How much should my PCs get for a bounty on a dangerous bandit?

[Knightfall]

I'm near the beginning of a new AD&D 2E pbp game over on The Piazza, and I'm trying to figure out how much each PC should be promised for hunting down an infamous bandit who is protected by both armed men and by an arcane spellcaster.

The PCs are starting at 3rd level, so in my head, I want to say that 300 gold each would be a good amount. However, there are only three PCs, so maybe 400 gold?

It's been a while since I've run a AD&D 2E game, so I'm getting bogged down in some of the details. I seem to remember that there this is dealt with in either the AD&D 2E DMG or another 2E sourcebook, but I can't remember which one.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

KF

 

[Citan Uzuki]

I suggest figuring up how much the total amount of loot that the bandit may have had in his lair at the time, using the Dungeon Master's Guide treasure charts and the Monstrous Manual treasure notations.

Let's assume that they're all considered Bandit/Brigand types except the spell caster which would be considered a Wizard type.

Each Bandit/Brigand uses treasure types J,M,N,Q and the Wizard uses L,N,Q. We'll assume the leader is at least one to two levels in equivalent above his henchmen, so maybe count him as having an extra "roll" on the charts so he'd be considered 2x for his types of J,M,N,Q.

J types gives 3-24 (3d8) copper pieces, L types give 2-12 (2d6) platinum/electrum pieces, M types give 2-8 (2d4) gold pieces, N types give 1-6 (1d6) platinum/electrum pieces, and Q types give 1-4 (1d4) gems.

I'm going to go purely on thought.. so.. let's say he has 10 henchmen, excluding the spellcaster. The maximum possible loot would be 264 copper pieces, 88 gold pieces, 84 platinum/electrum pieces, and 48 gems. We'll assume each gem is worth 275 gold on average.

In my personal experience and opinion, the total bounty should never exceed what they would receive in total from the loot. Given they could potentially receive quite a haul (if you allow - I suggest rolling how much loot is in the lair, in case they face the bandits there), I'd feel 300-400 gold each sounds pretty fair. Of course, if they faced the brigands in their own territory and won, they'd be well-deserving of any loot found (if they feel inclined to keep it) and the rewards.

There are a few ways to go about the lair treasure bit, though, as... let's say, what if the local authority wants all stolen goods and such returned? Or what if the PCs think that the authorities want the stolen items returned, so they do so and are given a bonus (both in coin and experience) as a result? It's all up to you, of course. :3

What I'm doing, of course, is merely going by the guidelines of the books and assuming numbers of henchmen and the like. Make the rolls yourself to determine how much they might get off of the ill-doers, and figure up from there on whether it would be properly balanced for your campaign or not. If you think it's a little much, reduce it slightly until it looks like a comfortable number (but don't reduce it below the minimum, of course!).

Just my thoughts on this. Hope it helps!

 

[Knightfall]

It does help a bit. My mind is so entrenched in 3rd Edition that a lot of the 2E stuff has slipped into the old filing cabinets in my back of my mind.

As for how many bandits there will be and what will be in their lair, I haven't really considered that yet. I'm doing this off the top of my head, so nothing is set in stone, yet. I'm thinking there will be, at least, 20 bandits including the mage (who will have actual PC levels, of course). The bandit leader will have class levels as well. And there will be guard dogs. Big ones.

I'm going to have the NPC that wants to hire them offer 350 gold per character. The goal is for the PCs to sneak in and take the bandit by surprise and hopefully escape with him before his men can react.

 

[Cleon]

I'm going to have the NPC that wants to hire them offer 350 gold per character. The goal is for the PCs to sneak in and take the bandit by surprise and hopefully escape with him before his men can react.

That figure feels about right.

If this bounty is posted publicly, wouldn't it be stated as a single figure? i.e. something like "Sid the Black is wanted dead or alive for murder, brigandage and jaywalking. Bounty of 1,000 gold pieces."

It's also worth mentioning that in 2E AD&D gold pieces aren't that significant once you have a few thousand to your name, since there isn't that much in the way of force-multipliers you can buy with them. It's not like standard 3E when you can easily convert gold into magical items.

 

[Knightfall]

That figure feels about right.

If this bounty is posted publicly, wouldn't it be stated as a single figure? i.e. something like "Sid the Black is wanted dead or alive for murder, brigandage and jaywalking. Bounty of 1,000 gold pieces."

Thanks. and, no, it isn't posted publicly. The PC has heard about this bounty through a private citizen who has lost merchandise to the bandit. The local soldiers, called the Treegard, have tried to bring the bandit in without success. The bounty is a new incentive that isn't widely publicized, yet.

It's also worth mentioning that in 2E AD&D gold pieces aren't that significant once you have a few thousand to your name, since there isn't that much in the way of force-multipliers you can buy with them. It's not like standard 3E when you can easily convert gold into magical items.

I do remember that gold is less important once the PCs have accumulated tons of wealth. Unless a PC is a thief.

 

[Citan Uzuki]

Regarding the value of gold pieces... depending on how well the DM can adapt a village to the sudden influx of tons of gold being flashed around, it can have some value.

Adventurers coming in and spending gold without a thought can become a quick word to spread around town, along with a description of members in the group. This can become a gold sink, and a good way to quickly boost the economy of a town for a short time.. and serve as a reminder that it isn't always a good idea to show lots of money around.

Another method for gold to be used is in the research and creation of magical items. One usually cannot directly buy them (unless a merchant somehow has one for sale by chance - and if they do, they may likely know its worth), but one may be able to commission a wizard or priest to create them. This can cost a small fortune in gold, as well as typically a favor asked by the spellcaster. The better the item, the higher the price. This method is typically the one used in parting a party's gold from their purses.

Of course, the third option is when a PC wants to start their own stronghold. It can cost potentially upwards of hundreds of thousands of gold pieces to do this, and hiring people certainly is not free!

Mind you, all of these tend to be later game thoughts on how gold might be spent. :3 A good DM will always find ways to make gold still worth obtaining.

 

[Cleon]

Another method for gold to be used is in the research and creation of magical items. One usually cannot directly buy them (unless a merchant somehow has one for sale by chance - and if they do, they may likely know its worth), but one may be able to commission a wizard or priest to create them. This can cost a small fortune in gold, as well as typically a favor asked by the spellcaster. The better the item, the higher the price. This method is typically the one used in parting a party's gold from their purses.

Of course, the third option is when a PC wants to start their own stronghold. It can cost potentially upwards of hundreds of thousands of gold pieces to do this, and hiring people certainly is not free!

True enough, but both of those options usually only come into play when AD&D PCs are a lot closer to name level than the OP indicates, which said the three characters are all third level.

In my experience, a party at that level is more likely to be spending its money on the more expensive items of mundane equipment like field plate, traveller's spell books, strength-modified bows and the like - assuming they haven't already bought everything they wanted already by then.

They can also spend their gold on living supplements to their strength. Hirelings and henchmen for example, although that can depend on the players' tastes. Some people like playing through adventures with NPCs a lot more than others. Alternatively, trained animals can be useful. War dogs are very effective fighting companions at that level, especially for the price.

 

[Citan Uzuki]

True enough, but both of those options usually only come into play when AD&D PCs are a lot closer to name level than the OP indicates, which said the three characters are all third level.

In my experience, a party at that level is more likely to be spending its money on the more expensive items of mundane equipment like field plate, traveller's spell books, strength-modified bows and the like - assuming they haven't already bought everything they wanted already by then.

They can also spend their gold on living supplements to their strength. Hirelings and henchmen for example, although that can depend on the players' tastes. Some people like playing through adventures with NPCs a lot more than others. Alternatively, trained animals can be useful. War dogs are very effective fighting companions at that level, especially for the price.

Indeed! Even normal items that are of excellent quality may cost 2-5 times as much as their normal variations, so those are potential ways to use gold.

And living supplements do add up - new clothes, better packs, small strongholds to keep their wealth and keep it protected.. all of these do have a price. Even adventuring equipment that gets broken or has limited use may eat into those precious gold pieces - lantern oil, torches, rations, scrolls of protection, potions, etc.

 

[Knightfall]

I should also point out that Almagra is a hot and humid world, although the mountainous region the game is taking place in is more like a temperate cloud rainforest mixed with some open steppe-like plains that get flooded every year -- a lot. So the PCs might have to allocate gold to protecting themselves from the elements as cool damp spring moves to the hot summer. the right clothing and gear will be vital for them.

Right now, its not too hot for metal armor, but if the game lasts into high summer (fingers crossed) the PCs will cook in metal armor. Right now, there is more danger of a cold snap pouring down buckets of freezing rain or even feet of snow. The worst of the floods are over, however.

The weather will play a part in the difficulty of capturing the bandit leader. He knows the terrain and the weather patterns while the PCs all come from elsewhere.

 

[S'mon]

My gut says One THOUSAND gold pieces (total) for a low level brigand chief. Up to say 5000gp or so if he's a 10th level brigand king.