The Skeleton Merchant is an NPC vendor that randomly spawns in the Cavernlayer.
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 (4:30AM) 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. He will also avoid most skeletons, though he can still be damaged by an "Angry Bones" projectile in expert mode or above.
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.
When the player has a Flare Gun in their inventory at night, or all day during a Full Moon:
Shimmered form []
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!"
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 (ExpertSpider 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.
The Skeleton Merchant's scavenging animation
He can be seen retrieving a Slap Hand from a pile of bones in the credits.
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 6:00PM.
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 Bestiary 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."
Strange Brew
Lesser Healing Potion
Spelunker Glowstick
Glowstick
Bone Torch
Torch
Bone Arrow
Wooden Arrow
Blue Counterweight
Red Counterweight
Purple Counterweight
Green Counterweight
Bomb
Rope
Gradient
Format:C
Yoyo Glove
Slap Hand
Magic Lantern
Healing Potion
Wooden Boomerang
Umbrella
Wand of Sparking
Step Stool
Artisan Loaf
Aglet
Climbing Claws
Guide to Plant Fiber Cordage
Radar
Magic Dagger
Spelunker Flare
Bestiary 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."
