How do you handle gems as a GM?

[Koloth]

When they find them, "3 gem stones". If they spend time identifying/appraising then assuming success, the full description. Probably should be a GM roll since failure could lead to some interesting side plots. Sadly, most parties can't wait to turn gems/jewelry into cash so generally not worth spending much time on it. Unless of course, the stones are useful as magic components.

 

[Mannahnin]

I'd describe the gems (color, size) and OOC allow PCs skilled in Appraisal or something close (being a Dwarf) to make a roll to determine the gems' approximate (what it's worth and what they can actually sell it for are often different) value.

I basically do this.

Except I rarely impose a difference between the worth and what the PCs can sell it for. Functionally those are synonyms. For ease of play they can almost always get the worth. The exceptions would be if they're in some sort of notably disadvantageous situation- on the lam and needing to liquidate through a shady fence, or stuck in a small town where no buyer has enough cash to pay full value.

 

[Sossij]

I'm still learning this DM thing, but unless anyone tries to appraise, I just tell them what sort of gem it is. I assume the values given are always the prices they'd get from a fair dealer (indicating the gems are worth more, but unless they want to set themselves up as their own jewelers/trading company, they won't get it) and then I can avoid having to do advanced haggling mid game.

 

[kronovan]

For me it depends upon the circumstances and to some extent the audience of players. So I voted for "other." For some settings and rulesets, unless the PCs are very green, such identification doesn't present much of a challenge. So I'd roll with the 2nd choice. In other settings however, the knowledge and skill to identify gems can be a rare talent. In that case I'd begin at option 3, giving the least details and allowing players to RP through the process of IDing them.

My players are going to have some influence too, in that some players just aren't that keen on the RP of IDing and evaluating of items like gems. For such players I might just do a handwaving of it, by giving the most details. I certainly have a few cicrle of players that really like to do a full geek on such RP. And of course there's those rare gems, who's IDing IMO shouldn't be handwaved. If only because doing so can eliminate the potential for good narrative, RPing and maybe even plot hooks.

 

[aco175]

I just tell them the GP value. You find three gems, one worth 50gp and the other two worth 75 each. It is assumes that when the PCs get into a town they will have them appraised or that the casters who are always looking for a 50gp or 500gp gem would know something about it, similar to how a fighter should know something about a sword being better made than a normal one. It keeps tracking on my end down and the players do not care unless one is worth 500gp diamond they can use for raise dead.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Treasure is really only a big deal for me in games with carousing, like Shadowdark and Pirate Borg, and it's easier for everyone to just say what the values are, since that's what they want to use when planning their carousing.

I used to do all the appraising and stuff in 3E and it didn't seem to add anything other than complications and the extra paperwork of having to track which treasures the characters hadn't fully figured out yet.

 

[Atomoctba]

I almost use the "one onyx and two opals" approach, but with a caveat. "You find a black gem and two multicolored gems" (makes a secret roll), "Jon, you know the multicolored ones are opals, not particularly expensive. You have no idea of what is the black one."

Also, I just roll the price of a gem when a player attempts to sell it. Even appraise will give the probable price band, but not the exact price.

 

[Lanefan]

"You find three gems that look worthwhile" or similar is what they'll get while in the field unless they take time to do some appraising*. For a mixed bag it might be more like "The bag holds 17 gems, a couple of which look really nice".

They get the actual values once they get back to town, as part of the larger treasury division process.

* - which IME is pretty much never unless the gems are pearls, in which case they'll try to determine if they meet the 100 g.p. threshold for use as Identify components.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

I want to be this guy: "You find an onyx worth 50 gp and two opals, each worth 75 gp."

In reality I'm this guy: "The troll's treasure totals 137gp each. Let's take a short break. I need to pee."

 

[James Gasik]

I used to go all-in describing gems and art objects, taking my inspiration from the tables in 2e's Forgotten Realms Adventures. Love that book. Anyways, I started to notice over the years that it was just taking way too much time for me to describe the treasure, and for the players to write it down.

And often, they just wrote down shorthand "gems worth x gold" anyways. Only if certain gem types matter is it worth noting, but D&D never really ran with that outside of the occasional need for black onyx or diamonds. I suppose there's use for houserules, but I'm not a fan of balancing non-ritual magic with gp costs.

And I ran into the same problem with art objects- I used to hide important clues and bits of lore in the description of objects ("you find a detailed painting of five heroes standing on a cliff, pointing to a lighthouse, a certain constellation visible in the night sky"), but unless I put equal description into each bit of treasure, the players would instantly hone in on the important stuff (and if I did do that, they'd start chasing red herrings, convinced everything was important).

Plus the inevitable "how do I sell this" minigame that could occasionally be fun, but usually just sucked all the (limited) game time we had for more interesting things.

I'm starting to wonder if I should just convert everything into monetary value for future games. It makes the game less immersive and more bland, but in the end, it's just eliminating pointless busy work for myself and my players.