"Other" treasures - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

"Other" treasures

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
JoeVelociraptor
Apr 13, 2011 15:11:13 I was recently reading an article on Cracked about books that had been lost to history, and it got me thinking about treasures that have no quantifiable game benefit (GP value, magic item property, etc). What are your thoughts on including the sort of "treasures" that an archeologist might really enjoy? What about a lost book? The toy of a child from a forgotten civilization?

Obviously certain characters, like a cleric of Ioun, or a rogue collector, will be more obvious targets for such treasures. But what about throwing a book about a forgotten early dwarven brewing technique at your dwarven fighter?

I once ran an entire campaign based on a choice my players made to take some old dwarven armor (completely non-magical, initially thrown in just for flavor text) that they had "liberated" from a dragon's lair and deliver it to the surviving descendants of that dwarven clan. It resulted in all sorts of political fun, offers of honorary "dwarfship" (the party was all non-dwarven characters), a teary presentation to the great grandson of the dwarf who had owned the armor, and a whole slew of plot hooks that kept us going for years.

Have any of you had successes (or failures) using similar "treasure" that doesn't have a particularly quantified in-system value?

Oh, and FYI, the article I was reading is here: www.cracked.com/article/18368_7-books-we...
#2
Kereminde
Apr 13, 2011 18:24:58 I constantly utilize "Art Objects" as treasure and give roughly 75% of them as unique treasures which I come up with a short background for.

- The sword of a fire giant king they killed, too large to wield and unremarkable in the hands of someone other than the giants.
- A coat of arms made of gold and gem chips which hung on the wall of a secret room.
- Ancient scrolls in an old healer's house which detailed ancient healing rituals which were these days known to be less effective than current methods.
- Several ancient stone slabs which had been created as "keys" to wards around ruins.
- Books. Lots and lots of books.

And the books? They're how I introduce backstory into the campaign. As I posted in another topic, I made every Character Power into a 3x5 index card. And after that I realized items granted powers too and there would be a need to track those . . . so I made the items into cards. After that it became another small step: "Hey, why not make these unique art objects have cards?"

The players took it a step further . . . they have the stronghold they govern, and have hung or displayed nearly EVERY item they found this way as a trophy of their adventures.

But about the books. They've found ritual books of course, but also history books which contain passages I fit onto the cards which explain a bit of the overarching mythology of this world. Not to mention it's slowly dripping clues into what is going on to them. Nothing more satisfying than for them to ask who's got the books organized and try to cross-reference information they just got for a grasp on things.

This isn't even the BEST incarnation I could think of for the use of books and unusual treasures to drive the plot. "Du Svardenwyrd" anyone?
#3
yellowdingo
Apr 20, 2011 5:22:17
I was recently reading an article on Cracked about books that had been lost to history, and it got me thinking about treasures that have no quantifiable game benefit (GP value, magic item property, etc). What are your thoughts on including the sort of "treasures" that an archeologist might really enjoy? What about a lost book? The toy of a child from a forgotten civilization?

Obviously certain characters, like a cleric of Ioun, or a rogue collector, will be more obvious targets for such treasures. But what about throwing a book about a forgotten early dwarven brewing technique at your dwarven fighter?

I once ran an entire campaign based on a choice my players made to take some old dwarven armor (completely non-magical, initially thrown in just for flavor text) that they had "liberated" from a dragon's lair and deliver it to the surviving descendants of that dwarven clan. It resulted in all sorts of political fun, offers of honorary "dwarfship" (the party was all non-dwarven characters), a teary presentation to the great grandson of the dwarf who had owned the armor, and a whole slew of plot hooks that kept us going for years.

Have any of you had successes (or failures) using similar "treasure" that doesn't have a particularly quantified in-system value?

Oh, and FYI, the article I was reading is here: www.cracked.com/article/18368_7-books-we...

About fifteen years ago i created a collection of Treasures for my D&D campaign - including rare books - but its long gone.

If you are looking for an Idea, think about the Dictionary. If you realize that the Dictionary is a List of Numbers (twenty six base) allocated to what we percieve as meaning, then there are words in the dictionary that dont have meaning...missing words.

If we apply that logic to how magic functions consider all the symbols in a spell a number that has energy tied to it, then [dhdiiueu=fireball] there are some number sets that are not allocated...so consider this forgotten tome:

CODEXARCANUM
Somewhere out there are a thousand bone tiles each with a different 'number' scribed on them that is a Spell symbol that no one has ever heard of (at least in the last million years). Spells are combinations of little number spells that when cast simultaneously create the larger spell effect. A Wizard capable of realizing that the Magic Symbols are numbers of a set might suddenly realize that Magic can be blended into something awesome. Small Spells might become part of Larger more powerful spells when cast simultaneously.
#4
mgbeach
Apr 20, 2011 20:03:25

CODEXARCANUM
Somewhere out there are a thousand bone tiles each with a different 'number' scribed on them that is a Spell symbol that no one has ever heard of (at least in the last million years). Spells are combinations of little number spells that when cast simultaneously create the larger spell effect. A Wizard capable of realizing that the Magic Symbols are numbers of a set might suddenly realize that Magic can be blended into something awesome. Small Spells might become part of Larger more powerful spells when cast simultaneously.

So, a book of "meta-spells" that details how spells themeselves can be used as components of larger, more epic spells? That's a pretty cool idea.

#5
TregMallin
Apr 21, 2011 6:56:50 Imagine your team fights its way to what had been the Great Depository only to enter and discover that what had been deposited was not gold nor war materiel... it was meeting minutes from the earliest days of the cult of Erathis.

Something that only an Erathian monk could love.

Or...

Maybe it is a cache of weapons... from the Stone Age.
#6
night_falcon_02
Apr 21, 2011 10:36:53

CODEXARCANUM
Somewhere out there are a thousand bone tiles each with a different 'number' scribed on them that is a Spell symbol that no one has ever heard of (at least in the last million years). Spells are combinations of little number spells that when cast simultaneously create the larger spell effect. A Wizard capable of realizing that the Magic Symbols are numbers of a set might suddenly realize that Magic can be blended into something awesome. Small Spells might become part of Larger more powerful spells when cast simultaneously.

So, a book of "meta-spells" that details how spells themeselves can be used as components of larger, more epic spells? That's a pretty cool idea.

Agreed, this is a crazy cool idea. Very interesting and likely to be stolen for use in my own campaign.

I drops lots of strange forms of loot from mundane art work, gems, or siply over ornate functionless weapons. I also like to drop other more interesting things in with it such as old books to help with the backstory and history, nonmagical artifacts that are important in more intrinsic values. I"ve also started giving away Legacy Items/Weapons for them to use.
#7
noblesix
Apr 21, 2011 14:52:22 I love these types of items, largely because I love good stories. Unfortuntely, not all characters (and not all players) can appreciate what you're trying to do. If it doesn't give a bonus to something, no munchkin will touch it (and possibly burn it out of spite).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 JoeVelociraptor Apr 13, 2011 15:11:13	I was recently reading an article on Cracked about books that had been lost to history, and it got me thinking about treasures that have no quantifiable game benefit (GP value, magic item property, etc). What are your thoughts on including the sort of "treasures" that an archeologist might really enjoy? What about a lost book? The toy of a child from a forgotten civilization? Obviously certain characters, like a cleric of Ioun, or a rogue collector, will be more obvious targets for such treasures. But what about throwing a book about a forgotten early dwarven brewing technique at your dwarven fighter? I once ran an entire campaign based on a choice my players made to take some old dwarven armor (completely non-magical, initially thrown in just for flavor text) that they had "liberated" from a dragon's lair and deliver it to the surviving descendants of that dwarven clan. It resulted in all sorts of political fun, offers of honorary "dwarfship" (the party was all non-dwarven characters), a teary presentation to the great grandson of the dwarf who had owned the armor, and a whole slew of plot hooks that kept us going for years. Have any of you had successes (or failures) using similar "treasure" that doesn't have a particularly quantified in-system value? Oh, and FYI, the article I was reading is here: www.cracked.com/article/18368_7-books-we...
#2 Kereminde Apr 13, 2011 18:24:58	I constantly utilize "Art Objects" as treasure and give roughly 75% of them as unique treasures which I come up with a short background for. - The sword of a fire giant king they killed, too large to wield and unremarkable in the hands of someone other than the giants. - A coat of arms made of gold and gem chips which hung on the wall of a secret room. - Ancient scrolls in an old healer's house which detailed ancient healing rituals which were these days known to be less effective than current methods. - Several ancient stone slabs which had been created as "keys" to wards around ruins. - Books. Lots and lots of books. And the books? They're how I introduce backstory into the campaign. As I posted in another topic, I made every Character Power into a 3x5 index card. And after that I realized items granted powers too and there would be a need to track those . . . so I made the items into cards. After that it became another small step: "Hey, why not make these unique art objects have cards?" The players took it a step further . . . they have the stronghold they govern, and have hung or displayed nearly EVERY item they found this way as a trophy of their adventures. But about the books. They've found ritual books of course, but also history books which contain passages I fit onto the cards which explain a bit of the overarching mythology of this world. Not to mention it's slowly dripping clues into what is going on to them. Nothing more satisfying than for them to ask who's got the books organized and try to cross-reference information they just got for a grasp on things. This isn't even the BEST incarnation I could think of for the use of books and unusual treasures to drive the plot. "Du Svardenwyrd" anyone?
#3 yellowdingo Apr 20, 2011 5:22:17	I was recently reading an article on Cracked about books that had been lost to history, and it got me thinking about treasures that have no quantifiable game benefit (GP value, magic item property, etc). What are your thoughts on including the sort of "treasures" that an archeologist might really enjoy? What about a lost book? The toy of a child from a forgotten civilization? Obviously certain characters, like a cleric of Ioun, or a rogue collector, will be more obvious targets for such treasures. But what about throwing a book about a forgotten early dwarven brewing technique at your dwarven fighter? I once ran an entire campaign based on a choice my players made to take some old dwarven armor (completely non-magical, initially thrown in just for flavor text) that they had "liberated" from a dragon's lair and deliver it to the surviving descendants of that dwarven clan. It resulted in all sorts of political fun, offers of honorary "dwarfship" (the party was all non-dwarven characters), a teary presentation to the great grandson of the dwarf who had owned the armor, and a whole slew of plot hooks that kept us going for years. Have any of you had successes (or failures) using similar "treasure" that doesn't have a particularly quantified in-system value? Oh, and FYI, the article I was reading is here: www.cracked.com/article/18368_7-books-we... About fifteen years ago i created a collection of Treasures for my D&D campaign - including rare books - but its long gone. If you are looking for an Idea, think about the Dictionary. If you realize that the Dictionary is a List of Numbers (twenty six base) allocated to what we percieve as meaning, then there are words in the dictionary that dont have meaning...missing words. If we apply that logic to how magic functions consider all the symbols in a spell a number that has energy tied to it, then [dhdiiueu=fireball] there are some number sets that are not allocated...so consider this forgotten tome: CODEXARCANUM Somewhere out there are a thousand bone tiles each with a different 'number' scribed on them that is a Spell symbol that no one has ever heard of (at least in the last million years). Spells are combinations of little number spells that when cast simultaneously create the larger spell effect. A Wizard capable of realizing that the Magic Symbols are numbers of a set might suddenly realize that Magic can be blended into something awesome. Small Spells might become part of Larger more powerful spells when cast simultaneously.
#4 mgbeach Apr 20, 2011 20:03:25	CODEXARCANUM Somewhere out there are a thousand bone tiles each with a different 'number' scribed on them that is a Spell symbol that no one has ever heard of (at least in the last million years). Spells are combinations of little number spells that when cast simultaneously create the larger spell effect. A Wizard capable of realizing that the Magic Symbols are numbers of a set might suddenly realize that Magic can be blended into something awesome. Small Spells might become part of Larger more powerful spells when cast simultaneously. So, a book of "meta-spells" that details how spells themeselves can be used as components of larger, more epic spells? That's a pretty cool idea.
#5 TregMallin Apr 21, 2011 6:56:50	Imagine your team fights its way to what had been the Great Depository only to enter and discover that what had been deposited was not gold nor war materiel... it was meeting minutes from the earliest days of the cult of Erathis. Something that only an Erathian monk could love. Or... Maybe it is a cache of weapons... from the Stone Age.
#6 night_falcon_02 Apr 21, 2011 10:36:53	CODEXARCANUM Somewhere out there are a thousand bone tiles each with a different 'number' scribed on them that is a Spell symbol that no one has ever heard of (at least in the last million years). Spells are combinations of little number spells that when cast simultaneously create the larger spell effect. A Wizard capable of realizing that the Magic Symbols are numbers of a set might suddenly realize that Magic can be blended into something awesome. Small Spells might become part of Larger more powerful spells when cast simultaneously. So, a book of "meta-spells" that details how spells themeselves can be used as components of larger, more epic spells? That's a pretty cool idea. Agreed, this is a crazy cool idea. Very interesting and likely to be stolen for use in my own campaign. I drops lots of strange forms of loot from mundane art work, gems, or siply over ornate functionless weapons. I also like to drop other more interesting things in with it such as old books to help with the backstory and history, nonmagical artifacts that are important in more intrinsic values. I"ve also started giving away Legacy Items/Weapons for them to use.
#7 noblesix Apr 21, 2011 14:52:22	I love these types of items, largely because I love good stories. Unfortuntely, not all characters (and not all players) can appreciate what you're trying to do. If it doesn't give a bonus to something, no munchkin will touch it (and possibly burn it out of spite).