Generally I find I do need to add treasure here and there, for various reaction reasons.
A way to work around adding any treasure is to simply skim from treasure that is in an expedition or module. Take a few gold from the treasure pile, keep it on the side for when you need to add some somewhere else. Especially good if there was treasure that the players missed in an expedition, then you can take all of it for this purpose!
What are some of the reasons why treasure 'needs to be added here or there?'
I presume the OP is referring to "treasure delves" wherein the party is searching every room of an area expecting to find something. WIth this method, there can always be something to find.
However, this is more a handicap than a boon, since it encourages the players to dilly-dally in the mod. We already have limited time slots (in most cases) so getting through the module as quickly as possible is preferrable to finding every copper piece available.
Another use for this is if the players decide to try to negotiate for a higher payment.
I would simply roll for a random trinket off the trinket table, that or come up with a custom trinket of my own design. Once I have rolled for a trinket, I would try and find a way to insert it into the adventure in a way that makes sense.
That, or add a handful of minor mundane items to the encounter (nothing over 5gp, and no weapons). Examples might include a quiver with 4 arrows, a mug/tankard, a few candles, etc.
Undrhil wrote:
I don't award actual treasure in circumstances that I feel some sort of reward is appropriate. Instead the players will gain a service - a night at the inn, a nice meal, choice information, a local guide who can cut time off their trip, etc. We live in an era where we pay for everything with fungible wealth. Truth is that barter for services would be a far more common method of payment in a pastoral society.
Primarchx wrote:
Pauper wrote:
Pauper wrote:
My response is more akin to TheBreen's than to define the entire economy of a society. Barter for services is a common event and would likely be the main way a non-monied person could show appreciation without coin.
The point being that in AL games I'll substitute a (mainly RP) service instead of being tempted to toss in coin or tangible (gameplay-effecting) goods when I feel an unscripted reward has been earned.
Individual instances of bartering can occur when there isn't enough trust between the parties to allow them to engage in the more traditional debt/obligation economy. That doesn't indicate a 'barter economy' any more than the ability to have a one-night stand in a festhall means that the default social attitude in the Realms is polyamory and open marriages. (Though after reading some of Ed Greenwood's more adventurous fare, you'd be excused for thinking that anyway.)
Then again, given that I've read people actively debating the 'realism' of various MMO 'economies', this wouldn't be anywhere near the most egregious mis-use of the word I've encountered.
(Edit: with that said, a DM is fairly constrained in awarding anything that might have some 'treasure' value, such as a discount on goods or services, that isn't already noted in an adventure, and in my interpretation this would include 'recycling' awards that players didn't earn in previous adventures. Inflating the wealth in the Organized Play campaign by DM fiat is a no-no.)
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Pauper
There's only one OP-compatible answer and it's to take the treasure out from somewhere else down the road of the adventure or from treasure the party missed during the adventure. Anything as long as the max. possible amount of gold in the adventure is not increased.
I've had games where a merchants wares are being looted by rioting commoners. The merchant calls out for help
One PC says 'what will you pay me for it?'
Mechants have money, obviously. But not allowed to add treasure.
Kalani wrote:
Except that trinkets have no value - or were you referring to the minor mundane items. In respect to the latter, I allow them to use the mundane items they find for the duration of the session (much like looted weapons/armor from enemies). As such, I prefer to reward them primarily with trinkets, as they have no value other than being curiosities.
I actually use a lot of trinkets however - partially because my party is morbid and likes to take trophies from their fallen foes..... An example of the kinds of trinkets I have seen captured (including a few I collect myself)
Spoilers: Some of these entries mention creatures found in Encounters/Expeditions.
- Pegleg from a minotaur
- Claw of a white dragon
- Broken sword blade from an animated sword
- A bunch of rusted and broken locks (my character collects any lock they stumble across).
- Ears, teeth, and other grizzly trophies.
- A dented pauldron from a helmed horror
- A stone fang from a gargoyle
- The skull of a skeleton
- etc
Kalani wrote:
Noon wrote:
Ive got quite a few new players who ask me a lot after battles (Im currently running part 3 of Lost Mine. Its the very open , exploration part of Lost Mine)
Now Ive had a few random encounters where people have looked for loot after the game. Im constantly saying ... 'The Hobgoblins armor and weapons look substandard, you dont think they are worth anything.. nor do they appear to be carrying any money). This has been 'bred' into gamers.. naturally they.. we do look for loot after a battle. We know however that Monster equipment is not worth anything for resale unless it says otherwise.
I think its frustrating a few of them , but they are slowly but surely finding loot and coin here and there.
Oh yeah, and looting. Would like to keep a few silver aside for that.
imaginaryfriend wrote:
it had been a while since i read the initial post so I reacted to perceived sarcasm. Dry.
In which case I woulp propose zero sum treasure and costs manipulation as an alternate or additional solution..Last night, my party found themselves in an armory. The contents of that armory were clearly defined yet nothing was listed as treasure.
I allowed them to take arrows and armor from the armory and use them for the duration of the session (after which they were broken or damaged). I also allowed them to take some unusual shields and swords from the armory/fallen bodies.
At the end of the session said shields/swords were unusable (as weapons/armor) but could be taken as trinkets and for the purpose of evidence. They had no intrinsic value but would have RP value for social encounters.
In reality... its just not that big of a deal. There is so little to spend gold on that is a mechanical benefit.... getting some 'extra' gold just doesn't matter. If they got a 'free' shield thats a whopping 10gp.
Many adventures have some gold that won't get found anyway....
The flip side, is that the relative unimportance of gold means I can not worry about finding every last hidden gp.
We haven't gotten very far in PotA, but there was a treasure entry which caught my attention and I think should become a standard for how treasure is assigned:
Coins in the cave total 99 cp, 74 sp, and 13 gp, divided among several coin purses. The bandits also accumulated other plunder worth 100 gp, including numerous weapons.