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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gizmo33" data-source="post: 4284547" data-attributes="member: 30001">I think the best way of handling this is to try to use the tools that you already have for balancing challenge ratings and treasure awards.  A thorpe full of commoners can really be thought of as a set of encounter areas, and the treasures value that PCs can get for taking them down can be the same as that for monsters of that same EL. That's for portable treasure.  For bulky property value, and plows and stuff, I'd estimate.  Perhaps assign about 5 gp per farmer, 15 gp per craftsmen, and maybe up to 40 gp for millers and smiths.  Assume 1/2 a cart load per 50 gp maybe - for example a smith might have sacks of charcoal, some iron blooms, hammers, files, and the anvil.  Social history books might have this info - or you can just skip the details and say "40 gp worth of tools and materials".5gp may not sound like alot, but iron is only 1 sp/lb and wood is cheaper - so I think 5 gp can get you alot of farmer tools.  A number of peasant families in a thorpe can be said to share a plow and team of oxen between them (I believe that would be historical).  41,000 gp for a thorp sounds crazy to me.  That's like a kobold in a dungeon having 41,000 gp.  Something stronger would have come along and taken it.  In civilized areas, count the EL for likely patrols when figuring the wealth of the thorpe.   That way the overall treasure level for bandit PCs is going to be commensurate with the challenge - which is actually the simulationist logic for a dungeon treasure award anyway.These are just average numbers.  As a DM I always consider the possibility that there is perhaps an lightly guarded temple with a lot of treasure gained in a recent donation.  PCs who wander about, attacking thorps at random will probably just get the average result.  Some gather info might reveal which temple is the especially rich one.  Then again, there is always the identity of the rich temple's patron to consider - so perhaps you really can't escape from the treasure=EL model.</blockquote>

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