Reading Senarios... Help this GM [Archive] - Wizards Community

Reading Senarios... Help this GM [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Adam500
10-17-05, 01:07 AM Okay, Ive read through the Campaign standards and am confused on one point.

After a given encounter it it lists loot for the various APLs. I want to make sure I understand how this should be read.

Lets take this as an example:
APL 2: Loot 171gp; Coin: 0gp; Magic: +1 vest of resistance (insert item info here), wand of grease (insert item info here)

What exactly do the PCs get from that?
kenobi65
10-17-05, 01:26 AM What it means is this: if the party defeats those bad guys, then they "get" those items (the gold from the loot, the vest, the wand). However, they don't *actually* get the vest or the wand. (Well, not precisely; I've seen some GMs let the PCs use the items for the remainder of the module.)

But, ultimately, what each PC gets, at the end of the adventure, is his or her share of the GP value of the vest and wand (from selling those items, on an abstract basis). APL2 adventures are usually "capped" at 450gp in treasure per party member. At the end of the adventure, you (the DM) need to add up the total value of all the treasure the party accumulated during the module (gold, loot, magic items), and divide it by the number of PCs. If the total is more than the "cap" number for the APL (e.g., 450gp for APL2), then the excess is lost.

On the Adventure Record for the module, at the bottom, there's a box entitled "Items Found During the Adventure / Cross off all items NOT found". The vest and the wand should be listed under APL2, since they were encountered in the module at that APL. If the party found those items, you don't cross them off before handing out the ARs. Thus, since the PCs have "seen" those items, they now have the option of buying them, at their normal GP value (that price is sometimes listed on the AR, but sometimes you have to look it up in the DMG or other book).

So, in your example, if the PCs "find" the vest and wand, each of them would actually have the opportunity to then, once they receive the ARs at the end of the module, purchase a Vest of Resistance, and / or a Wand of Grease, if they have sufficient GPs. (The ARs will always list what kind of "access" is granted for those items; "adventure" access means that the PC can only buy that item within the next three adventures before losing the ability to buy it.) In theory, each PC is allowed to "purchase" the same item, even if only one was found in the adventure. So, it'd be possible for all 6 PCs at your table to all spend 1000gp to buy the Vest of Resistance that the party "found" in that adventure.

Hope this makes it a bit clearer. The AR system is a bit of an abstraction in how to handle splitting up treasure, compared to how you'd do it in a home game, but ultimately it makes sure that every PC gets a similar level of wealth.
Adam500
10-17-05, 04:25 PM thank you.
TimRat
10-18-05, 01:50 PM you most certainly are allowed to use the items that you find in the encounters. if its a tangible item like a cloak of resistance and your PC does not have one then throw it on and you can use that for the rest of the adventure. but at the end when the adventure is done you must BUY it on the AR to keep it.

now for potions and scrolls if you use those items in the adventure then those items go poof and the DM is to take off the gold that you would have earned from those items on the AR. so say you have a cure light wounds potions which would be like 3 gp. the party uses that in the adventure the DM and the total gp from teh adventure was 450 gp your party would earn 447.
kenobi65
10-18-05, 02:18 PM so say you have a cure light wounds potions which would be like 3 gp. the party uses that in the adventure the DM and the total gp from teh adventure was 450 gp your party would earn 447.

I'm assuming you mean "3gp per PC" and "447gp per PC." :)

A Cure Light Wounds potion is worth 50gp, so using up a found one during the module would reduce the "total loot" by that amount (and, if you've got a full table of 6 PCs, Tim's example would lower the GP take per PC by 8gp each...)
Namarus
10-18-05, 05:46 PM Of course if youw wizard in the group came across the scroll in the adventure, he could add it to his spellbook during the adventure :D
RLWilde
10-18-05, 07:07 PM Of course if youw wizard in the group came across the scroll in the adventure, he could add it to his spellbook during the adventure :D

If the wizard can sit out a day during the course of the adventure...

(from the SRD, http://www.wizards.com/d20/files/v35/MagicOverview.rtf)
A wizard can also add a spell to her book whenever she encounters one on a magic scroll or in another wizard’s spellbook. No matter what the spell’s source, the wizard must first decipher the magical writing (see Arcane Magical Writings, above). Next, she must spend a day studying the spell. At the end of the day, she must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell’s level).
Lagrange, Baron de Banville
10-19-05, 05:52 AM I'm assuming you mean "3gp per PC" and "447gp per PC." :)

A Cure Light Wounds potion is worth 50gp, so using up a found one during the module would reduce the "total loot" by that amount (and, if you've got a full table of 6 PCs, Tim's example would lower the GP take per PC by 8gp each...)

Sorry to say, but your're wrong. Treasure is always divided by six, regardless if there 4, 5 or 6 players. And if it is normal loot or a magical item, it's "sold" for half price. So a potion of cure light wounds, market price 50 gp, is worth only 25 gp for the party as a whole and total loot per player is reduced by 4 gp on the AR.
But sometimes there is even more money in an adventure, so using a potion that is found and used during play, might have no consequences on the treasure received, but may be consequences on the survival of the party...

'till we meet in the Adri
Frank Roters
Triad Innspa/Adri Region
kenobi65
10-19-05, 10:37 AM Thanks for the clarification.
Oaklock
10-19-05, 11:06 PM [QUOTE=Lagrange, Baron de Banville]Sorry to say, but your're wrong. Treasure is always divided by six, regardless if there 4, 5 or 6 players.
Oaklock
10-19-05, 11:11 PM [QUOTE=Lagrange, Baron de Banville]Sorry to say, but your're wrong. Treasure is always divided by six, regardless if there 4, 5 or 6 players.

Where does it say this in LGCS 4.2. I don't remeber seeing that anywhere.
kenobi65
10-19-05, 11:26 PM [Where does it say this in LGCS 4.2. I don't remeber seeing that anywhere.

I don't think it's in LGCS, but it's in the modules themselves. In the one I'm looking at, it specifically says that the per-PC take on "looted gear from enemies" and "magic items recovered" is PHB / DMG price, divided by 12 -- which would be the 50% reduction for selling an item, then divided by 6 (so, the formula automatically assumes a full table of 6 PCs, and doesn't give you any "extra" for playing at less than a full table).
Lagrange, Baron de Banville
10-20-05, 07:10 AM Where does it say this in LGCS 4.2. I don't remeber seeing that anywhere.

If there ever will be some updated writer's guidelines, it will be in there, I'm sure. The formula is something campaign administrators and -most- authors know...

'till we meet in the Adri
Frank Roters
Triad Innspa/Adri-Region
Oaklock
10-20-05, 10:43 PM Thanks,

I have only DM'ed one Living Greyhawk introductory module.

Fred
Adam500
10-23-05, 06:18 PM It didn't say anything about allways dividing by 6 in the adventures I have run (parts 1&2 of the BoBS plot)... can I get any idea where I can find this rule?
pedr
10-23-05, 06:46 PM It doesn't have to, and it's not really a 'rule'... because the gps a PC earns are based on the listings of treasure found in each encounter summarised at the end of each module. The price next to each item is divided by 12 and the amount of coin is the actual amount of coin found in that encounter divided by 6.

If you use those figures you don't have to worry about any dividing at all - just add up the figures listed for what the party found and give each PC that much.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Adam500 10-17-05, 01:07 AM	Okay, Ive read through the Campaign standards and am confused on one point. After a given encounter it it lists loot for the various APLs. I want to make sure I understand how this should be read. Lets take this as an example: APL 2: Loot 171gp; Coin: 0gp; Magic: +1 vest of resistance (insert item info here), wand of grease (insert item info here) What exactly do the PCs get from that?
kenobi65 10-17-05, 01:26 AM	What it means is this: if the party defeats those bad guys, then they "get" those items (the gold from the loot, the vest, the wand). However, they don't actually get the vest or the wand. (Well, not precisely; I've seen some GMs let the PCs use the items for the remainder of the module.) But, ultimately, what each PC gets, at the end of the adventure, is his or her share of the GP value of the vest and wand (from selling those items, on an abstract basis). APL2 adventures are usually "capped" at 450gp in treasure per party member. At the end of the adventure, you (the DM) need to add up the total value of all the treasure the party accumulated during the module (gold, loot, magic items), and divide it by the number of PCs. If the total is more than the "cap" number for the APL (e.g., 450gp for APL2), then the excess is lost. On the Adventure Record for the module, at the bottom, there's a box entitled "Items Found During the Adventure / Cross off all items NOT found". The vest and the wand should be listed under APL2, since they were encountered in the module at that APL. If the party found those items, you don't cross them off before handing out the ARs. Thus, since the PCs have "seen" those items, they now have the option of buying them, at their normal GP value (that price is sometimes listed on the AR, but sometimes you have to look it up in the DMG or other book). So, in your example, if the PCs "find" the vest and wand, each of them would actually have the opportunity to then, once they receive the ARs at the end of the module, purchase a Vest of Resistance, and / or a Wand of Grease, if they have sufficient GPs. (The ARs will always list what kind of "access" is granted for those items; "adventure" access means that the PC can only buy that item within the next three adventures before losing the ability to buy it.) In theory, each PC is allowed to "purchase" the same item, even if only one was found in the adventure. So, it'd be possible for all 6 PCs at your table to all spend 1000gp to buy the Vest of Resistance that the party "found" in that adventure. Hope this makes it a bit clearer. The AR system is a bit of an abstraction in how to handle splitting up treasure, compared to how you'd do it in a home game, but ultimately it makes sure that every PC gets a similar level of wealth.
Adam500 10-17-05, 04:25 PM	thank you.
TimRat 10-18-05, 01:50 PM	you most certainly are allowed to use the items that you find in the encounters. if its a tangible item like a cloak of resistance and your PC does not have one then throw it on and you can use that for the rest of the adventure. but at the end when the adventure is done you must BUY it on the AR to keep it. now for potions and scrolls if you use those items in the adventure then those items go poof and the DM is to take off the gold that you would have earned from those items on the AR. so say you have a cure light wounds potions which would be like 3 gp. the party uses that in the adventure the DM and the total gp from teh adventure was 450 gp your party would earn 447.
kenobi65 10-18-05, 02:18 PM	so say you have a cure light wounds potions which would be like 3 gp. the party uses that in the adventure the DM and the total gp from teh adventure was 450 gp your party would earn 447. I'm assuming you mean "3gp per PC" and "447gp per PC." :) A Cure Light Wounds potion is worth 50gp, so using up a found one during the module would reduce the "total loot" by that amount (and, if you've got a full table of 6 PCs, Tim's example would lower the GP take per PC by 8gp each...)
Namarus 10-18-05, 05:46 PM	Of course if youw wizard in the group came across the scroll in the adventure, he could add it to his spellbook during the adventure :D
RLWilde 10-18-05, 07:07 PM	Of course if youw wizard in the group came across the scroll in the adventure, he could add it to his spellbook during the adventure :D If the wizard can sit out a day during the course of the adventure... (from the SRD, http://www.wizards.com/d20/files/v35/MagicOverview.rtf) A wizard can also add a spell to her book whenever she encounters one on a magic scroll or in another wizard’s spellbook. No matter what the spell’s source, the wizard must first decipher the magical writing (see Arcane Magical Writings, above). Next, she must spend a day studying the spell. At the end of the day, she must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell’s level).
Lagrange, Baron de Banville 10-19-05, 05:52 AM	I'm assuming you mean "3gp per PC" and "447gp per PC." :) A Cure Light Wounds potion is worth 50gp, so using up a found one during the module would reduce the "total loot" by that amount (and, if you've got a full table of 6 PCs, Tim's example would lower the GP take per PC by 8gp each...) Sorry to say, but your're wrong. Treasure is always divided by six, regardless if there 4, 5 or 6 players. And if it is normal loot or a magical item, it's "sold" for half price. So a potion of cure light wounds, market price 50 gp, is worth only 25 gp for the party as a whole and total loot per player is reduced by 4 gp on the AR. But sometimes there is even more money in an adventure, so using a potion that is found and used during play, might have no consequences on the treasure received, but may be consequences on the survival of the party... 'till we meet in the Adri Frank Roters Triad Innspa/Adri Region
kenobi65 10-19-05, 10:37 AM	Thanks for the clarification.
Oaklock 10-19-05, 11:06 PM	[QUOTE=Lagrange, Baron de Banville]Sorry to say, but your're wrong. Treasure is always divided by six, regardless if there 4, 5 or 6 players.
Oaklock 10-19-05, 11:11 PM	[QUOTE=Lagrange, Baron de Banville]Sorry to say, but your're wrong. Treasure is always divided by six, regardless if there 4, 5 or 6 players. Where does it say this in LGCS 4.2. I don't remeber seeing that anywhere.
kenobi65 10-19-05, 11:26 PM	[Where does it say this in LGCS 4.2. I don't remeber seeing that anywhere. I don't think it's in LGCS, but it's in the modules themselves. In the one I'm looking at, it specifically says that the per-PC take on "looted gear from enemies" and "magic items recovered" is PHB / DMG price, divided by 12 -- which would be the 50% reduction for selling an item, then divided by 6 (so, the formula automatically assumes a full table of 6 PCs, and doesn't give you any "extra" for playing at less than a full table).
Lagrange, Baron de Banville 10-20-05, 07:10 AM	Where does it say this in LGCS 4.2. I don't remeber seeing that anywhere. If there ever will be some updated writer's guidelines, it will be in there, I'm sure. The formula is something campaign administrators and -most- authors know... 'till we meet in the Adri Frank Roters Triad Innspa/Adri-Region
Oaklock 10-20-05, 10:43 PM	Thanks, I have only DM'ed one Living Greyhawk introductory module. Fred
Adam500 10-23-05, 06:18 PM	It didn't say anything about allways dividing by 6 in the adventures I have run (parts 1&2 of the BoBS plot)... can I get any idea where I can find this rule?
pedr 10-23-05, 06:46 PM	It doesn't have to, and it's not really a 'rule'... because the gps a PC earns are based on the listings of treasure found in each encounter summarised at the end of each module. The price next to each item is divided by 12 and the amount of coin is the actual amount of coin found in that encounter divided by 6. If you use those figures you don't have to worry about any dividing at all - just add up the figures listed for what the party found and give each PC that much.