Calculating Random Treasure from the Magic Item Compendium

[Olaf the Stout]

Occasionally I generate random treasure from the Magic Item Compendium and I just want to check that I'm doing it right.

First you work out the CR table to roll against. 2 CR 2 creatures means 2 rolls on the CR 2 table, not 1 roll on the CR 4 table.

Then you roll a d100 to see what treasure the creature has. Here is where I'm a little confused. Do I roll once and use that d100 result for coins, good and items? Or do I roll a d100 3 times, once for coins, once for good and once for items.

From memory, when you use the DMG method you roll 3 separate times. Using the MIC tables I'm not so sure though.

Can anyone help?

Olaf the Stout

 

[pawsplay]

I don't own the MIC, but I know that in the DMG, treasure is by EL, not by CR.

 

[freyar]

The MIC doesn't exactly spell it out, and I go back and forth on using CR vs EL, but generally I'd do 2 rolls on the CR 2 table for 2 CR 2 critters, like you said. My understanding is that you just roll d% once; the amount of coins and goods are semi-correlated with the goods and items. I don't have the book right with me, but IIRC there are several lines with different coin amounts but nearly the same items or vice versa. I don't see a problem with rolling separately for coins, goods, and items, but that starts to defeat the purpose of the MIC tables as time-saving devices.

 

[pawsplay]

Usually, the results would be additive. And if you are using the MIC guidelines you don't have to worry about the utility of the magic items, provided you use EL to for the magic items. If you roll for individual monsters, you will end up with lower level junk for magic items.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

I don't own the MIC, but I know that in the DMG, treasure is by EL, not by CR.

So you are saying that if there are 4 CR 2 creatures in an encounter you should be rolling once on the CR6 treasure table, not 4 times on the CR 2 treasure table?

Olaf the Stout

 

[pawsplay]

So you are saying that if there are 4 CR 2 creatures in an encounter you should be rolling once on the CR6 treasure table, not 4 times on the CR 2 treasure table?

Olaf the Stout

Yes.

 

[Jhaelen]

First you work out the CR table to roll against. 2 CR 2 creatures means 2 rolls on the CR 2 table, not 1 roll on the CR 4 table.

Correct.

Then you roll a d100 to see what treasure the creature has. Here is where I'm a little confused. Do I roll once and use that d100 result for coins, good and items? Or do I roll a d100 3 times, once for coins, once for good and once for items.

You roll once.

The random treasure tables in the MIC have been designed to be more predictable than the ones in the DMG. I.e. they tend to generate 'treasure parcels' that are roughly equal in gp value and appropriate for the CR of the monsters that have them.[/QUOTE]

 

[pawsplay]

So the MIC generates treasure by CR instead of EL? That's pretty weird.

 

[aboyd]

Really? It sounds right to me. That enables each individual enemy to have something. If you use EL, don't you end up with just 1 set of super-awesome stuff that the multiple enemies have to share? And if there isn't enough, then some enemies have nothing? Or do I misunderstand how you would apply the EL treasure to all the monsters?

 

[pawsplay]

Really? It sounds right to me. That enables each individual enemy to have something. If you use EL, don't you end up with just 1 set of super-awesome stuff that the multiple enemies have to share? And if there isn't enough, then some enemies have nothing? Or do I misunderstand how you would apply the EL treasure to all the monsters?

You end up with one big pile of treasure, yes. Like I said, I don't know if the MIC changes this. By the DMG, you always use EL. The treasure is then distributed among the creatures. I can definitely see why using CR would be a problem... you end up with a bunch of low level gear from what was supposed to be a level-appropriate encounter.