What Treasure?

[DMaple]

Correct me if I'm way of base but...

A EL 10 encounter say of...

A group of Duergar consisting of...

Fighter 6 - Leader CR7
Cleric 3 - CR4
and 6 Warrior 3 - CR 3 each

rewards around 5800gp in treasure (if you are luckly) according to the DMG.


But also according to the DMG a 6th level Fighter should have 5600gp worth of equipment, a 4th level character 3,300gps worth of stuff and 3 level characters should have 2,500gp each.

So thats 23,900 gps worth of stuff altogether. Even if they are encountered only carrying half that value in weapons, items and ready cash (they have the rest invested in stock and shares). That still means they are twice the recommend treasure for such and encounter.

So which is right?

 

[Shin Okada]

It is up to DM

Read DMG P.171 "NPC with Treasure". "NPC may have treasure in addition to their gear, at you discretion,..." So it is entirely up to DM.

In most cases, I do not roll treasure for NPC encounter. I do roll some treasure when that place is at least semi-permanent resident of NPC group (castle, temple, wizard's tower, etc). I just go case by case.

 

[DMaple]

Ah so an encounter like that they should have somewhere between 23,900 to 29,700 gp. And here's me thinking I'ld be handing out too much treasure for the EL 10 encounter.

So EL 10 encounter with monsters 5,800 gp.
EL 10 encounter with NPC's 29,7000 gp.

Bit of a difference, why venture into dungeons when you can just mug a few people for far more money and less risk?

 

[CRGreathouse]

Bit of a difference, why venture into dungeons when you can just mug a few people for far more money and less risk?

As it says in the DMG, it's because the NPCs use their gear against you, while most monsters don't. Some is assumed to be useless to the PCs (an unholy sword), and some will be consumed (scrolls).

 

[Shin Okada]

As it says in the DMG, it's because the NPCs use their gear against you, while most monsters don't. Some is assumed to be useless to the PCs (an unholy sword), and some will be consumed (scrolls).

Yeah, in my last session PCs have fought against evil religious knightly order. Each unit of that order have some knights (blackguards or cleric/fighter), clerics, and.... ADEPTS. PCs have found tons of Divine scrolls of Lightning Bolt from their dead body....

 

[Umbran]

Let's also note a couple of mitigating factors...

It's an EL 10 encounter, but the highest level NPC is 6th. Unless you're really trying to push your PCs to the limit, that probably means that the NPCs are all lower level than the PCs, so most of their arms and armor will be of lower quality than what the PCs already have. The PCs will want to sell most of it, rather than keep it.

Much of the treasure will be in consumables - potions and scrolls - and should get used up in a fight.

The NPCs have roughly 24,000 gp worth of gear (items "bought" at standard sale prices). Since used gear sells for half market price, for that translates into only 12,000 gp of effective treasure.

The DM is within his rights to say that without some appropriate skill for appraising, the PCs may not recognize the full value of many items (is that normal or masterwork armor?) They may leave some pricey things behind, or get rooked in trying to fence the stuff.

Much of it may be heavy items - armor and weapons. Can the PCs carry it all away?

Is there a market for all of it? If an item is extremely common, or unused in the local economy, then you can't sell it for much. Do folk in a small town need 6 suits of chainmail? Will they buy the extra potions?

All in all, it's pretty easy to control the actual amount of useful value the PCs get out of such an encounter.