DM's: Gems, Jewelry, Artwork & Copper pieces..do you actually describe them?

[Mark Hope]

Yes, I individually specify and describe each item. For coinage, I also make sure to note what currency it is in and what realm and era it comes from. Really ancient coins can fetch more money if sold to collectors, for example, although it is easy to flood the market and thus devalue them.

 

[Emirikol]

Weird gem fetishes can affect interactions with NPCs, too. If the PCs find out that Bob the Alchemist has a thing for emeralds, maybe they can get a discount on healing potions by paying him with emeralds. Depending on how much detail the DM wants to put into the campaign setting, the gems found on NPCs can be a hint about bigger things, like what parts of the world the NPC came from (or, more likely in a D&D game, what part of the world the person the NPC robbed came from).

See, that's the kind of justification I'm looking for. I don't see coin and jewelry as important at all except when it's part of a plot or to get a real feeling for a particular part of the campaign. Otherwise I consider it just unnecessary math. Oooh, Math the Role Playing Game...

We track encumbrance roughly, but we're not talking standard D&D here. Our Conan campaign games have to do with "loot" but I just can't justify wasting time on stuff that the players don't actually care about (like calculating individual gems, coppers to gold, whether it's a gold cup or gold spoon, etc.) I need some motivation from those of you with good experiences on this. I like the idea that a magic shop owner may want a particular type of gem, but it would be easier if it was standard across the board.

Suddenly, players say, "you know that bag of gems we found? what exactly are they?"

More experiences?

jh


..

 

[Treebore]

If it doesn't have to do with magical components I don't detail it unless it is over 1,000 GP in value.

Many of my players do like knowing they have a platinum filligree necklace with a nice blue sapphire center piece with small diamond accents, or a heavy gold necklace in a oak leaf pattern with a huge purple star sapphire hanging from the center.

It is why I am looking forward to Necromancer/Table Top Adventures Mother of all Treasure Tables coming soon to a store near us. Even Amazon is likely.

 

[Contrarian]

I need some motivation from those of you with good experiences on this. I like the idea that a magic shop owner may want a particular type of gem, but it would be easier if it was standard across the board.

This is where having a 1E DMG is really handy, because Gygax stuffed it full of seemingly useless lists like "Reputed Magical Properties of Gems" and "Herbs, Spices, and Medicinal Vegetables", providing useful information like hematite "Aids fighters, heals wounds" and turnips cure "throat problems".

So get (or make) yourself some goofy lists like that, and you can base magician's preferences based on what kind of magic items they make, like "Bob needs hematite to making healing potions, so he'll give discounts to adventurers who pay him with hematite." It's a quirk, but it's a quirk with a rationale, which always makes you look better to the players.

It can affect player characters the other way, too. When the PCs get to the point where they can start making potions and magic items, you've got a built-in adventure hook: "Sorry Fred, none of the dealers in town have any hematite. Guess you'll go have to find your own."

 

[Dog Moon]

Yes, I like to describe them and I like for them to be described. Not really on gems though, unless it looks interesting. "White pearl" would be about as detailed as I get on most gems unless it has a truly unique cut/shape/size/etc.

I think one of my DMs was a little annoyed when he's like 'And you find 3 art objects worth 200gp, 250gp, and 30gp,' and I'm like 'So what are they?' Guess I'm just that way.

 

[grodog]

I usually describe gems and jewelry with some detail, especially for valuable pieces. NG's Mother of All Treasure Tables would be a great boon to DMs who like that idea, but don't have the time/talent/energy to detail mundane treasure. Details @ http://www.necromancergames.com/upcoming.html and http://p105.ezboard.com/fnecromancergamesfrm86

 

[xnosipjpqmhd]

If I describe only the magic items in detail, then the players single those out quickly, so I try to give everything players find some baseline level of detail. (Not too much detail, mind, because whatever I say must then be written down for consistency's sake! ;-)

So I'll generally give each item a hint of personality, enough to be memorable, but not too much to jot down, like this:
- A short sword with a wavy groove in the blade
- A silver necklace with a moon-shaped pendant
- A tapestry of a ship tossed by a raging sea
- A small burlap sack with about 200 Keoish silver legions
- A leather wineskin with a brass stopper and chain
- etc.

Then if players want to examine the items carefully (with skills or spells), they may be able to learn additional details, depending on which skill or spell they use. Important details (magic, plot hooks, etc.) come straight from my notes, and the rest I just make up for flavour.
- the sword is a masterwork (but non-magical) blade forged in Furyondy
- the necklace is of poor quality and would be lucky to fetch 10 gp
- the tapestry has a secret map woven into it (to the Lost Isles of Zwer)
- the sack is sturdy, while the coins are of recent mint and not overly shaved
- the wineskin radiates a faint aura of transmutation...
and so on.

 

[Wik]

I always describe what gems the group finds, what artwork they find, and jewelry. It's not part of the "diva" situation, although if my group finds a ring worth 100 GP, they're likely to keep it simply because it weighs a helluva lot less than 100 GP.

Once, though, a player found a single silver ear ring, loved the thing, and paid a jeweller a cubic buttload of money to have him make a duplicate so she could wear the set. So, yeah, I describe treasure with a bit of detail - it helps flesh out the world just a little bit.

 

[Imp]

I'll always try to come up with some description, but honestly, it depends on how much I am winging it at the time. It also depends on who's asking. Characters without any Appraise or Knowledge or Craft skills, etc., get the short version. "Yeah, it's a gold ring, kind of heavy, has a couple clear gems in it."

 

[Buttercup]

Do any of you bother to roll up gems and jewelry (aka artwork)anymore? Or, do you just tell your players "yea, you find 500gp worth of gems & jewelry & stuff."

Is there any purpose anymore to rolling that stuff up? It seems akin to handing out copper and silver as treasure. Why not just say 10gp worth of coins?

jh

Heck yeah! For what purpose? I've built adventures around jewelry before. Sometimes the PCs decide they like a tapestry, statue or whatever that they find, and they'll carry it around until they have a base of operations. In one campaign, there was a PC who liked blue things. He collected blue gems, blue cloth, blue candles, anything like that. He has quite a supply of sapphires, lapis and so forth. Also, my players typically prefer to carry small and valuable stones instead of coins for at least part of their wealth. Gems are much lighter, so it's sort of like money in the bank.

But my players are roleplayers. If you're running a game for people who see all treasure in terms of its cash value, then why bother with describing the rune covered gold torque with an amber stone that has a dragonfly embedded in it, or the tapestry that depicts St. Gaspar's famous battle with the Swamp Beast, even though it was woven with such consumate skill that you can almost see him move?