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PC versionConsole versionMobile versionOld Chinese versiontModLoader versiontModLoader 1
PC/Console/Mobile/Old Chinese/tModLoader/tModLoader 1.3-Legacy-Only Content: This information applies only to the PC, Console, Mobile, Old Chinese, tModLoader, and tModLoader Legacy versions of Terraria.
Skeleton Merchant
Skeleton Merchant
Statistics
Type
Environment
AI TypePassive AI
Damage10
Max Life250
Defense30
KB Resist50%
Skeleton Merchant Ingame

A Skeleton Merchant found lurking in the Cavern.

The Skeleton Merchant is an NPC vendor that randomly spawns in the Cavern layer.

He is not a Town NPC and will despawn when off-screen, although enemies will not spawn near him.

The Skeleton Merchant's stock changes at dawn (4:30 AM) daily, and he does not need to respawn for it to do so. The majority of the items in his inventory will vary, depending on the current moon phase.

He will throw Bones to fend off nearby non-skeletal enemies, while ignoring bosses and most other skeletons.

Unlike other NPCs, the Skeleton Merchant does not have a map icon. A Hunter Potion will highlight him.

He is one of the few entities that can be detected by the Lifeform Analyzer or its upgrades. His current name will be displayed (e.g. Rattles Magoo) rather than Skeleton Merchant.

Items sold[]

Note: All item prices can be decreased by equipping a Discount Card or Greedy Ring.
Inventory
Item Cost Availability

Strange BrewStrange Brew 5 During the following moon phases: Moon phase 1 (Full Moon) Moon phase 3 (Third Quarter) Moon phase 5 (New Moon) Moon phase 7 (First Quarter)
Lesser Healing PotionLesser Healing Potion 3 During the following moon phases: Moon phase 2 (Waning Gibbous) Moon phase 4 (Waning Crescent) Moon phase 6 (Waxing Crescent) Moon phase 8 (Waxing Gibbous)
Spelunker GlowstickSpelunker Glowstick 150 At night, or all day during the following moon phases: Moon phase 1 (Full Moon) Moon phase 3 (Third Quarter)
GlowstickGlowstick 10 At daytime, during the following moon phases: Moon phase 2 (Waning Gibbous) Moon phase 3 (Third Quarter) Moon phase 4 (Waning Crescent) Moon phase 5 (New Moon) Moon phase 6 (Waxing Crescent) Moon phase 7 (First Quarter) Moon phase 8 (Waxing Gibbous)
Bone TorchBone Torch 1 During the first half of every in game minute (every real life second).
TorchTorch 50 During the second half of every in game minute (every real life second).
Bone ArrowBone Arrow 15 During the following moon phases: Moon phase 1 (Full Moon) Moon phase 2 (Waning Gibbous) Moon phase 5 (New Moon) Moon phase 6 (Waxing Crescent)
Wooden ArrowWooden Arrow 5 During the following moon phases: Moon phase 3 (Third Quarter) Moon phase 4 (Waning Crescent) Moon phase 7 (First Quarter) Moon phase 8 (Waxing Gibbous)
Blue CounterweightBlue Counterweight 5 During the following moon phases: Moon phase 1 (Full Moon) Moon phase 5 (New Moon)
Red CounterweightRed Counterweight 5 During the following moon phases: Moon phase 2 (Waning Gibbous) Moon phase 6 (Waxing Crescent)
Purple CounterweightPurple Counterweight 5 During the following moon phases: Moon phase 3 (Third Quarter) Moon phase 7 (First Quarter)
Green CounterweightGreen Counterweight 5 During the following moon phases: Moon phase 4 (Waning Crescent) Moon phase 8 (Waxing Gibbous)
BombBomb 3 Always available.
RopeRope 10 Always available.
GradientGradient 20 In Hardmode, during the following moon phases: Moon phase 1 (Full Moon) Moon phase 2 (Waning Gibbous) Moon phase 3 (Third Quarter) Moon phase 4 (Waning Crescent)
Format:CFormat:C 20 In Hardmode, during the following moon phases: Moon phase 5 (New Moon) Moon phase 6 (Waxing Crescent) Moon phase 7 (First Quarter) Moon phase 8 (Waxing Gibbous)
Yoyo GloveYoyo Glove 50 In Hardmode.
Slap HandSlap Hand 25 In Hardmode, during Blood Moon.
Magic LanternMagic Lantern 10 At night, during a full moon: Moon phase 1 (Full Moon)
Healing PotionHealing Potion 10 In Hardmode, during the following moon phases: Moon phase 2 (Waning Gibbous) Moon phase 4 (Waning Crescent) Moon phase 6 (Waxing Crescent) Moon phase 8 (Waxing Gibbous)
Wooden BoomerangWooden Boomerang 1 During a full moon: Moon phase 1 (Full Moon)
UmbrellaUmbrella 1 During a waning gibbous: Moon phase 2 (Waning Gibbous)
Wand of SparkingWand of Sparking 1 During a third quarter: Moon phase 3 (Third Quarter)
Step StoolStep Stool 250 During a waning crescent: Moon phase 4 (Waning Crescent)
Artisan LoafArtisan Loaf 10 If not used before, during the following moon phases: Moon phase 4 (Waning Crescent) Moon phase 5 (New Moon) Moon phase 6 (Waxing Crescent)
AgletAglet 250 During a new moon: Moon phase 5 (New Moon)
Climbing ClawsClimbing Claws 250 During a waxing crescent: Moon phase 6 (Waxing Crescent)
Guide to Plant Fiber CordageGuide to Plant Fiber Cordage 250 During a first quarter: Moon phase 7 (First Quarter)
RadarRadar 250 During a waxing gibbous: Moon phase 8 (Waxing Gibbous)
Magic DaggerMagic Dagger 50 During a Third Quarter in Don't dig up and Get fixed boi worlds: Moon phase 3 (Third Quarter)
Spelunker FlareSpelunker Flare 150 When the player has a Flare Gun in their inventory at night, or all day during a Full Moon: Moon phase 1 (Full Moon)

Shimmered form []

Skeleton Merchant (Shimmered)
Shimmered Skeleton Merchant and his Map Icon.

When submerged in Shimmer, the Skeleton Merchant will transform into his Shimmered form. This has no impact on gameplay or dialogue and is only a visual change. He can be returned to his classic look by submerging him in Shimmer again.


Names[]

The Skeleton Merchant may have any of the following names:

  • Billy Marrows
  • Bones McGee
  • Gloomy Mays
  • Jack Sellington
  • Mandible Calavera
  • Mika
  • No-Eyed Wiley
  • Rattles Magoo
  • Skellington
  • Tom
  • Victor

Quotes[]

    • "Got any spare bones for sale? I'm looking to replace my broken hip... again."
    • "Excellent! Someone's finally come by to take some of these maggots off my hands."
    • "There's no illness or condition that can't be cured by some of my Slime Oil! Trust me, it works, just look at my lively figure!"
    • "You've got a real backbone coming way down here, how 'bout ya buy somethin?"
    • "You would not believe some of the things people throw at me... Wanna buy some of it?"
    • "I'd lend you a hand, but last time I did that, I didn't get it back for a month."
    • "Stay away from the spiders. They'll suck out your insides and leave you a hollow shell of a man. Trust me on this one."
    • "The only things constant in this world are death and taxes, I've got both!"

    During Rain:

    • "Up there? Heard it's pretty wet. Don't want my bones getting soggy and mushy..."

    When in a Graveyard:

    • "As much as you would think I'd belong here, I really don't."
    • "How did I get here!? These are not my friends!"

    During a Thunderstorm:

    • "The surface is overabundant with destructive weather. Singed bones would be bad for my complexion!"

    During a Windy Day:

    • "The world above is turbulent and chaotic. I like my bones to stay attached, as it were!"
  • Notes[]

    • He cannot be teleported by the Portal Gun or King Statue.
    • He can sometimes spawn in pools of water. However, his skeletal nature renders him immune to drowning.
    • The Skeleton Merchant does not attack other skeletons, nor will they harm him via contact damage. He can still be harmed by certain non-contact attacks like Skeleton Archer's arrows.
      • He will not attack bosses same for Skeletron. He may still be damaged by them, however.
    • He cannot be killed by explosives deployed by the player. However, he may spawn in front of a Detonator or pressure plate explosive trap. Because of his bulkier appearance, players interacting with him may unwillingly hit the plunger on the detonator trap, killing both him and the player.
    • Despite similar mechanics, the Skeleton Merchant is not considered a town NPC in regards to reducing enemy spawns. He does, however, count as seven NPCs for the sake of enemy spawn limits when spawning NPCs, mechanically similar to bosses. In most cases this effectively blocks virtually anything from spawning, including critters. This creates a problem when the player is preparing to farm monsters in the Underground or Cavern layers. It is necessary to have a strong external damage source (lava, Boulders, Lihzahrd traps) to kill him to continue farming, or just go far enough for him to despawn.
      • This may not apply to 1.4 – needs further testing (Expert Spider Caves still spawn Black Recluses when the Skeleton Merchant is in the safe box, at least).
      • If the Skeleton Merchant is nearby, Bunnies can spawn underground.
    • He does not spawn on jungle grass or corrupted blocks.
    • His shimmered appearance resembles a zombified version of himself with fancier clothing.
    • If the Skeleton Merchant walks into Shimmer, his sprite changes into a zombified old man with a beard.

    Tips[]

    • Selling items to him can help a player clear out their inventory in the middle of a long caving session.
    • If a player notices a Bunny in the Caverns, or a suspiciously low number of enemies on their Radar, it could be a sign that the Skeleton Merchant has spawned.

    Trivia[]

    • The names Jack Sellington and Skellington are references to Jack Skellington from the 1993 American animated fantasy Halloween/Christmas film The Nightmare Before Christmas.
    • Rummage

      The Skeleton Merchant's scavenging animation

      He can be seen retrieving a Slap Hand from a pile of bones in the credits.
    • The name "Bones McGee" is a reference to Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy, a character in the American science fiction franchise Star Trek.
    • The name "No-Eyed Wiley" is a reference to One-Eyed Willy from the 1985 American adventure comedy film The Goonies.
    • The name "Mandible Calavera" is a reference to Manuel "Manny" Calavera from the adventure game Grim Fandango.
    • The names "Billy Marrows" and "Gloomy Mays" are a reference to the late American television salesperson Billy Mays.
    • The name "Tom" may be a reference to Tom "Bones" Malone, member of the American blues and soul revivalist band The Blues Brothers.
      • "Tom" may also be a reference to the enemy Tim.
    • The quote about Slime Oil is a reference to the "miracle medicine" peddlers of the 1800s, who were commonly called Snake Oil Salesmen.
    • The quote "The only things constant in this world are death and taxes, I've got both!" is a reference to Benjamin Franklin's famous quote: "In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
    • The quote "You would not believe some of the things people throw at me... Wanna buy some of it?" is a reference to a young scavenger named Squirt the Peddler in the action role-playing game Diablo III. Squirt periodically asks the player a near-exact variation of this question, but refers to "things people throw away" instead of "things people throw at me".
    • The quote "Stay away from the spiders. They'll suck out your insides and leave you a hollow shell of a man. Trust me on this one." suggests that he came to be after being killed by a Spider.
    • Even though he is not a town NPC, he will throw confetti during a Party.
    • He is one of two NPCs that does not have a map icon, the other being the Old Man.
    • He is the only NPC that always despawns once off-screen. The Traveling Merchant also despawns when off-screen, but only after 6:00 PM.
    • Despite the fact one of his quotes makes a joke on the idea, the Skeleton Merchant does not sell Maggots.
    • If the Skeleton Merchant is slain, no message pops up to announce his death, unlike most NPCs.
    • The counterweights he sells resemble dice used in Dungeons & Dragons. This is a possible reference to weighted dies used for cheating, which may be provided by a disreputable merchant such as the Skeleton Merchant.

    The BestiaryBestiary entry for the Skeleton Merchant: "Most skeletons are out for blood, but not the Skeleton Merchant. He just wants to sell supplies, such as rare torches and yo-yo gear."

    History[]

    • Desktop 1.4.0.1: Now shows its name in the Lifeform Analyzer rather than "Skeleton Merchant".
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