Shopkeepers are old men who own the various shops in the dungeon. Every shopkeeper carries a shotgun (except for the ones in the Stars Room).

Contents 1 Statistics 2 3 Short-term consequences of raiding a shop 4 Long-term consequences of raiding a shop 5 Methods of killing shopkeepers 6 Stealing without raising your wanted level 7 Bomb Strategy 8 Other tips 9 Footnotes

Statistics Edit

Health: 20^[1]

Damage: 4-24 (Shotgun, depending on how many bullets hit), 1 (Throw)

Size: Small (1x1)

Corpse?: Yes

Stunnable?: Yes (for very short periods)

Special: Drops his Shotgun when injured and several gold nugget Treasures when killed. Can throw like the Yeti, but that's the least of your concerns. If unarmed, can pick up a shotgun off the floor - or out of the Spelunker's hands. He's essentially a Yeti with a Shotgun and Spring Shoes. Cannot be killed by a man-eating plant. In fact, if a man-eating plant eats a dead shopkeeper, the shopkeeper will emerge alive.

Edit

Short-term consequences of raiding a shop Edit

Hell hath no fury like an angered shopkeeper. Shopkeepers run fast, jump high, and will kill you instantly with their shotgun blasts. They will attempt to kill you if any of the following happen:

• You light a bomb in their shop (or bring a lit bomb in).
• A boulder from an idol trap rolls into their shop, destroying any of the blocks considered to be part of the shop.
• You hit them with any item. This includes maidens, idols, and merchandise.
• You hit them with any weapon. Your whip will NOT harm them, (same as a Yeti) but will provoke them.
• They break out of the jaws of a man-eating plant.
• You use any item from their shop before paying for it (even if you don't leave the store).
• The walls or floor of their shop are destroyed by a bomb or mattock (digging tool). This includes the two tiles directly behind the shopkeeper.
• You grab an object in the shop and run out with it or throw it outside the shop without paying.
• You trap them in the back corner of their shop with a movable block.
• (Kissing Booths only) You hit the damsel inside the shop with your whip or any other weapon.
• (Kissing Booths only) You pick up the damsel inside the shop and throw her outside the shop, or put her down and she runs out.
• (Kissing Booths only) The damsel is thrown out of the shop by a monkey.
• (Dice House only) You throw a dice outside the shop (even after betting).
• (Dice House only) You hit the shopkeeper with a dice while throwing it.
• (Dice House only) You throw the same dice twice in one bet.
• (Dice House only) You place a dice on the ground instead of throwing it.
• (Dice House only) You pick up a dice and run.

Long-term consequences of raiding a shopEdit

There are two separate things that the game keeps track of:

• Whether you've ever murdered a shopkeeper during this game^[2]

After you've killed a shopkeeper, all shopkeepers within shops will have aggro, for the rest of the game.

• What your "wanted level" is^[3] (akin to Grand Theft Auto and other games)

If you're wanted when a new game level is randomly generated, then an extra angry shopkeeper spawns near the exit of that level.

Your "wanted level" goes up by two or three points when you do something to that makes a shopkeeper shout at you (three points if you're already wanted, two points if you're not already wanted).^[4] Actions that make a shopkeeper shout at you include most of the items listed above, but does not include attacking them directly. This is not a bug - it prevents your wanted level rising due to killing shopkeepers waiting at the exit of a level.

Your "wanted level" decreases by one for each game level that you finish.

Methods of killing shopkeepers Edit

• Bombs, either sticky or unsticky, will instantly kill shopkeepers. More bomb-related strategy tips are below.
• Boulders will crush them. (Note that the frozen region may allow a shopkeeper to survive an offscreen collision with a boulder.)
• You can crush them with a pushable block.
• A single shotgun blast from point-blank will kill them.
• The Webcannon immobilizes them, allowing you to kill them by jumping repeatedly on them.
• You can accumulate bullets in the frozen region to hit them enough to kill at the edge of the screen, if you have a pistol or shotgun and a clear path to hit them without them being loaded by the game.
• Moving a dead Bomb frog into a shop is not considered a terrorist activity, and is a relatively safe method of bombing a shopkeeper. Be careful to avoid the explosion.
• Like anything else, shopkeepers will die instantly if they fall on spikes or lava.
• In area 3, any actively moving shopkeeper is likely to plummet to his doom.
• The teleporter is a risky way to instantly kill the shopkeeper. If successful, the shopkeeper and his shotgun will disappear, and your "wanted level" will be unchanged.
• A nearby smash trap in area 4 can be lured in to crush them.

Stealing without raising your wanted level Edit

This method is considered bug exploitation to some; others think it's a valid tactic.

• Acquire a skull, pot, or pistol. (Other methods of injuring the shopkeeper can work, but these methods insure that he drops his gun and is not instantly killed.)
• Move the shopkeeper's items out of the way, to the back of his shop (where the shopkeeper spawns). Be careful not to accidentally throw them at the shopkeeper.
• Shoot your projectile of choice at the shopkeeper, causing him to bounce into the air and drop his shotgun.
• Grab the shotgun and run like hell, ideally leaving the shopkeeper somewhere he can harmlessly rest in the frozen region.
• Don't shoot the shopkeeper unless your life depends on it.
• Return to the shop and collect the loot.

No official "crimes" have been committed against the shopkeeper in this scenario, so no further shopkeepers will be waiting at later exits. Once the shopkeeper abandons his shop, his items become public domain.

If the shopkeeper eventually dies, whether you are directly responsible or not, the death will trigger shopkeeper hatred for the remainder of your game. Alternately, you can push a movable block into their store, just far enough to trap and anger them, then grab the loot. The probability of this even being doable is incredibly low, but if it's possible, it's infallible-- unless you push it too far, in which case they'll shoot through the block and kill you!

Bomb Strategy Edit

Strategically placed Sticky Bombs can sometimes kill a shopkeeper chasing you. A thin shop floor might allow a sticky bomb to work effectively from beneath the shop. Sticky Bombs will not aggro the shopkeeper until they explode, whereas normal bombs will do 1 damage if they bounce into the shopkeeper before exploding; this might cause the shopkeeper to spring dangerously to action.

Throwing non-sticky bombs from just outside the shop a few moments before the bomb explodes is also an excellent way to raid a shop with just your basic equipment. If timed correctly, the explosion will occur roughly in the center of the shop, which the shop keeper will run into. To survive this attack though, it is critical to jump moments after throwing the bomb, to avoid the incoming shotgun blast. This method requires some practice, but is extremely reliable and safe.

A riskier but faster method to kill a non-hostile shopkeeper with only a bomb is to empty your hands, lure the shopkeeper to a place where you can jump on him, then jump and toss a bomb just before you land on top of him. Since jumping on a shopkeeper makes them drop their shotgun, this will give you a very brief window to grab it and blast the shopkeeper before they can recover. Just make sure to get away from the bomb blast, and it's usually wise to shoot the shopkeeper a few extra times just to make sure.

Non-sticky bombs can also be very useful tool for safely dealing with the shopkeepers that spawn in the end of levels. Sticky bombs may also be useful, as if you can hit them with one it will be permanently stuck to them, thus allowing you to run away, then the bomb will explode safely.

Another strategy to note is using the Bomb Arrow from the Bow to insta-kill the shopkeeper. If you stand outside of the shop, charge your bow to max, and fire a bomb arrow, the shopkeeper will be enraged that you have put a lit bomb into his shop, and will run towards you...and the bomb flying towards him. Before he even gets off his original tile, the bomb arrow will hit him, and will explode, killing him. This method is fairly safe, and the bomb arrow combo does not use a bomb in your inventory (possible bug?).

If you have a webcannon, you could, instead, fire a web just inside the entrance to the shop, throw a bomb into the web, and get to safe ground. (2 squares above or below the shopkeeper should do.) The web will trap the shoppy with the bomb. This method makes it less likely for the shoppy to become enraged if something goes wrong, but leaves you at greater risk from the bullets.

Other tips Edit

Hostile shopkeepers are either alert to your presence, or waiting for you to show up. When not alert, shopkeepers will inch back and forth with their shotgun ready. It seems that when you are closer to a non-alert shopkeeper, he will inch slowly in your direction. Nearby explosion of bombs, weapons fire, or close proximity to the player will cause them to become alert. If you can dispatch shopkeepers without making them alert, the danger in doing so is significantly less.

When alert, shopkeepers do not stop moving. They will jump as best they can to reach you and they will fire their shotguns when the player is an acceptable line-of-fire.

Hostile, alert shopkeepers seem very unpredictable which can make them a challenge to fight. Be aware of when they fire their shotgun. It operates the same as when you fire a shotgun, so there is a short delay before he can fire again. Use this to your advantage.

When a shopkeeper jumps, he will continue a predictable trajectory. Use this to estimate where he will land. This will allow you to escape more easily, or place a well-timed jump on his head.

Getting a lucky jump on them will disarm them for a moment, allowing you to grab their shotgun and finish them off.

Be careful when attempting to jump on shopkeepers' heads, as if you don't land directly on him, he will throw you. This often leads to the player being stunned and then subsequently shotgunned by the shopkeeper.

Shopkeepers stuck in webs cannot move or jump, but can still turn around to fire behind them: Don't think it's safe to approach them from behind!

Killing a shopkeeper before the Black Market will will prevent you from buying the Ankh, which is a critical item for reaching the City of Gold: but if you can survive the seven shopkeepers that appear in the level, you can get an enormous stock of items that may be worth the risk.

There's a relatively easy way to rob a store on Area 2, and even steal the shopkeeper's shotgun, without angering the shopkeeper or raising your wanted level. Stun a Man-eating Plant, take it up and bring it in the shop. There, drop it on the ground facing the shopkeeper, and get out of the shop. Wait for the shopkeeper to get eaten, he will drop his shotgun. Quickly reap all the loot and get out of the shop. The shopkeeper will still run after you if you stay close, but not get angry. He possibly just want to take his shotgun back. The plant needs to have at least 2HP for this to work, or it dies while swallowing the shopkeeper. On the next level, no shopkeeper will be angry at you. Be careful not to hit the shopkeeper with the stunned Man-eating Plant though, which would of course anger him.

The Man-eating Plant trick has an odd consequence in the Black Market; when the plant first swallows the shopkeeper, *all* of the for-sale items that are not in the Frozen Area will lose their "for-sale" state - they will no longer have dollar signs over them, and you may pick them up without the remaining shopkeepers demanding money or reacting at all. Note that if any of the for-sale items are in the Frozen Area, they will remain "for-sale". The non-frozen area around the screen is just large enough to cover every shop in the Black Market, so if you can stand in the middle of the level when a plant eats a shopkeeper, you could loot the entire Market and get away scot free, so long as you keep the swallowed shopkeeper away from his shotgun.

Footnotes Edit

1. ↑ source code, object 'oShopkeeper', object constructor
2. ↑ global.murderer
3. ↑ global.thiefLevel
4. ↑ scrShopkeeperAnger()