Do you hand out less treasure?

[Halivar]

One of our group's speculations on 4E prior to launch was that magic items would be deemphasized, such that they were no longer a necessary part of character progression. Our first campaign went from levels 1-6, and I handed out treasure parcels normally.

Our second campaign has been running for three months, now, and has run from level 6-8. I just realized today that in all that time, I have no handed out a single treasure parcel; not a single one. The characters are still using the equipment they had when they created their level 6 characters.

In all that time, none of my players has even mentioned this oversight on my part. Part of me is wondering if I should just let it slide, or let them have a massive windfall of treasure.

But it makes me ask the question: just how important is treasure in 4E, now, and has anyone else been more stingy with treasure?

 

[FDM]

The two level increase you have seen? Won't make a difference if you have given out any treasure. About 5 levels out, things will get hairy.

 

[Beckett]

I've been giving out less. One of the campaigns I run is using the WotC modules, and those provide far less than what would be expected- typically five items when the range of levels would suggest 12-16, and about 1/3 the expected cash. I did figure out what the expected amount would be, and what I'm giving out is somewhere between the expected and the actual (trying to cover closer to the expected items, and typically doubling any gold values listed).

My homebrew campaign, I started out anal about parcels. But, around fifth level, the characters were getting most of their experience on a diplomatic mission- not a lot of opportunities to loot when everything is owned by the orc tribe they were playing nice with. Currently they're on the run through a twisted patch of the Feywild and again, not many chances to pick up treasure. So, they're probably behind the expected value, but they're doing okay. I do have some nice paydays planned ahead, but I don't think I'll make up all the treasure they should have gotten by the book.

No one in either game has been complaining that the treasure is too little, and their gear isn't so out of date that they're having problems in combat. So, I figure things are going okay.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Sounds like you guys are in the perfect possition to hand out some extra non-weapon/armor treasure to spice things up a bit.

 

[Nymrohd]

I don't think you run into any issues before you get a gap of +2 or bigger from your expected enhancement bonus. Though at that point the math does start to affect characters. Maybe your players have noticed the lack of magic items yet they are not communicating for some reason. It might be a good idea to poll them once in a while on things they think would make the game more fun and if treasure comes up, then it is among the easier things to solve.
If you give what is expected you may not have enough parcel spots for items other than the big three. What I am doing so that I don't much have to care about treasure is apply the NPC magic item threshold to the characters.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Only by fault of H1 and H2 might I have given out too little.

 

[weem]

I'm pretty stingy.

Their equipment is where it should be (have gone from level 1 to 9 now), but money? that is another thing. They have (between all 4 of them) about 2,000 gp. (looking at the parcels, you will see they should have much more) and no, they haven't spent any - haven't had a chance to.

They are mentioning the lack of money though. I think I am going to give them (in one lump sum) what they should have had by now (which will be a lot) but make it part of the adventure... how to manage all that money... people will come for it, etc etc. I'm thinking it would be fun to do a 'careful what you wish for' kind of thing where it becomes a headache for them (aka it's very dangerous).

---edit---

I don't allow the purchasing of magic items btw

---/edit---

 

[Ravilah]

I have also been asking myself Halivar's question (and since Halivar is playing in my game, I've asked him too). My problem is that I keep forgetting which treasure parcels I've handed out. Inevitably the party has leveled before it dawns on me to hand out all the parcels, so I'm sure my players are far behind the curve.

They haven't complained at all, and even when questioned directly about it, most of them have said they don't feel underpowered. Only one player is feeling poor and gypped--but he's having a hard time getting over the 3e notion that magic items are the mark of your power level. He keeps pouring over the magic items in Adventurer's Vault like a kid with a Toys-R-Us catalog a month before Christmas.

I like handing out treasure though. I miss rolling on the 3e treasure tables actually. I recently sent them a "catch-up pile" but I'm making them earn it.

 

[xazil]

With H1 and H2 being a bit light, I added a labratory to a suitable place near the end . There they can enhance magic items with a few days ingame which will let the party pick three of thier +1 items and enhance them to +2. Interactive, ingame logical power catchup.

 

[Wormwood]

My group is running the Scales of War adventure path (3 DMs rotating), and we follow the parcel system as written.

No problems that I've noticed, in fact quite the opposite. Everyone enjoys customizing their characters, and the system spreads out the most powerful items sufficiently to keep everything nicely balanced.

And that is *including* the Invulnerable Coat of Arnd the Paladin used for three levels.