both concealed and secret until the storage device is otherwise totally empty, whereupon they are merely secret compartments. Up to 10% of the storage capacity of any given Strateverian Cabinet will be secret storage.
To calculate the storage potential of a Strateverian, first figure the absolute volume of the storage device (Length x Width x Height), then multiply the volume by 1.1. Strateverian can do this because each device is painstakingly customized to fit a specific space on a specific ship. This allows him to take advantage of otherwise under-used space in a ship.
His devices are always very plain to look at, because bas relief, brass fittings, and shiny cornerplates occupy precious space, and spacefarers in particular are short on space. Every ounce of material that he puts into a device must be totally justifiable, and he is a brutal judge of what is and is not necessary.
Strateverian devices have a secondary effect that equipment, when properly stored within them, is easier to find than with other storage devices. This results in a practical gain of 2-5 segments of search time reduction per cubic foot of storage space searched. In a battle situation, this can literally mean the difference between life and death.
To purchase a Strateverian, a starfarer need only pay ten times the going rate for a storage device to the industrious halfling, and he will hand-craft a device to suit their needs at a rate of one cubic foot of storage per 8-hour period. Strat can work up to 16 hours a day for rush jobs (for a 20% price increase, of course), but he typically works 12 hour days.
Finally, Strateverian's devices come with exceptional quality but very lightweight locks that reduce a thief's chance to pick the lock by 25% or more.
Strateverian is a crafstman (actually originally a thief by trade, he still is 10th level in that class, but he no longer relies on his skills except when crafting locks) in his 87th year. He is balding, with gray hair in a thin monk's circle above very bushy eyebrows. The hair on his feet is thinning and gray as well. His shop is continually fogged with pipe smoke, which will cause non-smokers to cough and wheeze (-2 to attack/save) on a failed CON check after one turn of continuous exposure. He wears a leather work apron that bristles with fine woodworking tools, and he has a knack of always knowing exactly where everything is in his shop.
If attacked in his shop, Strat will duck into one of several secret escape hatches in his shop that leads, after a short dash, to one of several nearby safe locations, including a fighter's guild, a tavern, and a constabulary station. Immediately upon his departure, the whole shop will flood with a sleep gas that will linger for 4-7 turns. Creatures save at -2 versus the gas, and those succeeding will still be overcome with laughter and rendered helpless until they leave the vicinity.
Strat is very popular, and his skills are some of the most highly valued on the Rock. In the unlikely event of an altercation at his shop, many nearby locals will rush to his aid, arriving within 1-6 rounds.
Strateverian is otherwise an honest merchant (Neutral Good) who deals fairly with his customers. He has no family or apprentices to speak of, and if slain there would be no one to take his place. He has been thinking of taking on an apprentice in recent years, and may do so soon if a suitably clever dwarf, gnome, or halfling approached him.
