Where do I find the Treasure Charts? (aka Loot the bodies!)

[Buzzaro]

We are confused. Where are the treasure charts?
What I am looking for is the typical treasure chart and loot types. We have looked all over in all the books we have (granted we don’t have EVERY book but most of them) WE can not find anything to guide us.
i.e. What are the chances that a group of 8 Broo in having at had full of copper or a few silver in his belt pouch or even a special weapon or item like a rune?

Is it the DM choice? If the DM feel like a trollkin can have a +50% long sword he can?

Let me know what you all do when making an encounter and flushing out the items their caring.

You know as well as I do, the best part is when its time to LOOT THE BODIES!

 

[Magistus]

The tip is anything a Broo has you burn it. They are filthy creatures, and bearers of disease. :lol:

 

[weasel_fierce]

Whatever seems reasonable. Most people dont carry a lot of money around, unless they are wandering (and people who are wandering tend not to have that much to begin with)

In a reasonable setting, the biggest treasures will be weapons, armour, some simple jewelry and magic runes.

The D&D assumption that there are thousands of gold coins lying around, waiting to be looted would result in a horrible case of inflation, as all that money is put into circulation.

 

[ninthcouncil]

If the DM feel like a trollkin can have a +50% long sword he can?

There is an old-school Runequest NPC called Nosebiter's Feet, who is a trollkin with a very nice axe. However, the axe (Nosebiter) is sentient, controls the trollkin as his means of getting about, and would be very unhappy at being described as treasure. Looting Nosebiter would be a good way of becoming an NPC!

 

[Banned Beetle]

Is it the DM choice? If the DM feel like a trollkin can have a +50% long sword he can?

The GM's choice. Though a +50% long sword sounds extremely AD&D-like, and the trollking would have severe problems wielding it (must have stolen it somewhere).

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There is an old-school Runequest NPC called Nosebiter's Feet, who is a trollkin with a very nice axe. However, the axe (Nosebiter) is sentient, controls the trollkin as his means of getting about, and would be very unhappy at being described as treasure. Looting Nosebiter would be a good way of becoming an NPC!

My friend's blackelf ended up that way. :wink:

Trif.

 

[soltakss]

RQ2 had some nice treasure rules that, with a bit of tweaking, could be used to quickly roll up a bunch of treasure, if needed, with the chance of some magical or special items. Basically, you totted up the main stats of the NPC band, this gave you a figure then you rolled on a series of tables to work out how much money/crystals/matrices they had. Plunder had a table for quick rolling of treasure as well.

RQ3 pretty much abandoned the idea and brought in Danger Classes that gave treasure based on five classes. It didn't work half as well as the RQ2 way and I never used it.

Presumably both methods are now out of favour and the GM should decide on the wealth level of the campaign and then assign items/wealth to NPCs. It's easier using Treasure Factors and tables, though.

 

[weasel_fierce]

The main problem with tables, I think, is that you get a lot of situations where the result is either too predictable (another 2D6 silver, great), completely random (frostblade of doom AND 2D6x1000 silver, great!), or end up being changed or ignored by the GM half the way (uh.. how about a nice dagger and 2D6 rabid wombats in your pants ?)


The real issue though is that such tables are usually based on "danger". Basically, following the D&D / computer game model of more danger equals more loot. However, thats not nescesarily the case. A merchant is not likely to be a combat monster, but is very wealthy. A rabid bear-beast is quite a threat, but has no reason to hoard anything.

 

[Buzzaro]

So what you are saying is. THERE ARE NO LOOT TABLES?

All I want to know is the odds of creature X having a [ITEM(s)]

The orignial RQ had these charts and we are using them untill we find something better.

Ok, then what are the chances that any given Duckmen can cast a spell?
What are the chances that a Human has full plate?

 

[weasel_fierce]

Ok, then what are the chances that any given Duckmen can cast a spell?
What are the chances that a Human has full plate?

Whatever you think will make the better adventure for your players.

 

[Dr_Snugglebunny]

A wonderful opportunity to make up your own lists; even put them on the Wiki or something.

Personally I think these tables are a waste of time and print space, for the reasons others have already posted. And they've fallen out of vogue in RPGs lately; too D&Dish and pretty nonsensical. Yet others do use them, so go for it.

 

[TRose]

Fact is most maig items(Outsid ethe Clanking City) would be custom built for the person it was being made for. the old enchantment rules gave a good fell for that.
And as for coins, it should be remembered that most wealth in the ancient world was not in coins but in items.Your neighboring clan chieftian may be a nice target to raid as is both wealthy and a nasty jerk your clan has hated for years, but his wealth is going to be in Cattle, furnishing, slaves, ect and not much in coins.And chances are your local merchant caravan wealth is going to be in trade goods not coins too

 

[simonh]

So what you are saying is. THERE ARE NO LOOT TABLES?

No, thank goodness.

All I want to know is the odds of creature X having a [ITEM(s)]

Think about that for a moment. It will depend on who that person is, where they come from, what they are doing at the time, etc, etc. All of which are really far more interesting questions from the point of view of a roleplaying game. Think about this question from the point of view of role playing in the real world. I suppose a mugger might be more interested in the odds of a mark having a mobile phone and Rolex, but beyond plain banditry how useful would this information be?

RQ scenarios are generally much more about a situation that needs to be resolved, and the personalities involved in a conflict or situation than what people have in their pockets that you can lift.

The orrignial RQ had these charts and we are using them until we find something better.

I think they were mainly dropped because they were rarely used. RQ pioneered a more situation and character driven approach to roleplaying games.

Ok, then what are the chances that any given Duckmen can cast a spell?
What are the chances that a Human has full plate?

For the first question it will depend on that Duckman's culture, profession and religious background. Why is that characetr where he is, and who is he?

For the last question, virtually nil. Think about how many people in an ancient world setting like this can afford full plate - only a fraction of 1 percent of the population. However adventurers encounter such people much more often than that, because they are going to dangerous places and work with, or against dangerous and often powerful people. So the answer will depend on where your game is set and what the characters are doing. A table won't help with that.

 

[telsor]

Items? Money? Huh?

No, you loot the bodies ( ooh look, chainmail shirt....cha-ching! ), take it back to town, sell it ( or trade it ) and use the money gained to buy stuff you actually want/need. If the ref thinks we're wealthy enough, it turns out to be 'poor quality', etc. If the adventure doesn't involve killing/looting bad guys, we either pick up remuneration in some other way, or do it for the glory ( we're heroes dammit, we do the good deed, even if it costs us! ).

How much to the bad guys have? What they need to present the level of opposition required to challenge us. No more ( personally I'd prefer a little more extraneous stuff for chrome, but hey, you can't have everything ).

The point is, there is no 'loot generation', merely generating the bad guys, which is just a flow on from generating the adventure.

 

[TRose]

As how common Plate armor was. I read someplace long time ago that to build and maintain a Knight in full plate was as costly in man hours as it is to day to buy and maintian a pilot in a jet fighter. Not sure if that fully accurate, but gives a pretty good idea how common a Knight in full plate should be.

 

[Licheking]

Take the wages from the Companion for typical guards/Soldiers and take out his food, then you find out how long it will take for that person to save up and buy plate. At 9000sp for a full suit, he will probably be working continuosly for a very long time to even afford a breastplate. Frankly i think only nobles and elite guards will have plate armour.

 

[soltakss]

Retained Guards don't normally buy their own armour. It is normally supplied to them, then is deducted from their wages. So they can start with arnour. Itinerant guards normally have their own armour, otherwise nobody would hire them.

Most PCs start with a certain amount of kit, including armour. Why shouldn't NPCs?

But, yes, guards don't normally have Plate, but if they do then strip them down and take their boots as well.

 

[Halfbat]

Retained Guards don't normally buy their own armour. It is normally supplied to them [...]. Itinerant guards normally have their own armour, otherwise nobody would hire them.
But, yes, guards don't normally have Plate, but if they do then strip them down and take their boots as well.

Absolutely. And if you're looking at a Greek influence think of the mercenary hoplite bands whose armour, iirc, depended very much on (a) whether their new employer was supplying them, (b) each member's own experience and accumulated armour, and (c) the quality of the troops (good troops, better pay, better kit, etc).

There's a parallel with the C14th/C15th Free Companies, too, who apparently used a lot of plundered kit as well.

 

[CharlieMonster]

You'll be wanting "CRs" next...

 

[telsor]

The other point to remember is the armour has to be made.

Off the top of my head, the companion says that an armourer makes 50sp worth of armour/day..

That means about 1, maybe 1.5 suits of plate per year in addition to maintainence tasks.

So, a hypothetical town has 2 armourers, what do you do, equip a small number of men in plate, or actually have a decent number of soldiery in, say, 3 or 4 pt armour and actually have the numbers to patrol the town and nearby area, man the gates, and stand guard at your palace?

 

[Buzzaro]

Items? Money? Huh?
How much do the bad guys have?

Hmm, did I forget to mention... we ARE “the bad guys” :twisted:
Or at least everyone else says so, I say we are just defending out home land from outside invasion and feeding our tribe in the process.

So, we killed the invading duckmen (peasant farmers) and ate them and thier young with some nice lava beans and fermented bug juices...

and when we marched back into town we changed UZ RULEZ, DUCKZ DROOLZ.

Buzzaro...
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without light there is UZ!